251 days left to the relay...

... and for now I'm sick! Well, I felt awful yesterday and slept about 20 hours. Bad stomach or with a medical word, gastroenteritis! Well, whatever it was no fun for about 1,5 days. Today I felt much better and no pain in leads etc.
When sick like that I use to think; Ok, hard to relax, lay back and take it easy. At least it can't get worse which mean it only can be better!

Last weekend me and my brother was celebrating my fathers 80th birthday. We had a great dinner in a nice hotel at Tällberg, about 215 miles down south from where I live. Hotel is located right on the shore of Lake Siljan. The 7th greatest lake in Sweden... ;-)
Well, no I was there to celebrate not run around the lake!

A great fall at Lake Siljan Oct 12th

Well, the day after I went back north and passed by one of my cottages in the mountains and fixed it a bit for winter. Filled the sauna with wood, coupled out the water so it wouldn't freeze etc. Still it was a great weather and a joy to drive thru the landscape. One gets happy when the sun is shining I think :-)

Our cottage in the county of Härjedalen.

When start to drive the last 93 miles home I just had to stop to take a picture of a great view just about a mile from our lodge. The mountain you see in the horizon is called Sonfjället. There are quite a lot of brown-bears in this area... You almost always see traces of them.

Sonfjället (The Son Mountain)

A couple of weeks ago my daughter Ingrid called me up to tell me she wanted to run Stockholm Marathon again. I said: I said, Of course! I'm up! Fun! It was so fun last time and now she's willing to do it again. She even wondering about 10 Stockholm Marathons cause then she'll get a Gold Medal! And she wants it! :-)

Ingrid in her new T-shirt
"I'm training for Stockholm Marathon 2014"

Still not healthy... But it's getting better. Thought I could go back to work today but... No! I did correct some science tests for my pupils though. Will continue tomorrow... Nice with Friday and a long weekend. One more week then it's a so called Fall-vacation here in Sweden. One week of an I will run a lot again :-)
I do have some runs next year to look forward to

1. Stockholm Marathon with Ingrid
2. St. Olafs relay (330K or 205 miles) with a friend
3. Hopefully a 48h run again in my old hometown down south
4. Perhaps Stockholm Ultra Festival (100K)...

Really longing for the summer but today this seasons first snow came down from the sky...

Remember to say Hello and do a nice Smile out there when running friends! :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth

268 days left to the St. Olav´s race...

... and everything's alright. I work full time as a teacher at a secondary school, studying medical genetics in the evening and between that... I run.

On one of my runs up in the mountains :-)

 When running I normally have Elton, my dog, with me but when do my long-runs he is a little to old now. He's 9,5 years old now but still go strong I think. My body really is recovered for a while now but I haven't been running any extreme long-runs. Well, about 15K up to 28K (9,3-17,4mi) is ok but not Monday to Friday when I normally do about 3-7 miles. Usually I do my longer runs Saturday and Sunday mornings, when no job the day after.

My running-pal Elton

Couple of days ago my oldest daughter Ingrid called me on the phone to ask me if I wanted to run another marathon in Stockholm next year. She read that if one do 10 marathons one gets a gold medal.
Course I said -Yes! So fun to run with her again :-) Last time we did 4:27:08h and this time she wants to try out 4:00:00h. Well, time is nothing but the experience is everything!

I think it's more fun to help other with their goals. More than do really fast runs of my own... I have already reached my goals once and I'm satisfied with that. Still I will never stop running though! It's to fun... :-)

My daughter Ingrid a couple of  minutes after reaching the finish-line
4:27:08

I'm not only running in the mountains... :-)

 The mornings here gets colder and colder now. The winter will come this year too I think. Well, it doesn't matter as long as there is clothes in several layers and You'll stay warm.

Last winter and about -20°C (-4°F)...

When out running I always say Hello! and smile to the one I meet. It's really nice and you get a little warmer inside :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth my friends!

/Flexirun

274 days left and I got wings on my feet!

Well, once again sorry for not been writing for a while (15 days). I'm working as a teacher daytime and studying some medical genetics at evenings. But anywhere between I do... run! Alone or with my dog Elton which is a great friend.

Remember this little fellow?
Here he's about 12 and 40 years later he ran 137,88 mi in 43:57:04 h.

Until today I had two projects planted in my mind. First of all run the 208 mile relay between Trondheim (Norway) and then a 48 hour run down south in Sweden. More exactly in my old hometown: Skövde (Skoevde).

What drives a runner to run more after a 137 mile run all alone for about 44 hours. Why more? Well, don't ask me. It's something in my mind just want to do it. I have no problem mentally. I just run and enjoy every step... Think that's what #ELS is about! Enjoy and just float...

Elton

Today one of my daughters, Ingrid, called me on the phone. I had a class and couldn't answer right away. Called her up when there was a break and she was at the gym. 3,5 month ago we ran Stockholm Marathon together. Her very first marathon and I was so proud of her. I asked her what she wanted and then she told me there was a great medal after ten (!) times. Then she asked if I wanted to follow her again next year. I said: Course I will!

Then she asked if I rather would running fast, alone, this time. I said: No! It's more fun to run with You! And project number three is on! Beginning of June it will be Stockholm Marathon, June 25-28 I will run the 208 mile relay and at the end of August I will run the 48 hour ultra down in Skoevde (my hometown where I did start my "career" as a runner.

Today there was snow up in the mountain. That's ok but I think I'm longing for the next coming summer already. Depending on the nice projects that I have scheduled myself for :-)

A sweet cloud-berry up in the mountains.
Where I use to run when summer :-) 

About a week after The Run.
Smiling even more then ever :-)

Left, right, left, right... On and on and on...

Me and my mental coach Anders Stävhag.

Well, still smiling! :-)

Alone but so happy!
Thank's all that people who did follow me live and through Internet.

Saturday two days ago some really good friends from my hometown came visiting me and wanted to go out in the mountains with me as there guide. Of course, I put up and showed them this part of Sweden. The days before it was rainy and also the day after! Crazy luck with the weather I must say :-)

Here, and perhaps all over the world, it's very popular to run up in the mountains. Guess it's not only about the hard physics that it takes. It's also about the mental part. It's very beautiful up there...

Great landscape! Nice runnings!

Well, when running in my yellow shirt and black tights people identify me from The Run and want to talk about it, say hello and smile to me. Sometimes even people in cars honking at me and waving.
So fun and perhaps also what I wanted all the time. Friendly people! The running really has helped me with that I think.

Never forget to say hello and smile when out running! It really can do miracles :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth! #ELS
/Flexirun

290 days left and: "I'm Back!"...

... Terminator once said. Well, I'm no terminator just an ordinary runner. Well, ok! I did run around The Great Lake here. 137,88 miles in 44h, 57min, 4sec. Well, not a super-great time but the cause was to come around the lake... and I did it!

When running I didn't use my cellphone that much. Instead I got information from my family and friends by the way. It was unimaginably to understand how many people out there who was following me on the app Endomondo and in the local newspaper Östersunds Posten. Still can't believe how I could inspire that many...

Well, I just did my run and I want to thank You all who inspired me out there when running and I got a lot inspiration back from You all!

Me doing The Run of 137,88 miles...

Yesterday I did a run for 17 miles and felt just great before, under and after. Think my little overworked tendon in back of my right knee is healed to 100%. Still I must be careful and listen to the body before I do a little harder runnings but that's ok :-)

The St. Olavs relay goes from Trondheim to Ostersund.
In 4 days I will run about 208 miles with a friend!

As I wrote here 12 August 2013 I do have a new project "running" with a great friend. First I was going to do a 4-day relay of 208 miles called St.Olavs race all by myself but decided to do it with a friend. We will have a meeting where we decide how to implement the relay. It's a bit logistics that must be fixed with. Like car, food, where to do the shifts etc. Going to be SO FUN!

On todays 6,27 + 1 mile run I met some people and: All of them smiled and said a friendly Hello! When running yesterday to the city and back a friend in a car hooted at me :-) Fun!

Well, 290 days left to the 4-day relay and I can not wait... ;-)

As usual: Say Hello and Smile and everything will be much more fun!

Me on a mountain-run...

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

RUNNING AGAIN!!

Hello friends out there! Well, I'm not writing that much since The Run around the lake here but I will write every weekend. Or perhaps right after the weekend. This Saturday and Sunday I was up in the mountains and tried to run a little. I did two runs and didn't feel anything at all in my tendon back of my right knee. So happy I can't tell!

Only real pain I got was soreness and lactic acid but that's like heaven if compare to that pain I had from the injury! Once again I'm so happy to run again :-)

Pictures below is taken on my way up to the top behind my lodge in the mountains.
I went ALL WAY UP! About 1620 ft in 2,5 miles! Pictures below was taken on the way up to the top Sunday 18th Aug. :-)

I really loved every step today! Muddy, but I loved it!
Not injured and no pain at all :-)

Lovely views on the way up to the top of the mountain...

Up, up, up! Never give up! Soon there!

The goal is reached! Finally at the top.
My legs really hurts with lactic ;-)

Me at the top when I could stand again...

Little rest before running down again.
Much harder to go down than up I think...

Ferns have been on earth for about 350 million years
and dominated for 100 million years...
Lot of them on this mountain.

Well, I did meet some people walking and course I did say Hello and Smiled to them! They asked who I was running in the mountain like that... and I told them :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexiriun

The New Project...

... circulated in my head long before The Run was finished. I'll say before the run around The Big Lake even was a thought! This relay has been in my mind for a couple of years and I've always been thinking of running it all alone.

This new cause will be something else than The Run, when I did run 137,8 miles all alone. This time a very good friend and me will run a 4-day long relay between the Norwegian city Trondheim and the Swedish city Östersund. An Easy, Light and Smooth distance of 208,28 miles (335,2 km).

Well, this time I will try to run for a specific cause. When do The Run I only tried to spread the lifestyle of running and run #ELS.

Exactly what kind of cause it will be I’m not sure of yet but perhaps I can get help from some little bigger companies. My friend and me have to discuss this thru and find a cause we both want to struggle for.

Now, what kind of run are we going to do then? Well, I think I’ll begin with the history about the relay then about the competition it self. Last I will try to describe the strategy to come thru 4 days of competition with just 2 members in the team.

The history of St. Olavsloppet

King Olav dies in Stikklestad July 29, 1030...

... and was canonized in 1032.

St. Olavsloppet (race/relay) established in 1988 and is a road relay between Östersund and Trondheim, start alternating between the cities every two years. To participate in the St. Olavsloppet is an excellent target for keeping fit, keep in touch with friends and colleagues, all need to be trained and the most important thing is to socialize, enjoy and have fun. Little like #ELS I might say :-)

St. Olavsloppet is the goal of wellness and welding gang in companies, villages, associations, institutions, organizations and more.

The race follows the scenic St. Olafs trail of Alsen, Åre, Sandvika and Stikklestad and is named after the Norwegian king Olaf Haraldsson, who ruled between 1015-1030. King Olaf was killed in the Battle of Stikklestad July 29, 1030. At this very point, King Olaf became the Nordic holy saint.

2013 organized the race for the 26th time

The 4-day relay from Trondheim-Östersund is about 208,28 miles
and the first race was 1988.

The race consists of four daily stages over approximately 330 km and the majority of the race is run on paved road. The teams are both racing and exercise types, but the majority is exercise type.

The races starts in Trondheim June 25 and will finish in Östersund at my birthday June 28 :-)

The race is arranged by Jämtland-Härjedalen Athletic Association in Sweden and St. Olavsloppet A/S in Norway.

The race is also sanctioned by the Swedish and Norwegian athletics federations in a very close cooperation with municipalities and industry.

About the competition

Every day contains between 10-18 parts to run and I guess it would be the best to do two runs each per day. One in the morning and one after noon seems to be best. We will run two times each and then between 9,5 - 17,5 miles. Going to be very fun!

Tracks profiles below must be read from right to left as they are from this years race!

Day one is not that hard really. Quite #ELS one could say ;-) Couple of hills but not like day 2! A good first day I think.

Day 1
Trondheim - Levanger Norway
60,71 mi (97,7 km), 14 parts to run.

Day two is extremely hilly! Almost 1400 feet will be climbed... Guess we split the first part in two and also the second, hilly part, in two.

Day 2
Levanger - Sandvika, Norway
39,39 mi (63,4 km), 10 parts.

Day three we will have about 3,1 mi (5K) hill-run at start. Then we are in Sweden and a lot of running downhill :-)

Day 3
Sandvika - Järpen, Sweden
38,28 mi (61,6 km), 10 parts.

Day four will be running both uphill and downhill but nothing like day two!

Day 4
Järpen - Östersund, Sweden
69,90 mi (112,5 km), 18 parts

Our strategy

It's really not that much to say about the races but there are some "issues" to be resolved. Among other things:

• Run in the morning and/or afternoon
• Accommodation
• Sponsorship
• Run for a charity

Well, we will have a meeting about all this and also do some running together. But as The Run once, it's a lot of time left... ;-)

Please try to say Hello and Smile to the ones you meet out there when running or walking!

Easy,  Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

Patience friends! Patience!

I'm writing on my next project. A great relay between Trondheim (Norway) to Östersund (Sweden). I will run about 208 miles with a good friend of mine and we will share the 4 days of running with each other in half.

The 4-days relay between Trondheim and Östersund
208 miles!

Once again be patience and I will soon be writing, at least every weekend, on this new project!

Thank you for following, inspires and encourages me!

Oh, don't forget to say Hello and Smile to the one You meet when out running or walking! :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!

/Flexirun