5.5.14: Update...

	R	I	T	M	E	VE	Total	Av Pace
	<3:00 \km	3:00- 3:15	3:15- 3:32	3:32- 3:45	3:45- 4:30	>4:30		\km
Jan (%)	2	2	3	5	84	4	403.3	4:03
Feb (%)	2	1	7	10	79	1	398.4	3:56
Mar (%)	4	2	12	5	76	1	390.6	3:52
Apr (%)	4	1	17	2	76	0	404.4	3:51

Training

I'd taken a little break from writing here due to work and because it can get a bit monotonous continually logging training! (I've been updating my MapMyRun profile though, so more detail can be found there)
The above is my training since Jan as a percentage of the total at various paces (R=rep, I=interval,T=threshold,M=mara, E=easy, VE=v. easy). The main change is that my ankle is now really getting better again, meaning I have been able to work in more interval training per week than previous. This has mainly been in the form of the following:
A) Hill training - up at S:t Hans Backar, 6xlong, 5xsteep plus 2.5k tour on the SHE lap.
B) Track intervals - at Lunds CIP: 10x400m all-out (30s recovery) and 4-6x1km at T pace, with 200m jog (appx. 60s) recovery.
C) Road tempo - along the Hardebergaspåret, using the painted km markers from the edge of Lund. Usually 4km continuous, or alternating 2km hard\easy.
I've been strictly limiting myself to 100km per week, since this is a good balance between work and running right now, and lets me push as much as possible on the I and T sessions.

Racing

Being able to do good quality sessions again has really had a benefit with regards to racing. I'm now probably back to where I was before injury (so around a year since one ankle and 1.5 years since the other). The 3 big race highlights have been:

• DM 10k, Copenhagen: 33.14  (gun time, 33:07 net.).
• VM Half Marathon, same, 1.13.37
• DM Half Marathon, Lillebaelt, 1.13.50

The VM was an excellent experience, with ideal conditions and  crowds right along the course. I was slightly disappointed with the time - due to being trapped further back at the start, I was stuck just off the 3:25\km pace group and had to run a lot of the race alone trying to play catchup. I was particularly happy though with the DM Half due to the difficulty of the race: windy, hilly and right in the middle of tree pollen season; wheezing through the final 3km was extremely hard work! Ordinarily, I'd not run such a hard\long race at this time of year, but it was a race that would otherwise be hard to get entry for any other year, so it was worth taking the chance.

I've also been doing a few other smaller races, such as the Ryssbergsloppet (pictured below), a 13km hilly trail race out in Sölvesborg in Blekinge, my first Swedish trip outside Skåne and the Egå Engsø rundt in Aarhus where I managed 16:35 despite pacing Katrine at 3:30\km for the first 2km - big finish :-)

Future

I've now entered the Lidingöloppet, one of the biggest trail races in the world, held on Lidingö island, just NE of Stockholm at the end of September (144 days from now). This is a fairly tough race, primarily on distance (30km) rather than climb (approx. 500m). So the majority of the summer will be spent preparing for that, which will involve as much hills and distance as possible.

At the start of June, I plan to run the Midtjysk Bjergløb out near Silkeborg - it's 27km and around the same level of climb, which should give a good idea of where I'm at and what I need to work on (primarily endurance at this point).