Öhrn Life Management

I just signed up for Singapore IM 70.3.

A race I have been wanting to do for a while, but it has not fit my schedule. this year they moved it to March instead of September for some reason and it looks like I can go!

Singapore is close by, I have never been and have friends there so I think a triathlon would be a good way to see the city. Or citystate rather.

Signing up was seamless, very slick and Adrian and his friends at Hivelocity had done a good job.

It is much easier to motivate yourself to train with a clear goal, now I have one that is more clear than just saying that I will do Singapore without having signed up.

Aviva Singapore 70.3

The field says to be star-studded “already”, so I don’t think that my apperance will make a huge impact. But who knows? 

I hear that Singapore is similar to Disneyland in terms of order and cleanness, so it will be a great experience I am sure. Boring? I don’t know. I don’t think so, and right now I don’t really care.

I do most of my running on a treadmill. I used to say “Treadmills are boring. Superboring. I don’t know why anybody would ever consider running on a treadmill – you can almost always run outdoors.”

I remember walking the streets of New York City in the fall of 1995. I was living in Westport, Ct at the time and went into the city on Sundays, which was my day off.

It was October, or perhaps it was November and sure it was windy, and it was most likely raining. But still.
I saw hundreds of people running on treadmills inside all the different health clubs. I thought it was insane. Sad people I thought, they have nice sidewalks, a beautiful park to run in. But still they were inside running. I just concluded that it was very American and very sad. Remember I was living in Pleasantville at the time – Westport – where no one would ever touch the pavement, unless that touch would get them into a fancy boutique. So I was a little bit fed up with convenience at the time.

When I was training for Marathons a few years back I occasionally ran on a treadmill at work, because it saved me some time, it was in a way convenient. But still – Boring.

When I got my coach last year he made sure I had access to a treadmill. He said he did not care if I did all my training on treadmill.

I was a bit puzzled, but also more accepting, since in Bangkok you can’t always run outside. Partly due to the heat and partly due to traffic.

So here I am, clocking kilometer after kilometer on the treadmill and I am starting to enjoy it. I have arranged so that I listen to my iPod while running of course, audiobooks are great!

It has its advantages, especially if you like me are a beginner triathlete. There are many things to learn as a rookie, for me I had to start from scratch with swimming, biking – was a new technique mainly due to a completely new bike and then running. I thought I would get by “easily” in running thanks to experience, but no no.

“Shorter steps Fredrik. Much shorter. And more steps, a lot more.”

So now I am trying to get in at least 90 steps per minute, and practicing that on a treadmill has been great.

I am really starting to come to terms with my treadmill, and I am glad.

I have been off a proper program now for about two months. Just casual running, swimming and biking whenever I got a chance and just in order to not loose too much over the holidays.

Today I recieved a new program for the week to come though.

Monday: Swimming 20*100 m and Running 50 minutes, easy, 90 steps per minute.

I know the pool will be freezing at the time I can manage to get some swimming in, which is in the morning. I know I’ll be standing there thinking to myself that I am crazy for even thinking that I will be able to do a proper swim, I will put my feet in the water, then my legs up to the knees, jump in and keep my arms and hands way above the surface, I will through the pullbuoy in front of me and then dive in and think "this is amazing, this is Thailand and I am freezing my azz off in the water"

But, it’s winter. And training has begun.

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My last evening on the island this trip, and I wanted to do a slightly harder and longer run.

We set out for the southern tip of Koh Samed and ran on the gravel roads, up & down, up & down.

It was a beautiful evening, nice and warm and together we did 10.9 kilomters in 52 minutes; 5 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer according to Js iPod.

It may not sound super fast, but considering the hills I was very pleased. Tomorrow we will head back to Bangkok and I know I’ll be inside on my trainer again…

There will be no nice ocean views no snakes to watch out for and certainly no potholes to not step into.

In Koh Samed where I currently am spending some time I can run and swim, not really bike. But the running and the swimming is great.

This morning J and I set off around 7.45 am for a short run – only 30 minutes followed by an ocean swim.

Swimming here is like swimming in a pool, except there are fish passing me underneath. It is warm and clear and just tropical, some people would call it perfect conditions I am sure.

I am one of them.

Running and swimming – I am ready to take on another day in paradise.

We arrived in a new island today. We have two friends visiting which is great, super-nice guys and one of them enjoys both running and swimming.

The weather was nice, much better than in a long time but not too hot.

At four in the afternoon we set off for a few kilometers of running – or should I say jogging. The landscape is a bit ondulating, and pretty much all gravel roads.

We ran from our en of the island across to the other side, past the pier and then we turned around.

All in all about 8 km and I felt good – I am getting back into shape.

We are in Pranburi, the resort says that it is located in Hua Hin, which most resorts around here say – even if it is not.

Anyaway.

I am trying to get some training in. Saturday I took my bike out for a spin, the bike did not like it, it did not enjoy the wind that tried to blow both me and him off the road several times.

Running is better, in the wind at least.

So last night I finally got my act together and went for a run. I had a nice route planned, along the beach for a few kilometers and then up towards the main road and the main road back towards the bay. According to the streetsigns in this country it was about 12 kilometers. It was not that far but it was fairly nice and flat.

I am in thailand in the countryside, which means dogs. So I armed myself with some rocks and kept running, preparing myself to bark at them, to run faster and to climb a palm tree in order to escape and get away from their jaws.

While running there with stones in my hand, I asked myself: Would I be able to actually throw them at them if I was under attack?

I don’t know.

As it turned out most dogs along todays route were chained. So my only problem this session was all the chili I had for lunch.

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This evening I had a good run, out and back. Along the beach out and on the beach back.

The place is Pranburi, just south of Hua Hin in Thailand.

It is not really training, just staying in shape – and just barely. But I am enjoying myself!

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