Boston 2012

December 1 = Official Boston training starts. I have just finished NYC marathon in 3:08. I was on time when my hamstring cramped up at mile 24, a little bit disappointing but looking back at it, I did everything right. A couple of changes for Boston when it comes to training. Im going to add more hills for sure and maybe push myself on the really tough sessions. Also I hope to use CEP compression shorts or some other compression....Today we started out with semi rough hill session....

Sugoi and Boston

All my Sugoi gear worked really well. The socks are crucial for me, but with the Sugoi socks I dont have any issues. Enough of compression and protection from blisters. Together with my Mizuno Ronin shoes, I didnt even think about the feet, they just kept going and I have no problems today. As for the shorts I had chose Sugoi Jack, I was a little bit afraid that they would be warm, but with the result in my hand, again I didnt even think about them/ I loaded up the back pocket with two gels and they were very reachable when I needed them and they did not interfere with my run. The Jack kept me dry and no issues with chafing. Im now very tempted to try out Sugoi split short 42, for really hot days.
Last, the Rsr Singlet. What a great product. This piece moves with your body and transport the sweat away from your body. I'm big sweater but I felt comfortable all the way from Hopkinton to Boston, no chafing, it just went with the flow. It has the mesh part under arms and on the top of the back part, perfect.
I was hoping to see Sugoi at the expo, but unfortunately they were not present. Maybe that was a good thing for my wallet :)
New York City marathon is coming up in November and I'm sure Sugoi will have the fall collection colors ready for me!

Boston 2011

Its over and I'm still smiling. True I was aiming for a sub 3 marathon, but when looking back at the race it was nothing I could have done differently. My finish time was 3:01:51. I guess you need some kind of luck at the start. This year the start was extremely slow despite the fact that they had three start waves. I was unable to find my pace and get into racing zone. To much zig zag through the bunch. My splits were good, but the lie. Sometimes I had 6:00 pace, sometimes 7:00pace. It cost to much energy to run like that and as a result Heartbreak Hill ate me alive, and I had to jogg the last 6 miles 7:30 pace ish. Also it was a hot day. I fueled up as planned, to bags of UCAN generation, two Choc9 gels and salt pills. The weather was great but to hot for me, I ended up taking salt pills every 30 min. Energy wise, it all worked really well. The Chocolate # 9 gels gave the extra energy when I needed it and my energy levels were steady. And most important of all, no GI crash after the race. My family was amazed how alert I was compared to last year. Thanks to UCAN and Chocolate #9. I have a new Boston Qualifier time and I will be back next year for a sub 3.

Deer

During yesterdays run, a herd of deer crossed just in front of me, apx 5 meters. I counted them to 12. A truly amazing experienced and one of the biggest benefits of running and living so close to nature!

Sugoi Dress rehearsal

So, a couple of days left until Boston and the final dress rehearsal. I decided to squeeze out apx 5 miles with 3 of the miles at marathon pace. All the gear from Sugoi worked really well, especially the RsR singlet, very light weight, breathable and it moves smoothly with you...Awesome product. Today the temp was about 75 and the jack short felt a little bit on the warmer side. The temp for Boston will be around 50 ish so they should be fine. The jack short fits great and does not interupt with your run, gives semi support as well.
As for the shoes, Ive been using Mizuno Ronin now for a while, and this is a shoe I really digg. Light weight perfect cushion and responsiveness. This shoe will carry me all the way for sure.....

Dress rehersal completed and I'm really happy with Sugoi and Mizuno!

Patriots day 4/18

If you have a slow Monday at work, you can always follow me. The start is at 10:00 am, 16:00 SWE time. If you are in US you can get info direct to your cell phone. My bib # is 3863.
Updates during the race can also be found on Bost0n Marathon website. The site will look differently on race day and it should be fairly easy to find!

So look for 3863, all support means a lot!

Single digits of day left until Boston Marathon and the Taper has been going on for two weeks now. With the Taper comes anxiety, have I done everything I could have done? Did I log all the mile I should have and the list goes on and on......

What are the most to do in Boston and how should you battle the Boston Course? From my own experience, you have to target your pace and I stick with the plan. Lots of runners over the 114years has been burning all the fuel the first declining 10 miles, including my self. Its very easy to go with the flow and get excited when you hear the crazy crowed of Boston. But once again, stick with your plan and aim for your target pace. Someone has also talked about this strategy. “On the easier parts, run faster and slow down on the tougher parts of the course” I’m not sure if I’m qualified to follow that race strategy and I think it’s much easier to hit the wall if you are not sure on what you're doing.
During the course there is several of “famous” spots. Of course we have Heart Break hill. To me Heart Break hill was kind of an disappointment and I actually didn't realize until I had finished the hill that I actually just ran the famous Heart Break Hill. The incline is about 4% and the Hill itself is not to bad, but if you have burned all the fuel on the down hills, your legs might not like it. If you pass Heart Braek hill in good shape, you should have a fairly nice last 6 miles as it is all down hill toward the finish line. According to me the most exciting part is “The Screaming tunnel” The students of Wellesey College (Womens College) lines up outside the college to cheer the runners, its literally breath taking. And if you have time, you can always stop and give the girls a kiss.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYvDpq4gurU&feature=related

During the marathon weekend in Boston, everything is about the marathon. Boston city totally explode. All over Boston you can see runners walking around with the”must buy” marathon jacket. Each year Adidas who is the main sponsor of the event release a jacket which represent they year you ran. This year the jacket created lots of anxiety and complaints at different forums. First, the colors and design were awful ugly, and second the logo was printed, not embroided as it use to be. Its funny how small details like that can create anxiety along Boston runners.
As everything is focused on the Marathon, the expo is the highlight of the pre events. Here you can find all the leading running brands and the latest gear. I can not really compare to other major marathon expos as Boston is the biggest and the only bigger event I have participated in. But I can assure you, it will not let you down.

Other then the expo, you should really just walked around the Boston area and suck in the atmosphere of the Marathon, you might bump into a couple of Boston Red Sox fans as they always have a home game on Patriots day, but that is secondary for us runners, patriots day is all about Boston Marathon.

Blame the Canadians! Sugoi.....

Craft has always been a brand Ive been using, since I took over my dads old Craft base layer, mid 80's. I still use the same base layer from time to time and that is maybe the best grade you can get.....still going strong..
But for my Boston Marathon 2011 I'll be using a different brand. Since i moved over to USA I got introduced to the Canadian brand Sugoi Ive been using Sugoi for a couple of years now, and I'm really impressed, especially with their winter gear and jackets. Sugoi has kept me warm and dry for the important winter Boston training for the second year in a row, with some help from Craft ;)
For Boston I will wear the RsR singlet and Jack shorts, both are very light and breathable and with a tasteful design. I was hoping to use Sugoi knee socks as well, but the size did not work out for me this time (to thin legs or to big feet, your pick)but I will wear the compression sock. So hopefully Sugoi will give the extra push to finally do a Sub 3 marathon!www.sugoi.com

Taper

Three weeks left and maybe the most important three weeks of the training, the Taper! The plan is to follow Pfitzingers three week plan with some personal tweaks, maybe doing a 5K as a tempo run this week etc. The taper has started out well and its very welcomed as the weather its kind of shitty again, rain today and another snow storm tomorrow....Its kind of nice just do 40 min of running then....
Slowly, Ive started to use the Boston equipment. This year it will be gear only from Sugoi and shoes from Mizuno. More of reviews etc following weeks.....Last long run on Sunday, only 17 miles pheew, got to love the Taper!

Boston 2011

Pheew, three months into Boston prep and almost there.... Of course the goal for 115th edition of Boston Marathon is to run it under 3 hours... So far so good, no injuries other then a couple of bruises. The big issue this year has been the weather, apx nine major snow storms, minus degress (-30 in SWE)etc etc. The motivation has been tested for sure.
Finally I have now started the taper and I can already feel how the energy is coming back slowly and I can stay awake after 8 PM.....