The hay is in the barn

With 1,900 km of running behind me this year, I feel vastly more prepared for Umemilen this time around. Borrowing not only the cap but also the favourite expression of Seth James DeMoor, it does feel like the “hay is in the barn”, all assuming that I can duck the cold that the rest of the family is passing around. Last year, I did indeed have a cold but was feeling better just in time for the race, ultimately running those 10k in 49 minutes and 54 seconds. Maybe it is bad luck to publicly announce one's goals ahead of a race, but it is no secret that I will try to run this one in under 45 minutes.

Down in Stockholm, it was suddenly possible to find a parliamentary majority for a new tax on banks, but only as long as the money is spent on the military. Sometimes, politics makes me so sad. Imagine what difference those five billion SEK per year would make if invested in early childhood education or the long-neglected psychiatric care. Or, if even a fraction of that money would be spent on winning the hearts and minds of young Russians so that conflict would become less likely in the first place.

Biking

With the autumn semester starting on Monday, I am getting up to speed with my new 17 km per day biking routine. As much as I love my green bike, I recognize that this is a bit excessive and something that will be even more challenging to sustain once the winter comes. But for now, I try to think of it as a good form of cross-training and aerobic base building. And, looking back on some of the more insane commutes that I have done in my life, including those that featured the high-speed train from Gothenburg to Lund, this should be doable. Unsurprisingly, the September issue of Monocle is on commuting, as well as the Costa Vicentina in Portugal and country-house hotels in the UK. Just like my extra-everything Asian shrimp salad with bean sprouts, it is all so post-ironic.

On the lone border of the lake

It was shortly after six a.m. but the lake was still warm from the last days of sunshine. Against better knowledge, I decided to go for a tempo run to shake the odd feeling that I have been having in my body (even as I suspect that it has been caused by overtraining rather than an oncoming cold). I ran through pockets of air so humid that I almost mistook them for fever sensations but I made it around the lake in less than 40 minutes without feeling any worse at least.

Then, at work, it was back to reading applications to our PhD programme and deciding on what qualities that we think are most important. Hopefully we will be able to conduct interviews with the shortlisted candidates within the next two weeks and then reach some kind of decision. This autumn, it is 15 years since I started my own PhD studies in Lund and I can still remember how privileged I felt, to suddenly have all this time to challenge my own thinking.

Climbing

Living on a coastal plain, altitude is hard to come by, especially when your new sports watch cuts all your numbers in half. Despite this, I was able to reach 2,000 meters of altitude gain in August which is still a thousand meters less than in June when I had the chance to run around the Marin Headlands but at least it was enough to secure another trophy in Strava. Hopefully, September will be a good month for practicing running uphill with Tvåälvsloppet and other races but after that I am actually a bit concerned about how I am going to be able to prepare for South Devon Ultra. As soon as the snow comes, all my favourite climbing trails will either be too dangerous or turned into cross-country skiing tracks. Maybe I will end up running with incline on the treadmill which feels a bit sad.

Finding time

At work, a colleague who also has two kids asked me how I could possibly find time to run 70+ kilometres per week. I guess there is no simple answer, except perhaps my wry smile when I found my headlamp in the drawer the other day and a new study about early birds in the journal SLEEP.

Wide awake just before 4 am, I could not resist the thought of a river run followed by a quick visit to USM. Even if not abroad in some big city, there is something very special about sunrise, about running alone through the morning mist before all the hustle-and-bustle begins.

England

Last year, I had the Marrakech International Marathon that kept me motivated to run through the darkest of winter months. Today, I decided to again seal my fate and register for South Devon Ultra on 1st of February next year. Taking advantage of the SAS late-summer sale, I was able to book all four flights for a total of 1,653 SEK. Thus, all that now remains is to figure out a way to get in shape for the 1,716 meters of climbing and 55 km of running over jagged rocks and tidal mud flats that this epic race entails.

Yesterday, I wrapped up the running week with 16 kilometres around Bräntberget which again had me questioning those altitude calculations but now in the opposite direction. According to official data, Bräntberget has a climb of 47 meters which is more than double what the Suunto app claims so it could be that I am in fact doing quite okay. In any case, I should be careful with the uphill running until my Achilles tendons have fully recovered. In fact, I better leave the climbing to Seth James DeMoor who finished at an incredible second place at the Pikes Peak Ascent on Saturday, running 21k with 2,367 meters of ascent in a little over two hours. Likewise on Saturday, Elmina Saksi, another online star who I am following, won Jönköping Marathon on 3 hours and 5 minutes. I can barely imagine what an effort it would take to do either of those things.

Beechwood

As the books about Halvdan travel to the British Isles, I find myself looking forward to the next instalment almost as much as Eddie does. While perhaps not entirely historically accurate, especially in terms of language, the books by Martin Widmark och Mats Vänehem still manage to open worlds and it is near impossible not to get drawn in.

For other forms of exploration, I discovered some Spanish salsify at COOP today which I turned into a warming soup together with scallion, ginger and rosemary. Far from the heat of the continent, today felt very much like autumn in Umeå so soup and Beechwood smoked cheddar from Snowdonia it is.

Rest day

Just a year ago, I wrote that fifty kilometres per week was "clearly" unsustainable. It is funny how quickly that ceiling has become the new floor. Right now I am at 56 kilometres this week and I have to use all available methods, including drinking a glass of that reversed fermented chardonnay from South Australia, in order to keep me from running and to finally take my first rest day in 19 days.

Everything I read about running emphasizes recovery and how important it is to give the body enough time to absorb the training, especially as one gets older. Still, as I am eating a cinnamon bun in my sofa chair and booking class rooms for the spring semester of 2020 (making sure that my teaching schedule is compatible with running South Devon Ultra), I feel such an insatiable urge to lace up those trail shoes and head out under the blue skies. At the same time, with the four races I have lined up over the coming month, I know I cannot afford an injury so I guess it is back to booking those classrooms and telling myself that tomorrow I will make it all up with a long run.

Continental withdrawal symptom

It often takes about a month on the ground here in Umeå until I start to experience what is best described as continental withdrawal symptom. This time around, it seems to have happened even faster as I cannot even read “Seville Orange Marmalade” on the jar or drink coffee from my Hamburg cup without having intense feelings of displacement and nostalgia.

Anyhow, this afternoon I got a chance to take my new Nike Odyssey React Shield shoes out for a 10k run in the rain. As promised, the shoes kept me dry with good cushioning. However, unless it is indeed raining, I do not think I would wear these shoes when racing as they are not particularly responsive and the lack of ventilation means that they get rather hot. But for some easy miles on a rainy day, they are unbeatable so I am a happy bunny.

Project Sunrise

As part of “Project Sunrise” (i.e. Qantas long-term vision of operating a non-stop flight from London to Sydney), there will be some interesting flying this autumn. More precisely, instead of a regular delivery flight, Qantas will fly 40 people in a weight-restricted Boeing 787-9 from London to Sydney as a “research flight” (they will also operate a similar non-stop flight from New York).

Unfortunately, my stack of Avios is not really sufficient for such adventures but I did find a småparti bottle of reversed fermented chardonnay from Eden Valley in South Australia. With some Spanish omelette, baby spinach and apples, I felt that it was something most suitable for Rawls & Me, not only to celebrate that Anna is turning 40 but also that I am officially back with the 1% (as in the top one percent of all Samsung Health Users worldwide based on weekly steps count) :-)

Rolling

Unfortunately, Eddie has picked up a flu so I have been staying at home with him, alternating between reading applications to our PhD programme and “Halvdan Viking” (a children's version of Frans G. Bengtsson’s “Röde Orm”). While Eddie has not had much of an appetite, he asked for waffles for breakfast so I decided to make some, which was perfect as I was hungry too after a surprisingly chilly morning run.

And as for The Rise of the Ultra Runners, I am afraid that it will end up having far-reaching consequences. Only a few chapters in, I have already learned of several intriguing races, including one in South Devon, that I would really like to run, especially if Beirut does not come to pass. Meanwhile, I am back at USM doing some foam rolling in addition to my usual strength training.

Beyond

Today, I started reading Adharanand Finn’s The Rise of the Ultra Runners. The book opens in Oman where the author is taking part in a 100 miles endurance race through the desert. There is something about sleeping under the stars, running over endless white dunes and the expanding universe that immediately catches my imagination. If I had the time, I would maybe even do it myself. For now, reading about the insane hardship has a clear prophylactic effect as I am preparing for my own first ultra-marathon in three weeks’ time. After all, how hard can it be to run 50k through the autumn forest in Umeå, at least compared to those 40 degrees of abrasive sunshine out in Rub' al-Khali?

For dinner, I made the Beyond Burger which tasted just as good as I remember it from the Breakthrough Dialogue. In fact, for as long as COOP is selling these, I really do not see a reason to make meat-based burgers again.

Amends

To somehow make amends for yesterday’s carnivore craze, I made a vegan dinner with green peas, chili and basil, even excluding the otherwise ever-present Parmigiano-Reggiano. Nevertheless, I guess I live in the worst of all worlds, in that I recognize how wrong meat eating is yet still do it.

At least I was happy to find some Beyond Burgers at our local COOP (I would have been even happier had it been Impossible Burgers with GMO). To me, these kinds of new products are a clear reminder of how quickly the terrain is shifting and how we are becoming more conscious about the suffering that our dietary patterns are causing other animals.

Unboxing

After the slightly ominous post yesterday, it is time for something much lighter, namely the unboxing of my new Nike Odyssey React Shield that finally arrived with UPS today. While Umeå may not be Gothenburg, it does rain sometimes and I do not want that to keep me away from running so I decided to invest in the very last pair of these water repellent shoes in size 47. My plan is to use them for all those wet and cold autumn days that lie ahead, especially if I am to stay on track with Strava’s new “Escape Plan” and run five days a week through September. As for the colour, I would definitely have preferred the black and grey ones but, in size 47, one does not have the luxury of being picky.

Leccino

Last night I was watching some Youtube videos about Fermi’s Paradox which is obviously not the best thing to do before going to bed. But it does put the usual media noise about “ecological overshoot” into perspective. As I suggested in my now seemingly famous “runway metaphor”, the question is not whether the human enterprise is unsustainable (it is!) but rather if there still is enough runway left to stop or if we are better off hitting the accelerator. Considering where we are today, I would say that the relative distance to a post-scarcity future of molecular assemblers and space colonization is far shorter than the distance to anything remotely resembling “sustainability” using existing technologies, especially when considering how pluralistic our world is and what level of ethical homogenization that would be needed for traditional environmentalism to actually “work” on a planet of 7.7+ billion people.

Coming back to Fermi though, it is nevertheless all very unsettling. Given how old and vast the universe is, the absence of other observable intelligent life points to that something is fundamentally wrong, one way or the other. With the possible exception of the “zoo hypothesis” (that we are basically kept in quarantine until we have proven our ethical maturity), most possible solutions are highly disturbing, ranging from that we are in fact living in a computer simulation to that emerging new civilizations routinely get terminated by older (possibly machine) civilizations. Yet, frightening as such prospects may seem, they are not so remote from what went into my dinner with minced lamb (from the perspective of the lamb that is). It is all about different life modes and to what extent we are prepared to mute our ethical sensitivity. After all, if we can come up with a million stories about leccino olives, New Zeeland wines and Italian home cooking, what says that aliens cannot do the same with regard to us?

Adizero Boston

After two days with rain, the skies cleared this afternoon so I went for twelve easy kilometres across the white bridge to the airport and back in my Adizero Boston shoes, thinking that I might use them when racing Umemilen in two weeks’ time. If purely psychological, changing shoes may very well be the trick I need to finally break the 45 minutes barrier for the 10k distance. Considering that a Boston qualifying pace would be 15 seconds faster yet per km and that I would have sustain it for another 32 kilometres, I may end up just feeling relieved on race day.

Otherwise, the main thing happening today has of course been Eddie starting first grade in his new school out in Innertavle. I can still very much remember my own first day at Vasaskolan back in 1985. Talking to Johanna about it when we met down in Kalmar, those first years in school were clearly kind of traumatic so I am very happy that Eddie seems to be off to a good start.

City run

With a few exceptions, I have been training at the Utopia USM gym two to three times per week for the last 18 months. Today however was the first time I ran there. Normally I bike or, on the coldest of winter days, take the bus but now I am thinking that running back and forth is really great as it allows me to skip the treadmill warm-up while bringing some much needed variation to my lake running routine.

Otherwise, my Achilles tendons continue to mend but with 87.5 km of running just this week, I am afraid that my running volume is again a bit on the high side. Luckily, already in one week from now, I plan to start tapering for Umeå Ultra 50k, mostly in terms of volume though as I have the 10k race “Umemilen” scheduled for 1 September.

Linen blazer

It is Sunday morning with rain hammering down on the porch outside. I have spent the last couple of hours updating my slides for the political philosophy class while the kids have been playing with their Lego airport.

With the autumn semester just around the corner, I was happy to find a linen blazer at the final 70% off MQ sale. Considering that I have close to 60 hours of lectures coming up in September, any variation is appreciated.

Running track

When parking the rental car at the dinosaur exhibition in Skellefteå, I realized that the open gates at Norvalla meant that I could sneak in to the running track for a few laps. Sharing my excitement about this discovery with my colleague Rolf, he told me that the same was true for the track right here on campus in Umeå.

Considering that I have been looking for a chance to train on a rubberized track for years, it is kind of funny that it has been possible all along on my doorstep, had I only dared to push the gate open. Said and done, today I extended my lake run with a 3:45 min/km sprint around Campus Arena which felt absolutely awesome.

Hop

While perhaps not yet time for "blåbärssoppa", I thought it was indeed time for a chanterelle toast with cream cheese and parsley to go with the Lagunitas non-alcoholic hoppy refresher "Hop" that I discovered at Systembolaget the other day.

Today out in Innertavle, Eddie received the most incredible letter from his new teacher together with, among other things, a bead wristband declaring that “knowledge is cool” and a smartie. It is heart-warming to see this kind of commitment and it inspires me to also do my best in a few weeks when it is time to meet the new students.

Fjernere

Endnu fjernere vil jeg
Men tro mig, når jeg med min ryg svindende bort
prøver at råbe at det ikke er en flugt.

Further’s what I want
but believe me when I disappear
and try to shout that this is no escape.

Reading some poems in Michael Strunge’s “A virgin from a chilly decade” when there really is no time. Exams to construct, prospective PhD students to interview and kids wanting to play. At least the two days in Skellefteå were peaceful, I went running with my colleagues and we ate a lot as custom suggests.

SM Revisited

A year ago, I ran the SM trail around Stadsliden for the first time. Since then, I have been running parts, for instance when racing Gammliaterrängen in May, but today I decided to do the full trail starting at home. All in all, it turned into a 25 km long run with a total climb of 515 non-inflated meters which feels great considering that I will spend the coming two days binge eating with my colleagues at the department kick-off in Medlefors.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong airport remains closed due to the protests. I have written before about the politics of Hong Kong here on Rawls & Me. The recent months of protests have made it even more difficult for either side to take a step back and I am seriously concerned about the future of the Hong Kong SAR and what remains of its Basic Law. Still, as the case of Taiwan so clearly shows, a better and democratic future is possible also for China if it only has the courage to trust its own people.

Dinosaurs

With adult Americans remaining evenly split about whether humans and dinosaurs lived on the planet at the same time according to a Yougov poll, there is an obvious need for science-based exhibitions. One such exhibition is currently on display in Skellefteå of all places, and with two kids in the dinosaur age, we decided to rent a car and head up north.

The exhibitions turned out to be quite good even if the dramatic sound and light effects are likely to provide ample nightmare material for younger kids. Eddie and William seemed to love it though so it was definitely worth the 300 km round trip. And already on Wednesday I will be back in Skellefteå for the department kick-off meeting.

Mindful miles

After the rain, I followed Tavelån on its way to the sea. While not much of a long run, I still made some mid-Atlantic pancakes once back home.

Down in the canton of Valais in the Swiss Alps, Sage Canaday is busy running up five peaks with more than two thousand meters of altitude gain in the Sierre-Zinal mountain race. After just running up Bräntberget yesterday, I have no illusions how hard this must be, so I am grateful that I am not a Youtube runner with 150k+ subscribers and the expectations that would come with that. Seeing the signs to the airport, I also feel grateful for finally having some down time after all the global travelling this summer. Nevertheless, it is a bit frustrating to think about the many great races that are coming up next weekend, including Ultravasan, and not be running.

Speedy Spaghetti

As a parent, one spends a considerable amount of time convincing the kids to try food that is outside of their comfort zone. As such, it is only fair that I occasionally have to do the same so when watching Gennaro Contaldo and his “Speedy Spaghetti” on Youtube last night, I decided to confront my post-Korean trauma of small fish and cook some anchovies. The result was surprisingly good and really tasted like something one would be served at a small seaside restaurant in Lazio.

De omnibus dubitandum est

When reading Bamse the other night, I had to smile when Skalman, riding on an Icelandic horse, suddenly starts quoting Kierkegaard in Latin. But yes, there is a lot to doubt if one goes down that route. Fortunately, running like a bunny does help tremendously with basically everything, including existential angst. Today for instance, I did one quick kilometre at the gym treadmill followed by ten easy ones around the lake which should still leave me with enough energy for a weekend long run (assuming I can find the time that is).

As for the Suunto Spartan watch, I have now had it for about a month and I must say that I really like it. It is great to be able to quickly check my pace when running and the heart rate readings seem to be fairly accurate. For 1985 SEK, the price is also significantly lower than comparable sport watches so I am happy I went for this one rather than the much more expensive Suunto 5.

Carmen Sandiego

From Växjö to San Francisco, through the green monochrome screens of my childhood, the question remains, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Visiting Eddie’s new school in Innertavle, Eddie told his new teachers about this educational video game from the mid-80’s and its present-day comeback through Google Earth.

Back home I made the first paella of the season. My friend Gabriel always complains that I am too quick to talk about “autumn” but that is easy for him to say, living in Warsaw. While the first minus degrees may still be some weeks away, I already regret not taking gloves when biking to Innertavle. At least I think I have finally solved the winter school transportation problem in a way that does not require leasing a car, namely through what we in Sweden call a “kick” (to quote a most classic movie).

Moonvalley Coffee

After the dark chocolate last year, Moonvalley just released their first ever coffee blend. Since I needed to order some more endurance fuel for Umeå 50k anyway, I threw in a few bags of coffee in order to meet the €30 minimum order amount. While maybe not illy-good, I think Emelie et al. should be happy with the result.

This morning, the rain was pouring down which somehow makes it a bit harder to get out but at least I managed to complete a 10k tempo run. On the other hand, the more I read, the more uncertain I become about the value of such runs as I am leaning increasingly towards low heart rate training but, still, it feels so good to fly above the wet asphalt. And it is not difficult to find an article extolling precisely the importance of tempo runs.

Seek beauty, work hard and love each other

One of my favourite Youtube runners is Seth James DeMoor who has three boys and lives a bit outside of Denver. His upbeat videos overflow with optimism and passion for the sport even as he has gone through some rough patches and injuries. In fact, his videos have been quite motivational for me as I have been trying to juggle work and family life with progressively higher running volumes.

This morning, I had planned to run 32 km but the kids were a bit wild so I had to cut it short after two loops around Nydalasjön. Nevertheless, I got a chance to test my new Salomon Advanced Skin 12 running vest for the first time. I bought this vest as a birthday present to myself after reading the list of gear that I have to bring along for Umeå 50k (including a rain jacket) and it turned out to be remarkably comfortable with no bouncing or chafing whatsoever.

Greystone

Waking up to rain, I spent the better part of the morning constructing exam questions for my social work students and registering for the 2020 Tokyo Marathon lottery.

Next week, the autumn semester will start with a two-day department kick-off meeting up in Skellefteå but, for the moment, I have time to make a few extra cups of coffee before going for another tour to one of the local playgrounds with the bike trailer.

“From Heathrow to Hounslow, from the Eastern Block to France”

Obviously the N.Z. wine helps with the sentimentality but somehow this year feels strangely unresolved. Maybe I should really consider joining Elias for eight laps around Växjösjön in October if Beirut falls through. Otherwise, I guess I will have to contend with my new one-in-ten chance of winning an entry in the Tokyo lottery.

Colder

Walking across the apron at Umeå Airport yesterday, the cold wind made it evidently clear that I was no longer at the 5th parallel but rather the 63rd. Having spent the night before in economy (we were only upgraded on the shorter flight from Istanbul to Stockholm), I was happy to find that the kids were just as exhausted from all the travelling so I managed to get almost ten hours of sleep before waking up to clear blue skies today.

Which of course meant time for a run. Though it is only August I have already run more this year than I did in all of 2018. My only worry now is how to stay injury-free going forward. If I am to ever be able to run 100+ km trails on the South Coast of England and other things I dream of, I need volume of course but I also need to be strategic. Instead of churning out 10-15 km per day, my game plan for the coming month is to mix a few really long runs with shorter ones on the treadmill, trying to keep overall weekly mileage around 70 km rather than 100 km.

Widen your world

After a few years of self-imposed hiatus, it feels like I am back with Turkish Airlines. For all the political reservations that I may still have, the airline does indeed “widen your world” as it flies to more countries than any other airline, including some of the places that I am most eager to explore right now, and I remain a firm believer in that engagement, rather than isolation, is the best way forward.

With the runway still wet from the evening rain, we left Africa late last night aboard TK630. Falling asleep as we were flying back across the desert, I could feel the excitement among the other passengers, many who seemed to be flying for the first time, eager to finally find out what the world looks like on the other side. Now we have about an hour to go until Stockholm and Arlanda where the boys will be waiting together with my parents. And once in Umeå, I can look forward to a couple of months on the ground before it is time to fly with, yes, Turkish Airlines to Indonesia.

Hammocks

This morning it was finally time for me to present my paper on energy poverty and the risk of premature deindustrialization. All considered, I think it went quite well with intelligent questions from the audience.

After some grilled chicken with jollof rice at a West African restaurant in Osu we are back at “Somewhere nice” in Kokomlemle to pick up our stored bags before heading out to the airport. Right now the inbound flight is just south of Malta, making an extended detour in order to avoid Libyan airspace which leaves me with enough time to sink into the hammock.

For all the gypset clichés, it is heart-warming to see a place like “Somewhere nice” with its strong social ethos and commitment to environmental sustainability. As much as I may be critical of “lifestyle environmentalism” as a response to Anthropocene risks, this place is undeniably facilitating positive change at the local level, and it is important to sometimes be reminded that everything is not macro.

somewhere nice

Pool time at the Marriott Accra

Out and about

Listening to the 1983 Japanese/Armenian synthpop album “Utakata no Hibi”, I am trying to make sense of this our first day in Ghana. The morning started off with a walk across the lovely campus grounds followed by the conference opening ceremony at the Legon Center for International Affairs and Diplomacy. Then, I had hope to meet an old friend but for some reason she did not appear on her panel so I had to contend with the other presenters talking about security norms, African regional peace and Zimbabwe’s “military assisted transition”.

The afternoon was spent on the hot sticky streets of Accra, discovering that the National Museum was closed for renovation but still had the most fascinating garden with sculptures of one-armed military officers, bikini breasts and smoking chess players.

Afterwards, I tried to go for a run which was quite a challenge with all the potholes and the traffic suddenly appearing from unexpected directions. At least my Suunto watch was kind enough to exaggerate my speed for the first 400 meters so I got an accidental and underserved PR.