Goals: Continue the “Chassis Build” phase, and run the February ultra distance.
- 2 x Zone 2 runs + 1 quality + 1x 53km ultra + 2 x gym
- Distance: 99.95 km (+35.85 km / 55%)
- Time: 10h 22min (+249 / 66%)
- Calories: 8520 (+3059 / 56%)
- Elevation gain: 781m (+291m / 59%)
This was the big week in February, continuing my February chassis build but more notabily attempting my monthly ultra run on Sunday. And I got it done, but not without some scares and scars.
I decided to become more diciplined about doing my strength exercises, and this week I tried to make it a post-run routine which means I do them immediately after coming home from a run.
I kicked off the week on Tuesday with a Zone 2 half marathon. The plan was simple: get the distance in, and don’t go too hard. I struggled a bit with discipline on the pacing in the first half but managed to settle in. I did experience some tightness in my left calf and some numbness in the right foot halfway through. I pushed a little harder the last two kms, and for the first time in a long time I felt some knee niggles in the right knee (runners knee). Immediately after the run, I got the strength work done. Step-ups, split squats, lunges.
I’ve exclusively focused on zone 2 runs since December, and have felt how my sharpness has decreased. I don’t want to do quality sessions on the slippery surfaces here in Stockholm, and the place is pretty flat. But spending this extended amount of time here without doing anything wasn’t sustainable, so on Wednesday I sought out some vert. I found the “biggest hill” near to where I live and did five 300m reps with ~10% gradient. The road was a bit slippery with snow/ice, making traction an issue at times (which is why I don’t like doing this in Stockholm in the winter). It felt rough and tough, as expected. I picked up a nasty side stitch on the last rep which I had to jog off, but it nevertheless felt good to inject some quality. Will try to do this once a week for the rest of my stay.
By Thursday, the body was feeling the cumulative load (and some knee niggles), so I opted for a “Low and Slow” zone 2 run. Focused on keeping the heart rate down (avg 133 bpm) and just getting the time on feet ahead of the big event on Sunday. It ended up being one of my efficient runs in terms of cardiac cost, despite the fatigue. I suspect it’s because my cardiac cost is lower at lower HR which made me think about doing some analysis on comparing activity efficiency broken down into HR bins vs pace.
Stockholm 50k ultra
Sunday was the big one. Stockholm 50k ultra. Two ultras down, ten more to go in 2026. This was actually the original January plan, but I had to skip it after I fell ill during the holidays. But since I had to come back to Stockholm for family reasons, I had another shot.
I headed out at 8:30AM on a pair of Hoka Cliftons, with a pair of Challenger 7s strapped to the outside of my Salomon 12L running vest. I started out a bit hot heart rate wise, but settled in after the first hour. I got behind on the fuelling early because I had miscalculated the amount of fluids I needed before the first rest stop around 25km (I had about a liter/40g of carbs too little). It wasn’t disastrous at this intensity, but I was mostly annoyed at not having captured the obvious flaw in my planning. At the halfway stop I filled up on 1L of Coke for my bottles, and only when I set off again did I realize I had two bottles of carbonated water being shaken in my vest. I was concerned for maybe 60 seconds while letting some pressure out, and thought that Coke in bottles are a common thing in running so surely this can’t end in disaster.
Leg fatigue crept in around 30–35k (glutes/quads), then right Achilles tendon became the limiter after 40k. Switched shoes at around 45km (from Cliftons to Challenger ATR) to give my right leg some variation and adjustment to the gait. The thought of taking a shorter route or even DNF:ing crossed my mind as I laced up the shoes, but I decided to keep going. Even if I had to walk it all, I was finishing. And I did end up walking some from km 50 to 53. Not the cleanest execution, but got it done. And most of all I was happy with my determination, as well as the fact that I was ok with walking. It is ok to walk in an ultra.
The “chassis” is definitely being tested. The niggles in the knees and calves earlier in the week are signals I’m listening to, but the ability to pull off a 50k+ run on Sunday suggests the engine is there. Strength + Achilles management next. Got exactly one month to the next big event.
