21.7.14-25.7.14: Etape Bornholm
I tend to race very infrequently during the summer, particularly in July\Aug. I've never been so much into track, or a particular fan of running in hot weather\hayfever time, so 'running season' for me tends to be Autumn-Spring (mid-Sept to mid-April), with the summer primarily for easier longer runs.
However, this year I plan to take on the Lidingoloppet in Sept, which requires that I stay a bit fitter during the summer than I otherwise would. I thus decided a good plan would be to take a mid-summer training week, in order to give me a bit of a kick to keep running. Etape Bornholm presented a ideal opportunity, relatively easy to get to from Lund, with 5 mixed terrain races over 5 days totalling a marathon in distance. The event usually attracts some of the best runners in Scandinavia (and some top international ones), to a certain extent because it's the only game in town at this time of year with few other races around and because there are some decent prizes (25,000Kr to the winner, with prizes down to 10th). It's also held on a very nice summer holiday island :-)
My aim was to take each race very conservatively, treat it like training each day and see if I could make the top 10.
Mon, Round 1: Hasle, 10k, MT (70% road, 30% trail)
I came over on the ferry from Ystad on the day of the race. This was probably a bit of a mistake in retrospect since I was a bit tired\seasick and it was a rush to get to the place in time to collect the number. It was quite hot (25C+), so I found a nice bit of shade to sit in while waiting for race time. The course itself was advertised as flat, but contained a couple of nasty hills near the start and end (pictured). I went for 34min, finishing in 10th place in 34:20 with a 5k split of 17:05; I was pushed hard and overtaken in the last 1k by the leading girl, a seriously quick Ethiopian training in Sweden! I felt at the end I could've run quite a bit faster, not so good a feeling for a one-off race but perfectly conservative for the opener of a 5 day event. Bit of a disaster after the race where I managed to miss the bus back to the hotel in Rønne after a swim in the sea and food shopping - I had to slowly run back the 8-9k instead...
Tues, Round 2: Dueodde, 5.8k, MT (90% sand, 10% trail)
This was the hardest round to get to, requiring an hour and a quarter on a very hot bus to the southern tip of the island. I didn't get there until around half an hour before the race, so there wasn't so much time to get warmed up and ready (not that it wasn't already warm, another 25C+ day!) . I was somewhat nervous about this round, given the ankle injuries over the last 2 years. The beach was extremely cut up by people warming up, with lots of holes and some big stones hidden in a few places. The result of being cooped up for so long getting there was that I started way way too fast! (as can be seen on TV2 Bornholm's coverage here, about 4min in) I really paid for this in the final 1.5-2k in the sand dunes, which really was hard going. Worse still, I hit my foot on a rock and picked up some nasty ankle sores where my wet shoes had dug in. I finished 9th, but was not so happy! I took a walk afterwards round the area and somehow managed to miss the bus again - as a result I didn't get back until 22.00, quite hungry having not really brought enough food. Not such an great day running-wise, but a lovely beach and superb weather.
Weds, Round 3: Almindingen, 7.8k, MT (90% trail, 10% road)
Weds was forest trail day, my favourite terrain, especially in the cooler woods on another hot and sunny day. The race itself consisted on a flat first 1k on road, followed by a long-ish hill from 1-3.5k going up around 70m, with a final 500m approx 20m uphill finish. From the previous day, my feet really did hurt, I had to cover the cuts and sores with 3 layers of sports tape and wear 2 pairs of socks to run in. I arrived around 1h30 before the race, in order to check out the size and length of the hills; while warming up, I added another injury, managing a big gash down my inner thigh cutting through some bushes. I was far more conservative than the previous day, taking it out nice and slowly. A good many others ran the first flat 1k far too fast, so I went from around 25-30th at the start of the hill to around 8-9th at the summit. My downhill running wasn't so great (tired legs, sore feet), which cost me a couple of places, but I did gain one back on the final hill sprint to the finish - this was great, with the crowd lining the sides of the hill. This was the day where tiredness really did start to bite; I think I ran around a minute or two slower than I would for a one-off similar race. This was especially true up the hills, where I held back quite a bit, with one eye on the hilly Thurs race. Had a nice walk in the forest afterwards to see the old Viking and middle age settlements and a recovery can of Tuborg and an ice cream :-)
Thurs, Round 4: Hammeren, 8.6k, MT (60% trail, 40% road)
The so called 'Kongeetapen', the King-stage, The Big One. 8.5k trail, starting with a 85m climb over the first 2km and ending with a 14-17% gradient final 435m long climb up the 82m of Hammer Fyr on the northern tip of the island. Thankfully, the day was slightly cooler than the previous 3, but still hot and sunny. The temptation really was there to go for it on this round on an extremely enjoyable route. However I was in the prize positions at this point and as per my pre-event aims, I decided to run as if this was an 18.5km race. I know from experience that tiredness really kills my speed, so saving myself for the Fri 10k by taking it easy and not doing stupid (fun) things like sprinting up the final hill was something I had to do. Again my downhill running wasn't great when a bit tired, something I need to work on before Sept. I somewhat 'phoned it in' the final 4km, just doing enough to stay in the top 10 positions without working too hard. Took a recovery dip in the sea (and recovery ice cream) afterwards, followed by another evening walk, this time up to Hammershus, the big ruined castle nearby with spectacular views out across towards Sweden.
Fri, Round 5: Rønne, 10k, MT (80% road, 20% trail)
I went into this in 10th with a comfortable lead of just over a minute on those behind me, so it was really a case of take it easy, stick to a good pace and see it away. Or so it seemed. The first 5k on road I covered in 16.49 as part of a group of 5-6 others, sitting mostly at the back of the group out of the sea breeze. But from 5-7km, on trail in the woods, I really started to struggle, my stomach suffering from effects of the heat and the previous days efforts. Even worse, the Norwegian just behind me in the overall rankings began to pull away, opening a lead of around 30s by 7k. Thankfully, I stuck with it and by 8k was feeling much better. The final 1.5k was probably the fastest I've ever finished a 10k in, dragging it back to 34.20 and securing the final prize spot (3rd pair of shoes I've won this year). I was particularly pleased, training wise, that I could manage the same time after a hard few days of effort as on the Monday - nice, conservative, well paced running just as I wanted.
Overall a great week! I think I could've pushed a bit harder, but it was a sensible idea to run conservatively and just take it as training, rather than going out and potentially wrecking myself. The event itself was superbly run and organised and it's definitely something I'd recommend for all abilities. Bornholm itself is an excellent holiday spot, especially when the weather is good like it was during the week...although like all seaside places in Sweden and Denmark, I feel it could do with a few more traditional English amusement arcades\fish n' chip shops! :-p
Bornholm! Bornholm! Bornholm!
Du, min dejlige ferieø!
Bornholm! Bornholm! Bornholm!
Ved den herlige Østersø!
Mit Bornholm!
Dine pi'r er så kønne
li' fra Sandvig til Nexø og Rønne!
Bornholm! Bornholm! Bornholm!
Tak til ferieglæder min ven!
Bornholm! Vi vil mødes igen!
However, this year I plan to take on the Lidingoloppet in Sept, which requires that I stay a bit fitter during the summer than I otherwise would. I thus decided a good plan would be to take a mid-summer training week, in order to give me a bit of a kick to keep running. Etape Bornholm presented a ideal opportunity, relatively easy to get to from Lund, with 5 mixed terrain races over 5 days totalling a marathon in distance. The event usually attracts some of the best runners in Scandinavia (and some top international ones), to a certain extent because it's the only game in town at this time of year with few other races around and because there are some decent prizes (25,000Kr to the winner, with prizes down to 10th). It's also held on a very nice summer holiday island :-)
My aim was to take each race very conservatively, treat it like training each day and see if I could make the top 10.
Mon, Round 1: Hasle, 10k, MT (70% road, 30% trail)
 |
| Round 1: Hasle 10k. Photo: Kenneth Jensen, Viking Atletik |
Tues, Round 2: Dueodde, 5.8k, MT (90% sand, 10% trail)
 |
| Dueodde Beach, from Wikipedia |
Weds, Round 3: Almindingen, 7.8k, MT (90% trail, 10% road)
Weds was forest trail day, my favourite terrain, especially in the cooler woods on another hot and sunny day. The race itself consisted on a flat first 1k on road, followed by a long-ish hill from 1-3.5k going up around 70m, with a final 500m approx 20m uphill finish. From the previous day, my feet really did hurt, I had to cover the cuts and sores with 3 layers of sports tape and wear 2 pairs of socks to run in. I arrived around 1h30 before the race, in order to check out the size and length of the hills; while warming up, I added another injury, managing a big gash down my inner thigh cutting through some bushes. I was far more conservative than the previous day, taking it out nice and slowly. A good many others ran the first flat 1k far too fast, so I went from around 25-30th at the start of the hill to around 8-9th at the summit. My downhill running wasn't so great (tired legs, sore feet), which cost me a couple of places, but I did gain one back on the final hill sprint to the finish - this was great, with the crowd lining the sides of the hill. This was the day where tiredness really did start to bite; I think I ran around a minute or two slower than I would for a one-off similar race. This was especially true up the hills, where I held back quite a bit, with one eye on the hilly Thurs race. Had a nice walk in the forest afterwards to see the old Viking and middle age settlements and a recovery can of Tuborg and an ice cream :-)
Thurs, Round 4: Hammeren, 8.6k, MT (60% trail, 40% road)
 |
| The final 'Tour de France'-style hill, with leader William Morwabe (KEN). Photo: Kenneth Jensen |
The so called 'Kongeetapen', the King-stage, The Big One. 8.5k trail, starting with a 85m climb over the first 2km and ending with a 14-17% gradient final 435m long climb up the 82m of Hammer Fyr on the northern tip of the island. Thankfully, the day was slightly cooler than the previous 3, but still hot and sunny. The temptation really was there to go for it on this round on an extremely enjoyable route. However I was in the prize positions at this point and as per my pre-event aims, I decided to run as if this was an 18.5km race. I know from experience that tiredness really kills my speed, so saving myself for the Fri 10k by taking it easy and not doing stupid (fun) things like sprinting up the final hill was something I had to do. Again my downhill running wasn't great when a bit tired, something I need to work on before Sept. I somewhat 'phoned it in' the final 4km, just doing enough to stay in the top 10 positions without working too hard. Took a recovery dip in the sea (and recovery ice cream) afterwards, followed by another evening walk, this time up to Hammershus, the big ruined castle nearby with spectacular views out across towards Sweden.
Fri, Round 5: Rønne, 10k, MT (80% road, 20% trail)
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| Tired at the start...(Photo: Kenneth Jensen) |
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| 'Hmmm...not quite the right size' (UK 14!) Photo: Kenneth Jensen |
Overall a great week! I think I could've pushed a bit harder, but it was a sensible idea to run conservatively and just take it as training, rather than going out and potentially wrecking myself. The event itself was superbly run and organised and it's definitely something I'd recommend for all abilities. Bornholm itself is an excellent holiday spot, especially when the weather is good like it was during the week...although like all seaside places in Sweden and Denmark, I feel it could do with a few more traditional English amusement arcades\fish n' chip shops! :-p
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