Too dark for running?

(Photo: www.hermitagemarketing.com/. ../8970/AFDE/H7.jpg)

I'm not a huge fan of treadmill running. But there are many reasons to use and love a treadmill during winter. Until King Winter knocks the door, I try to run as much as possible outside.

This afternoon Cecilie and me ran one-minute intervals around Sognsvann and Gaustad. I knew it would be pretty dark, still hoping to get around most of the loop. And we did!

We met quite many joggers with headlamps on. This one guy must have used a lamp for cross country skiing. It dazzled us like a dentist lamp! Most of the runners used smaller headlamps designed for running. I think we should have had one tonight.

A great headlamp for running is the Led Lenser H7. If you know your Norwegian, this is a great article on the head lamp. Led Lenser H7 is super light. The batteries are small and easy to carry at the back of your head. The light strength is 140 lumens, and that's good enough for running. The Led Lenser H7 weights only 117 grams and the batteries (3xAAA) last approximately 50 hours. Here's a link for you English spoken readers:)

Don't let the daylight stop you!

Worn out?

When do you know if your running shoes are worn out?

Many have no clue, others think they last last forever. Not even if you buy a brand new pair, place them on the shoe shelf and leave them there forever, will the shoes be the same as when you bought them new.

How many miles?

If you have a pair of solid cushioned shoes, most brands agree that the shoes last for about 1000-15000 kilometers (621-932 miles) of training. It also depends on your body size. Are you heavy, the shoes will last a shorter time.

If you don't log your runs, an easy rule is as following: You are running three times a week and your size is normal and you will need to change your shoes once a year. If you are wearing your shoes for leisure as well, then the shoes need to be changed more often.

Light weight shoes are usually less worn than well cushioned ones. Light weight shoes are often the second pair used for road races or interval training. And most brands agree on the quality of light weight shoes; you can use them for 600-800 kilometer (372-497 miles).

Why are they worn out when they look fairly new?

Many running shoes are made of EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate), known as expanded rubber or foam rubber. The rubber will get dryer and compressed from excessive use. EVA also dries out when the shoes just sit on the shelf for years. In that way your trainers will be worn out even when they look pretty good.

The shoes in the photo are mine - and shame on me! - They are worn out by far when the outer rubber sole is gone... Because I underpronate when running and prefer light weight shoes, they get quickly compressed as well and worn on the rubber sole.

Remember to change your running shoes frequently!

Meb won!

(Photo:www.chooseurfun.com)

Ok, no doubt, the highlight of my day was the ING New York City Marathon. I watched the first hour on Eurosport. But it's usually the second halft of a marathon which is really interesting, and Eurosport decided to show tennis from Doha instead... Well, not so much in my interest.

We plugged the computer to the TV and used the iPAL as a speaker. Not the greatest picture, but the point came across; really exciting running in both men's and women's races!

Very impressive win by Deratu Tulu. Imagine when your aunt wins the New York City Marathon and your nieces last name is Dibaba. Sporty family, I would say!

I'm actually most excited about the winner in the men's race. Nice job! I was cheering for Ryan Hall, but Meb Keflizigh did a great race and deserves the glory for sure.

Letsrun.com is worth the view today. They're never been famous for their taste for graphic design, rather the opposite... But the enthusiasm is impeccable.

MEB!!!!
MEB!!!!
MEB!!!!
MEB!!!!
MEB!!!!
MEB!!!!

Why did I get sick this time?

I'm lying here on the couch trying to figure out why I'm sick with a cold now...?

First, who's not sick at the moment? At my work 2-3 have had a cold lately and some of the others have been wiped out of either a cold or the flu. It's also easy to catch something when you're in the store and meet a lot of people...

Second, I have been too busy lately. Looks like I've been pretending to be super-woman when I look at my schedule from the two past weeks. When my knee got better and I could train like normal again, I also had full days of work, training morning and night, and socializing the rest of the evening. Can't keep going like that!

So, here I am on the couch in my cozy sweat pants with my "best friend" - the Kleenex tissues.

I need to slow down and look after myself. November needs to be a month of focus and little socializing. I'm going to the Europeans in August. I need to get the work done. that's what I have to remind myself!

Remind yourself to slow down!

We won!

Norway won "The Battle of The Countries - Northern Europe" Challenge. It led up to the Human Race on Saturday October 24. Rumors say that the Norwegian Nike crew logged another run and got extra mileage Saturday night - only hours before the deadline. That's some team spirit and competitive souls:)

I contributed, but my sore knee stopped me from running as much as I planned. I'm healthy again now and I'm happy about that.

What to do on Sundays?

There's probably many many things you can fill your Sundays with. The first Sunday in November and December and the following months, there will be a race in Frognerparken, Oslo.

There will be three distances to run: 1 km, 2 km and 3 km and the start is 12.00 PM. Children as well as grown ups are welcome to race! Read more about the new Park Sprint coming up on November 1st in Frognerparken, Oslo.

Have you heard about Siris Treningscamp? Siri's been in charge of weekly workouts in Frognerparken and now she is pulling together races for you. You should come, push yourself and meet new friends.

You will have plenty of time to race, cool down, get some dry clothes on, catch up with friends for coffee before NYC Marathon begin:)

I will be there and you should come too!

Run away with Runaway!

(photos from swicheasy.com)

Found this little plastic thing at loplabbet.se the other day. Ordered it at switcheasy.com for $8.99. I already have the Marware and I'm pleased with it. Because I've been quite busy logging mileage at nikeplus.com and I don't run with Nike shoes every day, I like to use the shoe pouch.

The Runaway from Switch Easy is made of hard plastic and you attach it to your laces like the Marware pouch. The Runaway has a slice in cap mechanism to attach the Nike sensor inside the pouch.

You twist and lock and then your Runaway shoe pouch is attached to your own choice of running shoes!

And best of all; the pouch is weather proof. That's great when the Nike sensor is made of hard plastic as well...

Do you log your runs?