Thy Kingdom Come

Today is my 42nd birthday and I spent it running up Sweden’s highest mountain. Starting off from Nikkaluokta shortly before 6 am under brilliant blue skies, the first 18.62 km up to the STF Kebnekaise mountain lodge went really fast but then I ran into single track trails and tons of boulders that were everything but runnable so instead of running 4:47 min/km I found myself scrambling in a 29:24 min/km pace as I climbed the 2,251 meters up to Kebnekaise and back to Nikkaluokta.

While my father-in-law bet that I would not be able to run the 57 km roundtrip in one day and that I would not be able to appreciate the serenity of the mountains while running, I was happy to prove him wrong on both accounts. Looking out over the glaciers, I had an almost spiritual experience of nature and God’s everlasting presence in the world.

Hoka Torrent 2 in da house!

Carcassonne

Among Eddie’s presents when turning eight, Carcassonne has turned into an instant favourite for all of the family. Brewing an extra carafe of Starbucks house blend filter coffee after another ungodly early morning (William still wakes up long before 5 am), I can feel the draw of the trails and my excitement about tomorrow’s birthday ultra. Looking through different possible routes on Strava, I am of course tempted to go all in and attempt climbing up the southern peak of Kebnekaise even if the 1,400+ meters of climb is “hors catégorie”. More realistically, I am thinking of limiting myself to following the valley and maybe head up to the Tarfala glacier lake.

Ultra prep

For my birthday on Friday, I am planning a 50+ km ultra near Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise. As such, I have taken two rest days in a row but this morning I felt like I wanted to wrap up Strava’s 300 km endurance challenge for July and also do a bit of sightseeing in Kiruna to see how the city has changed since December.

While keeping a really slow recovery pace of 6 min/km for most of the run, I did race up the infamous “Runabacken” in a Grade Adjusted Pace of 3:08 min/km which was enough to set a new Course Record. Running in my Pegasus 36 Shield that have the same pop as the non-shield version, I was reminded of how versatile and cushioned the Pegasus line-up really is.

A thousand kcal later, I am now home constructing exam questions for my social work students while waiting for another shoe box to arrive from Outnorth in Växjö so that I can head out up the mountains on Friday.

Ädnamvaara

For the last week, it has been raining more or less non-stop here in Kiruna and, by the time I got out on the trails up to Ädnamvaara, I got thoroughly showered from above once again.

Still, the landscape was incredibly beautiful with mountain vistas and wind turbines as I completed the second of two runs today for a total distance of 31 km and 823 meters of elevation gain. Stopping to take photos and even talking to my parents in Kalmar on the phone, I was obviously not attempting to set any CR today but rather just taking in nature.

Maybe if the trails dry up a bit I might return in my high-risk red Salomon Speedcross 5 to give it a shot later. But first, now on Monday, Eddie is turning eight which feels incredible and definitely warrants a throwback to when he turned one, also here in Kiruna.

Dark Mountain

Paul Kingsnorth, the author of “Beast”, is one of the co-founders of the Dark Mountain Project, a network of people who see the world quite opposite to what I do. Or maybe not, I also recognize the shallow nature of much around us. But I reject their conflation of inner psychological development with the politics of global sustainability. As I have written time and again, we will not save nature by harmonizing with it but rather by liberating it through technological innovation. And as much as it is true that worldly success in a capitalist society often comes at someone else’s expense, so does any retreat from “civilization”, something which becomes painfully clear when the book’s protagonist leaves behind his partner and young child to find himself on the moor.

Still, I deeply value reading the work of people with whom I disagree. If anything, the Trumpocene has underscored the need to engage rather than unfriend. Yesterday, Alex Trembath, now the deputy director of the Breakthrough Institute, sent me his excellent review of two new books on climate change that reminded me of how easily these conversations break down when we stop listening.

Beast

A novel about life on a west-country moor and a cup of black coffee. It is early morning as train 92 makes its way north.

Six months ago, there would have been nothing strange with this scene, now it feels like a high-risk adventure to take the kids up to Kiruna for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we will not pick anything up on the train but remain healthy and ready for the great outdoors of the High North. I have already looked up a number of segments on Strava that I am eager to check out, including a possible FKT attempt up Ädnamvaara.

As for the novel, it helps closing the circle as I was very much dreaming of England and its moors last time I was in Kiruna. Back then, I still had South Devon Ultra to look forward to, now I really do not know when I will be able to return.

Bäcksjön by UTMB

Like almost everything else, this year’s edition of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Ever since I first learned about it, the UTMB has held a particular sway over my imagination even if it so far beyond my present abilities.

With the real-world race cancelled, UTMB is organizing a virtual race where you can register to run different distances including the full 170 km. Since the original has ten thousand meters of elevation gain, there is an elevation offset mechanism by which you add another km for every 100 meter of elevation missing, up to a grand total of 270 km. Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to first register for the 100k race (or 145 km with the elevation offset) so now I have 415 km of running to look forward to. Unlike the real thing though, I have 50 days to finish this so I am fairly confident that I will be able to complete both the 100k and the 170k run in time. If I succeed, I will take part in a lottery with a chance of winning entry into the CCC race of the 2021 UTMB week.

To kick-off my dual UTMB challenge, I took the rental car up to Bäcksjön for 9.45 km of trail running in my Salomon Speedcross 4. While I have other shoes for longer distances, these are really good for shorter runs like today, plus they remind me of South Devon Ultra which always makes me smile.

Strömbäck-Kont

Tonight the whole family drove down to the natural reserve Strömbäck-Kont to check out the cliffs and the Gulf of Bothnia. Escaping for a short moment on my own, I ran around the small peninsula in 3:57 min/km pace, enough for a third place on the corresponding Strava segment. With better shoes and rested legs, I think I would have a fairly good chance to set a new Course Record.

Running past midnight

When I started reading the story of Molly Sheridan, mother of three, who at the age of 50 went from not even taking walks to running some of the most extreme ultramarathons on the planet, I found it to be superficial and slightly predictable. But halfway through, my respect for Molly grew. How often do we not hear that we should not judge others by their achievements but instead see the person? However, in the case of Molly, what she has done is so remarkable that it says something deep about what kind of individual she must be. Any sensible person would quickly have found a reason to give up but Molly soldiered on through her first 100-mile race in the Sierra Nevada foothills to Death Valley where she ran the insane 135 mile Badwater ultra endurance race.

For my own ultra dreams, I have been looking for a pair of maximalist shoes with enough cushioning to absorb those 170+ km of asphalt from one end of Öland to the other. Stumbling upon a pair of Hoka Clifton 6 in size 48, I think I have found them. After a morning at home with the kids, I felt so inspired by Molly that I took the new Cliftons out for a test run, roughly repeating the river delta marathon that I did last time in March when it was so freezing cold that I could not even force my jaws into smiling for a selfie. This time around, the wind disguised how much I was sweating and, before I knew it, I ended up with heat stress and a spiking heart rate. Nevertheless, I did complete the full marathon, as per the motto of the organizers of South Devon Ultra, “never give up”.

Staycation

The trending word of the year has to be “hemester”, as in not travelling anywhere for vacation. Learning that the Queen of the Skies is leaving British Airways after nearly 50 years of loyal service, I felt a weird sadness at what the world is coming to and our mercantilist response to the Covid-19 epidemic. More visionary politicians would have doubled down on globalization, promising to solve this together for all of humanity rather than closing down borders, understanding that mutual exchange does not make us vulnerable but stronger.

At Väven, I "rescued" an old El País that was about to become wrapping paper for flowers. Together with a Tortilla Española and a glass of red wine, I at least try to make the best of our staycation. With Anna back from her virtual summer school, I was also able to go for two runs today, first one 5k interval workout in my Hoka Rincons and then a half marathon trail run in my old and muddy Salomon Speedcross 4. With one more CR for the chalkboard, I plan to go for a longer and slower run tomorrow around the Ume River delta.

Breaking 20, well almost

Back in December, I set the Kiruna gym treadmill on 15.5 km/h and, holding on to the best of my ability, I was able to run 5k in 19 minutes and 39 seconds, thus achieving my goal of running 5k in under 20 minutes before the old decade was out.

Suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms from not running, I bribed the kids into coming along to Campus Arena this afternoon to repeat the same feat but this time outside. Running 12.5 loops in my Adidas SL20, I unfortunately fell 11 annoying seconds short but at least I was able to set a new outdoor 5k PR.

For dinner, I made a consolation chanterelle toast with a glass of pinot noir, a perfect escapist treat, especially considering that Lonely Planet “Southern Italy” arrived in the mail earlier today.

Cold water swimming

Halfway through my week alone with the kids, there has not been much time to compose blog posts but, like with the running, I hope to be able to catch up a bit over the weekend. Right now, I am just enjoying our time together, playing board games and getting Eddie a new and bigger bike for the autumn.

This morning, I was able to persuade the kids to come along down to the shores of Nydalasjön. Equipped with an old Tintin volume, they patiently waited as I activated the open water swimming mode of my Suunto watch and submerged myself into the searing cold water. As before, Suunto gave a grossly inflated estimation of my speed and distance (basically doubling it) but it was absolutely blissful once I got acclimatized in my wet suit.

Morning Hike

Thanks to the magic of a compass and an old-time physical map, I was able to spellbind the kids for several minutes this morning. Despite bringing along both bananas and mosquito repellent, their patience eventually did run out so the new bridge across Tavelån will have to remain unexplored for now. Nevertheless, we got a nice walk through the forest and I got to wear my Speedcross 4 shoes that were still muddy from South Devon Ultra.

Mud cake

As much as I love cooking, I am terrible when it comes to baking. Kicking off my week alone with the kids, I nevertheless made some mud cake by popular request. While it may look slightly post-apocalyptic, it was actually very tasty with hyperlocal blueberries and everything.

H20 Drain

As the owner of an undisclosed number of shoes, I must say that my Reebok All Terrain Craze that I picked up for 699 SEK last year in March really stands out for everyday trail running. While maybe not the fastest nor the most cushioned shoes in my collection, they are incredible useful for training runs through wet boglands as one can simply jump into the lake afterwards to clean them. Thanks to mesh drainage ports on the forefront, the shoes dry really fast while the gusseted tongue keeps debris out so I might even get a second pair once these reach retirement.

Topping up

Having recovered from my cold, I have done two runs today for a total of 32 km in order to complete my weekly running goal. The second run brought me back to the famous dog and sled trail where I realized that my trail ultras are just two months away now and that I really need to add some vertical (however hard that is here in Umeå). But first, one week alone with the kids.

Margherita

Now with Naples and the Amalfi Coast ticketed, I was tempted into ordering a Pizza Margherita from Ruccola, just as I did after Tvåälvsloppet back in September.

Otherwise, I have been down with a cold for the last couple of days which has been a bit sad as my sister has been visiting from Stockholm. However, practicing even more of that famous social distancing, we have still been able to hang out a bit. I also realize now that it was really in the nick of time that I stopped the running before getting an overuse injury. With 402 km of running in June, it is not surprising that my body started to bark back so, however difficult it may be, I will just have to accept that my total volume in July will probably end up being maybe half of that in June...

Precocious

I guess that I have always had a tendency to rush things. Back in the early 80’s, my grandfather often used to say that I was “hialös”. Knowing very well that it is too early to responsibly book any international travel, I still pressed the button this morning on the Lufthansa website so now I am officially signed up to run the Sorrento – Positano “Panoramica” on the 6th of December...

Considering that Tallinn Marathon just got cancelled, this will most likely be my first international trip after South Devon in February, meaning that I will have remained in Sweden for ten consecutive months, the longest time on record since I was one year old and my parents travelled with me to Poland and East Germany. 

Forests

A new article in Nature reveals an abrupt increase in harvested forests in Europe with the loss of biomass being most pronounced in Sweden. With few exceptions, all forests in Sweden are production forests these days, something that becomes very clear when you fly above the country and see how managed the landscape has become.

Down on the ground, it is of course still possible to find trails that give a sense of natural wonder. Yesterday at Akademibokhandeln, I picked up a new book about outdoor life around Umeå with a lot of inspiration for future running adventures. In particular, the 60k Isälvsleden is high up there on my list, perfect for breakfast dreaming as I make an omelette with raw slaw and the last of the Gringo coffee from Gothenburg.

777

After both the 555 and the 666 run, I of course had to sign up for the 777 run in support of Doctors Without Borders. Since I had to rent a car anyway to clear out the carport storage, I took the opportunity to drive down to Lövöudden in Holmsund for some uptempo coastal exploration.

World Map

Deprived of any real world travelling this summer, we decided to invest in a wooden world map for the living room. Produced by a small family business in the Ukraine, the map is in itself a symbol of the world that has been made possible through globalization.

After spending the whole day inside sorting the kids’ clothes and putting up the map, I laced up my Nike Odyssey for a half marathon across town to Rödberget just as the skies were clearing up, stopping by USM for some strength training on my way home.

Next week there will be no running for me as Anna will be away attending the virtual version of the Gregynog Ideas Lab. Considering that I am currently 233 km ahead of pace with regard to my goal of running 10 km per day in 2020, taking a complete break from the running for one week will probably be really good for my body, even as I will be stressed to see my Strava fitness score plummet...

The Great Gatsby

In one of his books, Haruki Murakami mentions that he has been translating the 1920’s classic “The Great Gatsby” into Japanese. Set on Long Island in Prohibition America, it is a world of speakeasies and petting in automobiles as the official puritanism of society fractures. Recognizing that twelve years have passed since I used to drive around Long Island myself, I thought I would begin the summer vacation by reading some Scott Fitzgerald.

Yesterday, I recorded the last two lectures about the different political ideologies. On UmU Play, I now have 15 hours of lectures lined up for the autumn semester, meaning that I may in fact get some research time once September comes. Otherwise, the autumn feels very uncertain for obvious reasons. I can only hope that Kullamannen will not be cancelled and that I do get to see the trails of Kullaberg before the year is out.

Brussels calling

When I jumped into Nydalasjön shortly after 7 am, it was only 9 degrees in the air and the heavy rain turned into smoke as it hit the surface. Thanks to my wet suit, I was still able to thoroughly enjoy my morning swim before returning home for one last day of green screen tranquillity.

At Systembolaget, I tried to buy some Grimbergen Blond but apparently one has to order 24 at the time which seemed a bit excessive. Instead, I picked up a new #småparti Belgian IPA called “Brussels calling” which was a good match for my carrot and ginger soup even if I am still not fully convinced that "bitter is better".

Morning Swim

Season finale with Elin

Ever since we first met when running Tvåälvsloppet back in September, Elin and I have been meeting every so often for a run, mostly along the river but also for instance exploring Tavelsjöleden together. While she is clearly the stronger runner overall, we have our different strengths and weaknesses so we still get a lot of fun out of running together. As Elin is going away for the summer, we met this morning for a grand season finale at the old I20 “Västerbotten Regiment” trail.

For this 10k trail, the former Course Record for women was 51 minutes and 51 seconds, a record that Elin was able to break with an insane four minutes. Although my heart rate was way too high, I was at least able to keep her pace for the first 9k, before finishing about half a minute after her, again scoring a warning from Suunto for too high intensity.

With Elin away in South Sweden, I will try to focus on keeping my heart rate down and avoiding injury throughout the rest of the summer. At the same time, thanks to those Adidas SL20, I have really fallen in love with short distance racing even as I am already feeling that all the sprinting is taking its toll on my body.

In September, Elin and I plan to run the 43k Höga Kusten Trail together (Covid-19 be damned!) so there will hopefully be another season to look forward to...