21 days left...

... and today I celebrate my 52nd birthday! I did that with retrieving timber to my new fence. Got hungry and bought a hamburger (!) and met som friends there :-) Then I went home and it was one and a half hour left to dinner so I changed to running. Well, I was just a little stiff in my legs after two days of speed-running so decided to run a great #ELS-run. I really have been longing for those runs again. They are so nice and comfortable. You may see a lot out there in the nature if you really look. Views, birds, deers, hedgehogs, humans to say Hello and Smile to. It's just great and you got some quality of life to...
Tomorrows run will be in the morning and in the noon. Not sure yet how far but... Well, we'll see!

This picture may mediate my feelings when running :-)

Well, THIS was the goal of todays run!
Love strawberries and cream :-)

Well, I did meet some people on the run today and we both said Hello and Smiled. Nice!

Easy, Light and Smooth... and not so fast anymore ;-)
/Flexirun

24-22 days left...

... and it really feels good both mentally and in my body now. I have been gone for 2 days to run this big relay called St.Olavsloppet between Östersund in Sweden and Trondheim. 330 km in 4 days.
All kind of runners are involved. Elite to kids and all are doing great! It's not only about running cause lot of things happens beside the race too and afterwards we eat, drink and play games, just chill and meet other teams to chat with. Great fun and I think that's what races like this are all about. Community!

Running..

...meetings...

...community!

24 days left:
No run today because I will do some extra discharge when run the next two coming days. First day I will run 7,21 miles but rather flat. Well, som hills but not like day two when I will run 5,16 miles and 2 of them hilly. Well, I haven't been doing almost any intervalls. 99% #ELS-running (Easy, Light and Smooth). We'll see how it will works tomorrow. Remember, I'm 52 years in 2 days ;-)
Hope for about 6:45-7:00 min/mile... :-)

Breakfast 6am... On the way!

The teams BIB-number.

23 days left:
Well, friends! It's time to go to town and be a part of the big relay St.Olavsloppet. Going to be so fun! The team consists of me and two other teachers from the school I work on and then pupils that was graduated a couple of weeks ago. Talk about a nice reunion they do together :-) Great youth!

Today I did my 7:21 miler and it went ok! So fun to run with a little speed again. I did it in 50:23h and felt rather ok. Went out the first 2 km under 6:24 min/mile! So I got just a little stiff in my legs but instead I felt, depending on no intervalls, that I didn't get that much oxygen my muscles needed. Well, I was satisfied with the run though and lot of people was cheering at me and som e wondered if it was to short... ;-)

One guy was running barefooted. 10K in about 42 min.
Great done Mr! :-)

Left: Changing runners! and to the right: a tired runner. Great done! :-)

The cheering was good and very inspiring!
Everyone did great! Doesn't matter how fast you might run!

24 days left:
When wake up this morning I felt absolutely great in my legs and perhaps I could do an even better run today. It was going to be a shorter run but much harder hills instead. Well, when started the first mile was in 6:03 min! Crazy but I didn't feel anything in my legs so I just kept running. After 2 miles there was another 2 miles up in the hills and I had to slow down about 30-40 sec/mile which was good cause  the last 2 miles was down-hill and I went about 15-20 sec faster again. I hit the finish-line in 35:30 min and was quite proud about that because I haven't been doing any so called quality-runs (intervalls/tempos). ELS-running seems to work alright for me!

The great 5-star hotel!
We were 18 people and one also can keep a fire in there. Cozy! :-)

For those two days I was talking some with friends and other runners about The Run and all said it was crazy but cool! Lot of Smiles and Hellos during those two days! :-) Running probably could save this world ;-)

Easy, Light and Smooth also gives Speed!
/Flexirun

25 days left...

... and today I did a little faster run again. Normally I don't like to run fast but sometimes when I feel for it I might speed up a little. Mentally I think I can do about 40 min in a 10K race.

Wednesday and Thursday this week I will be part of a team in a nice relay between Sweden and Norway called St.Olavsloppet. It's a kind of family thing but also very good teams will show up at start-line 07:30 on Wednesday morning. Going to be so fun! All I know for now is I have an 11K section one day. The race is 333 km (about 207 miles) over four days. Once there was an individual class. A class where you ran the race all alone... Ok, now I start to think crazy things again ;-) Well, why not...

Map over St. Olavsloppet, the relay between Sweden-Norway.
Next year it goes from Norway to Sweden.

There are pretty nice views on the way...

Todays run was a nice run, although I partly had a little problem with a tendon in the front of the right foot. Well, nothing bad and I used som Aloe-Vera cream when coming home. In a couple of days it will be ok again. No problem to run at Wednesday and Thursday :-)

As said before, I don't have any high priority on speed when running. But today I increased the speed gradually and it felt ok. Yes, I was a bit tired but not in my legs though. Great was my thought about that because that means I've got endurance which is my priority number one! I did 7,12 miles in a average speed of 7:39 min/mi. Then remember I did the first three miles in 9:06, 8:06 and 8:11 before I really began to think of running a little faster. Then I did four miles in 7:06, 6:47, 7:12 and 7:07 and felt that I just could go on, and on, and on... :-) Probably rest tomorrow or perhaps just easy jogging to be fit for fight on Wednesday and Thursday. Will take some pics for you!

Today we had a great rainbow here :-)
Even a double one!

On todays run I did meet some refugees from a nearby camp. The all recognized me and we said Hello and Smiled to each other. Nice meeting! :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth friends!
/Flexirun

30-26 days left...

... and I have to write about four days at the same time depending on my journey up to our house in the mountains where Internet doesn't work at all which is both good and a little bad. Perhaps most good I think because I can run without thinking of the blog, Twitter or Facebook. Sometimes that's #ELS I can assure!
Well, here we go with the first of four days.

Swedish summer...

30 days left:
It's wednesday and the very last day at work before about 8 weeks summer vacation. Being a teacher is probably one of the most important and enjoyable job there is. Well, the vacation at summer and X-mas isn't bad either, and it's needed... :-)
Me and a colleague, John, finished work at 10 am so we went hom to me for a GREAT run, food and beer ;-) My friend is a very good XC-skier and runner. He just did about 35:30 min in a 10K race! Well, he's fast and we went out slow and just increased... Hard running but very fun though. After the run we ate, took some beer and just chilled in the sun... :-)
Thank's John, for waking the speed-nerv alive again!!

29 days left:
No run today! To much to fix and pack for the trip up to the mountains :-) Well, Elton broke a claw and had to go to a veterinarian for bandaging. Fourth time now and we are looking to amputate it away. It is the fifth clone that sits part way up the leg so he will not miss it!

Here's the little cottage in the mountains we celebrated the Swedish Midsummer.

Some nice views around the area...




28 days left:
Today it's Midsummer and there usually are great festivities in Sweden this very day. The longest day of the year! I did my run before the food... and beer ;-) It felt good so I did about 4,52 miles in about 44:26 min. Great views!

At the start you got a great view after just one mile

Upper left: "The Old Road", Upper right: "Nice run by the river Ljusnan

Another nice view by the river Ljusnan.

If you get thirsty on the run? Well, just stop and drink! :-)

27 days left:
Today it rained in the mountains. A lot! We already had fixed everything so we decided to go home earlier. When coming home the weather was much better so I did a evening-run. Very nice! Felt good so I decided to run a bit... I did 12,2 miles in 1:36:38 h. Well, not that fast but once again I'm not going for times just now. More endurance ;-) Felt quite good though and the evening was great!

26 days left:
Today I Today I took down part of the fence. It's about 40 years old and I must build a new one. Well, after that work I went for a run. I was just a little stiff in my legs but felt ok after a couple of miles. I decided to do at least 10 miles today. I ran 10,25 miles in 1:26:20h. Felt ok and did some nice hill-running at the end (from 4-8,5 miles!). See it on Endomondo here!

Elton with his "funnel" so he can't lick on his toe!

Well, I met som people out there who cheered at me and asked how my running was going! Thank's people! Yes, we said Hello and also Smiled to each other :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

31 days left...

... and I'm so tired! Well, nothing serious but just a minor infection. Instead of my usual run I cut the lawn instead.

Tomorrow I will be running an #ELS run (I hope) with a friend of mine. He is really a good runner and XC-skier. He offers himself and looks nothing like impossible and always smiling... Well, a good friend! After the run we will go out with our work to eat and perhaps take a beer... or two ;-)

Also longing a bit to Thursday when me, my wife and our dogs will go up to the mountains to celebrate Midsummer. A great feast! Course I will run with Elton to ;-)

This winter in 1,4F...
All I had in mind this winter was: The Run!
All that was driven me thru the winter...almost ;-)

Some weeks ago and 68F... Yes, the same lake  and only 31 days left now... 

Well, take care when out there runners! Always say Hello to the one you meet and give them a Smile...

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

32 days left...

.... and only 32 (!) days left! Such a thrill! Have been having a little virus in my body for a couple of days. No problem to run but I can't run as fast as I want. It's a kind of feeling in my stomach that probably soon will disappear... I hope ;-)

Me some weeks ago when running near the village Åre.

Part of the training to Stockholm Marathon with one of my daughters.

Well, as said above, only about one month left now to The Run of my life and I feel quite nice. Going to be a great Fun-Run! There are still some logistics to think of and fix with. Both fun and boring at the same time. Mostly fun though!

Today my mental coach, Anders Stävhag came visiting me on his MC! Nice surprise and we had a great chat about my running, The Run, food and energizers etc. Well, Anders doesn't like running that much but today he indicated something about running a half marathon ;-) It starts with a thought I told him, smiling! Guess we will run a whole marathon once... ;-)

No running today but a lot of Hello and Smile anyway! :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!

/Flexirun

33 days left...

... and today I did two runs. First run was with Elton up in the woods. It was 59F and a bit cloudy and a chance for rain. Well, no rain when running but it was a little wet and muddy though. But both me and Elton thought it was fun! Felt good but still something in my body... Virus or some kind of an infection perhaps. Don't worry! It's nothing bad I just feel a little less "power" when running. Soon alright again!

Elton and me on todays first run in the morning.
We are at an old quarry in which Elton sometimes take a swim :-)

Fascinating that about each yard is a million years...

It's an amazing nature up there in the woods. Lot of nice trails to follow for Elton and me. Elton likes this type of running more than the "boring" roads :-)

Second run for the day I did myself and I felt perhaps for a little faster run today. Well, I didn't have the right feeling in my body but guess it soon will come though. I ran 7,79 miles totally but I began my run after 2 miles warmup. But the 5th mile I ran in 6:49 min (!) which was ok. Yes, just ok because I didn't got that Easy, Light and Smooth feeling that I use to have when running. I had to struggle a lot to keep the running up... Well, the #ELS soon will appear again :-)

Part from my second run today.
In the end it started to rain but temperature was rather warm...

A beautiful and inspiring view on the run :-)

I did meet some people today that cheer me up with some Hello and Smile! Thank's friends!

Easy, Light and Smooth!
Flexirun