Ulrik Schaarup

Ny blog på tri365.dk

2010-09-15T21:39:00.002+02:00

Fremover vil min blog kunne læses på www.tri365.dk :-)

Animateur til CSC Copenhagen motionsrace

2010-08-30T10:02:00.003+02:00

I går søndag prøvede jeg for første gang at stille op i et cykelløb. 124 km. fra Christiansborg til Nordsjælland og tilbage igen. Ruten var totalt afspærret af politiet, og det var sgu meget lækkert, og frem for alt føltes det meget sikkert. Der var nogen enkelte biler, der alligevel havde forvildet sig ind på ruten i den modsatte retning, men ikke nogen deciderede farlige situationer.

Og jeg kan ligeså godt være ærlig ;-) Jeg var den stærkeste i løbet. Jeg animerede det løb. Og mens min bror stadig var i frontgruppen, bestemte vi mere eller mindre, hvem der skulle have lov til at køre...

Løbet startede med neutral zone ud til Bellevue. Den neutrale zone var for hektisk til mine nerver. Der blev kørt meget nervøst, og det er jo ikke meningen med neutral zone. Jeg kunne ikke vente med at løbet blev givet frit. Og inden vi nåede Skodsborg, havde jeg været fremme og forsøgt udbrud. Vores taktik var klar. Vi skulle have en god træning ud af det. Vi kan ikke spurte alligevel. Og så skulle vi have lavet en tidlig udskilning, så feltet blev mere roligt og mindre stressende for et par nervøse triatleter. Dvs. at løbet skulle gøres hårdt fra start af. Løb skal køres fra front, og samtidig slap vi også for at sidde nede i feltet, for det er alligevel for stressende. Og jeg kan ikke accelerere som cykelryttere kan. Det har jeg aldrig trænet. Jeg kan holde et højt jævnt tempo i lang tid, men jeg kan ikke stikke i højre og venstre med +50 km/t. Så der var heller ikke anden mulighed end at køre det så hårdt som muligt og holde et jævnt højt tempo.

Men jeg må sige, at det kan godt være, at A-rytterne var med i gadeløbet om eftermiddagen, men ellers havde jeg forstået det sådan, at feltet egentlig var pænt stærkt. Og set i det lyst fatter vi slet ikke deres kørestil. De stak hele tiden, og deres acceleration var fin nok. Det var ikke noget, jeg skulle prøve kræfter med. Men det gik hurtigt op for os, at vi bare kunne lade dem køre. For de døde selv derude, og så var de nemme at hente. Og så fattede de bare ikke, at de jo ikke kan blive ved med at angribe. Når vi er af sted i en god gruppe, så er det mest optimale jo, at man arbejder sammen, og får skabt et fornuftigt forspring. Det var vel hele ideen i, at du angreb, min ven… Du ville gerne af sted i udbrud, ikk’… Nu sidder du dig… Så kør dog! Men det kunne de ikke finde ud af.

Team Mermaid drengene skulle måske lige snakke sammen om deres HOLD… De kunne slet ikke arbejde sammen. Vi sad på et tidspunkt i en 12-mands gruppe med ca. 60 km. igen. Endelig var vi kommet af sted, og vi havde ca. 25 sek. Og de var 8 mand fra Mermaid. Alligevel kunne de ikke finde ud af tage føringer. De blev ved med at lave huller, som vi andre så kunne få lov til at lukke. Tror du selv, at jeg gider blive ved med det… Under hele løbet kunne de ikke finde ud af andet end at stikke og lave huller. Jeg lagde kun mærke til én enkelt fra Mermaid, som kørte fornuftigt, og han endte heldigvis som 2’er. Men vi blev egentlig enige om, at det må have været forbi, at de bare ikke kunne træde hårdere. De var måske bare på max. Det håber jeg. For rutine har de nok af.

På et tidligere tidspunkt sad de også 5 mand i udbrud, og 4 var fra Mermaid. Jeg kører så alene op med endnu en Mermaid rytter på hjul. Og så gik det i stå. Det var åbenbart heller ikke godt nok.

Da den store udskilning var sket efter ca. 70 km. var vi 25 mand i frontgruppen, og 10 af dem var altså fra Mermaid. Heino Cykler var også godt repræsenteret, men holdarbejde var nærmest ikke eksisterende. Der var nogen af dem, som bare ikke lavede dages gode gerning.

Da vi nærmede os København med ca. 40 km., begyndte jeg at acceptere, at den store udskilning var umulig. Det var fladt resten af vejen, og de sad i mit hjul konstant, og gad ikke køre af sted med mig. Men jeg skulle have en god gang træning ud af det, så jeg besluttede mig for at prøve at holde det samlet så længe som muligt. Så jeg satte mig i front og hentede folk ind efterhånden, som de kom af sted. Men det krævede også nogen pauser bagerst i feltet, og der slap en gruppe af sted, som jeg troede automatisk ville blive hentet. Men det var jeg egentlig ligeglad med, for jeg ville ikke deltage i nogen form for spurt alligevel, så det var de andres tab. Da vi nåede Kalvebod Brygge satte jeg mig i front igen, og det var igen egentlig mere efter devisen, at i front, er man mest sikret imod styrt. Jeg var sikker på, at de drenge nok skulle spurte om en sekundære placeringer. Med 1 km. igen kørte de forbi mig frem mod spurten, og jeg lagde mig ned bagerst. Lige tids nok til at undgå et slemt styrt. En motorcykelbetjent stoppede foran et opstillet hegn i højre side. Som jeg så det, havde nogen af rytterne for meget fokus på hjulet foran og ikke på vejen, der blev snævret ind, hvilket var, hvad politibetjenten forsøgte at gøre opmærksom på. Men der var en rytter, som slet ikke så det, og han hamrede direkte ind i betjenten med sin højre side. Det må have gjort ondt. Jeg sad nok 10 meter bagved ham, og kunne uden problemer undgå styrtet. Bortset fra det styrt var det egentlig en meget sikker dag, hvilket ellers var noget, jeg godt kunne have frygtet.

Jeg blev nr. 19 med lidt over 40 km/t i snit. Placeringen var ligegyldig, men det var sgu rart at få bevist over for mig selv, at selv om min form ikke er god, så er den bedre, end jeg viste til CCPH Relay. Og de store problemer, som jeg oplevede den dag, havde jeg fået elimineret til i går.

CCPH Relay (bakken efter Nivå Havn)

2010-08-22T18:43:00.003+02:00

Lorte dag på cyklen til CCPH stafet… Men fik det maksimale ud af det…

2010-08-15T22:54:00.001+02:00

Dagen startede med, at min nymonterede front flaskeholder gik løs på vej til toget, og skruerne forsvandt ned i en vandpyt. Og da jeg nåede perronen på kystbanen, var alle tog var aflyste. Hmm. Så måtte køres derind alligevel, og nåede frem i god tid. Cyklen blev stillet, og detaljerne kom på plads. Kl. var nu ca. 7.20. Jeg havde forestillet mig, at deltagerne i stafetten ville have mulighed for at sætte sig et sted – f.eks. i et opslået telt. Sådan at vi ikke skulle stå op, i mit tilfælde i ca. 1 time og 35 min. (nogen i en del længere tid), og bruge unødige kræfter. Lyder det ikke meget fornuftigt med det telt specielt til stafet deltagere… Det kan godt være, at vi ikke skal lave den lange, og i det store billede er stafet deltagere jo ret ligegyldige, men deltagergebyret på over 3.000 kr. har nogen jo betalt... Mine ben blev bare tungere og tungere, mens jeg ventede på Rasmus, skulle blive færdig med det svømning. Rygtet sagde godt nok 4 timers søvn og noget med Roxette koncert lørdag aften, men han var vist motiveret, og svømmede 44.46. Respekt herfra.

Jeg kunne med det samme mærke på cyklen, at benene var rigtig TUNGE. Men det ville i hvert fald ikke blive bedre, hvis jeg prøvede at køre langsomt, så jeg gik efter guldet, og håbede på bedre ben. Jeg skulle dog kun nå hen til Frihedsmuseet, før endnu et uheld indtraf. Jeg ville gerne hurtigt rundt i svinget, men de to AG’er foran, valgte en meget sikker fart… Så enten kunne jeg vælge at fortsætte ind i dem, eller prøve at fortsætte ligeud ind på parkeringspladsen. Eller også kunne man jo bare vælge at køre forbi og dreje lige på de hvide striber… Men der var nu også spejlglat, for jeg drejede knapt nok cyklen, før hofte og albue tog imod, og jeg kuede hen af asfalten… Et par venlige sjæle samlede cyklen op, og jeg var egentlig hurtigt oppe igen og af sted. Der gik lidt tid, før jeg kunne lægge armen på puden, og jeg måtte af 3 gange undervejs og justere baghjul og bagbremse, og samlet kostede det nok 5 min. Og for at gøre ondt værre, gik det hurtigt op for mig, at jeg ville få problemer med energi indtaget. Jeg brækkede mig faktisk fra start til slut. Det endte med en tid på 4.31.

Når jeg ser på de forhold, jeg fik, og mere vigtigt, som jeg gav mig selv, så gik jeg dybt, for at få det bedste ud af det. Så set i det lys, må jeg være tilfreds. Det handler nu bare om at lære af dagen, og bruge det fremadrettet. For skal man have en lortedag, er det meget godt, at det sker i et stafetløb, som bare skulle være god lir, og en god træningsdag. Og hvad er konklusionen så? Den store konklusion er, at jeg ikke har konkurrence erfaring nok. Det er også 1 år siden mit sidste løb. Derfor kommer der nogen fejl, som ikke ville være opstået, hvis jeg var en garvet triatlet. Jeg er sikker på, at mine enormt tunge ben skyldes, at jeg skulle stå op så længe, og fik en koldstart. Det passer mig ikke. Jeg har et virkelig gammelmands problem i form af mine åreknuder, og de holder ikke til at stå særlig længe af gangen, uden at blive brugt, for så hæver de op, og bliver tunge. Og så kørte jeg uden kompressionsstrømper, selvom jeg egentlig ikke tror, at det havde gjort nogen forskel. Mht. mine tilbagevendende opkast problemer under fysisk aktivitet, så vil jeg prøve at teste, om det ikke skyldes overhydrering. Jeg tror, jeg nogen gange får overdrevet væskeindtaget, og så skal det bare ud. Og op til stafetten drak jeg en del energidrik, og tog en del saltsticks og et par koffein tabletter, og det gør jeg ellers sjældent. Så det handler også om at træne noget mere i konkurrence situationer. Endelig vil jeg mene, at selvom min form pt. er skidt, så er den bedre end 4.31, selvom jeg havde styrt. Den rute kan helt sikkert køres i sub 4.15 med gode ben, og det er da irriterende, når man ikke kan præstere til sit potentiale. For det er jo det, det grundlæggende handler. ”Race to Potential”, som jeg læste i en blog fra Macca post IM Frankfurt. Så præsterer man ikke til sit potentiale på dagen, kan man ikke være tilfreds. Men så længe, at jeg ved hvorfor, og hvordan jeg kommer videre herfra, er det acceptabelt. Og jeg lagde i hvert fald det, jeg havde i dag, ude på den cykelrute.

Min bror havde også en lortedag. Han måtte også stå og vente i over 1 time i solen, da der heller ikke var opsat et telt til stafet løberne ved T2. Han løb efter planen på den første halvdel med en tid på 1.20, men så var der også lukket. Konklusionen er, at Frankfurt nok stadig sidder i benene. Perioden efter Frankfurt har heller ikke været god, og når man sammenfatter det med, at han ikke har den store base træning i sig endnu, så bliver han straffet. Men han gav alt, så det var fint nok, selvom jeg har set ham mere munter efter et løb…

Jeg besluttede mig ude på cyklen, at jeg nu starter fra nul, og begynder stille og roligt at bygge op mod 2011. Jeg vil ramme min topform og mit potentiale, og det skal gøres stille og roligt, og der skal hele tiden lyttes til kroppen.

Ellers var jeg sgu imponeret over rigtig mange. En masse debutanter lavede nogen seriøst imponerende tider. Respekt. Og danskerne fik vist, at de var topmotiverede. Det var sgu fedt at se. Udlændingene var lidt som forventet generelt skuffende, og man skal virkelig overveje, hvem man henter ind, og bruger ressourcer på næste år. Det var vel kun de 5 udlændinge i Top 11, der kan være deres indsats bekendt. Man skal sgu være sikker på, at de kommer for at præstere, og ikke pga. af andre årsager. Jeg har desværre også hørt fra en del uafhængige tilskuere, at der blev draftet meget i frontgruppen. Det lyder ikke godt, hvis det passer, og jeg mener også helt alvorligt, at drafting er ligeså slemt som doping. Endelig ser det ud til, at løberuten var for kort. Det hørte jeg i målområdet, og min brors GPS viste 1,5 km. for kort. Det må være for meget. Det håber jeg i hvert fald ikke.

CCPH Relay… FULL GAS!!!

2010-08-11T12:51:00.003+02:00

For mig personligt bliver søndag en meget rolig dag. I hvert fald hvis man sammenligner med de ca. 1.600 deltagere, som skal lave den fulde distance. Og hvor en stor del af disse er debutanter. Jeg tror, der er mange, der er meget anspændte i disse dage. Hyppigheden af toiletbesøg skal nok stige, jo nærmere vi kommer søndagens tidlige start. Men der er nu ingen grund til at være særlig nervøs eller anspændt. Der skal selvfølgelig være en naturlig grad af uro i kroppen. Hvordan mon det kommer til at gå? Der er en masse ubesvarede spørgsmål. Man kun hurtigt begynde og tvivle på sig selv og sine forberedelser. Og i mangel på den regelmæssige træning, begynder man måske også og bruge sine tanker på nu at overveje om ens setup, nu også rent faktisk er det rigtige. Selvom man måske har brugt hele vinteren på at beslutte sig for det mest optimale setup mht. skiftezone, cykel, energi etc. Her skal man bare stole på sig selv. Jeg har gjort alt det, jeg skulle. Jeg er maksimalt forberedt. Der mangler kun de sidste meget lette træningspas. Nu handler det bare om at stå mest udhvilet søndag morgen. For man skal virkelig passe på sin energi – specielt sin mentale energi. Jeg synes, at det hårde ved IM nogen gange ikke er selve konkurrencen. Men sådan skulle det helst ikke være. Det skal gerne være sådan, at man selv er som pilen i en armbrøst… og når startskuddet lyder, så bliver pilen sluppet løs – ikke et splitsekund før. For man kan hurtigt bruge alt for meget energi i dagene op til på at begynde at tvivle på alt muligt – nærmest i mangel på træning, i manglen på at have noget at lave. Man føler ligesom, at der da må lige være noget, jeg lige kan justere, så det kan blive mere optimalt. Men det er der ikke. Det er bare spild af energi. Det er stressenergi, og det er negativ energi. Det handler om at få lavet de sidste planlagte justeringer, og så ellers slappe af og se frem til en stor oplevelse.

Jeg stiller op for SigmaTri i en stafet, hvor jeg skal cykle. Rasmus Henning skal svømme, mens min bror Andreas skal løbe. Jeg glæder mig til at opleve cykelruten som en del af en konkurrence. Det er altid noget andet. Selvom jeg har boet i Nordsjælland i hele mit liv, så har jeg faktisk aldrig kørt ruten, og heller ikke som forberedelse til løbet. Jeg har en rimelig pæn tiltro til mine evner som TT triatlet, og den tekniske del af ruten, kender jeg ret godt. Jeg er ikke af den opfattelse, at ruten er specielt godt valgt. Men der ligger helt sikkert mange overvejelser bagved omkring diverse tilladelser fra myndigheder, som jeg ikke kender til, og det er derfor sikkert uretfærdigt at kritisere den, men sådan er livet jo…

Jeg mener, at ruten er en halv løsning. Det er mit indtryk, at organisationen gerne ville have en hurtig rute. Det er den som udgangspunkt ikke. Den er absolut heller ikke langsom, men det kommer jo an på, hvad man sammenligner med. På en skala fra 1 til 5, kan vi nok blive enige om, at Hawaii er en klar 5’er. Nice og Lanzarote hører også til i den kategori. Om end vejrforholdene spiller en enormt vigtig rolle. Ingen vind på Hawaii, og det er en 4’er. Det samme gælder Nice, mens Lanzarote nok altid vil være en 5’er. Der blæser det jo altid. Roth er som udgangspunkt en klar 1’er, mens Ostseeman, som jeg jo kender godt, får 2½.

CCPH er som udgangspunkt en 1’er. Det må det være, når man har en rute med så få sving og med knap 600 højdemeter fordelt på 180 km. Men når man har valgt at starte med at køre ad Strandvejen, så udsætter man også ruten for den risiko, at der bliver modvind hele vejen langs Strandvejen, til man drejer ind lige efter Nivå Havn. Og vinden kommer altså mest fra nord. Og afhængigt af vindstyrke, så kan det koste meget tid. Det havde det ikke gjort, hvis man havde besluttet sig for at køre den omvendt. Så havde man haft medvind på Strandvejen, og man kunne have fløjet hele vejen ind til T2 uden et eneste sving. Nu er det jo stadig usikkert, hvordan vejret bliver på søndag. Regn ser det ikke ud til, selvom der er en lille risiko. Men vinder ser desværre ud til at vende, og den kan blive mærkbar. Og den er altid lidt hårdere ude ved kysten pga. pålandsvinden. Hvis vinden kommer nordfra, så gælder det virkelig om at holde sin TT position. Man skal ikke rejse sig op hele tiden. Det må man vente med, til at man drejer ind i landet.

Men vinden kommer altså til at være afgørende for, hvilke bike splits, vi vil se på søndag. Hvis vi antager, at vinden står fra nord, så tror jeg umiddelbart, at best bike split vil blive lige omkring 4.25. Der skal nok være nogen, der gerne vil først i T2, og sætte deres eget aftryk på løbet. Det kunne f.eks. være en Ain-Alar Juhanson, som jo er en kæmpe ester med en ordentlig mølle, og ikke en triatlet, som vil være særlig påvirket af evt. vind. Han har jo også tidligere haft best bike split på Hawaii. Martin Jensen og Jimmy Johnsen, som er mine overall favoritter, hvilket kan ses forneden i min Top 10, vil nok cykle lidt over 4.30. De er begge rigtig gode på cyklen, og det tror jeg, de vil kunne gøre, uden at gå for dybt. Hvis vinden til gengæld holder, som den har stået den sidste uges tid, med svag vind fra syd, så bliver best bike split under 4.20. Spørgsmålet er, om der er nogen, der tør angribe, hvilket kan tvinge tempoet op, så de ikke tør sidde og vente på løbet. Der er flere hurtige løbere med, som ikke skal have for stort forspring. Men jeg tror egentlig på en meget jævnt kørt cykeldel, og så bliver det afgjort på løbet, som det alligevel altid bliver. Man kan ikke vinde en IM på cyklen, men kan tabe den, og det er det, at det handler om for folk som Martin Jensen, Jimmy Johnsen, Tim Berkel og Michael Krüger, som alle kan poste en seriøs hurtig maraton tid. Og ja, jeg skriver Michael Krüger – den danske landstræner. En nylig tilføjelse til startlisten. En lidt ældre mand… Men han kan sgu løbe. Det skal man jo også kunne, hvis man skal træne med Rasmus Henning. Desværre svømmer han dårligere end mig, mens han cykling er meget middel. Han løb 2.43 sidste år i Almere, og det er jo noget, der flytter én frem i et IM løb, og det skal det også nok gøre på søndag. Udover den danske landstræner, tror jeg meget på danskerne – synes jeg i hvert fald selv... Der er jo en del udlændinge på startlisten. En startliste, som egentlig er bedre, end jeg havde regnet med. Men det er sjældent mange af disse Pro triatleter, hvor mange af dem deltager i alt for mange lang distance løb på for kort tid, kommer 100% forberedte til de løb, de stiller op til. Så har jeg heller ikke særlig stor tiltro til dem, som jeg har udeladt af min meget forsigtige Top 10. Det er primært dem, som jeg stoler på, vil lave en super indsats, og som vil gå dybt, og som mest vigtigst, er 120% motiveret til et top resultat.

Jeg er ret sikker på, at det bliver et showdown mellem Jensen og Johnsen. Johnsen bliver nok nødt til at hente det tabte på svømningen inden, de går ud på løbet. Så han skal angribe på cyklen, hvis han vil vinde, og ikke bare håbe på, at Jensen ikke holder. Men det er ikke sikkert, at han behøver sætte Jensen ude på cyklen. Det bliver under alle omstændigheder nok også svært. Johnsen viste til VM på lang distance for 2 uger siden, at han er super løbende, og det er Jensens første IM, så han vil bevæge sig ud i ukendt territorium. Det er ikke sikkert, at han vil få det maksimale ud af sit første forsøg på IM distancen. Han har alt det, der skal til, for at overtage tronen fra Henning på IM, men om han viser hele sit potentiale allerede på søndag, er i min optik, ikke det vigtigste. Det vigtigste er, at han får en god oplevelse, og at han bare får vist lidt at sit potentiale. For det er et faktum, at han nok skal blive stor på IM distancen på sigt. Og i det billede, er CCPH 2010 mindre vigtigt. Jeg tror, at den eneste, som reelt kan true de to danskere, er Tim Berkel. En hurtig løber og et stort IM talent. Luke Dragsta meldes i superform, og har den erfaring, som er så vigtig på IM. Tommy Nielsen vil helt sikkert være garanti for en super stabil præstation, og han går ikke ned, så han sniger sig ind i Top 5 med Krüger spurtende lige efter med en sub 2.45. Dejan Petrcevic virker også som én af de udlændinge, som stiller til start forberedt og motiveret. Rasmus Ahlfors er helt sikkert også super motiveret, og virker til at have ramt formen, og han kender jo også ruten godt. Jeg er bange for, at ”Start Number One”, Aleksandar Sørensen-Markovic, vil tabe for meget på svømningen og cyklingen til, at han for alvor kan blande sig, men han kommer til at løbe hurtigt. Endelig har jeg Nicolas Peter Ward Munoz med i min Top 10. Han så skarp ud for 5 år siden, da jeg, før min start på triathlon, var på 3 ugers ferie på La Santa. Min bror og jeg var ret imponeret over ham, selvom jeg kan huske, at jeg slog ham på en 10 km. Han har vist gode resultater på Lanzarote IM, og i sidste uge, blev han 4’er til TriStar Estonia 111. Det tror jeg ikke, vil koste noget.

1. Martin Jensen

2. Jimmy Johnsen

3. Tim Berkel

4. Luke Dragsta

5. Tommy Nielsen

6. Michael Krüger

7. Dejan Petrcevic

8. Rasmus Ahlfors

9. Aleksandar Sørensen-Markovic

10. Nicolas Peter Ward Munoz

Mit eget løb på søndag starter ca. kl. 8.53, når jeg får chippen af Henning. Derfra er det bare FULL GAS! Der skal ikke tænkes over det. Der skal bare trædes. Jeg er langt fra noget, som man vil kunne kalde form. Men jeg synes alligevel, at jeg har haft nogen øjeblikke, som gør, at jeg godt tør gå efter en hurtig tid. Og hvad er så en hurtig tid, når man bare skal cykle… Med ruten og vejrforholdene in mente, kan det blive alt imellem 4.10 og 4.30. Jeg har lånt Hennings hjulopsætning fra Roth, Zipp pladehjul og Zipp 1080, og sat op på en Cervelo P3 med 3T Ventus Ltd. styr og FSA TT kranksæt, så skal jeg vel bare op i fart… Men ellers handler søndag for os om at få vist SigmaTri frem på en god måde. Der er jo alt for mange af deltagerne, som ikke er medlem af nogen klub, og det kunne man jo håbe, at de blev efter en super oplevelse på søndag. Og så ligger SigmaTri jo lige for. Om vi vinder eller ej, er ikke vigtigt. Det er en bonus.

Personligt har mit knæ det bedre og bedre. Jeg har arbejdet lidt med en smerteskala, for ligesom at forklare for mig selv og for omgivelserne, hvordan smerten udvikler sig. Sidste år i dagene op til Nice IM, var det en 7’er. Der havde jeg sgu ondt. Men på dagen var det en 1’er. Op til Ostseeman var det en 3'er, men på dagen var det igen en 1'er. I øjeblikket ligger den og svinger mellem 2 og 3. Så knæet bliver ikke noget problem. Jeg var til en specialist i fredags, og han mente, at det formentlig er menisken, som er årsag til mine gener. Eneste mulighed er en kikkertoperation, og det synes hverken han eller jeg, er en god vej at bevæge sig ud af. Men som skrevet går det bedre. Noget så simpelt som at begynde at tage ingefær tabletter for 3 mdr. siden, kan måske have hjulpet… Derudover har jeg skiftet til klamper uden float, dvs. helt uden bevægelsesfrihed. Og dem har jeg sat, som jeg selv synes, at de skal sidde… Jeg er også tilbage til Look pedaler efter at have kørt med SpeedPlay i 2 år. Det gør, at jeg cykler med de samme pedaler på landevejen som til spinning, og det har jeg følt, ville være en forbedring, men det vil tiden vise.

Min venstre læg mig nu nærmest kroniske smerter. Jeg tror, at jeg har fået de smerter pga. overkompensation for knæsmerterne. Og den 2 mdr. lange pause fra april hjalp ikke på det. Men det skulle være rent muskulært, så det går forhåbentlig væk på et tidspunkt. Jeg skal have behandling torsdag, og på søndag skal den tapes op med kinesio tape efter den har fået varme creme. Og så tager jeg også kompressionstrømper udenpå…

Min bror går i øvrigt efter at løbe 2.40 på stafetten, og så får vi se, om han holder hele vejen. Han har haft problemer med inderlåret efter Frankfurt, så det kan godt ende med at være lidt et sats. Men hellere dø derude, end ikke at have prøvet.

God fornøjelse til de kommende Ironman triatleter – nyd det – for man ved aldrig, hvornår det er sidste gang…

Lidt stemningsbilleder fra Andy's deltagelse i IM Frankfurt

2010-07-10T15:23:00.003+02:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/107543258334249785648/AndyMFlTilIronmanGermanyIFrankfurt#

Det er sgu hårdt at være tilskuer...

2010-07-05T22:17:00.003+02:00

Det var på én og samme tid både superfedt, men også superhårdt at være tilskuer og coach til IM Frankfurt. Dagen startede tidligt med core training til coach, ja det er mig, på hotellet, mens brormand aka Andy Stone aka Andreas Schaarup, fyldte de sidste carbs i sækken. Hvis der er noget, vi er gode til, så er det sgu at carbo loade... Vi tog bilen ind til finish area, og så bussen ud til start. De officielle busser var beregnet til deltagere, men vi måtte sgu stå og vente, fordi visse ikke deltagende nationaliteter synes (ingen nævnt - ingen glemt), de var vigtige end deltagerne. Men ok, jeg skulle jo heller ikke deltage... Men ikke den bedste optakt at stå op i 20 min. i en bus, morgenen inden IM start.

Jeg var sgu nok mere nervøs end brormand. Og samtidig ville jeg bare meget hellere være deltager end tilskuer. Så jeg så også frem til start, for så var der da ikke mere nogen mulighed for, at man kunne låne en tyskerlåge og så give det en chance alligevel... Men det var nu den helt rigtige beslutning, som jeg tog for snart længe siden.

Da starten gik, løb det koldt ned af ryggen på mig. Jeg er ikke fan af slåskampene, og var lidt nervøs for deltagerne, som jo måtte svømme uden våddragt, men det så faktisk roligt ud fra start af. Andy mente, at der var en større respekt for hinanden, og der var ikke de sædvanlige unødvendige slåskampe. Efter starten var gået, startede så et meget langt tidsrum, hvor den store uvished om, hvordan det går, er ret stressende. Man har næsten et større overblik over løbet, når man følger live update på ironman.com. Men fik set Andy lige efter T2, og det så godt ud. Han svømmede 58:42, hvilket var mere end godkendt, når det er uden våddragt. Derefter var det tid til at vente for coach, da busserne først ville køre tilbage, når den sidste triatlet, var ude på cyklen... Jeg mener, at når det nu er EM, så må der simpelthen være større krav til deltagerne. 2 timer for svømningen er simpelthen for lang tid. Jeg går ind for indførelsen af handicaps, så jo ældre man er, jo mere tid har man.

Jeg nåede lige ind, og fik set, hvad jeg troede, var den førende gruppe med bl.a. Macca. Der havde jeg ikke hørt, at Andreas Raelert var ved at knuse cykelruten med 4:20 på 185 km. Hvor er det bare stor klasse! Sådan noget sætter jeg sgu pris på. Full gas!

Og da det nu var frokosttid, gik jeg på jagt efter en omgang trøstespisning, når man nu var lidt bitter over alligevel ikke at deltage. Men efter en god time, hvor det eneste jeg havde set, var bratwurst i lange baner, måtte jeg tage til takke med en sandwich indeholdende et stykke uspecificeret stykke "pålæg" i midten, som jeg efterfølgende har fået analyseret mig frem, måtte have været skinke... Eller måske noget kartoffel...

Jeg fik spottet Andy på vej ind i T2, og nu begyndte det hårde arbejde for coach. Han skulle have det maksimale ud af det løb. Han havde svømmet super, cyklet 8 min. hurtigere end planlagt (5 timer) på en racercykel, men på den planlagte intensitet, og nu kom hans stærkeste disciplin. Men han så desværre tung ud fra start af. Han havde ikke fået løbebenene ordentligt på. Der var ikke andet for ham end at blive ved med at presse på og prøve at finde dem frem og komme ovenpå igen. Hvis man vil blive bedre og bryde grænser indenfor IM, bliver man nødt til at gå over grænsen, og så må det bære eller briste. Det er den eneste måde at flytte sine fysiske grænser på, og det er den eneste måde at finde ud af, hvad man egentlig er i stand til. Og man overrasker mange gange sig selv, når man når derud, og man finder ud af, hvor meget smerte, man egentlig er i stand til at gå igennem. Det er sådan, vi gør det, men det fungerer sikkert ikke for alle. Men det var planen. Hellere "dø" derude og have givet alt og gået efter "guldet", end at komme i mål og tænke over, "hvad nu hvis"... Brormand gav alt for at komme tilbage på sporet, og det var fedt at se. På 3. runde måtte han ned og gå, og så går det jo kun en vej, og det er ikke fremad... Men han kæmpede sig i mål, og kom ud af løbet med endnu en IM medalje og en supergod fornemmelse og en stor erfaring rigere, som han kan bruge fremadrettet, og til næste IM løb.

Vi synes generelt, at nogen opgiver for hurtigt, selvom det sikkert kan lyde både unfair og usympatisk. Men kan man gå, kan man også komme i mål. Vi tager i øvrigt også hatten af for Aksel Nielsen, der gik i mål på over 10 timer. Han har alligevel et vist niveau, selvom det mest er i Duathlon, men det er sgu fedt, at én som ham, også finder det givtigt bare at gennemføre, selvom han ikke har dagen.

Endelig var det fedt at følge Pro atleterne. Det har jeg aldrig prøvet før. Sikke en klasse. Og at se Macca var stort. Stor personlighed, og han giver den bare altid gas. Og så bliver Andreas Raelert bare farlig på Hawaii - også for Craig Alexander.

Der var også en super stemning hele dagen i Frankfurt. Masser af tilskuere, selvom jeg ikke synes, at de alle var så glade for at heppe på folk. Men jeg er nu heller ikke den mest aktive neutrale tilskuer. Jeg råbte faktisk kun efter Macca og Andy.

Brormand synes, at cykelruten er hurtig, og det viser Raelerts tid på 4:20 for 185 km. jo også. Den ville jeg gerne prøve at brænde af...

Vejret var også meget bedre end jeg havde forudset lørdag... Men jeg stoler bare ikke på vejrudsigter. Det var faktisk først ved 15.30 tiden, at det begyndte at blive rigtig varmt. Men ellers var det mest bare lummert, selvom det selvfølgelig stadig var hårdt. Men i forhold til den bagende varme lørdag, var det heldigt, at skyerne kom frem søndag. Ellers kunne det have været blevet modbydeligt. Men må dog indrømme, at jeg svedte meget efter at have spænet rundt på løberuten. Så selvom det kunne have været værre, var det helt sikkert ikke nemt.

Jeg satser på, at Andy skriver en hurtig race report indenfor et par dage. Men generelt er Frankfurt et løb, der kan anbefales. Og det er jo desværre allerede nu, at man skal tilmelde sig, hvis man vil være sikker på race slot.

Det koger i Frankfurt...

2010-07-03T13:03:00.003+02:00

IM Frankfurt viser sig hidtil at vaere som alle andre tyske loeb - super velorganiseret. Brormand har tjekket sin cykel ind med startnummer 2324. Han er klar. Og for en gangs skyld har optakten ikke vaeret dramatisk. Den er gaet stille og rolig. Vi droppede Pasta Party paa trods af Maccas tilstedevaerelse. Selvfoelgelig en klar fejl! Men efter Pasta Party i Nice toer vi ikke den slags mere.
Og saa til den vigtige melding for dem, der starter i morgen tidlig... Neopren Anzug Verboten!!! Naar nu jeg absolut skulle vaere skadet... Svoemning i aabent hav uden vaaddragt siger mig ikke noget... Men i form kan man slippe af sted med meget. Og det er min bror heldigvis. Han har aldrig vaeret i bedre form. Men der kommer til at vaere mange, som faar det haardt allerede paa svoemningen.
Og det koger i mere end en forstand. Der bliver vild stemning paa Römerberg soendag eftermiddag. Epic stemning. Masser af tilskuerpladser. Det er noget af et scene, der er blevet sat op til. Jeg er pisse misundelig paa dem, der faar lov til at loebe over stregen i den stemning. Det ser fedt ud. Jeg maa bare blive skadesfri, og saa faar jeg forhaabentlig lov til at gennemfoere en Ironman igen. For det er det fedeste.
Har proevet at loebe i varmen hernede. Og det er varmt. Sveden hagler af en med det samme. Det bliver en sauna i morgen. Laeste Macca mente, at det var ligesom paa Hawaii. Det skal jeg ikke kunne sige, men det er ihvertfald lummert. Man skal virkelig vaere fokuseret, og tage sig tid til at drikke, tage sine salttabletter og holde sig saa afkoelet som muligt. Det er en udfordring, men ikke et problem. Men det bliver haardt for mange i morgen. De bedste vil nok stadig lave taet paa 8 timer. Men mange kan godt laegge adskillige minutter til deres forventede sluttid med svoemning uden vaaddragt og 35 graders varme.

Træningsferie på Playitas

2010-06-25T22:14:00.002+02:00

I min verden er der ikke noget, som hedder træningslejr. Det hedder træningsferie! Jeg kommer aldrig til at lave træningspas, som jeg ikke har lyst til, eller som jeg ikke kan se noget formål i. Men da jeg elsker at træne, er det ikke noget problem at have en lidt anderledes indgangsvinkel til en uge på et så triathlon motiverende resort, som Playitas er. Jeg vil også altid ”bare være en god motionist”, og nok i eliten på langdistance, og triathlon vil altid være en hobby for mig. Det er helt sikkert noget andet for de triatleter, som lever af sporten, og som er afhængige af deres resultater. De vil nok ikke alle have samme holdning som jeg til en træningsuge.

Vi fik trænet 30 timer fra ankomsten torsdag kl. 15 til afgang den efterfølgende torsdag kl. 9. Det var LAAANGT mere, end hvad jeg havde turde håbe på. Mit knæ er stadig ikke super, men det er ok. Jeg skal selvfølgelig passe meget på ikke at forværre smerterne i sådan én uge, og det lykkedes også. Mit største problem er faktisk min venstre læg, hvor smerterne har sat sig ret permanent, men har fået det tjekket, og det bør udelukkende være muskelrelateret. Så jeg er ikke helt skadesfri, men jeg synes, at jeg kan se lyset for enden af tunnelen. Hvornår jeg når derhen, er derimod svært at sige. Men en ting er helt sikkert; Jeg stille først op til race, når jeg er 100% klar – ikke et sekund før. Jeg må også indrømme, at jeg efter sådan en uge har brug for ca. 3 dages ren hvile. Min ballemuskulatur har aldrig været så øm. Og mine lår… Og min lyske… Og min ryg… Og mine arme…

Jeg er ikke helt sikker på, at jeg bør løbe særlig meget endnu. Og jeg løb også kun 1 time dernede fordelt på 1 kombipas og 1 morgenløb. Det føltes faktisk ok, men da jeg ikke har nogen løb, jeg skal lave indenfor nær fremtid, så stresser jeg ikke over løbet. Vi fik til gengæld cyklet en masse. Men der er godt nok lang vej til mit normale cykelniveau. 2 måneders sætter sine spor.

Jeg fører i øvrigt heller ikke træningsdagbog. Jeg synes, at det hurtigt kan blive en intern konkurrence med en selv, hvorvidt man nu når en vis mængde, eller den mængde, man ”skal” nå. I den periode, som jeg befinder mig i nu med skade, som ganske vist forhåbentligt er på retur, så gider jeg ikke presse mig selv unødigt ved også at skulle fokusere på mængde. Jeg fokuserer på kvalitet og at blive 100% skadesfri.

Vi fik svømmet ca. 1 time om dagen med 3 pas i havet. Jeg er ikke specielt godt svømmende, selvom jeg slet ikke tør tænke på, hvor mange timer, jeg har svømmet i år, i forhold til de foregående år. Men formen er bare for dårlig til, at det kan ses.

Desværre blæste det en del de sidste 3-4 dage, og enkelte morgener var det meget tåget, men det gjorde nu ikke noget ved kvaliteten. Men det var sgu svært at slappe af og bare rulle, når der står en pelikan ind i smasken på én. Og i medvind kører man jo uden problemer over 50 km/t på en ø som Fuerteventura, bl.a. hvis man kører fra Antigua tilbage til Playitas, og modsat mange andre, finder jeg nu heller ikke dette særlig fedt. Jeg vil helst bare have ingen vind, ingen regn, ingen sol, masser af skyer og 17 grader… Solen var også knivskarp de første 3-4 dage. Og en tur i OL poolen kl. 14 uden solcreme i 45 min., kan altså være nok til at gøre to super blege danske rygge solskoldet, så man her 5 dage efter, stadig er tæt på tårer ved selv den mindste berøring. Endelig må jeg lige komplementere buffeten. Hvor ville jeg dog have tabt mig, hvis ikke lige, det var for den buffet…

Jeg stiller heller ikke op på næste søndag i Frankfurt. Min oprindelige plan om at udgå undervejs, har jeg droppet, men jeg tager derned for at agere supercoach for min bror. Han begyndte på tri sidste år, så er jo meget ny, men han er i hvert fald i sit eget livs form. Målet har vi sat til 9.23. Cykelruten er jo desværre 5 km. for lang. Han kommer til at køre på min Cervelo SLC-SL racer med clips-ons bøjler, da han ikke selv har nogen TT cykel. Men det er den mest aerodynamiske racer ramme nogensinde, så det er ikke optimalt, men heller ikke helt skidt. Vi har sat hans cykeltid lavere, end hvad han kan, da vi skal være helt sikre på, at han er helt klar til det afsluttende løb. Han har fokuseret mest på løbet siden sidste år, og det skulle gerne udmunde i en sub 3hrs run split. Det bliver et meget spændende løb.

Et andet spændende løb, foruden IM Nice, som jeg misunder alle, der laver i år, bliver DM Kort Tri på søndag i Guldborgsund. Rasmus Henning har virkelig trænet igennem i ugen på Playitas, og kommer i hvert fald ikke 100% forberedt til løbet, som han jo heller ikke træner til specifikt længere. Men hatten af for, at han stadig stiller op. Men det ligner en ny sejr til Jens Toft, der har lagt et nyt højt cykelniveau i år.

Lørdag er der jo også EM i Spanien, og Jimmy Johnsen og Martin Jensen, kan lave deres helt eget pre CCPH race. For Eneke Llanos bliver svær at slå med den form, han har vist i år. Og han har alligevel haft 1 måneds pause siden sejren på Lanzarote.

Fibertypefordeling

2010-06-09T18:03:00.001+02:00

Så fik jeg resultatet af de muskelbiopsier, som jeg fik taget i forbindelse med et forsøg på Syddansk Universitet i marts måned. Den viser fordelingen af langsomme (Type 1) og de hurtige muskelfibre (Type 2). Type 1 fibre er de meget udholdende fibre, men til gengæld også svage, og de er lang tid om at udvikle maksimal kraft (lille maksimal power). Type 2a er de hurtige (3-5x hurtigere end Type 1) fibre med en moderat udholdenhed og moderat styrke. Type 2x er hurtige (3-5x hurtigere end type 1), og meget stærke fibre, men der til gengæld er de meget lidt udholdende. Mænd har gennemsnitligt 45-55 % Type I fibre. Et studie har undersøgt andelen af Type 1 fibre hos eliteudøvere, som viste, at langrendsløbere gennemsnitligt har 80 %, langdistanceløbere har 65 %, og svømmere har 55 %.

Det er altså fordelingen af Type 1 og Type 2 fibre, som er interessant. Mine mål ligger kun på Ironman distancen, og det er derfor mængden af Type 1 fibre, som har været interessant at vide for mig. Resultaterne viste, at jeg havde den højeste koncentration af Type 1 fibre af de forsøgspersoner, som blev testet. Jeg har 85,5 % Type 1 fibre - 14,5 % Type 2x fibre - og 0 % Type 2a (normalt). Det er åbenlyst en meget høj koncentration af Type 1 fibre, og den viser, at jeg har en rigtig god udholdenhed. Man kan sige, at jeg er blevet bekræftet i noget, jeg godt vidste, men derfor er resultatet alligevel brugbart. Konklusionen er, at jeg i høj grad træner og konkurrerer på den rigtige distance. Et ting er, hvad man mentalt gerne vil – hvilke drømme man har, hvilke løb, man gerne vil lave – noget andet er, hvad ens krop er bedst til, hvad er den mest skabt til – og derfor, er det selvfølgelig rart at blive bekræftet i, at jeg har nogen af de rigtige parametre for at få det maksimale personlige udbytte ud af at lave Ironman. Selvom der jo er RIGTIG MANGE andre parametre, som også spiller ind!

F.eks. at man ikke bliver skadet…;-) Det går marginalt bedre, selvom jeg stadig har problemer. Jeg havde en god behandling i går, og jeg synes, det går den rigtige vej. Jeg må nok se i øjnene, at løb stadigvæk er for stor en risiko, hvis jeg ikke skal forværre tilstanden. Og jeg valgte efter lørdagens cykeltur at tage 4 dage kun med svømning, da jeg er meget forsigtig med, ikke at gå for hurtigt frem. Den nedadgående formkurve kan også ses (bogstaveligt), og det koster også lidt i bassinet, hvor min teknik egentlig bliver bedre, men hvor den ringe form bare gør, at jeg ikke rigtig kan mærke de store forbedringer på tempoet. Men mit indtryk er, at når jeg er i form, så vil jeg kunne udnytte den forbedrede teknik i langt højere grad end i øjeblikket.

Jeg tager 1 uge til Playitas fra den 17. Juni. Det bliver mere rekreation og ferie, end træning for mig. Men det kan man jo altid godt bruge. Min bror Andreas skal med, og han skal lige igennem den sidste form trimning inden Frankfurt. Så jeg har egentlig bare tænkt mig at placere den store hvide ved poolen med en grande gelato, og så råbe et par opmuntrende ord, hver gang brormand løber forbi på hans utallige 1,4 km. omgange på Playitas. Han får det sgu hårdt, når han også skal løbe mit træningsprogram… Jeg regner dog med at give den gas med svømningen, og så forhåbentlig få cyklet nogen gode ture, og målet er bare at få så mange højdemeter som muligt.

Team SigmaTri Relay Stars...

2010-06-03T15:33:00.003+02:00

Jeg er så småt begyndt at træne igen. Det er nu ikke fordi, mit knæ har det meget bedre, men der er marginale forbedringer at spore, og det er positivt. Jeg har tilladelse til at træne for min fys, så længe jeg ikke forværrer smerterne. Det er selvfølgelig en svær balancegang... Jeg svømmer pt. 3 dage, og så 1 dags pause, og her kan jeg køre nogen intervaller, for at få lidt mere intensiv træning. Jeg løber stadig ikke, men planen er at prøve mig frem i næste uge. Så har jeg haft 1½ uge tilbage på cyklen, hvor jeg vil have trænet 6-7 gange, og så satser jeg på nogen meget korte løbeture til at starte med. Det vil så være over ca. 2 mdr. siden min sidste løbetur, så gruer sgu lidt for det... Men gør det ikke ondt, vil jeg være meget tilfreds. Jeg afventer også en tid til Idrætsmedicinsk Institut på Bispebjerg, da mine smerter ikke vil gå væk af sig selv. Det er meget diffuse smerter, men det skulle være nogen meget kompetente folk, de har derinde, så det håber jeg meget på, kan hjælpe.

Min sidste cykeltur startede i øvrigt op ad Strandvejen. Vinden stod head on, og det fik mig til at tænke på CCPH. Der er mange forskellige forventninger til, hvad der er muligt at køre CCPH på. Personligt vil jeg blive overrasket, hvis der er nogen, der laver under 8.20. Eneste mulighed er Martin Jensen. Det vil dog kræve, at han bliver presset. For jeg er bange for, at han kommer til at være meget alene derude, og at han ikke vil blive presset om sejren. Derudover har han lavet VM Lang 2 uger forinden, og det er ihvertfald ikke en fordel, selvom jeg nu heller ikke tror, at det vil plage ham specielt på dagen. Svømme- og løberuten er som udgangspunkt helt sikkert hurtige. Men det bliver forholdene på dagen, der vil afgøre, hvor hurtigt ruten kan cykles på. Står vinden som idag, kan jeg ikke se nogen køre under 4.30. Og jeg tror, størstedelen vil cykle på 4.45. Og så skal man altså have et pænt løbeniveau for at gå under 8.20. Air-Alu Juhansson vil blive spændende at følge på cyklen, og sammen med Andreas Borch umiddelbart nok den eneste, der vil kunne true Martin Jensen om dagens bedste bike split. Hvis vinden står "forkert", så vil de gode cykelryttere, virkelig kunne tage noget tid. Det kræver, at man er i stand til at holde sin TT position, og det gælder også op af bakkerne, for her kan man virkelig tabe tid.

Tilbage til titlen på dette indlæg... Hvis man skal forstå den, bliver man næsten nødt til at tjekke CCPH startlisten for Relay Teams... ;-) Den skal bare have gas. Hvor hurtigt, jeg kører, kommer 100 % an på, hvordan træningen går de næste 2 mdr. Jeg udgår af IM Germany senest i T2, men satser stadig på at være klar til DM Lang. Så forhåbentlig har jeg en god uge, så jeg har noget at skyde med den 15/8. Så må jeg jo prøve at vise, hvor hurtigt den rute rent faktisk kan køres... Selvom det vist ikke rigtig tæller ;-)

Ironman Lanzarote

2010-05-21T14:39:00.003+02:00

Et af verdens hårdeste Ironman løber af stablen i morgen på Lanzarote. Det er egentlig ikke et af de løb, som jeg personligt drømmer om at lave. Det har nok mest noget at gøre med vinden, som jeg ikke er så glad for på nedkørslerne, og så synes jeg bare, at det er et lidt svært løb at lave rent praktisk. Men kan nu godt forstå, at så mange deltager på Lanzarote, for det er et legendarisk løb, og har sin helt egen profil og status på tri kalenderen. Det er i hvert fald ikke et kedeligt løb.

Der er nogle rigtig interessante PRO'er, som stiller op i morgen, men tre triatleter skiller sig ud.

Bert Jammaer stiller som sædvanlig op, og han kender jo løbet ud og ind.

Eneke Llanos er ny på Lanzarote og er jo bare ren verdensklasse - hurtig afslutter og rigtig god i varme og vind.

Philip Graves er det unge kæmpetalent på Team Specialized, men har allerede lavet mange løb i år... - kan han holde til det?

Jeg har svært ved at se nogen andre kæmpe med om sejren, men flere kan selvfølgelig kæmpe sig på podiet. Joseph Spindler, som har vundet Ostseeman tre gange, kan måske godt overraske - selvom jeg personligt har et lille horn i siden på ham... Han kan helt sikkert cykle, og så kan han løbe sub 2:50, og så vil han være tæt på podiet. Derudover har han erfaring med ruten. Den store ester Ain-Alur Juhanson har også erfaring med ruten, men hans 94 kilo er ikke en fordel, og mere end én Top 6 placering tror jeg ikke på. Dertil er feltet simpelthen for stærkt. Stephen Bayliss har også været der før, og er en virkelig contender for en podie placering. Endelig er Maik Twelsiek til start, og han har også haft et travlt 2010, og jeg har før troet på ham, men det vil jeg afholde mig fra denne gang...

Kvindernes felt er ikke så imponerende, og det ligner et opgør mellem Catriona Morrison, Bella Bayliss, Nicole Woysch og Hilary Biscay.

Endelig er der 41 danskere til start. Det skal blive interessant at følge, hvorvidt nogen af dem kan hente en Hawaii billet, men alene det at gennemføre en rute som Lanzarote, gør dem jo alle til store vindere. Umiddelbart burde der være gode Hawaii muligheder til Niels-Otto Silkjær (40-44), Kenneth Carlsen (35-39), Allan Fønss (30-34) og Bent Andersen (45-49).

Dyrker du undervandsrugby? Spørgsmål som jeg blev stillet i toget... Tager det som en kompliment... Har én ide om, at sådanne nogle typer er nogle hårde drenge... Det er nu ellers ikke lige mine arm muskler, som jeg plejer at prale med... Men er heller ikke sikker på, at han troede på, at jeg altså ikke dyrkede undervandsrugby...

Føler mig som en gammel pensionist, hvor det hele bare hænger...

2010-05-18T16:10:00.005+02:00

Det nærmer sig 6 uger, siden jeg sidst løb eller cyklede... Det sætter sit præg på kroppens tilstand... Det hele er sgu bare for slattent, og hænger for meget... Omend jeg egentlig ikke tror, at det er helt så skidt igen... Men alligevel... Ville sgu træne bare en lille smule igennem. Men har besluttet, at jeg først træner, når det ikke gør ondt mere i knæet. Og sådan bliver det. Jeg tror, og håber selvfølgelig også, at jeg så småt kan begynde at træne mere kontinuerligt i næste uge, men det bliver stille og rolig genopbygning af mit venstre ben. Smerterne har det meget at trænge op i lårmuskulaturen og ned i læggen, og det skal ihvertfald være væk, før jeg for alvor begynder at træne igen. Skal cykle en rolig tur senest på lørdag, og formentlig før, for at teste knæet. Og mest af alt også for at se, hvordan det hele reagerer på belastningen. Har endelig fået lavet mit 3T Ventus Ltd styr, hvor bøjlerne har siddet løst alt for længe, så den bliver nok luftet for første gang i år, så jeg under alle omstændigheder kan få trænet min TT position.

Jeg har siden mit totale stop for cykling og løb, kun misset en dag uden svømning. Så for at se på det positive, så bliver jeg da en bedre svømmer af pausen. Og på lang sigt er det rigtig godt. Havde sat mig som mål at svømme sub 57 min. i Frankfurt, men jeg bør nok sætte overliggeren lidt højere, da jeg i et stykke tid har svømmet det uden de store problemer i bassin. Og i våddragt i åbent vand uden vendinger, så er jeg en del hurtigere. Har konsekvent droppet benvendinger igen, da jeg bliver svimmel, og har det med at ende i banen ved siden af... Træning kunne nok hjælpe, men skal jo ikke lave benvendinger i konkurrence alligevel...

Det er svært at sige, hvad der er årsagen til mine smerter. Har plaget mig i 1½ år, og jeg har løbende fået behandling og to åreknude operationer, og har også følt både kortvarige og langvarige forbedringer, som har gjort, at jeg har kunnet fortsætte træningen og gennemføre to IM. Men på et tidspunkt bliver smerterne selvfølgelig bare for meget. Jeg har igennem lang tid følt, at min højre ben er stærkere end mit venstre. Det stammer muligvis tilbage fra min fodboldtid, hvor min venstreskøjte skulle bruge et par minutters tilløb, før det ramte kuglen. Min fys Bjørn mener, at forskellen på mine ben kan være hovedårsagen til mit problem. Mit venstre ben kan simpelthen ikke følge med højre. Det har muligvis gjort, at jeg har kørt marginalt mere med højre ben på cyklen, og det er naturligvis ikke optimalt. Jeg har også altid haft problemer med ben koordination i svømningen. Og i den senere tid, hvor jeg har haft endnu mere fokus på skadesårsag, så er det gået op for mig, at mit venstre ben reagerer langsommere på hjernens signal om at sparke end mit højre ben. Jeg har nemmere ved at sparke i vandet med højre end med venstre, og det giver selvfølgelig nogle koordinations problemer i vandet. Jeg er derfor begyndt, efter instrukser fra fys, at styrketræne mit venstre ben og kun mit venstre. Jeg har stor tiltro til, at ovenstående vil hjælpe, men hvor lang tid, det vil tage, er desværre usikkert.

Ovenstående har jo nogle klare konsekvenser. Jeg gennemfører ikke IM Germany. Og det er egentlig fint. Jeg har accepteret det. Det kan ikke længere motivere mig at stille op for bare at gennemføre. Jeg skal have et mål, og i et løb som Frankfurt, skal det være PR. Men PR er ikke realistisk, og jeg skal ikke være overmodig, og nyde noget af at gennemføre én IM i en kondition, så jeg risikerer efterfølgende at blive straffet i meget lang tid. Så vil jeg meget hellere vende tilbage til træningen. Jeg regner dog med at stille op og så udgå enten i T1, halvvejs på cyklen eller senest i T2. Min bror skal alligevel deltage, og han er i øvrigt i rigtig god form, så jeg glæder mig egentlig også bare til at skulle følge løbet mere som tilskuer, uden noget personligt pres fra og på mig selv.

DM DU på søndag. Hvem vinder?

2010-05-08T12:56:00.004+02:00

Bare fordi man nu selv er irriteret, bitter og deprimeret foruden en helvedes masse andre ting, så vil jeg da ikke afholde mig fra at være lidt stor i slaget, og give det bud på DM DU i Aalborg, som selvfølgelig kommer til at ramme spot on... Jeg ville sgu gerne have været der, og deltaget i mit første DM, men det må vente. Knæet er stadig ikke godt. Men det er jo stadig et rigtig godt felt, der stiller op, på trods af, at Lars Schmidt er eneste mand i Elite feltet fra SigmaTri... Ellers bliver det nu også spændende at se, om Casper Stenderup Korch fra SigmaTri kan få skovlen under Thomas Strange i aldersklassen 16-17 år. Hos kvinderne tror jeg, at spændingen udebliver med Line Jensen på startstregen. Men mændenes løb ser virkelig åbent ud, og der er ikke kun 5 som potentielt kan vinde, men jeg nøjedes nu alligevel med en Top 5. Jeg håber, at der bliver løbet offensivt fra start af, og der bliver seriøst rykket på cyklen. Det skal ikke bare den hurtigste på en 5'er, der vinder. Men der burde også være mange, der ikke tør vente på det afsluttende løb...

Top 5:

1. Aksel Nielsen

2. Søren Binderup

3. Hans Nilsson

4. Jens Petersen-Bach

5. Ole Vinnergaard

Hvis der er nogle, der mener, de har et bedre bud, så kommenter bare løs på dette indlæg... Men jeg tvivler... ;-)

Wildflower Half Ironman on Saturday 5pm CET...

2010-04-29T21:30:00.003+02:00

There is quite a showdown in store for all of us tri freaks on Saturday. It is strong field, that will start in Wildflower California Half Ironman. Two Danes will start - Rasmus Henning and Martin Jensen. Two-time 3rd place finisher at the Long Distance World Champs Martin Jensen is supposedly better than ever. It will be interesting to see, whether he can finish as the best Dane. Henning have also had a few smaller injuries the past two weeks, (hip, lower back, bruised rib), but a solid performance is for sure. I obviously have to make a bid on the Top 5, which is no easy task.

Top 5:

1. Michael Raelert

2. Eneke Llanos

3. Maik Twelsiek

4. Paul Ambrose

5. Rutger Beke

Rasmus Henning is off course a huge contender for a Top 5 finish, and in top condition, he will be very close to the win - no doubt about it. And it would be one bloody great win, if he has his day. Martin Jensen and Paul Ambrose could also get in the mix along with Conrad Stoltz, Bjorn Andersson and Philip Graves.

http://www.tricalifornia.com/participants/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Results&EventID=101&ReturnEventID=101&Race=2&Category=2&Lastname=&Clubname=&City=&Sex=M&AgeFrom=&AgeTo=&SortOrder=

The women's field is also quite deep. Favs are Virginia Berasategui, Hilary Biscay, Lindsey Corbin, Julie Dibens, Samantah McGlone and Amy Marsh.

http://www.tricalifornia.com/participants/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Results&EventID=101&ReturnEventID=101&Race=2&Category=2&Lastname=&Clubname=&City=&Sex=F&AgeFrom=&AgeTo=&SortOrder=

And I am still just swimming - one session per day (45-60 min.). BORING! Needs to get a sweat on ASAP! I am also getting a bit bigger... Used to eat a lot more, when I train... Hopefully I won't develop man boobs just yet...

I have treatment on the schedule tomorrow morning. Should be nice. I feel comfortable, that when I return to regular training (within 2 weeks), my injury will be history, and that I can get a good spell in before IM Germany, so it won't be a DNF ;-).

Top 5 Triathlon performances this weekend

2010-04-25T19:33:00.002+02:00

1. Jason Shortis: Run split in 2:51:46 and 4^th position in Ironman South Africa in his 50^th Ironman finish.

2. Chris Lieto: Bike split in 2:04:53 in Ironman Texas 70.3. Loving it!

3. Cameron Dye: "New Kid" wins St. Anthony’s Triathlon in front of Greg Bennett and Craig Alexander. Wow!

4. Raynard Tissink: Home win in Ironman South Africa. Epic.

5. Sarah Haskins: Lead from start to finish in her win at St. Anthony’s Triathlon against some tough competitors. Impressive.

Wildcard spot - Rasmus Stubager: The Dane had a impressive swim, which made the way for a solid 7^th place in his comeback race in Half Ironman Lisboa.

Wildcard spot - Aleksandar Sørensen-Markovic: The Dane got his Top 10 spot (9^th) in Ironman South Africa, mainly due to another great run. Needs to get his bike leg more together. Would love to see him in Ironman Nice or Ironman Lanzarote, which both would suit him great.

What a fucking sad win in Liège...

2010-04-25T17:12:00.002+02:00

We are still, in many sports, in a time period, where there is no room for cheaters. This applies for Triathlon as well as Cycling. And even how unfair it may be, there is also no room for them to return to. We do not need them back. There can always be exceptions. But Alexandre Vinokourov is not one of them. It was a sad picture to see him ride over the finish line in Liège today. He is a disgrace for cycling, and this is not a beautiful comeback. He was banned after testing positive for blood doping in 2007, and perhaps if he immediately had admitted his guilt, and not opposed it, and had just taken his punishment, then my own and many others views on him, would might have different. Now I would just wish he would retire once again from cycling, and go back to Kazakhstan. This may sound tough, but any sport in the world is bigger and more important than any individual. And any doping cheater is only thinking about themselves, and not on the great damage, that they are making to the sport and in this case cycling. And I do not think, that I am the only one, who has difficulties believing, that he is clean today. This is may a unfair statement towards Vinokourov, but he has caused it upon himself. He decided to use doping, not anyone else. And by the way, all though I haven't checked, but I can't recall any rider coming straight from Italy, having had four very tough days in Giro del Trentino, which he also won, and had to defend the lead from day one, going to Liège, and winning like Vinokourov did today. This is my opinion, and everyone are obviously allowed to have theirs.

In Triathlon, like in cycling, the use of illegal substances can obviously pose a great advantage. It doesn't matter, whether it is long or short distance triathlon. The consequences of being caught and punnished needs to be way tougher. Can any punishment be too harsh... I look forward to hear, how long the ban to the recently caught danish triathlete will be. If he comes back, and I will have to ride against him, I am afraid he has to watch out for the ditch...

Tough mental days ahead... Can I still make May my moving month?

2010-04-24T10:06:00.002+02:00

I will continue to take it easy for the next 2½ weeks. I will swim every day. And try to get in a few days, where I have two swim sessions. I am allowed to train without any real power, and only until I feel any kind of pain in my left knee. So if I feel just the slightest, then I will stop. So it won't be much cardio training, besides swimming, that I can do. I will try the ellipse trainer on Monday, but don't think it will make any difference. But I am committed to get rid of this pain once and for all, so I won't allow myself to get impatient.

May was supposed to be my moving month. I had planned to take it to the next level. I still plan to make May my moving month, but obviously my starting point will be very lower, than initially planned and hoped. I take comfort in the fact, that IM Germany won't be my last triathlon race in my life. There is no doubt, that I will be on the start line. Everything is planned, and my brother will also race. But it won't be with same goals. At this point I still believe that I will be able to swim faster and maintain my cycling level. But I will be punnished on the run. My overall condition can't be at the level required in early July, to get in low final run. But it will be all right. No matter what, it is always a great experience to do an IM, and no matter what the result will be, I can use it for the future.

I am starting to look at other races in September and October, and to turn these races into new goals and motivation objects. There are plenty of great races in the fall, which I would love to do. I won't start the Danish Championships in Duathlon in two weeks, so my first race of 2010 will be the Danish Championships in Sprint, which I will solely use as training and pre race check of all the routines. This is not a distance, where I can do any difference. I will probably move the Danish Championships in Long Distance Triathlon in August up to a Top Priority race. And try to find a long distance race in September or October, where I can excell. But my focus today is to get rid of this knee injury. And when I do, I will return DAMN STRONG! TRAIN HARD and ENJOY IT! I wish it was me :-)

8 days injury break...

2010-04-18T20:28:00.002+02:00

Have been keeping my head low the past few weeks. My left knee pain are still there. It started 18 months ago and since then, I have had two operations, taken several injury breaks and have paid a lot of money for different kind of treatment. The pain comes and go. I can train, but obviously not perfect. I have shortened way too many sessions due to this pain. I haven't run as much as I would like, and as I should. And I am basically just fed up with it. I am doing one last try to get rid of the pain before IM Germany. I have gotten in touch with Rasmus Hennings physiotherapist. I have been to one treatment, and I am feeling confident. I think within two weeks, I will be back on the right path towards IM Germany.

He established that my left leg lacked power and strength compared to my right leg. He treated that, and there were a significant difference, and they were equally strong after the treatment. I had the treatment on Friday and will have another one next Friday. In the mean time I will just swim and rest my legs. I would have loved to be a former elite swimmer, so I would be able to do two swim sessions a day, but don't want some overload injury in my upper body... Hopefully I won't loose too much fitness in the following period. But nothing is more important right now, than to get rid of the pain, and get fit for IM Germany :-) Train HARD!

3 months till peak...

2010-04-06T11:34:00.002+02:00

IM Germany is 3 months ahead... Time to make a small status... How I am doing? Am I on the right path towards a great day in Frankfurt on the 4th of July?

We can all doubt ourselves - in training as well in life. Even world class athletes can forget all about their past achievements, and forget about how good they are, and what they are capable off. So can I for sure. And I am in such kind of state at this stage. Have I set the bar too high? Will I be able to reach my goal at IM Germany?

The sensations the past week are in general just not good. Sometimes I feel like I am training with a concrete block attached to each leg... But in the past a spell of poor legs have been the sign of good form ahead. So I am hoping that this is the case as well this time. I haven't been doing the run sessions, that I would have liked, and I need to improve this part the coming weeks. This will be my focus area for the next two weeks. Otherwise I am sticking to my plan, and hoping to get some kind of sign, that the form is not far away. And I take comfort in the fact, that there are still 3 months till peak... ;-)

185 km. bike course in IM Germany...

2010-04-06T11:25:00.003+02:00

Due to road construction the bike course has been extended to 185 km. The extra 5 km. wont have any physical influence. It will probably take approx. 8 minutes to ride these extra kilometres. The overall time will off course be longer, which might have a mental influence. The last 20 km. on the run leg is perhaps 90% mental and 10% physical, so it is important not to forget that the overall time won't be as good, as in a normal Ironman, and on a course like the one in Frankfurt. And it will afterwards be a bit difficult to compare the race time to other Ironman races. But overall it won't make a difference what so ever. I can't say, that I personally care about the change. At least they didn't put the kilometres on the swim or on the run leg... Now that would have worried me...

http://www.ironman.de/english/

Second consecutive podium for the team boss...

2010-03-29T20:30:00.003+02:00

In Ironman Australia Patrick Vernay took his fourth consecutive title as expected. It was as usual a hot day, and both the women's and the men's field lacked a bit of depth, but there was still seven guys, that went sub 8:40hrs. Pete Jacobs on the startlist would for sure had made it more exciting.

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/australia/?show=tracker&rid=276&year=2010

In 70.3 California Michael Raelert proved, that he is not just a fast runner. He can for sure go fast on the bike as well, and this time it was his cycling level, that earned him the win. Terrific performance from the younger Raelert. Henning had a mediocre day and still managed third position. He had the second fastest run split on the day with 1:14, which shows that he is definitely on the right path towards Hawaii. And please take notice of the fact, that yours truly predicted five guys to fight for the win... Andy Potts didn't start. The rest filled up the top four positions. Nice going, Ulrik ;-)

http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/california70.3/?show=tracker&rid=275&year=2010

I am personally considering changing my focus a bit from the Ironman distance. I actually love the 70.3 distance, but I am just not that competitive on this distance, which obviosly annoyes me a bit... Even though I don't believe, I would be that far away from the top in the WTC 70.3 races... The positive aspect of the distance is, among other aspects, that, you can do multiple races each year. You don't need a lot of recovery time. My main focus will always be the Ironman distance, but instead of doing 2-3 IM distances a year, I am considering only doing one IM per year, perhaps even starting this year. I am thinking long term, and by focusing a bit more on the 70.3 distance or the TriStar distances in short term, then I will also improve my IM performance long term. As previously stated, then I have thought about this for a while, but the future will tell, whether I will do some more 70.3 races. I have some changes to my season schedule planned, but a few practical things needs to be sorted out first.

And then check out the results from the Lavaman in Hawaii. Another win for Macca and another great performance. Tyler Butterfield were the only one, that were able to give him a run for his money. And looking forward to follow John Flanagan's bike and run skills improving... Getting first out the water, doesn't give you any wins...

http://www.theracershub.com/results_view.php?id=827&result_type=file

Another great tri weekend coming up...

2010-03-25T15:57:00.002+01:00

Rasmus Henning will make his debut on the 70.3 distance in California on Saturday. What a race to make his debut. Really a race with great traditions. I believe that the 70.3 distance suits Henning extremely well, but the question is, whether he has recovered well enough from Abu Dhabi just two weeks ago. It was a long and hot day, and the field in California doesn't leave any easy top positions out there. The winner needs to be at his top game. Richie Cunningham, 70.3 World Champion Michael Raelert, top tri-swimmer Andy Potts and Matthew Reed will be alongside Henning to the end, which could be decided by a few seconds in a long distance tri sprint.

http://www.ironmancalifornia.com/

Ironman Australia is raced on Sunday, and a lot of Aussies is on the startlist, which is not too impressive. Pete Jacobs is injured, so it looks to be Patrick Vernay again or Tim Berkel, who will take it this year. But there are a few more triathletes, that could end up fighting for the win.

http://www.ironmanoz.com/ironmanoz/index.htm

Chris McCormack will be looking for revenge and to take another win in the Lavaman Triathlon on Sunday. I hope that he has recovered all right from his stomach problems in China to rock Hawaii once again.

http://www.lavamantriathlon.com/

No flats today :-)

2010-03-25T15:42:00.002+01:00

The profit from my first two outdoor bike sessions in 2010 last weekend were 5 flats in 100 km... But bought some tyre inlays and combined with new tubes and some less used tyres, then we managed 106 km. today, without having one flat. Good stuff. I have had a cold since the two rides, where we had to start and stop 5 times in a few hours. Even though spring is upon us, it can still be quite cold, especially when the sun isn't shining on you. And I still haven't seen one single leave on a tree, so there is still some days till the spring have really arrived. I had quite good legs yesterday on a post bike run, and today on the bike I felt comfortable, so I am pleased. Still far away from any top condition, but my overall condition feels quite good. Will have a body treatment tomorrow, which should make my legs a bit lighter and more fresh, so happy days ahead.

New TriStar111 race in Estonia

2010-03-23T11:47:00.002+01:00

I think that the TriStar Series contains some real fascinating races on exciting distances, which makes it possible to race more races in a season. New countries and cities are being added to the International Triathlon scene, and the perception that 70.3 and IM distances are the only real distances for a long distance triatlete is gradually being changed. A new 1-100-10 km. distance race in Estonia has been added to the series. It will be held on the 7th of August. It coincides with the Long Distance Championships in Denmark. But Macca will be there ;-) Happy days ahead, Estonia.

http://www.star-events.cc/site/index.php/en/trsteenews

Awaiting results from muscle biopsies...

2010-03-20T18:59:00.003+01:00

In connection to my bike test I had also taken 4 muscle biopsies. The result should be in within a months time. The preliminary indications were, that I had a very high number of Type 1 (slow) fibres, and a very low number of Type 2 (fast) fibres. Type 1 fibres are the slow fibres, which shows that I have a very good endurance, and work well on the long distances. Normally maraton runners will have approx. 80% Type 1 fibres and 20% Type 2 fibres. Sprinters will be quite the opposite. And a leopard have almost 100% Type 2 fibres.

Why are some Danish car drivers just bloody SOB's...

2010-03-20T18:41:00.005+01:00

My apologies for the language. But I am putting it mildly... Most of you probably understand, where this view is coming from. I really wish that my fellow countrymen would be more like the Italian or the French, when it comes to respecting cyclists on the road. I can't recall a single incident abroad, where a car driver have behaved unnecessary disrespectful and have caused danger because of their ridiculous impatience and poor driving. Cyclists are the fragile part on the road, and we don't have a chance against a car.

We didn't manage more than 2½ hour on the bike. It started to rain drop in the beginning and it just increased the first hour until it was pouring down. Then I had two flats and we headed home. New crack at it tomorrow. Will start with a 1 hour run and then a 3 hour bike ride. The weather should be better tomorrow.

Bike test... I've got an extreme endurance...

2010-03-19T11:58:00.006+01:00

I did my first ever tests on an SRM bike on Tuesday. It was a good experience, and I hope to do one later on in the season to get some data to compare with. At the moment I am currently in a very average condition and obviously quite far from any top condition. But with nearly 4 months till my peak, then there are no worries in that sense. It has taken me longer time to recover from my surgery and I am still not completely fit and especially scar tissues can be annoying. My knee has actually been feeling better the past week, so it should be fine. Now the weather seems to be turning for spring time, so the warmer temperatures should also help. The first bike ride outside is also scheduled for tomorrow...

And now to the test results... I'll skip easily over the power test... Let's just say, that I am not a sprinter... Approx. 800 watt as the peak...

I manage 420 watt in the 5 min. max test, which gives 5,4 watt per minute. I weighed in at 78 kg. on Tuesday. I have gained 2-3 kg. post surgery, and then I was quite carbo loaded... Obviously my test results will improve, when I get back to my normal weight at around 75 kg. It is not really a problem, when I get into a more steady training routine, and a higher training load. And the fewer kilos will not have any effect on my bike skills. My VO2max was 68,7, but then again, my normal weight will make that number higher. But I will never reach any real high VO2max, as I don't train those intensive intervals.

My submax test was as follows:

SM1 220 Watt 1,1 BL

SM2 250 Watt 1,2 BL

SM3 280 Watt 1,4 BL

SM4 310 Watt 2,0 BL

SM5 340 Watt 3,3 BL

SM6 370 Watt 5,2 BL

The conclusion from the experts were, that I've got an extreme endurance, and I have got the physical conditions to do Ironman... So I am quite pleased with this statement... Not that I am that surprised :-)

Rasmus Henning will do Challenge Roth! Did anyone call out sub 8hrs...

2010-03-15T10:29:00.002+01:00

http://rasmushenning.com/

What a scary new team from Specialized! Any places left...;-)

2010-03-14T16:08:00.001+01:00

http://iamspecialized.com/triathlon/news-article/specialized-announces-the-triathlon-team-to-beat-in-2010

Sun is shining... Spring is close... Henning 3rd in Abu Dhabi... Great triathlon season ahead!

2010-03-14T15:23:00.002+01:00

I have had a decent training week. The objective to find my cycling legs again have been pretty much reached. I feel like the power is coming back, and when my bike hits the roads again, they better watch out ;-) I haven't been able to do my entire program, but mentally I am not great at the moment. The spring and hopefuly the sun will do me good, and I hope that even me, will soon be able to ride some good longer rides outside. The road towards IM Germany is all in all going well, and I am certain that I will have a good and satisfying race.

My teammate and adviser Rasmus Henning got off to a great start to 2010 with a 3rd place in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Only great things to come from him and looking forward to see, what he is capable off in the traditional 70.3 race distances.
IM China were also raced this weekend, but unfortunately my favorite triathlete Chris McCormack had to abandon after the swim due to stomach problems. If anything positive is to come out of this, it may be that we'll see him in even more races, though of a shorter distance, and hopefully more of those will be in Europe.

Major showdown in Abu Dhabi on Saturday!

2010-03-09T10:38:00.002+01:00

The first edition of the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon will take place on Saturday. This is one of the most exciting new races added in 2010. The distance is 3-200-20. This will suit the fast swim-bike triathletes. It will be interesting to see, how the race developes, and what the time differences will be coming into to T2. The run distance is too short to take a lot of time back, so the fast runners can't just sit back on the bike. They will need to take chances, and maybe go into some attacks, that they would normally not participate in.

It is early season and it is difficult to assess the triathletes current condition, and for the majority of the contenders, it is their first race of the season, so they are probably also unsure about their condition. There are an impressive number of top triathletes on the startlist, both women and men. I have tried to compile a Men's Top 5, but if I get that correct, then I should start buying lottery tickets.

1. Ramus Henning
2. Jordan Rapp
3. Eneko Llanos
4. Faris Al-Sultan
5. Rutger Beke

Other names to get in the mix could be Matthias Hecht, Philip Graves, Simon Billeau, Dirk Böckel, Fraser Cartmell, Maik Twelsiek, Bert Jammaer, Ain-Alar Juhanson, Olivier Marceau, Ronnie Schildknecht and Frederik Van Lierde.

Running legs are not far away...

2010-03-07T12:11:00.006+01:00

Week 9 is almost finished, and it has been a week with focus on getting some run load in the book. It is difficult to estimate, how much impact the freezing temperatures has on the run, but it is for sure tough to run, where you have to use a lot of energy on keeping the body warm. This morning my legs felt heavy in -2 degrees, but the sensations has been changing a bit from session to session - from good to bad. Usually this is a good sign for me, that the condition is improving, and that the running legs are not far away...
I plan to run a 15k test next Sunday, but the weather will have a say on the decision. None the less my focus next week will be on cycling. I hope to get a feel of my bike legs again. I look to get in 5-6 cycling sessions, 3-4 swim sessions and 3-4 run sessions, which will probably add up to 16-18 hours, but as previously mentioned, then the total load is not essential. Next week I am looking to continue getting in some good quality training :-) Give it some violence!

Great sports weekend coming up...

2010-03-04T12:32:00.004+01:00

On Saturday at 7am local time Ironman New Zealand will start in Lake Taupo. As I have previously mentioned, then this is one of my dream races. I look forward to follow the race and be inspired. It looks like to be a showdown between Cameron Brown and Terenzo Bozzone, but I am sure that there will be more contenders, who want's to be in the mix.

On Sunday the oldest and longest cross country race will take place in Sweden. Vasaloppet is 90 km. long, and I always try to follow the race on the tele. I have heard so much about cross country as an alternative and a very effective way of training in the winter. I hope to have a go at it next winter, and at some point it would be a great goal to also have a crack at doing the race myself.

The cycling season started for real last weekend in Belgium, where some real poor weather conditions took its toll on the riders. Sundays Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne were almost a bit ridiculous as the riders seemed almost dead frozen. And I have never seen a rider abandon a race in fourth position like Jeremy Hunt did.
The weather conditions are definitely a lot better in France these days and especially in the Coté d'Azur area. I saw the last stage of the Paris-Nice in 2009, and it was a great experience. Especially to ride the Col de la Porte just before the peloton did it.
The race will start with a traditional 8 km. time trial on Sunday. But make sure you tune in for Thursdays stage to Mende, which is also known as the Laurent Jalabert Mountain, one of my favorite all time riders. The final climb is short and steep and just brutal. Great cycling ahead :-)

My own legs seems to get better and better. They have been feeling heavy and sore, but yesterday they felt more loosened up and fresh. I have some decent training days coming up, so I look forward to see how my legs feel on Sunday afternoon, when I take a dive in a committed direction towards my couch...

Spring is getting closer!

2010-02-28T22:57:00.007+01:00

The title may be a bit too optimistic. By closer I mean spring is no longer more than a month away. But the snow has for real started to melt, which my brother and I felt in the forest this morning, where we did an hour of pole running. Great workout, but damn it was tough to stay standing.

I did a rookie mistake a few weeks back. I caught it before it had any real negative consequences, but it is almost funny, that even I sometimes can forget about my training philosophy, and in what I believe in. Aleksandar Markovic even made a comment to my last blog entry, that I shouldn't focus too much on volume, and he was right. Luckily I had managed to change my approach to training earlier.

Now what was my rookie mistake? After I returned to training after my minor sugery in both legs, I simply was to focused on hours, volume etc. I forgot to listen to my body. I forgot that I came from two weeks on the couch, and had lost some condition. And because of that I started too hard. I just wanted to get into the training zone again and feel fit. But a week into training I managed to feel very tired, and my legs were very heavy.

I took four easy days trying to get my body back on track. On Tuesday I started training for real again, and I have managed to post 6 very good training days. I have done 4½ swim sessions, 5 run sessions and 6 bike sessions. And it has been of very different lenghts. I did the longest bike session today, where I participated in a charity spinning event for the fight against cancer. 2:15hrs in high intensity, and the sensations from my legs were good.

But, and most importantly, the last six days of training, has been training in accordance with my philosophy. It has been 100% quality! Not quantity! I believe in shorter sessions. That works for me. It doesn't work for me to focuse on training hours or distance in any session. I never focus on how many kilometres I swim, on how many kilometres I bike, or on how many kilometres I run. I focus on getting the most out of every second I have in training. I train because I love it, and I couldn't life without it. And I enjoy shorter quality sessions, not longer sessions, which often ends up in too much quantity training. This is obviously very individually, but I know, that this works for me, and I like this way of training. It never gets boring.

I just had my left knee MR scanned, and it showed some slight osteoarthritis in my menicus. Nothing serious, but just something that I should keep in mind, when I feel pain. But it shouldn't have any influence on my season or my goals. I think the pain in my left will just decrease in the coming months. And I also have some treatment coming up, which should help on this problem.

Give it some violence!

Back in training

2010-02-17T11:49:00.003+01:00

I started slowly to train again last Sunday after two weeks off due to my surgery. The first couple of sessions were hard and I could definitely feel that I had lost some of my condition. My pulse were all over the place. I have gradually added more and more to the training load, and I managed to post 17 hours last week in the first week back. I am still feeling the impact from the surgery and especially my lower inner thighs are very sore. I will train between 14 and 18 hours this week, but it will depend on my body sensations. I don't want to train too much too early and by then picking up some stupid overload injury. I took an easy day yesterday as my legs felt poor, and hopefully it will have done my body some good.

New tri camps with Thunderbear!

2010-02-10T23:07:00.002+01:00

One of the greatest triathletes in Danish history, has announced that he will be co-hosting a new series of four triathlon camps in collaboration with the highly experienced coach Marc Evans. Check out the featured articles below and be inspired!

http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=6242&CAT=24&xref=xx

http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=6248&CAT=21&xref=xx

Club La Santa vs. Las Playitas

2010-01-28T22:32:00.013+01:00

Olympic Pool:

Club La Santa 1
Great conditions, but generally too crowded.

Las Playitas 2
A lot less crowded, and under water windows for the coach to check your technique, video recording for later view and for you to check the Pro's technique under water.

Cycling - Lanzarote vs. Fuerteventura:

Club La Santa/Lanzarote 2½
In general the roads are very good. There are many good climbs, and it is possible to vary your route a great deal. The traffic is not bad, all though there is more traffic on Lanzarote than on Fuerteventura. There is a lot more life and culture on Lanzarote, which can make a 5 hour ride seem shorter.

Las Playitas/Fuerteventura 1½
Was dissapointed with the roads. Some roads have very rough surfaces, and it feels like riding on cobble stones. The island has all kind of roads and gives you the opportunity to really have specific bike sessions. You can ride specific TT sessions and specific climbing sessions. But the island looks the same all over, and there is not a lot of action, people, cities, life or in general not much to look at while you are riding. There are great views, but have you seen it once, you have seen them all. But the traffic is almost non-existing, and that is a great luxury. There are not many roads, so it can be difficult to very your route each day.

Running conditions:

Club La Santa 1
It is not easy to run different routes each day, all though it is possible. The run around the lagune is decent, but boring long term.

Las Playitas 2
The canary islands are not know as the perfect area to run. But if you enjoy trail running this is a great place. Many different paths to choose from, and the run around the golf course is legend.

Gym:

Club La Santa 1½
Good size gym. Indoor spinning room with good bikes and decent instructors. This is important if the weather and wind has a bad day, which is not rare on the Canary Islands.

Las Playitas ½
There are only spinning bikes outside, and they are at a very poor standard, and is really a joke. New swim orientated gym has just opened.

Apartments:

Club La Santa ½
CLS is newly build, and even though the apartments are at a good standard, they are not a place to spend much time. It is only a few, which has any kind of view or placement that makes them useful for anything else than to sleep in.

Las Playitas 2½
Even though you normally go to a sports resort to train, it is off course also nice to have a good base to relaxe in between training sessions. Las Playitas is new and that really shows. The apartments are at a good standard, and they all have a balcony with either ocean or garden view.

Internet and TV:

Club La Santa 0
No tv in the room and the internet connection is crap. Should be minus points...

Las Playitas 1½
Tv in the room and internet connection, which works the majority of the time... But we are in 2010, and to sit in your room in the evening on the internet relaxing and recovering for next day is a must in a sports resort.

Buffet:

Club La Santa 0
Very un-interesting and boring buffet. The standard quality is low, and it is in general just not good.

Las Playitas 2½
This is probably one of the best buffets, I have ever tried. There is something for everyone, and the quality is at the absolute top.

Other leisure activities:

Club La Santa 2
Activities included in the price. 400 meters athletic course. Football pitch at a poor standard.

Las Playitas ½
The activities are not free. Very beautiful golf course. Not many tennis courts.

Supermarket:

Club La Santa 1
Not a big supermarket, but it has a good baker, which can make or break a crisis... But still difficult to eat food just from there, and the transport to the nearest supermarket is not easy, unless you rent a car.

Las Playitas ½
The staff are very pleasant, but the product range is very little, and it is difficult to cook anything if you just buy the food there. Gran Tarajal is 10 minutes away by bus, and there are some good super markets.

Price:

Club La Santa 0
CLS is too expensive. One week there is a hard blow to the bank account, so two weeks is almost mandatory if you decide to go. But believe that with the other opportunities around for training camps, then CLS has become a bit too pricy.

Las Playitas 2
They will for sure become more expensive as the time goes by, but as a new sports resort, they have started off with some very attractive prices.

Overall score:

Club La Santa 9½
http://www.clublasanta.com/

Las Playitas 15½
http://www.playitas.info/

Even though Las Playitas wins this head-to-head quite clear, there is no doubt that Club La Santa is an amazing sportsresort, which anyone should visit if they get the opportunity.

3 days post surgery...

2010-01-27T19:34:00.002+01:00

I could take the bandage off today. I have had it on for two days from the tows to the top of my thighs. It was a relief to get it off :-) The legs looked quite good all taken into consideration. This time I won't get any scares from the small cuts, which I appreciate. My legs are auite discoloured, but I hope that my recovery will speed up by the weekend, so I can just do a little bit physically by next week. Running will probably be impossible the next 2-3 weeks, but I will use the ellipse trainer instead, and it should be all right. There is also a snow storm going on right now outside my windows, so nice not to feel guilty by not being out there running ;-)

Season 2010 schedule

2010-01-25T23:20:00.006+01:00

9/5: Danish Championships in Duathlon***

8/6: Danish Championships in Sprint Triathlon***

4/7: Ironman Germany - European Championships*

8/8: Danish Championships - Long Distance Triathlon**

15/8: Challenge Copenhagen Ironman**

*Top priority. Peak race and main goal.
** Medium priority. Fully preparation as to a top priority race, but is subject to change.
***Low priority. Mainly test of condition and race routines.

The most likely scenario at this stage is that I will not be doing Ironman Hawaii anyway. The main reason is financial, and there is really not much else to say about it. I still hope to get the financial issue solved, but I have decided to drop it mentally and focus on the other races. I will for sure be doing Hawaii in a few years, but this years edition will probably not have me on the start list.

I will probably be doing a few other smaller races, which I will add at a later stage. I might drop the Danish Championships in Sprint Triathlon, and do the 70.3 Wasserstadt Triathlon in Hannover instead, but I haven't decided yet.

I have nothing planned at this stage post Challenge Copenhagen. There are probably three different scenarios:

1) I will do IM Hawaii after all.

2) I will do TriStar222 Sardinia.

3) The season is over.

Varicose veins removed in both legs...

2010-01-25T17:03:00.004+01:00

Had surgery today. Have had a real "old man's problem" the last couple of years. I have had varicose veins in both legs, which has caused my legs to swollen up a great deal, and has made compression socks almost mandatory two thirds of the day. This is the second time I have had this surgery. The first time was in March, but that was only the left leg. My left knee has been giving me problems for about 15 months, and the pain has been on and off, but mostly on. I have obviously been able to train, and have done two IM's, but just not ideal to have an annoyed left knee. I have also been spending a few more bucks than planned on injury treatment, which I hope I can avoid in the future, so I can spend that cash on proper recovery treatment. But the verdict will still be out on my left knee for some months, whether or not this surgery will have helped or not. Have been checked by four different kind of experts, and the call is 50/50 to whether or not the problem is varicose veins, or something else internally in the knee. But I personally believe that my left knee problems are history from today, and I am looking forward to train without problems. And I am looking forward to not having swollen legs. Happy days ahead :-)

As a starting point I won't be able to train for two weeks, but I hope to be able to do some gym sessions and maybe some short bike or ellipse sessions before that, but we'll see. I have had some decent weeks leading up to this break, and maybe my body will do some good in having some days on the couch. My average training load in the new year has been 16½ hours per week, and I have had very good swim and run sessions. The sensations from the legs has been from absolutely crap to absolutely great. But believe I am in quite good condition, and my condition and swim and run level are at a higher level than leading up to IM Nice and Ostseeman. And I am stronger due to a heavier swim load and regularly core training. Not bad with 6½ months to IM Germany :-)

Top 15 races to do before I die…

2010-01-19T17:28:00.003+01:00

Triathlon220 had a Top 20 list this summer of races to do before you die… That is very individual list and is subject to a great deal of individual interpretation. Your geographically position and your nationality probably has a lot to say. If you are from US, you will have a very different list from mine. But it is certainly an interesting list none the less, and one that require a good discussion. I don’t have any plans on doing all 20 races on their list, nor or my own individual list, but I do have some races, that I would really LIKE to do, but it is not a success criteria in itself to do them. I want to do every race best possible if I am on the startlist.

1-2. Racing in New Zealand:
One of them is for sure to travel to New Zealand and do either Ironman New Zealand or Challenge Wanaka, which were raced this weekend. I have never heard a negative thing said about NZ, and the landscapes are scenic, and to race there has to end up being an absolutely fantastic experience.
http://www.challenge-wanaka.com/
http://www.ironman.co.nz/

1-2. Ironman Hawaii – World Championships:
This is where it all started. It is the World Championships on my distance. Every participant is fully prepared and in top condition. Only the best are there. That includes me at some point
http://ironman.com/worldchampionship

3-5. Ironman France – This is personal…:
Done! Check! Delete! Been there! But I have to go again! I did not have a good day, and have unsettled business with Nice. I’ll be back. But this is definitely a race to do before you die.
http://www.ironmanfrance.com/

3-5. Challenge Copenhagen – must do race for a Dane:
Any triathlon race that past by my doorstep is obviously mandatory to go on this list. It will probably be the race, which I will be most prepared for, as I will have the luxury to be able to train on the route almost all year long, and not just the last few days leading up to the race. A mate of mine told me the other day that he thought the bike course was tougher than the profile as the wind is never from behind, but either comes from the front or from the west. But the tougher the bike course is, the better it suits me. The run is in Copenhagen downtown, which definitely does not make it less existing, all though that part really can’t get me going. But an Ironman in Denmark definitely can, and the only question is really, how soon I should give this race some serious violence… ;-) We’ll see.
http://www.challengecopenhagen.com/

3-5. Ironman Germany – European Championships:
This is my main goal for 2010, and I am so much looking forward to experience the atmosphere that always surrounds the races in Germany. And this is the biggest race in Germany, and I am really looking forward to it. It is also the European Championships, which may not be a prestigious title, but it doesn’t make the race less intriguing. The race also attracts some of top triathletes from around the world, and that just adds more hype and excitement to the race and makes it more memorable.
http://www.ironman.de/

6-8. Challenge Roth – Racing in Germany:
There is a great love and passion for triathlon in Germany. The races are extremely well organized. It doesn’t get any better. Challenge Roth attracts some of the best triathletes in the World. There is a solid foundation for some fast splits. There are great traditions in Roth. Roth is a race I would really like to have a crack at.
http://www.challenge-roth.de/de/index.php

6-8. Alpe d’Huez Triathlon – All that history:
Alpe d’Huez is not known for triathlon. But as huge cycling fan, then the opportunity to race it in a triathlon race must not be missed. The surroundings are beautiful and motivating and it will for sure be a day to remember. You swim in a sea 700 meters above sea level, you have to climb two other mountain passes besides the final one up to Alpe d’Huez, and you finish it off with a half marathon in an altitude of almost 2000 meters. I love triathlon.
http://www.alpetriathlon.com/v5/index-site.html

6-8. TriStar Sardinia222 – Spectacular race in Italy:
I love Italy. I consider myself to be half Italian… Ok, maybe not. But I love the culture, the food and the people. I love the variety of the country. There are mountains, ocean, beautiful countryside’s, completely flat areas as well as rolling hills as long as the eye can see. The Ironman race on Elba, which is raced in the start of October, could have gone on the list, if it hadn’t been for the new race in Sardinia, which has just been published. I don’t think that a long distance triathlete should just do Ironman distance races. I believe that physically as well as mentally Ironman races takes the toll out of you, so two shots at an Ironman per year as a starting point is the maximum for me, as I also want to do this sport in many years to come. So new distances and combinations of the three disciplines is very much welcomed to me and the TriStar organizations new races are a great initiative and has all the conditions to become epic! And to do a long distance race in Italy, is a dream for me, and the distance suits me perfectly. Only 2 km. swim, then a hard 200 km. bike and then a fast 20 km. run. Did they have me in mind, when they planned it…
http://star-events.cc/site/index.php/en/trstsdnews

9-12. TriStar111 Monaco – One of my favorite places:
TriStar has replaced WTC as organizers of this epic event, which will see some changes. I was in Nice in March and rode a bit of the route, and it was certainly days to remember. The hinterland behind Monte Carlo is fantastic to ride in, and you really need to focus on the road and not the scenery. The final run is on the Formula 1 route. Wow! This year, with TriStar entering, the route will change, so it will be 1 km. swim, 100 km. bike and a final 10 km. run. I want to do that race!
http://www.220triathlon.com/news/tristar111-monaco-replaces-ironman
http://star-events.cc/site/index.php/en/trstmcnews

9-12. Embrunman – Worlds toughest Ironman…:
There are many different views on which race deserve the title as the toughest IM. Silverman in Nevada in the US could also be a candidate. I believe that the race conditions on race day in each edition decide which race is the toughest. Add some rain, wind etc. to a race like Embrunman, and you may have the answer. We saw that in 2008. I love the Alps. I love the mountains. I love to climb on my bike. Embrunman offers that, so easy choice.
http://www.embrunman.com/

9-12. NORSEMAN - World’s toughest Ironman…:
The picture of me being thrown off a ferry at the crack of dawn doesn’t seem to have the conditions to end up being a picture to save… That must be one cold experience. But that is Norseman for you. The final 17,2 km. of the run will send you up a climb to 1,850 meters…
http://www.nxtri.com/

9-12. Ironman Austria – Klagenfurt has it all:
This is one of those races, where the route and country in itself, doesn’t have enough value to go on my list. But there is so much history, traditions, prestigious, and great athletes that compete, which makes this race unique. Austria is a beautiful country, and it is not as expensive as it neighbors in Zürich… So it will be able to have a few days off after the race, and not go bankruptcy… I have heard the atmosphere is amazing, and the bike route is quite fast, and this could be a race, that I would do in a very few years.
http://www.ironmanaustria.com/

13-15. Abu Dhabi Triathlon – My kind of bike course:
In March 2010 the first edition will take place. The route consists of 3 km. swim, 200 km. bike and 20 km. run. I say again… 200 km. bike! Give it some violence! This is my race. It would both be a great race to do, and an interesting and fascinating country to visit, which is very different from Denmark. The prize money is good, so perhaps a good performance can cover the expenses…
http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/

13-15. Ironman UK – There is something special about racing in the UK:
I have a well hidden all though innocent love for the Great Britain… The love for triathlon on the island just grows and grows these years… It seems like it is developing into the new Germany… It is raced in the Bolton area near Manchester, so it doesn’t get any better… The UK has several other fascinating races, but for a long distance triathlete, this is the one, I have to do. All though the Olympic Distance race in Hyde Park, London, is close to go on this list…
http://www.ironmanuk.com/

13-15. Racing alongside Lance…:
One of must returning topics in my triathlon discussions is the return of Lance Armstrong. How cool is that going to be! If he stops his pro cycling career after the Tour de France this year, he will be at Hawaii in 2011. But he will need to do a qualification race prior to that. I think he will do the Tour de France in 2011 as well, so 2012 should be the year where Lance returns, and that is going to create some great exposure and hype. And it would be a dream to race in the same race as him. And especially if it could be his first race back… Wow.

Any changes to my 2010 gear…

2010-01-11T20:23:00.002+01:00

I don’t have any changes planned about my gear for this season and in particular my TT bike. I will probably continue to ride my special edition Cervelo P3 with the Olympic Rings. I hope to get the opportunity to change my 3T Ventus LTD aerobar. It is one of must aerodynamic aerobar on the market, but I am having difficulties controlling it in the turns. The handlebars are too small for me, and I can’t really get my hands around them and by that a firm grip, so I feel that I don’t have enough control of the bike in the turns, so I end up breaking too much going into the turn, and getting out the turn in too slow of a speed. The main problem is that my technical skills are non-existing, but I believe, that if I can ride with an aerobar, where the handlebars are positioned further ahead, and with a larger grip for my hands, that will make it easier for me to control it thru the turns.

And I would really like a disc wheel! I think that I have real disadvantage to my main competitors, and this is my main priority to get changed. I really hope that I will be able to get myself a tubular disc wheel, and a new front wheel, with a profile like my current Zipp 404, but the new one also needs to be a tubular wheel.

In regards to swimming and running gear, then I will continue to use my Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit, all though it has almost as many scratches and small holes as I have shoes… My running shoes is another science, and I may try some different brands and models during the spring to find the best suitable pair for me to run my fastest ever finishing Ironman Marathon run. Go on my son… Give it some violence...

New sponsor for Team Saxo Bank...

2010-01-11T19:23:00.005+01:00

Just read on http://www.velogessien.com/, that Sportful supposedly is going to replace Craft as Team Saxo Bank’s clothes sponsor. It should have been published on Saturday, but maybe Saxo Bank’s withdrawal as head sponsor by the end of 2010, delayed this press statement… It is interesting to see whether this is true, and what their comments and arguments to the change are… Craft has done quite a lot to get into the cycling clothes market, and their sponsorship of Team Saxo Bank has done a great deal for them and has certainly increased the awareness of Craft in Europe.

It will certainly also be interesting to follow Riis Cycling’s hard work to try and find a new head name sponsor for 2011 and the years to come. Some of the so-called experts say it will be almost impossible for them to find a new sponsor to replace Saxo Bank. I have no doubt that they will find a decent replacement. And a replacement who is willing to pay the amount necessary for the team to keep their Pro Tour license. But they may need to let some of the top guns go. Especially if the sponsor is not in place prior to the Tour de France. But as long as they can keep the Schleck Brothers, then it does not look that bad. Then they can build the team completely around the brothers and have smaller riders including plenty of Danish riders around them. And they can let the smaller profiled riders and the young talents ride the tough spring classics and have the main focus on the Tour de France. Some interesting numbers were also released last week… Apparently a Danish tv viewer watches three times more Tour de France than the best Danish football league. And bear in mind that the Tour de France is only in the tele three weeks in July, where many people are on vacation. The best Danish football league is on for approx. eight months, and all matches are broadcasted…

I believe that they mainly need to look to the southern Europe to find the new sponsor. There is probably just a handful of potential sponsors in Denmark at the moment, that have the funds and the reasons to become name sponsor. It could be companies like Lego or Carlsberg, but the Tour de France association does not allow sponsors, who sell beer like Carlsberg. But Carlsberg has other products, so maybe they are an option, as they have dropped their sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club. But none the less it will be interesting to follow this in 2010 as a cycling enthusiast.

On Sunday Rasmus Henning also came officially clean about which bike he will ride in 2010, instead of Boardman Bikes, in a Danish TV show… He and Specialized has decided to make a deal… Damn, I am jealous… ;-)

Mediocre start to the new year…

2010-01-08T22:57:00.005+01:00

My motivation wasn’t on the top in the first week of 2010, but it is coming back slowly. Motivation at this time of the year also has to come from within. And when I look outside I do not get more motivated! Freezing temperatures, slippery roads and snow… Come on… Not my cup of tea. Had planned a short tempo run today, but it felt like -15 degrees. This weekend they say it will feel like -20 degrees... Also went to the beach today with the family dog… That must go into my personal history as the coldest experience in my life…

I hope and I plan to get close to 18 hours of effective training in the book this week, so it is not the worst possible start to the year. When my motivation isn’t fantastic, then I am disciplined enough to always get in close to 1½ hours of training, and I should get out of the first week with a good feeling.

My swimming has been going decently. I will end up swimming 4-5 hours this week, which is around four times more, than at the same time last year... My technique has not been great, but I am working hard on it, and I am definitely improving. My head is still moving too much, but it is not easy to change such an important part of your body. I also have the problem, that I can’t use my snorkel everywhere, as the swimming pools lifeguards doesn’t allow it for some reason. And the snorkel is the best training tool to keep your head steady and heading forward. But I should be able in the future to get in a pool at least once a week, where I can use my snorkel.

I am not riding outside on the road at all this time a year. And to be honest then it is to me a waste of time. I will rather do 1-2 hours hard inside, than the same hours outside freezing my ash off, which will keep my body cold the rest of the year... I sincerely take my hat off to the athletes, who ride outside this time of year, but that will never be me. To me that is not quality training. But that is one of the reasons why triathlon is so fascinating – there is not one way to do it – there is not one specific recipe – there are endless ways of training methods and paths to choose to get yourself in the most optimum condition and to continuously keep you motivated – and which by the end hopefully will make you peak at your top priority race.

I do have some MTB sessions plan for next week, and that should be a good change to the indoor sessions. But it will depend on the weather. I was in the forest yesterday doing some post bike running with poles. That was bloody hard and the surface is difficult to run on at the moment. The ground has completely turned into ice, and then there is snow on top of that, which makes it hard to use the poles to get a grip in the surface. But without the poles it would probably be almost impossible. I will do 45 minutes indoor tomorrow on the ellipse trainer and am hoping for some more running with poles on Sunday, which will be top priority.

I am almost done deciding on my 2010 season schedule. It will probably include one massive change to what I initially had planned. My main target will for sure still be Ironman Germany. But I may change the rest of the schedule, but I want to be absolutely sure. It is also important for my training, my motivation and my race visualizing, that I have a pretty good idea, which races I will do. So by the end of the month I will have made a final decision.

Boxing Day Football…

2009-12-26T13:36:00.001+01:00

I stopped playing football in late 2002. I was tired of having to train at specific times. I was tired of depending on teammate’s mood and motivation to train quality sessions. I wanted to be responsible for my own training, so I could train, when I felt like it, and train what I felt for. So I started to run more intensively. I had been running more seriously for a few years at that stage, but wanted to see, how fast I could get. And then I was simply just enjoying it. And if you are injury free, then running is just fantastic!

In the beginning I focused more on the short distances, and did runs from 5 km. to 21,1 km. But as many other runners have experienced, then a big running load, gives a higher risk of getting injuries. For me it has been knees and hips that have been the problem. I ran a marathon in 2004, but had to drop it in 2005 due to a very sore hip. At this point I felt like trying something new. My brother had tried spinning to get in shape after an injury. I was in the same position, and it didn’t take me many classes, before I was hooked. It was and still is so effective and quality training. And you decide, whether you wish to get something out the training - no one else. You can always experience a poor instructor, but there are always some instructor, who compiles a program, that can motivates you, and that makes you want to go deep. In late 2005 I went 3 weeks to Club La Santa with my brother. The objective was just to have fun and train hard. It wasn’t to do triathlon. But we did the duathlon and triathlon short distance races organized by Club La Santa, and it really turned a spark in both of us. I was mentally and physically hooked on triathlon! Unfortunately I was ill most of 2006, so I didn’t get much training in the book. But from early 2007 I could start training again, and the objective was to finish an Ironman in 2007 in sub 12 hours. In August 2007 I finished the last edition in Fredericia in 9:59 hours, without really pushing myself. New motivation – new objectives – new targets – triathlon is one hell of a sport!

I can’t really say that my training has been perfect since my first Ironman. But I am definitely improving in every sense. I am taking small steps to try and improve on the long perspective. Triathlon and Ironman is a tough sport. One of my main targets from doing this sport is too enjoy every session! That is not possible, but it must be the objective. I will not allow that training sessions becomes a duty. And for me it will never happen. I simply enjoy it too much. I have been training my entire life. And I will never stop. But the objectives can obviously change as you get older.

I may not be as enthusiastic as in my teenage years about football, but I am still passionate about my favorite club Manchester United. And when they loose, then it is not good for the rest of my day... Boxing Day Football from the Premier League is a tradition, which needs to be kept. I saw Man. United vs. Bolton at Old Trafford on Boxing Day in 2004, which ended with a 2-0 victory with Giggs and Scholes as the goal scorers. Since then I have tried to keep Boxing Day a “holy day” in regards to watching football on the tele. This year I will have time to follow all the matches :-) so looking forward to resting the rest of the day with some high quality and intensive matches.
Today I have done 1½ hours indoor cycling this morning. Then 45 minutes running with poles in the forest with some serious off road sections. That was good fun and great action. The weather is luckily better today than yesterday, where I came home from 1½ MTB with absolutely freezing fingers… Now that was not fun…

Have a look on the Boxing Day matches… Obviously the program calls for setting up two teles next to each other…

1.45pm Birmingham – Chelsea
2pm Fulham – Tottenham
4pm Man. City – Stoke
4pm Sunderland – Everton
6.30pm Liverpool – Wolverhampton
7pm Leicester – Sheffield United

From 23 degrees to minus 5 degrees… From running in the sun to running with poles in the snow… Life is good :-)

2009-12-21T15:30:00.005+01:00

Sunday morning in Las Playitas… Tuesday morning in Denmark…

I didn’t really get back to some proper training routines before this weekend. First of all due to a recurring left knee problem, which I will hopefully get fixed by surgery on the 25th of January. I will probably write more about this, when it is nearer the date, but I will only be lying still for approx. 10 days, so it will be all right. Second of all then it is just tough to get back from two weeks in the sun and decent temperatures to snow and cold conditions. But have done 3 hours a day of very variable training since Saturday, so I should be back to some consistent training. The Christmas is coming up, and I expect to train 2½-3 hours per day the next week. I am not really that keen on Christmas foods, which is probably my luck, but I will still definitely eat way too much! But then it is nice to get outside and burn some calories and get a bit of freshness. Training is GOOD!
On Saturday I was introduced to “Pole Running” in my club SigmaTri. "Pole Running" is almost like Cross Country skiing all though without the skis… You are basically running in the forest with two poles using them as you would use them if you were cross country skiing. So you are also using the upper body and your swimming muscles. We are running flat, up and down sections, and especially on the very step uphill sections, it is very hard for your thighs as it is also difficult to get foothold on the slippery surface, which at the moment is snow. It is just great training! We also did it today, just me, my brother and Rasmus H. And after the morning swim I must admit that it was tougher. My arms are definitely sore now…
Merry Christmas, y’all :-) Don’t forget to get some training included in your Christmas schedule… ;-) If you are short on time on the Christmas days, then a short tempo run, perhaps including some fast intervals, is always better than nothing. And it makes you feel a lot better, both physically and mentally. And it may give you a break from your family... ;-)

Swimming in the Olympic Pool is a pleasure

2009-12-11T18:01:00.004+01:00

It is in general not often that I swim in a 50 metres pool. But when I am also doing it out in the open air, and most of the time in the sun, and in addition to that usually has my own lane, then it really is a pleasure. All though I sometimes have a hard time believing that the pool is heated, but I am pretty much alone in this view, so it may just be me. When I put my tri suit on, as well as my speed suit, then it is none the less not a problem, not even for me.
Today was also my last day of cycling. Tomorrow the weather most likely will include raining conditions and add that to the increasingly wind, then I will use my last full vacation day on Las Playitas. I rode 112,5 km. and 2.000 metres of elevation height. Was out for 4½ hours, and took a longer break today, which included some chocolate cake... Not bad at all ;-)

I will mainly run and swim the last two days, and probably do some core training. I will also do some combined spinning and running, which I plan to do very intensively to get my pulse up, and to get some speed and action in the training. But I look forward to a couple of easy days, so I will also just relaxed and get the maximum value out of the last days before arriving in Denmark Sunday evening.

Another sunny day in Fuerteventura

2009-12-10T18:02:00.006+01:00

The weather the last 3-4 days has been great. The wind has settled down a bit, and the sun has been shining and there hasn't been many skies. Great stuff. It really hightens the quality in every sense.
Today I went out early. Had planned a 3 hour bike ride, but got ecxited and did almost 4½ hours, which equalled around 120 km. and over 2.000 elevation meters. Very nice ride. From Playitas I went south towards Las Hermotas and then rode north to Pajara. This part has some tough long uphill sections. Not very steep, but it just keep rising gradually, and it is always a head wind. Took its toll out of my legs today. From Pajara I rode up the climb to Betancuria. It lies down in a valley, so there is a climb from both sides. I went all the way down to the other side, then up the first climb, then down to Betancuria village, then a hilly section to the next climb, before the downhill part to Pajara. This is definitely my favourite part of the island, and it is a great place to ride some climbs without being disturbed by traffic. And there are some great views.
Did a 35 min. swim in the afternoon, but was cramping up in my thighs. It was hot today, and hadn't gotten enough salt. But still a great swim in the sun. Nice and hot and managed to dry off in the sun today without getting cold. Happy Days :-)

Riding with Team Saxo Bank

2009-12-09T20:56:00.002+01:00

Started Tuesday with a very nice and enjoyable bike ride of 3½ hours trying to get as much climbing as possible. Also had a break in Betancuria with the objective to purchase some local aloe vera for my sun burned hands... Turned out to be a bit of a "tourist trap" and went home towards Playitas 50 Euros short... But the salesman was nice...
Finished it off with a quick 45 min. swim. No running today, but is hoping for tomorrow. Bruised my hip the other night going to the bathroom. Unfortunately on the way back I forgot the bed was on the left side and not down the stairs...
I started today with a 40 min. swim, but had to go up and take a warm bath, as I was freezing yet again. It is a bit colder in the morning, so tomorrow I plan to swim, when the sun is at it heighest.
At 10am I met up with Rasmus Henning and Team Saxo Bank. Was out riding with them for 4½ hours, all though quite a few went home after 2 hours. It was the easiest and most relaxed ride I have ever been on. They are really taken it easy at this time of the year. I personally prefer shorter, more effective training sessions with an higher intensity. I have learned that this philosophy works for me, both physically as well as mentally. So the next days I will ride approx. 3 hours trying to get as much elevation height as possible. Saturday seems to turn into a poor day for cycling as the weather takes a turn for the poor, so better get the maximum profit out of the two next days.

Cyclists as "Men in Black"... Or just "Man" as in triathlete...

2009-12-07T19:40:00.005+01:00

To me a new expression came to light in the Tour de France 2007, when it was known that Michael Rasmussen trained in a complete black outfit to not get recognized. I am also training in black. Am I hiding as well? No, not really. But it is enjoyable to be riding around the island or in Playitas and you can just see almost everyone turning their heads asking eachother... Who was that? Was it a pro cyclist? Well, not a Team Saxo Bank rider, as they are also at Playitas at the moment. Just a triathlete who enjoys his anonymity. And the short confidence boost feel of people thinking I may am a famous pro cyclist :-)
I have caught a little bit of sickness, which makes me feel freezing cold most of the time. So I am wearing a lot of clothes, even though the sun is shining. I don't have any fever or such, but just need to take care of myself, and there is no need to make this a longer permanent health status. It has and will not prevent me from training, but it caused me to take half a rest day today. Did a early morning swim of 45 min. and a easy cycling ride of 2 hours. And it will probably mean that I will try not to push myself too much the next few days and do shorter sessions. That will give me more time to other activities like relaxing and enjoying the sun :-) Go on, my son...
Yesterday I did a 3½ hours bike ride which included some good breaks, as I was not feeling great. Finished it off with a tempo 25 min. run and a 45 min. swim session in the afternoon. Hopefully a good nights sleep will make me feel better, so I can take advantage of the good training conditions. Next week it is back training in zero degrees... I am cold all ready.

2 hard hours on the bike... Then a cold Coke sitting down... Happy Days :-)

2009-12-05T20:48:00.007+01:00

This is only my third time having my bike with me on training camp/vacation. And my favourite start to the day is for sure to get up early... Half an hour to get a wake... Then on the bike for two hours going hard... And then a well deserved Coke in a local bar. That is so relaxing and such a firm confirmation to why I love to train :-) And it is even better that I still have a few hours left of the bike. The adrenaline and motivation is skyhigh after such a start to the day.
Friday I started off early in the Olympic Pool with a quick 15 min. session with the snorkel. Need to use it a lot to get the maximum profit out of it. Afterwards I rode with the rest of the group for 3 easy hours. Finished the bike off with a 30 min. jog. In the afternoon it was time to another session in the pool of nearly an hour. I promise you my upper body muscles are damn hurting.
Today I went on the bike a bit too early. The sun does not go up before a little after 8am so I was half an hour too early so the ride started a bit cold. Did most of the same ride as on Friday, which is Playitas->La Lajita->Las Hermosas->Pajara->Tuineje->La Florida->Juan Gopar->Playitas. Did the Betancuria climb from the Pajara side once to hit the 3 hour mark.
In the afternoon it was time for some intensive training which first combined open water and beach running. Then it was the pool, spin bike and running combined with croos fit exercises making it six drills in total. It took two hours. It was short and intensive training.
I'll be in Playitas for another week. I plan to do bike-run sessions, so I'll finish every bike ride with an immediate run for minimum 30 min. And then an hour in the pool in the morning or before dinner. It is rare to have such good conditions as the 50 m. pool to train in so I will take full advantage of it. In just 9 days I'll be back in the same boring pools for the next many months...

Variable training...

2009-12-03T20:04:00.003+01:00

It is still a bit too windy for my preference, but maybe I should just accept it. Can't change it anyway.
Started Wednesday with a 30 min. run and 30 min. core training. First time I did core training, and my stomach muscles (or lack of them...) are still sore.
Then it was off with the rest of the group on a 4 hour bike ride. Easy 1 hour spin until we reached the climb from Pajara to Betancuria. Then 2 hours up and down the climb. Did it 3½ times from one side and once from the other side. Then a fast return to Playitas in the side tail wind. You really need to focuse when riding 45 km/h in this sort of wind.
Finished the training day off in the pool. Was really cold and was shaking, but the coach did not give me any choice. I had to learn how to use a snorkel. My head is moving too much and is having a negative effect on the rest of my body, so I am going to my much out of the slim line. I almost learned it yesterday, and today I am nearly there. Did 35 minutes swimming with the snorkel, and it was all right. Need more practice, but it is having a effect all ready.
Today we also did a one hour swim in the ocean. Another great open water session with Henning. Afterwards it was time for a 40 minute run. When you get in behind or between the mountains and it is windstill, then it is really possible to feel the heat. Otherwise the wind is dominating.

Windy day at Playitas

2009-12-01T20:27:00.003+01:00

Started the day early with a 40 min. run as the sun was coming up. Always a nice view. At 9:30 Rasmus Henning had a clinique in Open Water swimming. Very inspiring and motivating. He made it fun. Definitely took many good points away from it. I have never really done Open Water training sessions, but it should be a regularly part of my swim training as it can be fun and very profitable.
Right after the swim I went out on my bike hoping for a good ride. I was a bit worried about the wind and I was unfortunately right in my skepsis. It was really hard and when it came from the side, then it was very difficult to stay on the road. I could easily ride 45 km/h in the tail wind, even when it was a bit from the side, but when it was a head wind, or just a side head wind, then it was very hard to keep it over 25 km/h, and sometimes it went lower than 20 km/h on almost flat sections. Depressing and not great fun and as I wasn't really comfortable with the hard wind, then I called the ride short and only got 1:40hrs. But better than nothing and a learning experience today.
In the afternoon I had my swimming videofilmed. Haven't seen the results, but I am not desperate about it... Think I will look like crap...

First bike ride in Fuerteventura

2009-11-30T23:22:00.002+01:00

I arrived Sunday to Fuerteventura. Travel days are never fun. But it went all right. In the afternoon we did a one hour swim with the main focus on technique and finished it off with a 30 minute jog around the golf course.

Monday I went out at 8am to check the island and especially the climbs. Had decided to go on the "Betancuria Kings Tour" as stated on the Playitas website. Didn't manage to follow it perfectly as I made some wrong turns on the way, but rode 130 km. and 2.000 meters of elevation. My Garmin GPS went dead on the battery, so no detailed route from this ride, but I am glad that I also had my Polar watch on, so I had some idea of my pulse, speed etc.
It is probably too early to make any real conclusions on how it is to ride on the island, but first impression is good. All though the wind felt strong and it supposedly categorized as a mild day... I don't think so!

Main 2010 Race: Ironman Germany!

2009-11-21T13:18:00.005+01:00

Announcement!

I will be racing in Ironman Germany next year, and this race will be my primary target in 2010 and all my focus will be on peaking on the 4th of July 2010.

Why have I chosen this race?
1) This is a qualification race for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
2) After doing Ironman Nice this year, I was looking for a race with a fast course. I wanted a fast, fairly flat bike course, where I can really show off my bike skills, and aim for the best bike split in the field and perhaps even a new bike course record, which will ground for an overall time of sub 8:25hrs.
3) I wanted to do an official Hawaii qualification race as close to Denmark as possible so the travel expenses and the total costs would be at a minimum.
4) Ironman Germany is also the European Championships on the Ironman distance. The title as European Champion may not be a prestige one, but a European Championship Age-Group title doesn’t hurt ;-)
5) The race is on the 4th of July, which gives me enough time to recover to Hawaii and be 100% in the start of October. And I should also be ready for the Danish Long Distance Triathlon Championships 5 weeks later, which is raced on the 70.3 distance.
6) We needed to find a race in which my brother Andreas also would have a decent chance of qualifying for Hawaii.
7) Germany is really full a triathlon passionate people. I have done Ostseeman twice and Hannover 70.3 once and the atmosphere have just been amazing. Plenty of spectators to cheer you one and the races are very well organized and in general at a very high level.
8) Usually the Pro field is at a very high standard. Top class triathletes like Timo Bracht, Terenzo Bozzone, Chris McCormack, Eneko Llanos, Andreas Raelert, Faris Al-Sultan were there last year and I have a strong feeling, that the 2010 field will be at a even higher standard… ;-) And I definitely look forward to walking around in the transition zone next to these guys.

What are my top and sub goals for Ironman Germany?
1) Top Goal: To achieve the best possible time on the conditions available to me on race day. I know that I will be capable of a sub 8:25hrs, but there is a long time to race day, and a lot of things can go wrong prior to the race. I also have to acknowledge that I can have a bad day, but if my nutrition and hydration goes as planned, then I really can’t see what should stop me from going sub 8:25hrs. And that goal is really the only one that I can control. Whether or not my time will be good enough for an Age-Group victory or even a Top position including the Pro’s is not important as a starting point. I can’t control that, and things I can’t control, I won’t spend energy focusing on. I will focus on the things that I can control, and then the sub goals will be more realistic.
2) Top Goal: I want to qualify for the World Championships in Hawaii. I should have quite a good time buffer, and anytime sub 9hrs should be more than enough to secure a race slot.
3) Sub Goal: I want to win my Age-Group. That will obviously also give me a race slot to Hawaii.
4) Sub Goal: I want to have the fastest bike split.
5) Sub Goal: I want to run sub 3:00hrs.

At a later stage I will answer the following questions among others concerning my 2010 season:
- What other races in 2010 will I be racing?
- What will be my top and sub goals in 2010?
- How will I achieve these goals?

Say NO To Drafting

2009-11-10T11:05:00.002+01:00

Check out the video from the IM Florida, which were raced Saturday.

http://www.saynotodrafting.org/

Absolutely chocking video footage! What are these guys thinking!?!

You can support the “Say NO To Drafting” initiative on Facebook. And obviously by just not draft in NON-DRAFTING races. It is very simple.

The Ironman Pro Membership Program - Good change from the WTC?

2009-11-09T21:38:00.004+01:00

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/WTC_sets_2010_Professional_Membership_program_1105.html

Check out the link for more details if you haven’t read about it.

I think that the annual membership fee is such a little increase compared to the standard fees that every triathlete competing under the WTC flag usually has to pay (unless they get a free entry), that it is almost not worth discussing. Especially not when this is an Anti-Doping initiative. And as many Pro triathletes participates in more than one WTC race (1x IM+1x 70.3), then they can actually end up saving a few bucks. Off course there will still be many Pro triathletes, who will see an increase in their costs with this new program coming into play, but most also has a decent number of sponsors etc., which should make it possible for them to continue to compete in the same races as they would normally do. At least the increase in costs for these triathletes won’t be of a scale that is undoable to solve.

I have several times been wondering about some Pro triathletes level in IM and 70.3 races. Some just don’t seem to have the level that should be required. I can’t really guess on what the thoughts behind their decision to compete on a Pro license have been for these guys. Maybe it is because that then would be able to get a later entry and an easier one, than if they should have bought it as a normal Age-Group triathlete.

With this new program the WTC obviously hope to make it more difficult to qualify for the World Championships and maybe force some triathletes aiming for a spot to either Hawaii or Clearwater to compete in their Age-Group and by that making the Pro field stronger.

The new program for the Pros also makes it more difficult to be eligible for prize money. It is an interesting example from the WTC, that the 9th place Hawaii finisher Sandra Wallenhorst wouldn’t have received her $7,500 if achieved in 2010. That is tough. Triathlon is a pricy sport all ready, and the potential sponsors doesn’t seem to be to desperate in these financial crisis times, so to take away more money from athletes trying to balance their budget, seems to me unnecessary. Especially as the unearned prize money won’t be redistributed. That make it seems like the WTC is just being greedy. Why not give the unearned money to charity? There will probably be some Pro women screaming at Chrissie Wellington in the future to slow down. At one hand I’m sure the WTC wants big personalities like her to make some noise about the races and to set new records. But if she continues her development we might only see five Pro Women eligible for Prize Money in Hawaii 2010. Who benefits from that? That is, besides the WTC?

With the program implemented on the 1st of February, the Pro triathletes have to provide their whereabouts to WADA making them eligible for out-of-competition testing. It seems like a very sensible collaboration between the WTC and WADA. And as long as Pro triathletes don’t have to answer to different Anti-Doping agencies, then I can’t see any negative aspects of it.

All in all I think the new program is a good idea, all though the right balance of it may not be reached in the first season.

I will personally not be competing on a Pro License before 2011 at the earliest. I do have the level to compete on a Pro License in IM races, also with the new program implemented, but I wish to achieve the Age-Group goals first, and then move on to the Pro field to achieve other goals. That is to me the natural and the sensible road to take. To me there is no difference from competing on a Pro license to an Age-Group license. I will still be doing the same race as the Pros, and I will beat many of them :-)

I will be in Playitas in Week 49+50!

2009-11-09T13:44:00.007+01:00

I can certainly feel that the temperature has fallen drastically the last month and I would wish it wouldn’t get so damn dark so early. I can also feel that some days the motivation to do longer training sessions just isn’t there. And that is all right! It is off season and the main focus is on just having fun and improving my technical skills in all aspects of the sport. The most important thing is that even on the tough days, mentally as well as physically, I still get an hour or so of quality training in the bank, and that is worth focusing on. I don’t have great legs, but I feel my overall condition isn’t that bad.

I had an hour treatment by Christian Zwettler on Saturday, and he said that my legs didn’t feel as tensed as before. It didn’t take him too long to loosen the muscles up this time. So I am hoping that this is a good sign for the future. I do have some small overload injuries in my Achilles Tendons, but it is probably due to the increasingly running load, but nothing to get nervous about. Just need some time to get use to the load.

My weight is down to 74.5 kilos. My fat percent is still way too high, but I am not trying to either loose weight or fat. I don’t think this is the period to aim for that. I am still eating a bit too much, as I love good food, but I am not eating as many cakes as in the past ;-) But I am almost afraid that I will be too light at some point. There is definitely a point in long distance triathlon, where light is too light. But I’ll address that problem if I reach it… ;-) Not the poorest problem to have if it comes to that…

But the lighter you are the faster you’ll be on the run. And I can really feel that. I was running with my brother Andreas aka Sir Andy Stone on Friday, and I could have destroyed him for good that day. And I must admit that the Nike Lunarglide has gotten a bit better. But still believe they are way too wide in the forefoot, which still is very annoying. I am afraid that the laces will break soon…

My training in Week 45 wasn’t fantastic, but just decent. Had a few good days and many bad days ;-) I got 17 hours in the book, which is satisfying. I didn’t have the swims that I would have liked, but I hope to get in 4-5 hours this week, which will make a bit up for it. My focus this week is and will still be on swimming and running. My bike sessions are primarily to keep my condition at a decent level, and because I enjoy it.

I am really looking forward to try Playitas. Week 49 is an official Danish Triathlon Federation week, so there will be a lot of other triathletes. And I will be following the official program set out by the coaches. One of them is Rasmus Henning and he will be looking at my swimming, which I look forward too. I expect to be “sharking” faster when I’m back. There will be taken videos of each triathlete under the water. I will try to post it here if possible, if I don’t look too ridiculous… So I probably won’t post anything… ;-) They will also be looking at my running technique. I expect them to tell me to “pull those knees higher!” And I am off course really looking forward to do some serious climbing on the bike! There are only three official bike sessions during week 49, but I will for sure be going out each day. I want to give those climbs some seriously violence! They aren’t that long, but then you just have to do them over and over again.
I will be alone in Week 50, but there should be one of two other triathletes there and perhaps a Pro Cycling Team… ;-) That’s right. Go on my son. If the internet is working properly down there, I will give you some updates each day and hopefully including some great pics.

I have only been on training camp one time before as a triathlete. That was in March of this year in Nice. My brother and I were there to check out the conditions for the IM France. Great week and the weather were sensational. And if you are Nice at that time, you have to hook up with the Paris-Nice peloton. We saw them on the last stage on the top of the famous Col de la Porte. I off course was first up. But I guess it is easy when your competitor drops his bike on the side of the road… And weighs 10 kilos more… But every win counts ;-) And btw is was bloody cold on the top. And still all the Pro cyclists had shorts and shirts on. Including the first Pro rider on the top, Alberto Contador :-)

El Grande Temporali aka The Lean Mean Time Trial Machine aka ME!!! on single MTB tracks… Not the greatest combo ;-)

2009-11-01T15:30:00.006+01:00

I finally got my new Mountain bike this week. I bought a Trek 6300. Not really a lot of considering behind the actual purchase and to why I bought this instead of another. As I haven’t owned a MTB before, I obviously don’t have a great insight on MTB equipment. I once had a bike, which I won in a fantasy competition, which kind of reminded of a MTB, but it didn’t have any suspension, which I all ready can feel makes a great difference.

The ride started at 8am, and we had a hope to make it to ”Hareskoven” by 9am to meet up with the Cycling Concept guys. But we very quickly realized that 4 hours would be too long. My brother was with me, and it was also his first real MTB ride, so better start up a bit easy instead of killing our ”love” for MTB on the first day.

We rode instead to ”Eremitagen” and saw a good number of herds. Rode around there for a bit and then headed towards ”Geels Skov” and ”Rode Skov”. There we found two different MTB single track routes and that was a dramatic change. That is really something different from riding my time trial bike... We were all over the place riding like the sissy versions of Bambie… Needs a lot of practice before we will master this event. Took some near dives a few times but managed to stay on the bike today. My brother don’t have clip-on pedals on his MTB, mainly because he will be doing some Cross Duathlon races this winter, which I may join him in. It was difficult for me to stay on the bike on the technical sessions, as I didn’t want to clip out of the pedals as single tracks are a bit difficult to start on again, but at the same time my technical skills are almost non-existing, so had to fight to actually keep moving forward…

Today I also realized that MTB training actually can be great fun. But it was also just my second attempt at this sport ever… My first ride was in Lanzarote four years ago, where we had borrowed some bikes and did some trail biking. But it was just bump after bump after bump, and my head was just exploding by the end of it… I really haded it. But it may just have been the poor bike...

The winter may be offseason and base weeks for the coming season, but it is also the season for alternative training. And MTB training will be part of my alternative training for sure.

I have bought my MTB with the target of getting outdoor winter training, so I can get some wind on my nose. And to improve my technical skills, so I will be better on the downhill sections and in the turns. The turns are my biggest weakness on the bike, and I have lost way too much time in turns in the past. This will change in 2010.

Following last week, which ended up be a very easy one mainly due to some light illness, this week has been an improvement. I am still a bit under the weather, but just need to get used to the damn cold. I very easily get cold, so I hope it won’t get a lot colder than today with 6 degrees. And I wouldn’t mind the wind to relax a bit. It will be a hard winter, if it continues as it has started.

My training this week:
Swim: 3hrs (4 sessions)
Bike: 9.30hrs (7.15hrs indoor/4 sessions + 2.15hrs MTB)
Run: 3hrs (5 sessions – 4 post bike)

New Running Shoes… Happy Days :-)

2009-10-28T18:23:00.003+01:00

Is there anything better than getting new gear… The look of them… The smell of them… The feel of them… All of ones senses are in action. And then you haven’t even started using them :-)

This time it was a new pair of running shoes which I hadn’t tried before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The last 2½ years I have been running in Nike Vomero. This is cushioned neutral shoe which is super soft and very comfortable. I am a neutral runner and can actually have a tendency to underpronate a bit. I like my shoes to be very soft so I can better feel them and the ground as I move forward. I want them to give me some bounce and take some of the pressure away from the knees. I have a tender forefoot, and it can really destroy my run if the shoes are not soft enough. I run very much on my heel and I am definitely not a mid- or forefoot runner or just close to it. I have found the last two versions of the Vomero to have become too stabile and it has taken some of the comfort and softness out of them. It is still soft but I have appreciated the first versions more and I have therefore been looking to try something else.

The choice went on the new Nike Lunarglide. It is a light shoe weighing in at just 300 kilograms for a size US 9, which is not much if they should be able to handle longer distances. Design wise they are really among the very best in running shoes. I have very rare in the past enjoyed the design and colours of any running shoe, but these just makes me feel like the coolest looking runner ever! These are also built after Nike’s new Dynamic Support system, which should also make them suitable for mild overpronators.

Now to the verdict… ;-) On asphalt I don’t feel they are soft enough. Obviously I am used to run in a very soft cushioned shoe so anything will feel hard. But I definitely don’t feel any bounce from them. They make me move my first impact to the ground further to the front so I don’t land on my heel as much. So they make me run a bit differently. The fact that I am not in touch with the ground as long as I am used to obviously makes me run faster. I have almost been flying on some runs! So maybe it is just a question of me adapting to them. I found them harder on my calf and knee which I don’t enjoy and which makes me uncomfortable. The biggest problem with them is all though the very loose fitting. I have a low wrist and a narrow foot. I am use to tighten my shoes a lot for them to fit properly, but haven’t experience it to be a problem in the past. But in the forefoot they are strangely wide and for them to fit I really have to tighten them a lot so I almost do violence to them. That definitely takes some of the running experience out of them. They don’t have the same nice and comfy fitting like the Nike Free for instance. I don’t consider these to be an option on the longer distances like the Ironman. I have tried light weight shoes which feel softer than these. So I will use them in runs up to 15 km., and may increase that number until I get more used to them. But will stick to my Nike Vomero for now on the longer distances :-)

Check out this video with more details on the Dynamic Support. Actually quite informative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfP7_O8tTJI

I have also purchased a pair of Nike Lunartrainer, but I haven’t tried them yet. The fit all though seems tighter and more comfy, which it also should in a light weight shoe, so my first impression of them is good, but we’ll see when they hit the asphalt… ;-)

Sign up for races and visualize!

2009-10-24T17:30:00.004+02:00

I use visualization a lot in my training. Especially on the days where I am not feeling too good. On those days it can sometime be even more important to finish the training session which you initially had planned. That helps boost your mood, your motivation, your self confidence and improves the quality in the training and eventually improves your race performance. And on those days, visualizing your self in great moments can be a real motivation booster!

But getting thru a training session, where you just feel like crap, can be difficult in any sense. And if you feel poor or not motivated even before the start it can’t sometimes feel unmanageable to get it all together. Your pulse may be ridiculous. It may be jumping up and down. It may be way too high or you just can’t get it over 70%, but your body is still feeling like retirement would be the sane thing to do next. The latter I felt today. I have had three days where I have been slightly under the weather, which btw is very poor, and I have not been feeling anywhere near great since Sunday. But today I actually felt ok, when I got up at the crack of dawn in the darkness. I was scheduled to do two spinning hours at 8am. The first 30 minutes went fine. The pulse was reacting quite normal, and I felt I was back to level. But then it just started cracking and my legs went heavier and heavier. And then I started to feel dizzy and as soon as the first hour finished I found myself a bench to sit on. Shit! Obviously not quite feeling ok yet. Have had a lot of cramps in my feet the last 2 days and I think that I have had a virus of some sort which hopefully will leave by the end of the weekend.

Most of you Ironman Triathletes have probably signed up for your main race in 2010. You basically have too if you wish to do the biggest Hawaii qualification races. And it should be a very good thing in regards to each of our training. When I have a race, which I wish to do well in, it is always in the back of my mind in a positive way. That is the long term target. It may be many months into the future. But why not use that race in every positive sense? Why not really abuse it?

I visualize myself all the time in my training and not just during, but also prior to the actual session. If you are not sure that you want to train. You are just feeling bloody tired. Something is just not working, and every excuse in the book is popping up in your thoughts. Then think about why you are training. What are your reasons? What would be the good thing if you train? What do you wish to achieve with your training? Will it be wise then to train? Will it have poor effect on my future goals if I don’t train today?

There probably isn’t the bike route or the finish line in an Ironman race, which I haven’t visualized myself racing on at some point… When I am running, it is always nice to think ahead and see myself cross the finish line with the overall time on the scoreboard :-) which is off course always a sincere low one…

Sometimes maybe just a quick “one second thought” is enough to get me back on track. To get myself back on track to why I am training. To why I am doing this. What are my goals? What is my next race? Visualize it if necessary. And we all know the feeling after training. It is just a great feeling. Especially if it have been a successful one.

There is obviously also the advantage of being signed up for your races in good time ahead, that you’ll be more motivated to eat healthy and sensible. And especially during these winter times, where I think many of us will have a greater tendency to allow ourselves more cakes, candy, fat, sugar etc. But it definitely helps me when I am at the Supermarket that I have a race planned for the future. I am signed up. There is no excuse. When I am craving for something unhealthy I try to ask myself: “Will you actually feel better after you have eaten this”? And this answer is probably always NOPE. But I am for sure not fanatic about the foods I expose myself too. But I am improving. And every tool can be used to not fall into some bad habits. I have in many years tried to eat as organic as possible, but obviously even organic cinnamon buns with chocolate frosting also have calories in them…

Finally, besides plenty of others advantages, then I think we all have experienced, and perhaps even ourselves… can sometimes plan to do a certain race with all the right intentions. And tell people around us, that we will do this race and we really have all the right intentions in us, and we sincerely mean it. But we are not signed up for it… Why not? When should I sign up for the race? Sign up for it! If you are signed up, the risk of you loosing your motivation and find all the excuses in the book, is a lot higher, than if you have paid your start fee and everything is planned for you to perhaps even peak on this date.

Enjoy the Winter! I am ;-)

What is offseason?

2009-10-21T10:28:00.004+02:00

Offseason for any athlete in an individual sport is very different. But especially in triathlon where we all have different goals and races to prepare for.

To me offseason is the time of year where I don’t have any race to prepare for. It is the period where I don’t have “to stress” about having to do some specific sessions. I can basically just train and do what I want and not necessarily what I need.

Offseason for me is right now and I have had offseason since Ostseeman the 3rd of August. But as offseason is very individually then it is off course also a definition matter. You may also call it Rest Weeks. To some people my training the last month and a half or so would be defined as base weeks. And maybe I would as well. Even though it has not really been my intention. So physically my training load since start September should probably be defined as Base Weeks. But mentally I still define this period as offseason. I have a plan for the training that I would like to do, but that is primarily due to practical reasons. I can change it any second I want and I just do the training which I feel like. It is all though the case that I love to train and the last four weeks the training load has been over 15 per week. So having days where I don’t train is very rare for me. I don’t believe in rest days. I believe in easy days, where I just train 45 minutes or so. But I don’t like days, where I don’t train at all. Then my body the day after needs an electrical shot to get going again. I have to admit that as I love to train and that is the reason why I do Triathlon then I very rarely do sessions which I don’t want to do. I usually always want to train, so this time a year I sometimes also have to tell myself that I must not train more today! No need to peak in January…

Next week my training will be more organized and I will move into my base training for next season. I also wish to be in a decent shape in week 49 and week 50. I will get back to the reason at a later stage.
My training load next week should look like this. But it will still be depending on how I feel physical as well as mentally, so the number of hours are at this moment a bit volatile.

Swim: 3-4hrs
Bike: 7-12hrs
Run: 2½-5hrs

Enjoy your offseason ;-)

Race reports from Hawaii

2009-10-16T10:09:00.001+02:00

It is fascinating to read race reports from Hawaii. Especially these two are great fun to read and a lot of interesting and useful details to take from them.

http://www.chrismccormack.com/blog/ironmanhawaii

http://www.rasmushenning.com/
(Click on “blog” at the top on the left side panel.)

Ironman Hawaii Night: The Top 10 Up’s and Down’s

2009-10-12T17:12:00.005+02:00

Top 10 – Up’s:

1. Chris Lieto’s well deserved 2nd place after some brave bike riding. I have to admit that prior to Saturdays race I was not really a Lieto fan. Maybe due to his response to the initial and then reversed rule change of compression socks. But I respect athletes that are not afraid to go hard on the bike and who take chances. Respect.

2. Rasmus Henning’s 5th place just 17 days after he broke his hand. Ironman...

3. Chris McCormack’s 4th place. He really showed some serious heart on the run and showed that even though you are a former World Champion every place counts at Hawaii.

4. My dinner plate of 4 steaks, 1 kilo of French fries and 500ml of béarnaise sauce. Go on my son…

5. Bent Andersen’s win in Age Group 45-49 in 9:11 and 45th Overall. Wow.

6. Craig Alexander’s win. Amazing talent. Should be first here but was almost too expected.

7. The half of chocolate tarte with berries for dessert…

8. Andy Potts’ finishing run in 2:52 which gave him a 9th place.

9. Dirk Bockel from Luxembourg finished 7th in his debut.

10. Mirinda Carfrae’s run in 2:56

Top 10 – Down’s:

1. Where was my training the day after Hawaii… Tough night just to watch the race. I am still bloody beat.

2. Andy Potts’ bike split in 4:46.

3. The lack of candy on the table at 2am…

4. Eneke Llanos’s 14th place. Ran in 3:05. Not up to his standard.

5. Did Philip Graves went too hard on the bike… Finished the run in 3:37. But great stuff just to finish. Will do him good in the future.

6. Cameron Brown’s 22nd place. Dissapointing. Was expecting more.

7. Why am I watching this on the Internet… Could do with a race soon…

8. Charlotte Kolters had to withdraw because of blisters… Better luck at the 70.3 Worlds.

9. The 19 minute time difference between Chrissie Wellington and runner-up.

10. Jimmy Johnsen withdrew due to a mechanical on the bike which caused him to dehydrate… Better luck at the 70.3 Worlds. He will be doing IM Western Australia early December - not the 70.3 Worlds (changed 21/10/09)

Weighed in at 74.9 kilos…

2009-10-08T11:54:00.005+02:00

The last 2½ weeks my training has been going ok. Not super, but that is expected. Some sessions I feel quite good, other sessions I feel like offseason should start again tomorrow and last a few years...

The training load the past two weeks has been 20 and 15 hours and this week I will probably hit around 16-17 hours. It may sound like a lot in off-season. And it is definitely in the high numbers of what I am used to train and should be defined as hard weeks. But it is not really hard sessions. Some easier bike sessions, swimming with main focus on my technique and short slow runs. I also have a hope that I will be tested in early December, so I better turn up in a condition better than crap… But I’ll get back to that at a later stage. The following weeks I will probably turn the intensity on the runs a notch or two up. In 2½ weeks I will hopefully do a short 10k test, to see what my level of performance is at a distance, which does not suit me at all. But it will be a good guidance point for reference in the winter period.

I weighed my self yesterday. Very rare I do that. You just loose focus if you do that too often instead of focusing on your overall condition. But lost about two kilos, so I am under my race weight. Maybe I should change my expectations to my race weight. I’m actually lighter than at both IM France and especially at Ostseeman. I am 191 cm., so 75 kilos seems like a ok weight. I expect to stay around that number in the future, as I will probably gain muscle weight and loose fat the next six months. That is at least my target.

Mexican food as dinner on the day of the Worlds in Hawaii… Is that acceptable… Well, as my brother is half Mexican and is believed to be the long expected unknown brother of Michael Rasmussen, then I think I’ll just accept this quietly… Mexican food it is on Saturday eve…

Happy Days… Well, not quite yet… But Saturday is coming closer…

2009-10-06T21:39:00.001+02:00

On Saturday the 10th of October most Danes will be watching the local derby against the Swedes, where we can qualify for the World Championships next year. My brother and I will also be watching the match. But definitely not as closely as we normally would do. We, together with the rest of the triathlon world, will have a firm eye on Hawaii from 18:45CET.
We will have one tele showing the football match, but the biggest tele will be showing the live video from Hawaii. And off course we will have a laptop each to be on top on all the splits coming in on the live coverage.
It will be a great evening and night which probably won’t end until 4am at the earliest. But no matter what the final result will be, it will for sure be worth it.
The biggest problem to solve for us before Saturday is to decide what to have for dinner… On a day like that we will allow ourselves something delicious and full on carbs… Or maybe two of those… But what to choose… What to choose… When you can pick anything from a huge number of nice dishes, which you normally try to keep your hands off, then it is very difficult. Can anything leave up to the expectations... So it will probably end up being a healthy green dinner and fruit for the rest of evening…;-) All though right now a very large steak with French fries and béarnaise sauce seems very attractive. But tomorrow it will for sure be something else… We’ll see :-)

Give it some violence…

2009-10-05T22:09:00.000+02:00

The British’s have something with words and expressions. I saw the first half of Arsenal vs. Blackburn yesterday (not a fan of either btw…), and the co-commentator kept saying: “Give it some violence”. For instance when Vermaelen scored a goal with a great hard shot. What a great expression. It really illustrates a situation.

I can’t wait to give my training load some violence… My running load is increasing slowly. Went for a run as the sun came down tonight. 45 min. at a violent speed. Nice to see that my running condition is not too bad, even though this was my longest run in two months.
Haven’t been able to swim since Wednesday. Mainly due to practical reasons which will be sorted out this week. Really looking forward to swim the next four days. Swimming is just a great cardio workout.

Challenge Barcelona on Sunday

2009-10-03T12:51:00.004+02:00

The first edition of Challenge Barcelona on the Ironman distance is tomorrow and I have a few Danes I want to follow so I am hoping to find a live update some where, even though it seems like the official does not plan to provide me with one.
I had really considered very hard to do this race but after the second Ironman in 5 weeks in early August then I felt like giving my body a bit of rest. I also would like to be able to do Ironman races for the next 10 years at least so better not use all my attempts at such a early stage. But the Challenge Barcelona almost seems like a race that you must do before you die. It is not raced in Barcelona, but up the coast at Maresma. It has a great fast bike course along the coast where you need to do two laps of 90 km. on a out and back flat course. That seems like a race for me. Put you head down and hammer away. I think we’ll see some very quick bike splits tomorrow.
Obviously the race collides with Hawaii which is the only down side about the event. But a great new interesting race at the Ironman circuit and in the Challenge Series.
Now I have to admit that I find the official site a bit confusing. I have been checking the site since spring and especially their list of participants seems to have a default of some sort. So I am not sure which Pro’s will be at the starting line. But none the less the huge favorite seems to be Marcel Zamora. He is a local so should know the course and the conditions well. I saw him at the Ironman France where he posted a new course record in his third consecutive win. His final run is at the highest level and it is bit sad not to see him instead next week at Hawaii. The hot conditions suits him well and he has been competing in Hawaii before. I hope we’ll see what he can do next year. And maybe because I raced against him in Nice he is one of my favorites. And check of the picture below. Marcel Zamora, the winner, and my bike side by side. Fucking hell… Looks damn good :-) When I came to collect my bike in the transition zone after the race, his bike was next to mine. Proud moment. I came to T2 in 15th spot so he was 11 positions ahead me. But maybe the volunteers thought the two most beautiful bikes should be next to each other. I am sure that it was not a coincidence… ;-)
I am actually also still at the firm conviction that if I had started the bike ride with Zamora, he would not have been in the T2 before me. Even though I had a bit of a shit day in Nice that day. But I got it together and I actually consider my physical and mentally performance that day to be of a higher level than my 3rd place at Ostseeman in 8:45hrs. The experience from that day in Nice will be with me for several years. And I certainly used my experience from a very hard day in Nice to “almost” have a easy day at the Ostseeman. Nothing could be harder than Nice and the cramps and digestion problems I had to overtake from the first minute of the race. Experience is for sure essential on the Ironman distance.

I am cold…

2009-09-29T16:33:00.002+02:00

Went for a bike ride after 40 min. swim and 20 min. run. Had a hope of riding close to three hours. But had to cut it short after 1½ hrs. I am not good in the cold. It may be 12-13 degrees, but it is damn windy. Felt like I could be thrown into the ditch any second. Back home my hands are shaking so next time it will be two set of gloves… But it seems like the winter is coming closer and closer. Since I started doing triathlon I have always done the majority of my bike sessions indoor on a spin bike. But I have decided that this needs to be changed. Everyone is also talking about the importance of getting enough D-vitamin, so I better get outside when the sun is shining… It will be difficult the next six months or so to get out on my racing bike so I have decided to invest in a mountain bike. I will train on this at least two times per week, and I will also try to do some cross duathlon races. Next season I will also do more shorter distance triathlon races so some mtb training combined with fast running sessions will be a good start to this. I want to get more speed into my running legs and will be doing more intervals. If I improve my speed on the shorter distance triathlon races, especially on the run, then I eventually will also be a better runner on the Ironman distance, which is my only goal.

5 hrs of swimming… What the fuck…

2009-09-28T11:44:00.002+02:00

I have been so fortunate to be invited by Rasmus Henning to join the Danish national team swim training. So far I have been there 4 times starting last Friday. My swim load in the past has on a great week been 1.45hrs... Last week I swam 5 hours! I wouldn’t say I feel beaten. My upper body has adapted well. And for the first time I have had coaches looking at me in the pool and telling me what to do and more importantly what to do different. And all ready I feel a great difference. I need to raise my lower body in the water which will be the most difficult thing to change. Usually my lower body just hangs after me like my body is separated in two parts. Like the coach said to me: “You swim like you’re paralyzed from the navel and down…”. I’m not strong in my lower back/lumbar so it is hard to keep the lower body high in the water. I need to keep my head and actually my entire body steady instead of moving it so much. I go too much from side to side and that may come from my breathing routine as I may go too far back and almost look behind me when I breathe. That is just a few of the things I need to change. To change them I have also started to work with a pull-bouy and swim feet which I find as a sport in itself. But a very effective way to train and change bad habits. All though I need to change many things, I am comfortable that I will learn it and I have no doubt that my goal for 2010 to do the swim in sub 0:57hrs will be reached. That will mean I will be out on the bike course earlier – I will be able to go to the front or as close to it earlier in the race – The risk of bringing someone with me on the bike is lower – And obviously my overall performance will be improved :-)

While we anxiously wait for Hawaii…

2009-09-28T11:14:00.001+02:00

http://twitter.com/Chrisjmacca

http://twitter.com/Terenzo1

It is very fascinating to follow two of the top athletes daily program and what they think going up to Hawaii. Terenzo for instance has had his last long ride on Sunday. A bit early in my mind but maybe I should do the same next time... And Macca is just a great athlete and seems like a great down to earth person. Thought his reaction to his mechanical problem last year was very sympathetic and a bit sensational. I would have destroyed something on camera for sure…

Cadel Evans - Cycling Road World Champion!

2009-09-28T11:12:00.000+02:00

Well, I have never had the same hate as many other for some reason have had against Cadel. He is obviously somewhat different that the rest of the top road cyclists, but why dislike a person for being different and being himself… Previously everyone kept saying that he was boring, he never attacks, he’s weird etc. That has never been the case in my world. I remember him in the Giro in 2002 where he totally broke down in a mountain stage where he came as a former MTB rider and was a new interesting rider. Especially the last 3-4 years we have seen him in the front trying to push the pace and win races. But you can’t blame an athlete for not being strong enough. The last two years he has been strong enough and the Worlds was well deserved. I do hope though for him and for the image of cycling that he calms down a bit as he now will ride the Worlds jersey for a year which will give him even more media coverage. For instance such incidents like in the Vuelta where he in a sprint believes Robert Gesink cut him off, which he definitely didn’t, and which Cadel did acknowledge afterwards, but his immediate all though natural reaction to turn into the biggest bitch in pro cycling should be eliminated. Because as a rider Cadel Evans is a fascinating one for sure.

Top 10 Preview - World Championship 2009 Hawaii

2009-09-15T22:44:00.006+02:00

1. Rasmus Henning
Nationality aside. Team mate aside. Even though this will be Hennings first go at Hawaii, even though this is his first season changing from at short distance triathlete to a long distance triathlete, then on a perfect day Rasmus can outrun anyone in the entire field. Rasmus is good in the heat. He swim among the very best. He won’t loose time on the bike to his main competitors. And he can post a 2:40 on the finishing run. But we still have to acknowledge the fact that this is his first attempt at Hawaii so even though a win is possible, experience and a good feeling is perhaps the most important things to take away from this years race. But he is definitely one of the favorites this year. And I’m sure that he will turn up very well prepared and it is hard to see him being surprised by anything.

2. Craig Alexander
World Champion last year after an impressive finishing run. Has shown great form this year. Just won the 70.3 event in Muskoka in Canada where he posted 1:11:41 on the run on a tough course. He has the ability and the experience to win again.

3. Chris McCormack
Won in 2007 after a solid final run in 2:42. He was second in 2006. Last year he had to abandon after a mechanical problem. This year he has shown some scary form.

4. Timo Bracht
He won the IM Germany and became European Champion in early July. He was second in Half Challenge Barcelona in May. His focus has been on Hawaii. He will be looking for some serious revenge for last year disqualification for not taking a penalty. He was 5th in 2008 and 11th in 2006.

5. Eneko Llanos
A surprise second last year, but he is very consistent Ironman athlete. It is difficult not to see him being in contention for a Top 5 spot. He was 7th in 2007 and 5th in 2006 so he knows Hawaii and have had success here before. He finished second in the IM Germany this year only one minute off.

6. Cameron Brown
Multiple winner of the Ironman New Zealand which he won this year as well. Finished 6th in 2008, 8th in 2006 and 2nd in 2005. He has the experience. He´s capable of a very strong final run. He could very well end up on the podium.

7. Ronnie Schildknecht
He was 4th in Hawaii last year. He has won IM Switzerland the last three years in style. Can post a very fast run and has been there before.

8. Andreas Raelert
He was close to making it to the German Olympic Team, but after not making it he has changed to the long distance races. He ended 2008 with a win in Ironman Arizona. He got 4th in IM Germany but was just 4 minutes from the winner in a very strong field. To me he is probably still more a 70.3 triathlete, and I doubt he will end in the Top 5. But a Top 10 is definitely possible.

9. Terenzo Bozzone
First year in Hawaii. Huge talent. Will get his win in Hawaii at a later stage. Top 10 is possible and maybe even more. Wouldn’t be surprised if he gets it together and puts himself in the contention for more. Took on both Chris McCormack and Cameron Brown to win the 70.3 event in the Philippines in August. The Ironman distance is still quite new to him though but never underestimate youth and great talent.

10. Michael Göhner
Any one winning Challenge Roth in the way Göhner did, must be mentioned as a athlete, who can go far in Hawaii. He posted a 7:55hrs race in the strongest field seen this year with a finishing run in 2:41. He was 18th in 2007 but had to pull out last year due to injury.

Other Top 10 Candidates:

Normann Stadler
Finished 4th in Challenge Roth this year. Two-time World Champion in 2004 and 2006. Finished 12th last year after a poor run. I don’t think he will be in contention this year. Will probably post a very good swim-bike split but I think the race this year will be decided very much on the run. He won’t be able to destroy the field on the bike and his running skills is not good enough to get on the podium. But he is capable of making a surprise and I’m sure he will go for the win.

Patrick Vernay
Very experienced in Hawaii. In the last fife editions he has been in the Top 15 with last years 7th place being his best performance. Not a contender for one of the top spots, but should put in a solid race.

Andy Potts
He crashed heavily in late August at the Chicago Triathlon. He didn’t brake anything but must have been some scare for him. He should normally be a strong Top 10 contender. Last year he was 7th after being first man out of the water. Perhaps the crash will do him good as the break seemed to have been no more than a week. But his experience on the IM distance is still lacking and I think he won’t compete anyway for a podium spot before next year.

Pete Jacobs
He has put in three consecutive podium positions at the Challenge Roth in one of the strongest fields on the IM calendar. He was second at IM Australia and is a solid long distance triathlete. He broke down last year in Hawaii but still managed to finish. He has a 17th place from 2006. He can move into the Top 10 on a good day.

Marino Vanhoenacker
23rd in 2008. Has won IM South Africa as well as IM Austria in 2009. He got second in 70.3 St. Pölten and won 70.3 Antwerp early August. Was sixth in 2006 and fifth in 2007. He could post one of the fastest bike splits of the day and has a solid run. And moreover he has the experience to do well here.

Other Names To Watch:

Faris Al-Sultan
He won in 2005 and got the bronze in both 2004 and 2006. Last year he was 13th, but it seems like his best days are past him. The top results are gone and it is difficult to see coming from behind this year. A Top 20 seems likely though.

Jimmy Johnsen
Johnsen was 25th in his debut in 2007. He has put in some solid performances in Ironman races the last year. He finished 4th in IM Western Australia last December and 4th in IM Australia. He was 4th in 70.3 Switzerland in June and 6th 70.3 Geelong. He is a consistent long distance triathlete who on a good day could move into contention for Top 15 spot.

Chris Lieto
He was 29th in 2008 after posting one of the best bike splits but eventually broke down in the heat. Will still be a athlete that can be in the mix but in a strong field like this years he will have difficulties to contend for a Top 10 spot. Got 9th place in 2006.

Mathias Hecht
He made an impressive debut last year with a 9th place finish. He doesn’t seem however to be in contention for the same position this year in a very strong field. He was 12th in IM Australia and 5th in IM Germany. He finished 3rd in 70.3 Germany in mid-august. This year gaining experience will probably be the most for him to gain besides a Top 20 position.

Petr Vabrousek
Some rate this Czech as somewhat idiotic. I don’t have the number but he is doing more than 10 Ironman races a year. I found it very impressive and to some extend motivating for the rest of us. Would he win races if he did less of them? Would he post faster times if he did less? I am not sure. Only Vabrousek can answer that. None the less he is known by many triathletes around the world because of the number of races that he does. He gets to travel around the world and doing races on the most scenic and epics places. He doesn’t like to train – he likes to race. I have the upmost respect for this man. Impressive. I will follow him yet again in a Ironman race and hope he will do well.

Rutger Beke
He should be listed in the Top 10 but he crashed early September maybe braking his ankle and he looks like a non-starter. Even if he starts any top position seems very unlikely.

Compression socks in Hawaii will be allowed anyway!

2009-09-11T10:18:00.002+02:00

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Compression_sock_ban_reversed_1009.html

Maybe my e-mail made an impact after all... Nope, I don't think so. But great news that the rule change has been reversed. Anyone who had or would have argued in favour of this rule change would have done so with a different agenda than actually the argument that they can't see the triathletes age...

Hawaii is coming even closer after this great news. What a major showdown we all have in store.

The most ridiculous rule change I have ever seen…

2009-09-10T20:24:00.003+02:00

I am amazed… WTC have banned compression socks, calf guards etc., or anything that will cover your age stated on your calf. So these are banned at the World Championships in Hawaii. The argument is that the other athletes can't see your age when you pass them if your calf is covered. Come again... What the fuck! Is this for real?
I have never seen such a poor decision in my few years as a Ironman triathlete. As soon as I read this I wrote a very impulsive mail to the WTC. No doubt that I will gain nothing from that e-mail. But I can not imagine that the majority believes that banning compression socks or anything that covers your calf so your competitors can’t see your age is any kind of solution. If that really is a problem for some athletes there are many other solutions than to make a unseen rule to ban a specific garment. What if is cold? What if I want to wear something for the sun? I for instance wear arm sleeves to keep myself as cool as possible. I am aware that the start number on my arm then is not always visible. But where are our priorities? Is it most important that other athletes can see my age than I get the best possible performance? The athletes should race against themselves instead of concentrating on others and stop being so petty as this obviously show that some are.
We have start numbers on our bag on the bike. Why not make it a rule then that you must wear the start number stating your age on the bag on the run as well as on the front. Then no one can honestly say that they are in doubt which age group I or any other are in when they are being passed on the run. You can also just write it in black on the compression sock or on the calf guards prior to the race. No one wearing these garments would mind. Finally this entire discussion is ridiculous. When you write these things directly on your calf, arms etc. they don’t last anyway. After sun cream, the swim, sweat etc., how much is actually visible when you get to the run?
If anyone actually feels that it is so essential that they can see yours or my age then just write it on the garment or wear start number on the bag on the run as well. What is the problem, WTC?

Stor international TRI weekend i vente…

2009-09-10T11:40:00.001+02:00

På søndag skal der køres Ironman Wisconsin med deltagelse af bl.a. Peter Madsen og Aleksandar Sørensen-Markovic, som skal blive interessante at følge. Jeg glæder mig specielt til at se, hvor hurtigt P. Madsen kan køre på cyklen, og hvor hurtigt A. Markovic kan løbe. Derudover er bl.a. Chris McDonald til start, som skal køre Challenge Copenhagen til næste år samt tjekken Petr Vabousek, som jo nærmest kører en Ironman hver måned, hvilket man jo både kan synes er super fedt eller super dumt…
Søndag er der også 70.3 Muskoka Canada, hvor det bliver spændende at se, hvor Craig Alexander står en måned før Hawaii. Jeg tror, han er skarp…
Live update fra begge stævner på www.ironman.com.

Men weekendens største triathlon event er nu engang finalen på den nye VM serie på Gold Coast i Australien. Mændenes løb er allerede lørdag kl. 15.15 lokal tid, hvilket gerne skulle være kl. 7.15 dansk tid. Så der er tid til at sove længe på lørdag… Kvindernes løb starter kl. 6.45 søndag morgen. Jeg tror, at det bliver gratis at følge løbene med live billeder på www.triathlon.org, men ellers er der jo text updates.
Der er 12 atleter, som stadig kan vinde mændenes, hvilket som udgangspunkt bør give et seriøst spændende løb. Specielt hvis outsiderne satser på cyklen, og ikke er bange for at gå ned. For the leader Alistair Brownlee kan nøjedes med en top 5, og med hans løbeform skal de ikke give ham lov til at starte løbet for langt fremme. For så kan han bare løbe taktisk, men det håber jeg nu også, at han får lov til. Med fire sejre allerede er der næsten noget galt med pointsystemet, hvis han ikke bliver verdensmester.

Cervelo P4 2010... Nej, den vil jeg da ikke ha'...

2009-09-08T20:46:00.006+02:00

Der har netop været afholdt Eurobike i Friedrichshafen. Det er messen, hvor 2010 produkterne fra cykel producenterne bliver vist frem. Så jeg har brugt en del tid på at tjekke billeder af alle de nye top lirens produkter, som man kan købe sig fattig i til 2010… Og jeg faldt i første omgang lige over de nye farver på Cervelo P3 og P4. Jeg har selv en P3 i Olympic Edition. Jeg havde nok aldrig investeret i en P3, hvis ikke jeg havde kunnet fået OL lakeringen, som er helt hvid med de fem olympiske ringe. De normale farver på både P2 og P3 synes jeg, har været for kedelige. Rammerne har dog været beviseligt været super hurtige, hvilket min P3 absolut også er. Men jeg synes faktisk også, at de nye farver på P3 er ret lirens. Der skulle umiddelbart ikke været lavet nogle ændringer på TT rammerne, så det er lakeringen, som er interessant i denne omgang. Der er forskellige meninger til alle de nye lakeringer på Cervelo 2010, men generelt synes jeg, de holder. Specielt kan jeg godt lide den nye røde linje, som går igen på både den hvide P3 og på den sorte P4. Den første udgave af P4 var helt sort og også for sort. Jeg har ingen planer om at skulle udskifte min P3, men den nye P4 med den røde farve ville nu stå godt til min blege hud…

Der er lys forude… ”The love is coming back…”

2009-09-08T20:29:00.001+02:00

De sidste 3 uger har jeg taget det stille og roligt. Det er blevet til 10 timers træning i snit. Mit knæ var for overbelastet og min krop kunne godt bruge lidt hvile. De lette uger har hjulpet på både knæet og min generelle krops tilstand. Jeg var til behandling i går hos Christian Zwettler, hvilket som sædvanlig var hårdt. Det er ligesom om ens smertetærskel bliver flyttet hver gang... Han går dybt. Men jeg ved, det hjælper enormt. Han er meget dygtig og frem for alt effektiv. Hvis det ikke havde været for Christian’s behandlinger både før Nice og Ostseeman, så tror jeg ikke, at jeg havde kunne have lavet begge uden smerter i knæet. Og specielt inden Ostseeman fik han virkelig gjort både min bror og jeg klar til den anden IM på fem uger. Jeg foretrækker også at tage det roligt dagen efter for at give kroppen mulighed for at restituere, selvom det nok ikke er nødvendigt. Men da jeg ikke har nogle løb foreløbig, har jeg ikke travlt. En ekstra rolig dag kan kun gøre mig mere klar til, når jeg starter med at træne lidt hårdere igen, og stille og roligt bygger mængde på igen. Pause giver også én motivationen og ”the love” til træningen igen. Den har jeg nu aldrig mistet, da jeg nyder træningen, men der er selvfølgelig forskel på, hvor stor ens motivation er på de enkelte pas. Det bliver lækkert at begynde at træne hårdt og stabilt igen :-).
Jeg begynder at løbe igen fredag. Det bliver så 2. gang på 5 uger… De første ture bliver kun på ca. 15-20 min., og så øger jeg stille og roligt distancen. Ellers står resten af ugen på svømning og cykling.
Jeg er også begyndt at styrketræne for at øge min muskelstyrke omkring knæene og i mine ben generelt. Jeg har ikke styrketrænet i over 4 år... Så selvom jeg kun har styrketrænet tre gange nu, så kan jeg godt mærke det... Styrketræningen skulle gøre mig bedre i stand til at klare træningsmængden, og forhåbentlig gøre at jeg undgår overbelastningsskader. Det er afgørende for 2010, at jeg ikke får alle de afbræk i træningen.

Andreas til Ostseeman 2009

2009-08-20T20:23:00.004+02:00

Min bror Andreas var også med til Ostseeman 2009. Læs hans superfede beretning fra løbet.

Race beretning fra Ostseeman 2009:

I min kun anden Ironman, Ostseeman, kom jeg under de 10 timer. Hvilket var mit mål, og det der drev mig igennem mange hårde og lange træningspas. Jeg var tilskuer for første gang til en Ironman sidste år, hvilket var Ostseeman 2008. Jeg var med som hjælper for Ulrik. Dengang kan jeg huske, at jeg tænkte, at jeg aldrig ville kunne gennemføre en Ironman. Da jeg stod og kiggede på svømmestarten, blev jeg bare endnu mere sikker, på at det var alt for vildt for mig. Men i dag kan jeg kigge tilbage på 2 Ironman med glæde. Det har været hårdt, ikke mest at træne op til, og så at komme igennem på selve dagen.

Ostseeman kom jeg under de 10 timer, og det var bare 5 uger efter jeg gennemførte Nice Ironman. I Nice fik jeg desværre mave problemer på 3. runde af løbet, og måtte flere gange på toilettet derefter. Havde ellers lavet en Top 200 cykel tid, og lå godt til. Det skal siges at køre i bjerge er ikke mig. Men efter jeg havde været på cykel ferie i marts var jeg kommet bedre efter det. Men nok stadig for tung til at køre op med de bedste (som Ulrik) på sådan en rute. Så Nice blev aldrig rent tidsmæssigt den bedste oplevelse. Og slet ikke bagefter, da jeg røg på skadestuen og fik drop med saltvand for de store diarré problemer. Dagene efter Nice var tankerne allerede på, hvornår kunne jeg lave et nyt løb, og hvad det skulle være.

Valget faldt på OSTSEEMAN 2009.
Jeg valgte Ostseman, da det var et løb, jeg kendte, og som lå til, at jeg kunne forbedre min PR tid. Så efter 9 dages afslapping, var det i gang igen med træningen og hele tiden sørge for at lytte til kroppen for ikke at få en overbelastning. Jeg enten med at stå rimelig skarp og føle, at jeg kunne lave et godt løb. Lavede gameplan efter at svømme på 1 time, cykle på 5 timer, løbe på 3 ½ time og skifte på ca. 5 min. Så havde jeg stadig en god buffer til de 10 timer.

Dagen før kørte vi til stævnet i en leje bil, da den bil vi skulle havde lånt af vores forældre brændte sammen, så vi måtte i lynets hast skaffe en ny. Så det endte med en leje Citroën Berlingo. En dyr omgang, men vi kunne ikke melde afbud pga. af, at vi ikke havde et transportmiddel. Så det var bare med at smide cyklerne ind i bilen og så af sted. Efter 4 timers kørsel var vi fremme, og så var det bare med at checke ind og få sat cyklen på plads. For derefter at køre til vores Etap hotel. Vi havde ikke rigtig fået så meget at spise hele dagen, ikke optimalt dagen før. Men da vi endelig kom frem til hotellet kunne vi starte vores carbo-loading. Hvilket vi må være verdensmestre i. Pasta med olie og salt samt laks og brød var vores aftensmad. Sammen med en masse energi drikke og barer.

Jeg havde svært ved at falde i søvn, så det blev kun til 4 timer den nat, ikke godt. Men da kl. blev 03.45 var jeg klar. Hele kroppen var super carbo-loadet. Havde hele ugen sovet med kompressionsstrømper. Til morgenmad indtog jeg en Cultura light med jordbær for at holde maven i orden og så ellers en banan og en energibar og noget energi drik. Samt fik jeg skyllet nogen salt og magnesium piller ned.
Vi var ved målområdet kl. kvart over fem og fik sat flasker og energi på cyklen. Afleveret vores forskellige transitions bags. Vi var klar, nu skulle maven bare tømmes og der skulle tisset af. Jeg valgte dog at nappe en ekstra tur på kummen med bare 20 minutter til start. Nervøs, ja det var jeg, og især efter min oplevelse i Nice. Så maven skulle bare være i orden.

Det var en fed svømme start. Fed musik til at få peppet én det sidste op, helikopter ud over vandet og masser af mennesker til at skabe en super stemning. Der bliv talt ned og starten gik. Man svømmer ca. 100 meter og så skal man 90 grader til højere, hvilket skabte kaos og en del kampe. Men efter der kunne jeg svømme uden de store kampe og følte for første gang i et tri-stævne, at jeg var godt svømmende, og da jeg kom op af vandet, havde jeg svømmet i 61 min. 30 sek., hvilket var udmærket, og jeg havde virkelig fået sparet mine ben. Så ingen kramper eller andre problemer. Så det var bare med at komme ud på cyklen og få gang i rytmen. I Ostseeman kører man 6 runder, og de første 3 gik efter planen, og jeg lå hele tiden under de 50 min., hvilket var udgangspunktet for at komme ind på 5 timer. Men på 4. og 5. omgang kunne jeg slet ikke holde gang i cyklen, og der var mere vind. Havde virkelig en stor krise og var nærmest ved at gå ud. Utroligt hvad man kan overtale sig selv til. Jeg fik en snak med mig selv om, at hvis jeg nu styrtede med vilje, så kunne det bare være min undskyldning for, at jeg ikke kunne klare det. Ja, utrolig så langt ude man kommer og ikke mindst spænende, hvad man kan overtale sig selv til. Når man er helt ude, må man bare dele tingene op og fokusere på de mindre og positive ting. Jeg sagde til mig selv, at jeg skulle bare ind med cyklen. Så måtte jeg tage den der fra. Kom ind på cyklen på 5 timer og 15 min. Hvilket ikke var særligt godt, da jeg havde cyklet til Nice Ironman på 5 timer og 30 min.
Men jeg fik skoene på og blev helt grebet af publikum og hele stemningen. Så efter jeg havde kigget på uret og efter meget tidsregning, kunne jeg se, at jeg kunne komme under de 10 timer. Så det var bare i gang med at holde nogle stabile tider. Løberuten skulle løbes 5 gange. Første runde gik rimelig hurtigt, bortset fra jeg havde været en tur i skoven for at bøje ryggen. Jeg havde mange bange anelser, tænkte fuck… er der nu igen problemer med maven. Med det viste sig, at jeg kunne styre det, da jeg også på 3. og 4. runde måtte en tur i skoven. Men stadig ingen problemer, og hvis man ser bort fra 10 minutter i alt i skoven, så løb jeg hele vejen. Super fed oplevelse at kunne løbe og slet ikke behøve at gå på det afsluttede maraton. Havde mine salt og magnesium piller med, hvilket nok gjordet, at jeg kunne holde kramperne væk. Men det der drev mig igennem de sidste omgang, var den helt vildt fede oplevelse det var at løbe igennem mål området og modtage publikums hyldest. Det gav mig et kæmpe kick. Og tiden arbejdede stadig i minretning, så på sidste omgang fik den bare fuld gas. Sidste omgang blev også min hurtigste, nok på grund af at jeg mistede overblikket, men havde stadig kontrol over det. Oplevede det såkaldte runners high. Følelserne væltede frem i kroppen. Jeg skulle bare under de 10 timer. Jeg endte med tiden 9 timer, 55 min. og 33 sek. Fantastik at komme i mål og bare føle, at jeg havde give mig alt, hvad jeg kunne.

Super dejligt at kunne se tilbage på al den træning og ikke mindst alle de tanker, der er blevet brugt på Ironman, som til sidst gav en tid, som jeg er meget stolt af. Ikke mindst har oplevelserne med Ironman givet utrolig meget på mentalt plan, og flyttet mine grænser længere end jeg nogensinde troede var muligt, og slet ikke da jeg var tilskuer til Ostseeman 2008, hvor jeg nærmest rystede i bukserne af skræk. Men afskrækket er jeg ikke, og er allerede i gang med at planlægge næste års sæson. Hvor Ironman København bliver mit store mål, hvor jeg vil gå efter en tid under de 9 timer og 30 min. Så der er masser af ambitioner og lysten til træning er der. Så lad os se hvad 2010 sæsonen kan blive til for ”THE IRONMAN BROS”.

Man skal være tidligt ude…

2009-08-17T20:16:00.000+02:00

Selvom jeg må indrømme, at jeg nok godt var klar over det, så kan jeg alligevel stadig blive overrasket og selvfølgelig også lidt frustreret over, at de store Ironman så hurtigt bliver udsolgt. Man ville jo gerne selv kunne bestemme, hvornår man tilmeldte sig… Det er noget, jeg kan lære af til næste år. Der er f.eks. udsolgt til Roth, Frankfurt og Klagenfurt, som rent geografisk og rutemæssigt jo ikke ligger dårligt til en dansker.
Men det viser bare, hvor stort Ironman er blevet, og man må bare håbe, at der kommer flere og flere store IM løb på kalenderen, så alle får den mest optimale mulighed for at opnå deres personlig drøm og mål. Næste år er et løb dog næsten bestemt for en dansker, der laver IM, med den første udgave af Challenge Copenhagen. Og lige nu er det nok mest realistisk, at jeg foruden København laver Sydafrika ultimo april samt en IM i juni eller primo juli. Der er også mulighed for at lave nogle 70.3 løb, men jeg synes, at det er meget mere fascinerende, motiverende og sjovt at lave IM, så umiddelbart laver jeg nok kun et enkelt, måske to, 70.3 løb næste år.
Mit knæ har det i øvrigt bedre i dag. Jeg skal til behandling hos Christian Zwettler i morgen aften, og så går der nok 2-3 dage, før det er helt væk. Så selvom jeg konstant prædiker ”lyt til din krop”, og ikke partout er fan af træningsprogrammer lagt flere uger ud i fremtiden, så kan jeg også nogle gange glemme at lytte til min egen krop. For så havde jeg nok kunne undgå at holde nogle meget rolige dage. Men håber dog på at få svømmet alligevel.

Stadig ikke helt klar til at løbe…

2009-08-16T11:31:00.001+02:00

Min 2. uge efter Ostseeman er egentlig gået meget godt. Faktisk lige indtil i morges. Ville løbe små ca. 40-50 min. i meget roligt tempo. Min holdning er, at man skal holde 2 ugers løbepause efter IM, så det passede meget godt. Men mit venstre knæ gjorde bare pisse ondt på ydersiden. Det er det samme sted, som gav mig en masse problemer i foråret, og det var egentlig også det eneste punkt, hvor jeg var rigtig øm efter Ostseeman. Umiddelbart er det bare overbelastning, men det kan godt være, jeg skal have fat i min behandler Christian Zwettler, så det kan komme væk hurtigst muligt. Ville cykle stille og roligt efter løbet, men det blev kun til en pinefuld time. Øv.
Har ellers fået trænet ok i denne uge, selvom det har været meget rolig træning. Jeg har cyklet 11 timer, men kun tre af timerne har været relativ intensive spinning timer. Ellers har det primært været rulleture. Har svømmet lidt over 2 timer og løbet en dårlig tur i dag. Men tror nok, at det skal blive ok med knæet i løbet af de næste 2-3 dage. Må bare tage den lidt med ro, have masser af is på, evt. tage en Ipren kur og så vente lidt med at komme i gang med løbet.

ITU World Championship London på ARD

2009-08-14T19:55:00.003+02:00

Husk morgendagens 6. afdeling af den nye ITU World Championship Series på den Olympiske distance. Kvinderne starter kl. 11.00 og herrerne kl. 14.15. ARD skulle meget gerne sende et sammendrag kl. 16.00, men det kommer nok til at være kort, når der samtidig er VM i atletik i Berlin. Ellers kan man jo følge det på triathlon.org. Personligt vil jeg se frem til lidt afslapning på sofaen efter dagens træning til et super lirens løb, hvor der skal svømmes i ”The Serpentine Lake”, cykles otte omgange og løbes fire omgange i Hyde Park. Det bliver EPIC.

Det bliver nok mest spændende at følge mændenes løb, hvor der er rigtig mange, som kan løbe med den prestigefyldte sejr. Alistair Brownlee har virkelig fået sit gennembrud i år, hvor han har vundet de tre løb i VM serien, som han er stillet op på. Det kunne derfor godt ligne en hjemmebanesejr. Han blev dog slået til EM af Javier Gomez, som også må betegnes som en af favoritterne, men som dog ikke helt er på sit gamle niveau i år. Brad Kahlefeldt er altid god for et godt afsluttende løb, men sejrene er sjældne. Verdensmesteren fra 2006 og englænderen Tim Don kunne måske have timet formen helt rigtigt til hjemmebanen, men hans niveau generelt har i år bare været for dårligt. Min egen personlige outsider er Courtney Atkinson, som har et meget højt niveau, men som ikke deltager i så mange løb i Europa. Han indeholder også en god spurt. Endelig skal det blive spændende at se, om Jarrod Shoemaker kan følge op på sit afsluttende løb fra Hamburg på 29:37, hvor han overraskende løb med sejren.

Hos kvinderne stiller Emma Snowsill ikke op, så det kunne ligne den fjerde sejr i træk til Emma Moffatt. Eneste reelle trussel ligner Vanessa Fernandez, hvis hun ellers kan finde sit gamle niveau og følge op på sin 3. plads fra EM primo Juli.

"Post Ironman"... Hvad gør jeg...

2009-08-13T20:06:00.004+02:00

Der er som bekendt ikke kun stor forskel på, hvordan triatleter bruger den sidste uge op til IM eller en lang distance triathlon konkurrence på. Hvor meget træner de… Hvor meget spiser de… Hvor meget nedtrapper de generelt… Men der er selvsagt også meget stor forskel på, hvordan de agerer i ugerne efter.
Nogle kan tænke… Nu skal jeg fandme slappe den i et par måneder, inden jeg bare overvejer en mere…
Andre tænker måske… Det var det… Jeg skulle bare lige lave den ene… Det er nok for mig.
Og nogle er ligesom mig… En stille og rolig første uge, hvor man analyserer det netop overståede løb: Hvad gjorde jeg rigtigt? Hvad gjorde jeg forkert? Hvad kan jeg tage med til det næste løb? Osv.. Man ser på billeder, fortæller røvere fra løbet, overvejer hvad det næste løb skal være, den næste sæson etc. Og hvordan skal man starte op igen på mandag... Hvor meget skal man træne i næste uge… Det bliver sgu fedt at komme i gang igen :-).
Jeg tillader mig kun at spise en smule usundt i den første uge efter IM, for da jeg ikke træner, og derved ikke forbrænder meget mere 2.200 kalorier om dagen, så går jeg ikke amok. Jeg sørger dog for at gå nogle lange ture eller lige svømme lidt for at få blodomløbet lidt i gang. Men for meget mad giver bare en dårlig fornemmelse i kroppen, forstoppelse eller racermave (desværre ikke efter frivilligt valg), og så måske endda lidt dårlig samvittighed oveni. Man kan hurtigt tage mange kilo på i ugen efter IM, hvis man ikke passer på. Jeg starter med at træne igen ca. 1 uge efter IM. I den anden uge efter løbet tillader jeg mig at spise lidt mere usundt, hvilket måske virker mærkeligt. Men der handler det primært om at komme tilbage til at træne igen uden at få overbelastningsskader. Det handler om at få lysten, glæden og tilfredsheden ved at træne tilbage, men det er nu absolut ikke svært for mig, da jeg elsker at træne. Og ved at give mig selv lidt flere friheder end normalt, så kommer motivationen hurtigt tilbage. Jeg hører til dem, som elsker at træne. Jeg dyrker først og fremmest IM, fordi jeg elsker at presse mig selv fysisk i træningen. Hvis det var omvendt, ville det ikke fungere for mig. Hvis jeg har kvalitet og effektivitet i min træning, skal resten nok komme. Super race oplevelser og tilfredsstillende tider :-).

Nye træningshjul! Tilbage til det velkendte…

2009-08-13T20:05:00.000+02:00

Da jeg kørte min første Ironman i Fredericia i 07, kørte jeg med Mavic Ksyrium Elite. Jeg havde købt en Argon18 Mercury hos Jonas i Endurance Sport, og han havde anbefalet disse, som han selv havde kørt med. Og efter hidtil at have kørt med nogle ”No Name” hjul på min Centurion racer, som jeg havde vundet i Sofa Politiken, var det som at gå fra en Citröen Berlingo til VW Multivan… De rykkede for vildt… De blev desværre totalskadet i et trafikuheld sidste efterår, og jeg tænkte, at nu skulle jeg prøve noget nyt. Så jeg valgte de lette og relativ billige Spinergy Xaero Lite. Både pga. af vægten, men sgu også lidt pga. de hvide eger…
Men bl.a. fordi forskellen på et par Zipp 404 (mine konkurrence hjul) og disse nok er for stor, så fandt jeg mig aldrig til rette på dem. Jeg tror, de er super fede til bjerge, og hvis man ellers kan lide et par bløde hjul. Men til at ligge i TT position og med ønsket om at køre stærkt på flad vej, passer de ikke mig. Jeg vil gerne have et sæt lette, hurtige hjul med flade eger som accelererer hurtigt ud af svingene, og som både kan bruges på flad vej og ikke er helt af helvedes til i bjerge. De vejer kun 1.550 gram til dæk og slange, og man kan heldigvis få dem i sort og ikke kun i sølv… Selvom der er ændret lidt på dem, siden jeg kørte på dem første gang, så virker det kun til at have forbedret dem. Og selvom jeg kun vil bruge dem til træning, så hører jeg til dem, der ikke synes, det er særlig motiverende at køre på et langsomt hjulsæt til træning. Man risikerer bare at glemme, at man godt kan køre stærkt… Det gælder om at få en god fornemmelse af, hvordan man kan køre til race. Min bror har faktisk også investeret i de samme hjul, som han hidtil har kørt to IM’s på uden problemer. Til prisen er disse mine yndlingshjul.

Nice Ironman 2009

2009-08-11T14:54:00.002+02:00

Race beretning fra Nice Ironman 2009:

Selvom det er et stykke tid siden, det var den 28. Juni, er det en dag, jeg sent glemmer. I modsætning til de fleste andre IM på kalenderen, så starter løbet allerede kl. 6.30, da det forventes, at man vil bruge en del mere tid på at komme igennem. Dette skyldes ikke mindst den hårde cykelrute i baglandet, hvor man skal igennem 1.800 højdemeter.
Men en IM starter jo som bekendt med svømningen, men denne dag ville jeg meget gerne have sprunget den over. Var ellers meget fortrøstningsfuld, da vi stod der på stenstranden. Der var mulighed for at stille sig efter sin forventede sluttid. I midten var prof’erne, til højre for dem hed den 55 min. og til venstre for dem hed den 1:02. Hvis jeg havde mulighed for bare at svømme for mig selv, ville jeg stille mig ved 58 min., men med tanke på, at åbenthavs svømning ikke endnu er min stærkeste side, så valgte vi 1:02. Inden starten gik, tænkte vi, at det måtte da gå noget nemmere i starten end normalt, når nu vi var inddelt efter niveau, og at slåskampene da måtte være færre. Hvor kan man dog være naiv…
Starten går, og vi skal først 5 meter hen over de mærkværdige skarpe sten. Jeg skal aldrig på stenstrand mere. Alle holder fast i hinanden for ikke at falde og kaster sig ud i vandet. Og her begynder vanviddet så. Der er bare slet ikke plads. Jeg føler, jeg har samtlige 2.800 deltagere skiftevis ovenpå mig. Og efter 10 meter sker katastrofen, da spaden foran mig, sparker mine briller af mig. Jeg får heldigvis fat i dem på toppen af hovedet. Ellers havde det nok været slut. 3,8 km. i saltvand uden briller, tror jeg ikke, havde været muligt. Kæmper desperat for at få dem på igen, men der er bare ikke tid. Det er fuldstændigt umuligt at stoppe. Jeg sluger saltvandet, så man skulle tro, det var for smagen. Men nej, det smager godt nok dårligt. Det er suverænt det hårdeste, jeg har oplevet på en IM at ligge der uden briller i saltvandet, og der er bare den vildeste slåskamp. Alle ligger bare ovenpå hinanden. Efter ca. 500 meter føler jeg endelig, at jeg lige hurtigt kan få brillerne på igen. Men får dem kun ned, uden at de sidder fast, før der er nogle nye franske arrogante croissanter, som synes, de skal hive mig ned under vandet. Jeg må bare videre. Ved 1 km. skal vi rundt om den første bøje. Slåskampen har fortsat, og ved bøjen bliver det igen vildt. Må bruge mange kræfter på at sparke mig til plads. Første del af svømningen foregår i en trekant, så efter 1. bøje skal vi lidt længere frem og så tilbage mod land. Men jeg lader nu de andre om at orientere sig. Desværre kommer vi al for langt til venstre ved den sidste bøje før land, så bliver nødt til at svømme meget på tværs for at komme ind. Allerede nu har jeg kramper nærmest fra tå til lyske. Kan ikke forstå det, selvom jeg har bruge mange flere kræfter på at komme fremad end normalt. Inde ved land står der heldigvis to hjælpere til at hive én op på land pga. stenene. Ellers var jeg aldrig kommet op, og mine kramper er kun blevet værre. Fra start af har det bare været overlevelse, og nu skal jeg for alvor bare igennem. På 2. omgang skal vi svømme de sidste 1,4 km. og jeg søger med det samme ud til højre for at svømme alene. Det lykkedes næsten op til bøjen, men derfra og ind ender jeg igen blandt nogle tosser. Jeg forstår ikke, hvordan man efter 3,5 km. stadig synes, at man skal svømme ind i hinanden, når der nu er plads. Er bare super lettet, da jeg kommer op af vandet, selvom 1.03.27 var lidt langsommere end niveau og forventet.
Der skal løbes et pænt stykke i T1. Først fra vandet op til ens bike bag, derfra ind i skiftezonen, hvor skiftet forløber stille og roligt, og så forbi over to tusinde cykler, og så ellers lige huske sin egen. Er godt klar over, at kramperne nok ikke mirakuløst er forsvundet gennem T1, men prøver at cykle fra start af. Men de sidder der bare. Lårene er helt skidt. Tænker at det er slut. Det kommer jeg ikke igennem. Der er 8-9 timer til mål og kramperne er bare for voldsomme. Men jeg vil sgu ikke udgå. Er sgu ikke taget helt til Nice for at udgå, og så ødelægge resten af ferien. Beslutter mig for, at nu skal jeg bare igennem. Der er heller ikke andet for. Alle former for fokusering på tider er slut. Jeg skal bare i gang. Prøver at køre 35 km/t stille og roligt, og prøver på at spise og drikke for at få noget energi og noget salt. Men der går ikke længe, så ryger det hele op igen. Satans. Prøver igen. Men nej. Kaster det op. Bliver ved med at prøve, men alt ryger op igen. Beslutter mig for bare at køre. Måske går det væk.
Efter de første 40 km. relativ flade kilometer, går det mere eller mindre opad indtil 110 km. med Col d’Ecre som den værste stigning. Inden vi når stigningen, får jeg overhalet mange. Da stigningerne begynder flyver jeg ret hurtigt forbi nogle meget store grupper. Får mange kramper, men rejser mig op og prøver at køre dem væk. På Col d’Ecre, der er ca. 6 km. med 6% i gennemsnitlig stigningsprocent, får jeg alvor flyttet mig selv fremad i feltet. Men må alligevel holde igen, så kramperne ikke bliver for slemme. Når lige 3 mand inden toppen, og eftersom helikopteren flyver rundt omkring toppen, kan det ikke være for længe siden, at de første var der. Der er ”Special Bike Need Bag”, som man selv har mulighed for at lægge ud, på toppen, så jeg får ikke de tre med på slæb. Men står næsten stille kort tid efter med de vildeste kramper, jeg nogensinde har oplevet i begge lår samtidig. De tre andre kommer op bagfra, og jeg kører lidt med dem frem og tilbage, men hver gang det går nedad, sætter de mig, og hver gang det går opad, forsvinder de meget hurtigt. Får i hvert fald bekræftet mig selv i, at jeg er rigtig hurtig opad. På den sidste stigning ved 104 km. sætter jeg dem for alvor, og jeg ser kun én af dem igen på nedkørslen 40 km. længere fremme. Af de sidste 70 km. går ca. de 40 km. nedad, mens de sidste 30 km. er relativ flade ind mod Nice. Men selvom jeg føler, at jeg kører meget stærkt nedad, så kan jeg se bagefter, at det eneste stykke, hvor jeg tabte tid i forhold til de bedste, var på nedkørslen. Ender med at have 7. bedste cykeltid, men jeg er sikker på, at havde jeg ikke haft kramper, kunne jeg have drukket og spist, og havde jeg teknik til at køre nedad, hvilket er vigtigst i denne sammenhæng, så havde jeg været meget tæt på Marceau’s 4.45hrs på cyklingen. Får kastet cyklen til den forkerte side til en hjælper og løber de ca. 150 meter hen mod min run bag og skiftezonen. I skiftezonen ser jeg ingen cykler, så kan godt regne ud, at jeg alligevel har kørt en pæn tid, og er kommet ind som nr. 15. Havde forberedt væskebælte med energi, men dropper det. Skal bare så godt igennem nu, og vil løbe stille og roligt på 3:30hrs. Er godt klar over, at sådanne kramper ikke går hen ustraffet. Så vil hellere stoppe ved hvert depot og prøve at få noget energi og noget salt. Løberuten er på Promenade des Anglais, hvor man løber ud til lufthavnen og hjem igen fire gange. Løbet går fint og stille og roligt. Løber ikke stærkt og med lav puls, så får på den måde elimineret kramperne. Alligevel er jeg nr. 10 efter 1. omgang, da mange foran går ned på starten af løbet. På 3. omgang begynder varmen at være hård, og mine ben er meget ømme nu efter de mange kramper. Så på de to sidste omgange går jeg en del. Og skal faktisk hen til 250 meter før mål, før jeg på løbet får den første alvorlige krampe, så får disponeret det ok. Løber over på 9:40hrs, men tiden er ligegyldig.
Jeg er super tilfreds med den måde, jeg håndterede de forskellige krise situationer på. Hvordan jeg fik justeret i forhold til det forventede og det planlagte, og hvordan jeg rent mentalt formåede at tage det stille og roligt og ikke stresse unødigt. På trods af tiden kan jeg bruge dette løb og erfaringen derfra i resten af mine IM løb. Det er jeg sikker på. Når jeg kan komme fornuftigt gennem sådan en dag, kan jeg komme fornuftigt gennem alle IM løb. Det var en super givtig dag.
Grunden til mine mave og opkast problemer, har vi analyseret meget siden. Min bror havde voldsom diarre på sidste omgang, hvor han gik helt død. Efterfølgende endte han på hospitalet. Og da vi har spist det samme, kunne det tyde på en virus. Har også siden hørt om, at der skulle have været en virus i omløb dernede. Evt. kan vi også have fået noget til Pasta Party om fredagen. Det tør vi i hvert fald ikke gå med til en anden gang. Ligegyldigt hvor det er henne. I øvrigt kom min bror først ud af den franske pengemaskine af et hospitalssystem mandag eftermiddag, efter vi selv måtte udskrive ham. Men det var måske ok, at de beholdt ham så længe. For hvis en skid ku’ dræbe…

Først siddesår... så infektion... Ikke morsomt...

2009-08-10T20:01:00.005+02:00

En ekstra præmie fra Ostseeman var et seriøst siddesår, som der desværre efterfølgende gik infektion i. Derfor er jeg nu på penicillin kur, men måske det at blive tvunget til at holde lidt længere pause end jeg ellers ville have gjort efter én IM, ikke er så tosset. Når jeg kan træne igen, skal der ihvertfald trænes igennem. Uden selvfølgelig at få overbelastningsskader efterfølgende.

Husk... Efter smerte, kommer stolthed.

Ostseeman in 08:45:04 and 3rd

2009-08-04T07:40:00.008+02:00

Race beretning fra Ostseeman 2009:

Blev nr. 3 til Ostseeman i søndags. Hurtigste bike split. Men faktisk mest tilfreds med mit løb, hvor jeg med næsten ingen løbetræning fik løbet 3:12:27. Og denne gang løb jeg faktisk hele vejen, og rent mentalt følte jeg mig meget stærk. Det lover godt for fremtiden, når jeg begynder at løbetræne igen.

Svømningen gik generelt godt. Efter Nice IM fem ugen forinden vidste jeg godt, at fremover vil svømningen ikke kunne skræmme mig... Alligevel er jeg sgu stadig lidt ængstelig og en smule bange, når jeg står der og venter på, at så mange mennesker går amok i et adrenalin rus. Og desværre glemmer de fleste i samme åndedrag et ord som fairplay... I Nice fik jeg sparket brillerne af efter 10 meter (nåede dog at fange dem, inden de røg helt af). Denne gang havde jeg fået brillerne under badehætten, så 3-4 hårde spark lige i smasken kunne ikke andet end genere kortvarigt. Vandet var i øvrigt kun 16,5 grader, og føltes meget koldt i starten. Og fik da også en enkelt brandmand på håndleddet, men samlet set kan jeg ikke klage over svømningen, omend jeg gerne ville... Svømmede 01:01:15, hvilket jeg er meget tilfreds set i forhold til, at jeg ikke svømmer særlig meget, så det er rart at se, at der ikke skal så meget til for at få en tilfredsstillende tid for mig.
Fik hurtigt fat i min bike bag, men jeg sejlede sgu rundt. Plejer ikke at bruge håndklæde i skiftezonen, men kunne godt have brugt et til at fjerne al sandet og græsset fra fødderne. Skulle også have ærmer på, men fingrene ville ikke lige, hvad jeg ville, og fik dem sgu først ordentligt på, da jeg begyndte på løbet.
Når man kommer ud af skiftezonen, går det en smule opad. Dvs. mens man skal have sine store fødder ned i skoene. Og hvis man som jeg er totalt ude teknisk cykel talent, så er risikoen stor for fiasko. Kunne simpelthen ikke få venstre i, og da det gik opad, gik farten jo ikke ligesom op, når man ikke trådte... Så lige pludselig kan jeg mærke, at jeg er ved at gå i stå, men venstre skøjten vil bare ikke i og i ren panik hiver jeg pludselig bremsen og står helt stille... Der var sgu lidt panik i et splitsekund. Men får trådt den op på 5 km/t og hen på et fladt stykke, og får endelig den skide fod ned i skoen, og får endelig mulighed for at trykke på pedalen... Det bør jeg nok begynde at træne på...
Vejret var om morgenen næsten perfekt. Ikke meget vind og ikke noget sol og vel cirka 20 grader. Selvom man ikke umiddelbart skulle tro det, er cykelruten ikke nem. Jeg sad sgu faktisk og savnede Nice... Der er et par lange seje bakker, som trækker lidt tænder ud. Synes dog, at jeg kører dem ret godt, og flyver også forbi de andre på dem. Ruten er også meget teknisk nogle steder med nogle skarpe sving, og jeg kan bare ikke køre sving. Det kan være meget frustrende at knalde lige forbi inden svinget for så at se den halvbuttede konkurrent komme tilbage og tage 25 meter på mig på et skide sving... Men har faktisk forbedret mig i år, og er ikke så bange for asfalten mere. Cykelruten har også nogle gode flade stykker, hvor jeg kunne ligge og kører 43 km/t i 7-8 km. Det gav lidt moral.
Rent mentalt synes jeg, at cyklingen var hård denne gang. Mine ben føltes mærkelige. Sadlen gik løs efter 10 meter, og pegede for meget opad, hvilket efterfølgende har givet et seriøst siddesår (smerte, smerte...). Skoene sad bare skævt, skævt, skævt... Og så gik gummiet på bremsegrebet af på venstre, så jeg ikke kunne holde fast. På højre måtte jeg hele tiden hive det på plads, så det ikke blev skubbet ud over grebet. Hvis det var røget af, havde det næsten været umuligt at holde fast, når jeg skulle dreje, så der var sgu koncentration på hver gang. Synes i forvejen ikke, at det er skide nemt at dreje med et 3T Ventus styr. Endelig havde jeg igen problemer med energi indtagelsen, og fik brækket mig seriøst et par gange. Men her i efter analyseringens klare lys, er jeg ved at nå frem til en konklusion på, hvad som vil fungere for mig på en IM, men det kan jeg komme tilbage senere.
Jeg endte med at køre ca. 40,5 km/t på cyklingen og tiden var ca. 4:26. Jeg er tilfreds overordnet set, men må indrømme, at jeg på en god dag uden problemer, godt kan køre stærkere uden selvfølgelig at presse mig mere. Cyklingen er klart min bedste disciplin, men det er også der, hvor jeg træner mest, så det ikke så underligt. Men da rart for andet år i træk at have hurtigste bike split til Ostseeman.
Kom først ind i T2, hvilket da var meget sjovt, da der er rigtig mange tilskuere til Ostseeman og meget hype og super stemning. Hørte lige speakeren kalde det "ein gröBe überraschung" at se mig først... Hvad snakker tossen om... Det pissede mig sgu lidt af... Skiftede superhurtigt. No problems denne gang. Da jeg lige var kommet ud på løbet, hører jeg speakeren og publikum gå amok, da Joseph Spindler, som har vundet to gange, og som plejer at hive en 2:45 op af ærmet på løbet, komme ind. Det var sgu hurtigt. Havde fløjet forbi ham og nogle andre i en større gruppe op af en de lange bakker på fjerde runde og troede egentlig, jeg førte med mere. Men egentlig skide lige meget, da jeg gik efter at løbe 3:15, så han ville tage en halv time på mig på løbet.
Har ikke løbet meget i år, og heller ikke sidste år, pga. skader og operation. Så ville egentlig være tilfreds med 3:30. På vej ud på løbet føltes benene ok. Så lagde ud med ca. 3:10 tempo, og så ventede jeg ellers på Spindler... Som i øvrigt har kortere ben end mine arme... Ham bliver man sgu stresset af at løbe med. Så det gad jeg ikke. Han hentede mig ved 2 km., men så gik han sgu lidt død, så jeg hentede ham igen ved 3 km., og løb sammen med ham igen til 6 km., hvor han så helt unødvendigt satte tempo på igen... Men fik da prøvet at løbe bag ved mtb'en, som fjerner alt foran den førende løber, så han kan løbe ubesværet... Det skal man sgu ikke undervurdere. Det virkede som god pace.
Løberuten er heller ikke nem. Det er ikke ligesom Promenade des Anglais... Man skal hele tiden presse på. Der er et smalt ud og hjem stykke på en grus sti langs vandet, hvor der ikke er meget plads til at overhale, hvilket bliver et problem, når folk begynder at komme ind fra cyklingen. Der er et par stejle stykker, hvor det med undertegnedes lange ben, næsten ville være hurtigere at gå op. Og så er der selvfølgelig også et par brosten stykker, som heller ikke gør det nemmere.
Løbet var som sædvanlig hårdt, men det skal det jo også være. Havde lidt for meget ondt af mig selv, men blev bare ved at presse på. Blev ved med at fortælle mig selv, at det går jo godt. Du løber sgu da. Du er ikke nede og gå endnu. Du får drukket i depoterne. Du brækker dig ikke. Dine High5 Isogel fungerer superb. Hvad klager du over!?! Bliv nu ved med at løbe for helvede da osse!
Men lårene blev sgu mere og mere ømme... Skulle tisse som én i helvede, men der var sgu tilskuere hele tiden, så synes ikke, jeg kunne tillade mig at lade vandet løbe ned langs benene... Men skal man virkelig pisse, kan man jo ikke løbe, så på tredje omgang fik jeg endelig plads og ro til at pisse i bukserne. Måske ikke umiddelbart vigtigt, men det viste mig, at systemet fungerede, og energi- og væske balancen ikke var helt skidt. Derefter blev der nu også pisset igennem...
Efterhånden på løbet gik det også op for mig, at jeg måske godt kunne holde den kørende uden at skulle ned og gå. Og en sub 9hrs kom tættere og tættere på, og jeg kunne regne ud, at jeg snart kunne gå ind og stadig komme under 9 timer. Det tænkte jeg på fjerde omgang. Du kan altid gå på sidste omgang... Men det gør man jo selvfølgelig ikke, hvis man kan undgå det... Hvor tit er man med i en IM... Hvor tit er man i en position for at gennemføre... Hvor tit er man i en situation for at lave PR... Hvor tit er man i postion for at se ens arbejde blive konkret og målbart belønnet...
Løb sidste omgang på samme tid som første, og havde endda en spurt den sidste kilometer for at nå de 8:45. Da jeg kommer ind på opløbet, ænser jeg ikke så meget. Andet end at undgå hula-hop pigerne, som først ser mig og iværksætter deres "thing" to meter inden, jeg er ved at nedlægge dem... Og for første gang hiver jeg den ene arm op, da jeg løber over stregen. Synes godt jeg kunne tillade mig det med den tid. Ellers er jeg sgu ikke personlig meget for det med at

løbe over stregen med begge arme og ben over hovedet. Da jeg løber ind, er jeg ikke helt klar over, hvad nummer jeg er blevet. Troede jeg lå nr. 4 og måske endda nr. 5. Jeg kunne ihvertfald ikke ligge bedre end nr. 3, og synes jeg havde set mere én løbe forbi, men han må have været

stafet løber. Men da jeg løb ind over stregen, holdte de sådan et vinder banner ud foran mig,

hvilket jeg først fattede bagefter. Men de er ret glade for mig, og jeg bliver ret modvilligt skubbet ud foran målet, hvor tilskuerne er lidt for glade... Får spurgt på tysk, hvad nummer jeg blev... Det var da ok. Får lige smidt begge arme i vejret, men det får dem sgu til at juble endnu mere. Så godt var det vel heller ikke... Men må jo nok indrømme, at det var meget sjovt at prøve at stå der og blive tiljublet. Det kunne man godt blive vant til. Men så skal jeg også lige pludselig interviewes af speakeren. Får sagt til ham, at det skal ikke være på tysk. Men han kunne have spurgt på hvilket som helst sprog... Der var ikke kommet noget fornuftigt ud af mig alligevel, 45 sekunder efter at jeg er kommet ind på en IM. Fik givet et lidt sort svar omkring løbet. Så skulle jeg også interviewes til et eller andet tv-hold... Ved sgu ikke, hvad det var for noget... Men svaret var vist denne gang seriøst sort... Derefter skyndte jeg mig nu også videre. Skulle bare sidde og falde lidt til ro. Havde som sædvanlig ikke lyst til andet end vand efter løbet... Specielt ikke kager med fire tons hvepse cirklende omkring dem. Eller tyske pølser med nudler og ketchup. Men de andre åd som bare satan. Har I også lavet IM... Fik massage i et halvåbent telt med en masse storrygende studerende... Og så ventede jeg ængsteligt på brormand. Havde ikke set ham siden svømningen, hvor han råbte alt for højt efter mig... I Nice røg han på hospitalet efter løbet, så man ved sgu aldrig... Men så hører jeg heldigvis speakeren sige hans navn og et forsøg på at sige Sigma Nordsjælland Triathlon Klub... Så kan vi endelig nyde det hårde arbejde... Desværre var præmie overrækkelsen først kl. 22.15 (startede bare først 22.40), og da vi skulle køre direkte hjem, var post race oplevelsen som sædvanlig heller ikke super easy.
Alt i alt et super løb, en super oplevelse og nok noget nær en optimal fysisk og mental præstation med nuværende form og træning in mente samt en IM fem ugen forinden. Det kan jeg kun være tilfreds med :-) Til næste år venter der sub 8:25.

http://www.stgk.info/Ergebnisse/2009/10/OM-gesamt.pdf