One last time

The one and only Tavelsjöleden

 

After a few failed attempts, Elin and I finally managed to run all of Tavelsjöleden from Väven in downtown Umeå to the endpoint near Selet. With overcast skies and the temperature around 16 degrees, conditions could not have been better. Still, as always, water was a challenge on Tavelsjöleden with only one publicly available water tap at Hamptjärnstugan but, thanks to the weather, we managed to make it all the way with two Salomon 0.5 litre flasks each. For nutrition, I had a couple of Maurten 100 Caf gels which was maybe a bit too few, but I felt good throughout the run with no headache or nausea, all a far cry from last weekend on Öland.

In total, we ran 50 km as we had to backtrack to Tavelsjö to catch the bus to Umeå. Now all I have to do is to drink a lot of water and register our run with the FKT website.

Singlet

Wearing the orange singlet that I bought in Rio de Janeiro, I was joined by the kids on their bikes for some faster intervals on the bike path next to the E4. Though perhaps not Ipanema, I felt surprisingly strong and ready for my FKT attempt on Sunday. With so many capable trail runners in Umeå, I guess it will not be long until someone runs all of Tavelsjöleden faster. Nevertheless, I am thrilled to have it registered on the FKT website as a memory of my time in Umeå.

Otherwise, today is Midsummer Eve which always has its own magic and memories from Cavallo Point. Sadly, Anna has nasty cold so we will have to stay at home tonight over some pear prosecco.

Camp

As illustrated by Air France’s now defunct subsidiary “Joon”, French management consultants tend to have slightly funny ideas about brand names, with the new sparkling wine “Camp” being a case in point. Still, who can resist a can with a red Citroën DS retailing for less than 3 EUR at Systembolaget?

Making mango salmon for dinner, I can look back on an intensive day that began with 12 km of interval running in the sun together with Elin, followed by lots of iced coffee as I have been struggling to come up with an abstract for a future book chapter on “ecomodernism in the classroom” which I hope to eventually co-author with Jon.

Easing back in

After my spectacular failure at Öland Ultra last Saturday, I have decided not to repeat the same mistake as I am going for a new FKT attempt on Tavelsjöleden with Elin already on Sunday. As such, I have not done any running since I got back from Kalmar, as tempted as I have been by the blue skies and beautiful mornings.

This afternoon however, I could not stay away from the gym, so I did 5,000 meters of indoor rowing followed by some strength training. I also invested in two Maurten gels at Löplabbet so, hopefully, there will not be any bonking on Sunday.

Eljest

Today, all of the department gathered at “Eljest” on the island “Ön” for lunch and afternoon activities which included giving me some farewell flowers in recognition for my nine years at the department. 

Making another “Ruby Sipper” to match, I feel fortunate for all the support that I have received over the years, including funding to attend conferences everywhere from Malmö to San Francisco, not to mention the many great running adventures that I have shared with my colleagues, in particular Tvåälvsloppet. Though I am very much looking forward to starting my new job in Halmstad, I will definitely look back on Umeå with fondness.

Muddy Boots

After an afternoon that took a sombre turn, I left Kalmar with SK196 and was treated to some incredible views of the castle and the bridge leading over to Öland before our ATR 72-600 disappeared into the white clouds. An hour later, and I am back in the SAS lounge with a glass of “Muddy Boots” chardonnay which unfortunately is not available at Systembolaget, its citrus tropical minerality being particularly “quaffable” as Fredi used to say.

As frustrated as I am with my performance yesterday, I am happy I did not DNF but completed the race even if it meant leaving my parents waiting. Not only did I get another medal to hang in my new Halmstad office but I can now also fully appreciate how impressive it is that one of the Högby IF runners was able to set a new course record of 3 hours and 16 minutes (which translates into a 3:55 min/km pace on average). Considering how muddy and sandy I was at the end, and how tricky it was to run on some of the pebble beaches, such a pace is simply incredible.

Öland Ultra

With every ultra, you learn something new about yourself and your limits. Starting off with a group of fast runners at 9 am, I was lucky with the weather as the last month of burning sunshine had turned into overcast skies and the soft rumble of thunder at a distance. Completing the first half marathon in 1 hour and 50 minutes, I somehow knew that I was going out too hard as the gravel roads of the interior of the island turned into sand and pebble along the coast. 

With the trail heading north, I was seriously considering quitting at the 25 km mark but chose to soldier on even as my energy was more or less spent. Having decided not to take any Maurten gels along as the race was “only” 50k, my glycogen reserves were thoroughly depleted by the time I reached “Neptuni åkrar” and started to experience nausea and dizziness. Resorting to walking, I called my parents who were waiting at the finishing line, telling them that the race would probably take much longer than the 4.5 hours that I had planned. After a bit of fruit at the 35 km checkpoint, I was able to jog for a few more kilometres but my heart rate bounced back up to 160 only after a few steps so I knew that things were not alright. In the end, I had to walk much of the remaining 15 km before, ultimately, finishing as number 33 of the 45 runners who completed the race.

If I am to draw any lessons, it is first and foremost to always bring your own energy, and not rely on that you will find sufficient nutrition at the aid stations (I guess I was simply spoiled after Diablo Trails 50k). Then, it is hardly rocket science to see that my training volume over the last month has been too high for my current fitness level. Running 100k per week leading up to a race is simply not a good idea and I will make sure that I get much more rest before Tallinn Marathon which remains my key race this year. As for the course and the race, I can wholeheartedly recommend it, especially if you have not been to northern Öland before.

South of France

Flying down to Kalmar with our ATR 72-600, the land already looked more akin to Southern France, though not yet as bad as in the summer of 2018. Once on the ground, I picked up a brand new Mini Cooper S and drove home to my parents who will join me tomorrow as I head up to northern Öland for my 50k race.

End of an era

Checking in for my SAS flight to Kalmar this morning, I am sad to report that this route will soon meet the same fate as my Pan Am luggage tag. After 66 years of flying to Kalmar Airport, Scandinavian Airlines has made the decision to stop all flights from 13 August this year, meaning that my boarding pass for SK195 may well be the last one that I will ever hold in my hand.

Since I am moving to Gothenburg, I will personally have much less need for this route than in the past when living in Umeå, but it has still been very useful when connecting from elsewhere, with a late-night flight in the summer of 2003 from buzzing Heathrow to the calm in Kalmar always ingrained in my memory.

Oranges and feta

Tonight, I made an old-time favourite recipe of mine with oriental curry bulgur, feta cheese, cucumber, oranges, raisins, and cashew nuts, all served with some spicy chorizo and a new-found alcohol-free IPA from Athletic Brewing called “Run Wild”.

Grinding away

After packing my office into boxes in the morning, I went down to USM for another bout of indoor rowing and treadmill running. With my 50k ultra on Öland coming up on Saturday, I plan to keep the volume down this week and only do a few quality workouts so that my legs feel as fresh as possible on race day.

As for racing, I have some exciting news. Following my incredible experiences of running South Devon Ultra in 2020 and North Cornwall Ultra in January this year, I have now registered for another race in Endurancelife’s Coastal Series, namely the 53k Suffolk Ultra on 14 October. Starting and ending in Dunwich, the race promises to be really flat in comparison and will feature lots of wild beaches, lowland heath and lighthouses.

Umelagun

One recurring favourite during our nine summers here in Umeå has been “Umelagun”, located at the northern end of Nydalasjön. Famous for its 50% polar bear discount on colder days, it offers both a 25-metre pool for lap swimming and a kids’ section with a few warmer pools and water slides.

After wrapping up another week with 100 km running, we spent a couple of hours today at Umelagun, giving me the chance to practice swimming for the first time in more than two months. Prior to my skiing injury, I used to swim at least three thousand meters per month, so I have really been missing it. Unfortunately, I have yet to fully recovered so I took it really easy but at least I was able to swim a hundred meters.

The remoter west

Five months ago, I completed North Cornwall Ultra amid a winter storm that almost felt like summer after the already long Umeå winter. Though driving a rental car to the race start in Polzeath, I had first entertained the idea of taking the “Night Riviera Sleeper” from Paddington to Penzance but, as always is the case in the real world, my travel plans were constrained by work and family obligations.

Nevertheless, reading my book about night trains last night, I came across a 1910 quote by E.M. Forster: “in Paddington all Cornwall is latent, and the remoter west”, reminding me of that feeling that I often get in airports and railway stations, of what lies beyond.

Cocaine of cooking

Having clearly watched too many episodes of Uncle Roger and his cooking show of sorts, I could not refrain from following his advice and put some MSG in my mango salmon. While undoubtedly anathema to food purists, its negative health effects appear wildly exaggerated and the FDA also considers it perfectly safe in normal amounts. According to a recent article in The Atlantic, it may even hold the key to low-salt diets more generally.

Together with sriracha and mustard from Skåne (sic!), I think I have now taken my mango salmon as close to perfection as possible, today paired with some Bourgogne Grand Elevage.

Dahl and shrimp

In preparation for my course on representative democracy in the fall, I am revisiting a true political science classic in the form of Robert Dahl’s Democracy and its critics. Thinking of all the things that democracy can be in terms of equality and emancipation, it is slightly tragicomic to read Benjamin Dousa in today’s Svenska Dagbladet asking why no one is dreaming of a better Sweden and then giving shorter airport security waiting times and privatized airports as examples of what “better” would look like.

Not that I am necessarily any better myself, eating shrimp in anticipation of the price hike that is expected when the construction of offshore wind farms begins in earnest along the west coast of Sweden. As evident from the recent catastrophic failure of the Kakhovka Dam or the 145,000 people who died from the 1975 Banqian Dam failure in China, all forms of energy have both direct and indirect environmental and human costs. Yet, one can only imagine the global trauma that would have been triggered if even a tiny fraction of those people would have been affected by something nuclear related. Clearly, there are some serious double standards at play here.

Chicken

Once Petra and I got up to Ratan and could feel the water temperature first hand, we made the unanimous decision to switch our registrations from the 13 km “Russian” to the 9 km “Swede” that only featured a bit of treacherous wading...

Feeling like a true chicken, I nevertheless had a great race, and it was fun to meet so many old Strava friends. The race included a few kilometres along the rocky coastline which naturally slowed me down as I was careful not to fall but, luckily, I could make up some time later in the race before ultimately finishing as number 23 out of 45 runners who completed the race.

Semper In Viam

Along the riverfront in Gothenburg, the destroyer “Småland” is anchored next to the submarine “Nordkaparen” and a few other ships that together make up the museum “Maritiman”. On our first day in Gothenburg, we went down there, knowing the kids’ fascination with submarines, but sadly, we discovered that the submarine had been closed off until further notice due to small amounts of radioactivity having been detected aboard. At least, we were able to thoroughly explore the destroyer “Småland” and enjoy some great views of the harbour from its external bridge.

Now aboard SJ high-speed service 432, I was reminded of the Latin motto of Nordkaparen which translates into “always underway”. After a tasty lunch, I just submitted a slightly overdue review to the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, and I intend to spend the remaining eight hours up to Umeå with similar academic tasks that have been accumulating over the course of the spring semester.

Tomorrow, however, is the National Day of Sweden which I plan to celebrate by doing the “Russian” version of the “Battle of Ratan”, consisting of 13 km of running and 2x100 meters of swimming in water that is expected to be about six degrees Celsius...

Hooja

As Gothenburg is celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city is throwing a big party on the northern shore of the river with lots of free concerts, including one with the kids’ favourite “Hooja”. Travelling down here with the night train on Friday night, we have otherwise been checking out our new apartment and its surrounding neighbourhood in brilliant summer weather.

As per tradition, Anna and I have also been going for a few morning runs in Ruddalen and, while eating lunch at Vapiano yesterday, the kids even got to see the king and queen as they passed by in their parade. So, all in all, a perfect few days before returning home to Umeå for three more weeks in the North.

Aviron et moulle

After rowing 45,000 meters in May, I am almost back on pace with my indoor rowing after not rowing anything in April. For June, my goal is to make up for the last 5,000 meters. Post-rowing, I also tried some gentle strength training for the first time since my skiing injury. To my great relief, biceps curls did not cause any pain whatsoever but even 5 kg was enough to hurt when doing pull-downs which used to be my gym favourite. Before the accident, I normally pulled 80 kg. Anyway, more than being sad for what I cannot do, I am happy for what I can do.

Once back home, I made some Moules Marinières which I have not made in a long time for some reason, which is strange considering that mussels do not seem to have become as expensive as everything else, at least not at our local ICA. Tomorrow I will have a full day of seminars before catching the night train south.