Powerade

After running 4,000 km last year, I have struggled to return to higher volumes this year, reaching 200 km per month first in March and then 272 km in May. Today, on the very last day of June, I finally made it all the way to 300 km and, thus, completed Strava’s “Running Endurance Challenge” for June. Considering that I have Fjällmaraton 100k coming up in a little more than a month from today, I really need the volume and to work on my aerobic base.

With Umeå experiencing somewhat of a heat wave, the temperature is 29 degrees at the moment, and I saw quite a few dogs struggling in the heat as I made my way around the lake. Luckily, for my own part, I had some cold Powerade in store after the first 10k. Though probably not all that healthy, I really appreciate Powerade for my races but maybe I should try some Tailwind in preparation for Chiltern Wonderland.

Tabbouleh time

Today has been all about recording with the green screen while simultaneously being attentive to William who has come down with a cold on his last week of “holiday club”. To my surprise, I was able to record a full 57 minutes of video so all that remains now is to sync the slides and add captions. With this being the final video, everything should soon be ready for the course starting in late August. 

What better way to celebrate that than with tabbouleh. Sadly, COOP did not have any parsley but I made up for that with some extra mint and pomegranate.

Archipelago

Today, I had a chance to visit the island home of my boss. Driving down to Hörnefors with my PhD student Kalle, we were treated to a fast ride across the archipelago before landing at a lovely island for some soused herring and the final supervision session of the semester. In early October, my PhD student will have his “mid-seminar”, meaning that he is now halfway through his PhD studies. Time certainly flies.

Roots

Together with Petra, I got to return to the course of my very first race, Tavelsjö Halvmaraton, which we apparently both ran in 2018. Under clear blue skies, the temperature quickly picked up as we ran around the lake, bringing back memories of previous runs along Tavelsjöleden when I have been desperately low on water. In the end, we made it back to Roots at Sundlingska for a swim and pizza just as they were opening for the day. If I ever were to leave Umeå, I know that Tavelsjö will be a place that I will always have with me.

Black opium

While in Hamburg, I of course had to pay a visit to Nord Coast Coffee Roastery. Picking up some of their “Black Opium” espresso roast, I now get to experience a bit of coffee escapism as I return to everyday life in Umeå. 

Not that the “everyday” is that bad, in fact, I kicked off the day with a magic trail run around Bäcksjön with my colleague Petra, who even brought along some Spanish coffee from her former life in Las Palmas to drink afterwards.

Summer solstice

Though already a few days past the summer solstice, today is “Midsummer” in Sweden. With its fairy-tale air, it always takes me everywhere and back, from violent thunderstorms and bean bags in Vienna to Coastal California. 

Being home for the third year in a row, I have kept my new tradition of going for a morning run and then a swim in the lake. Feeling fast in my Hoka Rincon 3 that I picked up just in time for Parkrun, I was happy to see that I have been able to run 200 km so far this month, despite all the travelling. With only six days left, reaching 300 km may be more difficult though, unless I can persuade Justin to go for a longer trail adventure...

Mandarin & Elderflower

Settled in aboard Gandalff Viking, I was served the last breakfast that SAS had in store just as we flew out over the Gulf of Bothnia. While the airline may be on the verge of bankruptcy, they still do breakfast really well, with their own Froosh juices and everything.

After being on the road for more than a week, it feels strange to be back home, to go for a quick run around the lake and to hang all that laundry. While officially on vacation today as well, I am otherwise spending this afternoon preparing slides for the lectures that I will record over the coming week as I wrap up the last preparations for the new online course “Ideology and political practice”.

Legoland

Just as the battery in my phone died, I learned that the Swedish social democratic government is finally ready to (once again) consider nuclear energy. Though probably more rhetoric than reality, it is still a positive step in the right direction. Given how fast the Arctic is melting, one would of course hope that rather than talking they would quickly start building a fleet of new reactors to once and for all end the reliance on fossil fuels. Instead, I fear that reality will remain much like the Legoland version of “green” energy, as in a mix of gas platforms and offshore wind turbines.

Beyond energy, Legoland definitely delivered this time, with the kids being big enough to fully enjoy the roller coasters and the wild water rides. With three years and one pandemic having passed since our last visit, prices in Denmark have gone from high to stratospheric (the weak Swedish currency definitely does not help) so two days were about as much we could handle before having to escape back home to Umeå. While Anna is off to Wales in a couple of weeks for her annual summer school in Gregynog, I will remain at home all the time until Fjällmaraton 100k in early August.

Nordistik

After three days in the UK, we picked up the kids and took the night train south to Hamburg together with my parents. While we originally had tickets booked for the spring of 2020, the pandemic obviously had other plans, but today we finally got to see Miniatur Wunderland with its incredibly detailed landscapes from all over the world, including the Grand Canyon, the Kiruna iron ore mine and the Copacabana.

As an avgeek, my own favourite was of course Knuffingen Airport where I could watch ANA depart for Nagoya and an Airbus BelugaXL delivering parts for new airplanes. Now already on the train north again, we will spend the whole day tomorrow at Legoland.

Gateshead

While Anna is busy putting the last words to her PhD, I accepted an offer from Routledge to review a book proposal as the notion of simply having “vacation” felt a bit too relaxed. And to somehow offset my long evening in the bar last night, I started the day with 5k of rowing and a run next to the runways of Newcastle Airport before taking the train into town and the Gateshead area where we are staying for one night at another Hilton, all slightly reminiscent of our decadent hotel-hopping life in China a decade ago. 

As for being entirely predictable, I also had to return to Nando’s for one more spicy chickpea burger and some chili and mint peas, super-yummy, especially when you do not have to go running directly afterwards :-)

Birra Moretti

Yesterday, I read a fascinating comparison between the ocean liner Queen Mary and the airship Hindenburg as two means of crossing the Atlantic in the 1930’s. One thing that surprised me was how connected the people aboard were, with the Queen Mary having phones that could put you in contact with any phone number worldwide. In today’s world with inflight-wifi and whatnot, that is of course not that impressive but still.

With Anna being downtown in Newcastle with her phone forgotten here at the hotel, I am in somewhat of a mid-Atlantic waiting limbo as I order a post-run Birra Moretti in the hotel bar. It is funny how dependent we have become on these gadgets. Luckily, I have stocked up on both Emily Henry's "People We Meet on Vacation" and Friedrich Nietszche’s “Menschliches, Allzumenschliches: Ein Buch für freie Geister” so I am not particularly worried about my fate, or should I be? 

Lunch run

Feeling almost jetlagged after my super-early morning in Kalmar and the long day of travelling yesterday, I set off south along Ponteland Road towards the city centre. Judging from the surrounding nature, the heat, and my feeling of temporal disorientation, it was as if I was back running in Texas (which, I learnt, can be surprisingly green) fifteen years ago. 

After about ten kilometres I stopped by a convenience store to buy a sports drink but apparently the minimum amount for paying with a card was £4. Just as I was getting ready to leave thirsty, a guy appeared and offered to buy the drink for me. Such unbelievable kindness. Most grateful, I continued down to the historical heart of the city with its big monument erected after the passing of the 1832 Reform Act. Just imagine, there was a time when people were celebrating the extension of the franchise and the expansion of liberal norms. 

After 14 km, nostalgia got me, and I decided to stop at Nando’s for lunch. After all, bottomless drinks have a certain appeal after a long run in the summer heat. Going back to the airport with the train, there was a sudden power failure at Kingston Park station so, to my surprise, I got a 5k bonus run but not before picking up a McFlurry “Tiramisu” (which I can highly recommend by the way). 

Rowing addiction

This morning, I was absolutely thrilled to discover a rowing machine in the hotel gym. A few years ago, I think I barely knew what a rowing machine even was. Currently more than halfway through my yearly goal of rowing 300 km, I had otherwise become a little worried that my long time away from USM would make me lose pace but now I might even throw in a few extra kilometres. But first, I am heading into town to explore a bit of Newcastle. To make my run slightly more exciting, I am not bringing my phone nor a map along. Det är sedan gammalt.

A grand day with KLM

Shortly before 2 pm, Anna and I boarded our KLM flight under blue skies at Arlanda. After a 2011 volcano on Java and a war in Europe (the latter in combination with that my parents came down with Covid) had foiled our two previous attempts to try the Dutch flag carrier, we were thus finally underway. To our surprise, we were served an entirely edible sandwich and a full drink service during our one-and-a-half-hour long hop in the air.

Once on the ground at Schiphol, we made it over to the non-Schengen gates and the brand-new KLM’s Crown Lounge which we had unexpected access to thanks to a last-minute €60 upgrade to business class for the second leg of the day. Originally, we had of course planned to go into the city for our six-hour long layover but given the recent airport chaos with its day-long queues, we decided to play it safe and stay at the airport. Spanning two floors and one outdoor terrace, the lounge has different seating areas or “themes” like Polder, sea and sky. In addition, there is the Blue Bar with its extensive cocktail menu.

 

Even if I am a Star Alliance fanboy, this was a great change of scenes and while it may not be up there with TK’s Istanbul lounge or United’s Polaris Lounge at SFO, it has a good chance of ending up on this year’s Gold List.

Ports of call

The last days have been filled with drama, including a seven-hour visit to the emergency room with William after he fell and injured his shoulder. Luckily the x-ray turned out fine, but it will probably be a while until he is back to swimming again.

After finishing the school year, Eddie and I flew down to Kalmar last night through turbulent skies, just in time for me to have dinner with my childhood friend Johanna and sleep a few hours at Packhuset before taking the first flight back to Stockholm.

Being in Kalmar for such an extraordinary short time, I still could not resist going for an astronaut-early morning run around the harbour. After all, this is the city where I grew up and, for better and worse, it is filled with so many memories. Though some probably call me crazy, you really only live once. In a couple of hours, I will meet Anna at Arlanda and then go the UK together for the BISA conference. 

Train wreck

Feeling a bit like a train wreck, I am on my way back north with my medal after yesterday’s big race. Having finished as number 24 out of 71 runners who completed the race, I feel happy with my performance, and I guess my body will recover soon enough. Equipped with a flat white, I will now try to work a bit on my book chapter on ecomodernism.

Elk encounter

For the love of alliterations, I will forego being zoologically correct and just say that I was quite surprised when I ran into an “älg” about fifty kilometres into Björnfrossa Ultramarathon. Like literally, ran into it right there on the trail, but, luckily, we parted ways amicably. And no bears, despite all the social media bear-buzz.

Though extremely demanding and hot at times, the race was so much fun all they way up to last two kilometres which, according to Swedish (?) ultra tradition, consisted of running up and down a ski slope. Especially downhill was very hard on my quads and my left foot but I made it all the way down to the finishing line, 8 hours and 24 minutes after I started. If I should summarize the course, I think “stones” is the most appropriate account, at some point there was even a whole field of them, a bit like a miniature version of the "Felsenmeer" that I crossed when running from Amarnäs to Hemavan last summer.

Rediscovering Gävle

Five years ago, Anna and I were here in Gävle with the kids to check out the famous railway museum. Returning today, I went for a shakeout run through the Boulogner Forest which brought back many sweet memories as I passed by the playgrounds and the river. As for tomorrow, the race starts at 10 and I have no idea when it will end...

Coastal ride

Like back in September two years ago, I am on train 569 with my trail shoes packed and ready for another ultra. Hopefully, I will have better luck this time when it comes to not falling on the trails :-) 

As the train follows the coastline south towards Gävle and Björnfrossa, I am editing the last lectures for the new online course “Ideology and political practice” that I will teach in the fall. Hopefully, all will be uploaded before I go for vacation in early July. Already now, I can tell that the autumn will be absolutely frantic with four different courses to teach and the course that I am taking myself in Örebro on how to assess teaching portfolios.

Chocolate

Yesterday, my long-time friend Sofie was here in Umeå for a conference, and we got to hang out for a couple of hours before her flight back to Malmö, checking out the Czech artist Eva Koťátková’s exhibition “What does a turtle feel through the carapace?” at Bildmuseet together. Fifteen years ago, Sofie and I were PhD students in Lund and it was absolutely lovely to catch up on old times. Most generously, Sofie had brought along some of my favourite “Malmö” chocolate.

Otherwise, yesterday was dominated by the fantastic news that Anna has received a green light on her PhD and that her public defence is now scheduled for 12 September in Växjö!

Jamie

While his mentor Gennaro Contaldo has featured repeatedly on Rawls & Me, I just could not resist making a recipe by Jamie Oliver tonight. Frying some smoked salmon with asparagus and mixing it with fresh tonnarelli pasta, it was the perfect way to end a busy day with the kids.

With the school being closed due to Sweden’s national day, I took the kids out for the first of three hikes this month as part of Strava’s “June Hiking Challenge”. Walking through the forest at Kolbäcken, it felt a bit sad to know that it will soon be all gone and replaced by new houses.

Refreshing

Like last year, my first swim in Nydalasjön turned into a rather refreshing affair. Biking down to “Love Creek” with the boys in tow, we all nevertheless jumped into the water, grateful for the fact that everyone in the family now has a wetsuit. And with that, I am ready to kick off the outdoor triathlon season of 2022.

Parkrun

Since last week, Umeå has its own official “Parkrun”. While I have long been fascinated by the concept, having seen how thousands of people gather on weekends throughout the UK to run five kilometres in their local parks, I have never done a parkrun myself or even a 5k race for that matter. Together with Petra at the university’s international office, I thus decided to give it a shot today as yesterday’s rain clouds gave way to clear blue skies.

Setting off way too fast (like 2:50 min/km-fast), I led the race for the first 750 meters until I was overtaken by the most relaxed Australian runner who seemed completely unaffected by how fast we were running. While I was able to match his speed for another kilometre or so, my legs simply did not have it in them to sustain the sub 4 min/km pace, so I fell further behind, ultimately finishing fourth place with an official time of 21 minutes and 14 seconds. Even if I had obviously wished for more, the event felt super social and friendly so I will definitely come back and give it another shot later this summer.

Rodet

As the academic semester is coming to an end, the last days have been super busy but this morning I was able to go for a longer trail run with my colleague Veronica, who showed up in her uber-cool Comrades t-shirt and ran fearlessly through the rain without any complains whatsoever. Unlike last time when I ran the dog sled trail, there was no ice and the water felt almost summer warm, which was good because the bog was quite deep after all the rain.

Yesterday, it was again time for some tapas and Tortilla Española, paired with a rather unusual Tetra Pak (sic!) #småparti from Bourgogne. As expected, the Swiss “Holzbrätchen” has become a favourite item here at Lyktvägen.

Health care administration

Among my many unexpected duties, I have been responsible for grading theses within the health care administration programme for quite a few years now. Though obviously rather remote from my core competences, it is a task that I have really valued as it has exposed me to many topics that I would not normally think of, ranging from PCO(S) to the implementation of standardized care pathways. Today, I have had a mad seminar streak with 14 theses in a row on Zoom so I greatly appreciated having my large Primus thermos with Americano from “Café Hausbrandt” with me at the office.

Otherwise, I began my day by running around the lake, including four kilometres of racing along its eastern shore in an all-out 4:15 min/km pace. With Umeå Parkrun now being a thing, I am of course tempted to finally try my luck at a real 5k race, though I realize that it would truly take everything I got to run in under 20 minutes (a goal that I missed with 11 annoying seconds two years ago).