Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Please let the film load – it is in HD. And remember to turn up the volume! The music is Steve Reich remixed.

9AM - starting out from home in fierce wind and snow

...and two hours later, when I returned after my 20K

In some places the snow was this deep....

...and in other places the snow was this deep!

And this is what it looked like in between.

(ES: 3) af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Amager Fælled in snow

All to soon winter seems to have arrived. It is below zero, the snow is falling, the paths are covered with ice, and the wind is freezing. Well, for running it is actually my favorite time of year. I don’t know why, but somehow the opposition from the weather seems to energize me. Albeit not before the run. There I hesitate as much as the next man when I look out the window and try to convince myself it is time for yet another run. But on the road, in the weather, I feel great both when it is snowing, when it is raining, and sometimes also when it is windy.

Today I took a 25K run around Kalvebodløbet and onto Amager Fælled.

Check out the details fo my run: Unavngivet af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Here are som pictures from todays run.

Dressed up for a snowy run!

Vestre Kirkegård in snow

A bench waiting for better weather

10K and still smiling!

Amager Fælled

At 15K I begin to suffer a little from the conditions - but still 10K to go!

The stuff you see when running in wintertime.

PC firing up the mood at Østerbro Stadium before todays run

Finally the new season kicked off for me and I got to join the Sparta Sunday Training again. Last season was my first and I only joined after New Year. But this season I am there almost from the beginning (the others started a week ago).

I decided to put in some extra K’s and ran from my home on Vesterbro as well, and thus today ended up with 25K for me.

I ran with team 8 today, going 5:20 min/km. All in all we were close to 100 runners on team 8 today. Fantastic. And big thanks to the Sparta pacesetters for a job well-done.

Check out some impressions from todays run:

At the lakes on my way to the Sparta Sunday training

First water stop at Utterslev Mose - 5K

Water cups at the water stop

Running along Utterslev Mose

Two-level running along Utterslev Mose

Check out the details of my run here: Unavngivet af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Amager Fælled in fall colours.

This is the time for rides in forests and elsewhere, where the fall colours are available galore. Valbyparken and Amager Fælled today was just incredible. Sunshine, clear sky and fantastic colours.

Riding on a carpet of fall(en) leaves

Leaves and shadow

Birch trees and low hanging sun

Cows in a corner

Check the details of todays mountain bike ride here: Unavngivet af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Tina and me in El Raval - before the climb to Montjuic!

Three weeks after the Berlin Marathon – the for me infamous Berlin Marathon – I eventually got back to running. My sore on the heel from the majestic blister I was suffering from, from kilometer 25, after three weeks had almost disappeared. And the sever pain in my left calf and my left achilles also almost had disappeared. Hence when in Barcelona – where I will run my next marathon on March 6 2011 – i put on my running shoes and went out running again. And it was delightful.

Tina and me after the climb up the Montjuic.

Did two runs; one through El Raval and up the Montjuic, and another down to the harbour and beach and through the Parc de la Ciutadella.

Early morning sun at the harbour in Barcelona.

Running past Barceloneta along the beach.

...and running past a Halloween sand castle on the Barcelona Beach

Running through the Parc de la Ciutadella

Check the details of the runs here:

Barcelona morning run af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Unavngivet af thehenningthomsen på Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

View towards the Placa Espanya - where the start of the next Barcelona Marathon will be on March 6 2011.

Berlin Marathon 2010 - The medal to prove it!

Let’s start with the good news: I made it to the finishing line of the 2010 Berlin Marathon, and I crossed the finish line as well! But on the way to the final meters of the 42,195 kilometer I had severe doubts that I would ever make it so far.

In the starting area wearing protection from the rain

Morten Kruse (his marathon debut) and me (my second marathon)

Appropriate rain-wear

It had rained all through the night, and the rain kept coming when we made our way to the start – all 42.000 participants. It was cold also, and somewhat windy. Last year saw 27 degrees Celsius for the Berlin Marathon, which is warm. But this year was different but also very challenging. Hence my fears of not making it all the way to the finish.

First half went okay the circumstances and my not so extensive preparations taken into account. 1:50:37 was only 6 minutes slower than my first half of the for me very succesful Copenhagen Marathon 2010.

Balloons let loose at the start

Moving the first meters of the 42,195 of them!

At one of the refreshment stops

On the road and beginning to feel the pain!

Lots of cheering on the way from enthusiastic spectators

But the second half was slower, and harder, and almost made me give up. At 25K I began to slow down. My thighs were very cold and the muscles started to cramp. I had a severe and seemingly large blister on the left heal, that contributed to the pain I began experiencing at this point.

I stopped a few times in the early 30K’s, not only to drink water but also to relieve me a little from the pain by walking for a while. Off course this is a bad strategy, since starting up again, when your legst are feeling cramped, is even harder than under normal circumstances.

From 35K and onwards I started fooling myself, by promising me to be allowed to stop running and walk for some meters whenever the next KM-sign appeared. And when this happended, I told myself, “why don’t you go on to the next sign instead, since it seems you are on the roll” (which I wasn’t at all, running KM’s of about 6 minutes!).

At 39K I begin to believe in it all again - now I know I am going to finish and beat the pain and the temptation to just sit down and moan!

And eventually the remaining distance got shorter and shorter, and the crowds got larger and larger, and the cheering more intense. Then you just cannot stop. In particular with the host of Danes gathered along the route who with the help of my Denmark shirt and my name, which the organizers had put on the racenumbers, had an easy time shouting to me “Henning, looking good, only a few kilometers to go, keep up the good work!” First time this happened I got a total scare. Where the hell did they know my name from!! Had forgotten all about the racenumber at that time. But I certainly wasn’t looking good, I can say that.

Unter den Linden and less than 1000 meters to go

Running through the Brandenburger Gate and only 100 meters to go

When at 40K you enter the last few kilometers you know you are about to make it to the finish line and then you also enter Unter den Linden and face the Brandenburger Gate, and behind it, the finish line. Then and there I gave it my best and very last and eventually crossed the finish line in decent 3:57:14 and with a large lump in my throat.

10 meters to go!

I look beaten and happy, as it were. I made it! I did it!!

I had not given in and given up! I had made it all the way and finished my second marathon!!

We both made it, Morten in 3:28 and me in 3:57.

Lots of medals; lots of winners!

And the rain never really stopped.

Check out the horrible details of my run here: Unavngivet by thehenningthomsen at Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

Sheep on Amager Fælled

The first book I read by Haruki Murakami was ‘A wild sheep chase’. It came to my mind today, when riding my mountainbike on Amager Fælled. A stiff, westerly wind, first sunny, and then later, in pouring rain, I did a 34K/90 minute bike ride, to give my achilles tendon some rest from running. And I passed this group of sheep and stopped to take their picture. And Murakami came to my mind. As always, the plot of the book is not very clear to me so many years after I first read the novel. But the feeling it evoked then, a rather disturbing feeling of not quite knowing where this writer would take me, has remained in my mind.  The rest of my morning bike ride was a little like that. It started out in the most wonderful fall sunshine. Airplanes taking of from Copenhagen Airport and crossing Amager Fælled with a roar. The wind picking up a mighty speed on the flat commons. And the sound of my bike, my breath, my heart. After passing through one of the forests scattered on the commons, the wind picked up even more. And when I again was facing westerly I saw that the horizon was turning dark. I was in sunshine still, but ahead of me low skies and darkness approached. Within a few minutes it was pouring down. I got home soaked but satisfied. A great bike ride. And a great memory of a book about sheep. Murakamis sheep. I’ll have to read it again.

Sheep on Amager Fælled

Amager Fælled in sunshine - flat and windy.

Amager Fælled - the rain approaching

Amager Fælled - getting darker...

...and darker...

...and eventually it rained, and i got soaked, but it was great - and I was back in my office by 9AM. Good morning!

Unavngivet by thehenningthomsen at Garmin Connect – Detaljer.

The starting gun has just been fired!

Today was the last major run before the Berlin Marathon 2010 which I will run in two weeks, on 26th September. I participated, together with 4.545 other runners, in the Powerade Copenhagen Half Marathon 2010. I had no big ambitions today. I have to admit that the preparations for my second marathon, has not had the same powerful focus, that the May 2010 Copenhagen  Marathon had. And even so, I felt today, for the first time in weeks, a total relaxed feeling allowing me to run very well for most of the half marathon. I truly enjoyed it, smiled, took pictures, and ran relaxed, with very little pain in my left achilles tendon. Great. An a decent time at that, finishing in 1:45:14.

Left to right: Kirsten, Morten, Stine and me in our yard before the Powerade Half Marathon

First pit stop at 5K

Cups galore!

Stine (to the left with #1728) with the 1:55 group

Refreshment post at 12K at the Royal Theatre and Skt Annæ Plads

Good advice: "Brug livet!" aka Carpe Diem

Beginning to feel the pain - at 18K

Close to the finish line - only 100 meters to go!

Did it! Crossed the finish line in 1:45:14

Stine Jacobi, left, and Louise Fischer, right - both with Personal Bests today!

Kirsten and Morten after the race

Morten harvesting supplies for after-run carbo re-loading

Powerade Copenhagen Half Marathon 2010 by thehenningthomsen at Garmin Connect – Detaljer.