Summer and Autumn 2014

First of all, I’m so sorry for not writing anything for a very very long time. I’ve had some extremely busy months with loads of work due to the split, and then when coming home, opening the PC is not exactly what I crave to do ;) But, I’ve been training a lot, and I ran my first ever full marathon
in August. I’ll give you an update on everything below, including my trip to Peru. But first, how are all of you? How was your summer? I’ve had an active summer, and also active fall. I’ve focused on training outside, and to spend time in the beautiful Norwegian nature. Sooner than later winter is coming and then we only have a few hours of daylight to play in…. and these few hours are
often spent inside in the office. So get outside and play 

Summer vacation in Peru (where it was winter)
I made a promise to my dad after climbing Kilimanjaro, to join him on an adventure to Peru. So 2nd July we set forth. I cannot go into detail on everything we did, so to make it short; it was amazing. We hiked down (and up again) Colca Canyon, we had a few days’ visits on the Titicaca lake, where we also hiked up a small mountain. We visited numerous Inca places, and ended with a hike on the Salkatay trek to Macchu Picchu. Active days every day, and with almost 3 weeks spent over 3000 amsl it also gave us perfect altitude training 

Aker Solutions annual cycling trip from Lysebotn to Kristiansand
I finally managed to join this fantastic cycling trip! I’ve been signed up the last three times, but different circumstances have made me cancel it. This time however I was pumped and ready, and of course I was signed up for the long distance; 220km with (at least) 3 pretty hard climbs the first day. The first one is from sea level to about 1000m in not very long distance, straight up,  climbing at a… how to say it, abnormal angle for cycling. My manager; Ole Jan Friestad, and MMO’s CIO Geir Aarvik made a promise to stay with me, and to motivate me up the hills. We
started and it went OK… to start with, then after a few hours it started to rain… or it’s fairer to say; showered. After 10min we were soaking wet, and in 1 degree centigrade weather you can do the math yourself. It was horrible… my legs stiffened, I could hardly speak and not at all use my fingers to brake. Down the last hill to our main stop (after about 7 hours) I almost cried and
had decided to quit. I was after all going to run a marathon the next weekend, and this was just inhuman. If it didn’t kill me it would surely give me a heavy cold. I stopped my bike and Ole Jan asked how I felt. How to respond to that I briefly thought? I’m not a quitter, I am strong and I can handle mental and physical challenges… but today I’ve hit the wall, I was exhausted, disappointed,  extremely cold and not at all motivated for another 70km… I said; “I have two choices, I can change all my clothes or I can quit” – and then, I saw the bus with our bags in! Hipp hurray! Ole Jan cheered me up, and basically told me I had no reason to quit when I could change into dry clothes. So that’s what I did, I used veeeeeeeeery long time to change, and bought myself I treat afterwards before hitting the road again. The next 3 hours went superb, it was almost to warm ;) After in total 10 hours cycling we finally came to our first hotel and what a victory that was in my head! Thank you so much for staying with me the entire trip Ole Jan and Geir, if it weren’t for you guys I would have quit. Also, I have to mention, today was a horrible day not only for me, but for all of us. It was extremely wet and cold; people were soaking wet, freezing, shaking and tired. But we all did it; we pushed through and thanks to an amazing team giving us food, drinks, blankets and motivating words we all finished in pretty good shape. 
The next day the sun was shining and the last leg to Kristiansand was lovely. All in all I recon this
was a perfect distance training for the marathon next week. Again, thank you
Sykkelprosjektet Stavanger for an amazing trip! 

Marathon (Stavanger), half marathon (Oslo) and half marathon (Sandnes)
30 August 2014 I did something that, up to then, was listed on my “Not to do list”… I know, normally people have “To do lists” but some things are just insane to think about, so running a
full marathon was, together with climbing Mt. Everest and other crazy things, on this list of mine… I’ve always said it is too long, too hard, I’m not build for it, it requires too much and so on… the list is long. BUT because I cannot say no to a challenge, especially when it’s certain people challenging me… I stood there, nervous like crazy early Saturday morning amongst super fit, super skinny and super “marathon-type-looking people with a BIB on my chest. Ready or
not, this was it. Bang! The start went, and I told myself; the next time your
feet stops you’ve ran 42,195km! 
I must admit, I’ve had many hours sitting all still and thought about this race. I’ve been through questions like; How to keep “out of the head”?, In what pace to run? Music or no music? What if I must quit? Or… what if my mind tells me to quit, how to convince myself I can do it? What to eat? How often should I eat? What to drink? Should I sit still, or keep training the last week? If training, how much? I’m sure I’ve been through a million questions and a million scenarios. But now I was running, with music, and I had one goal; to finish by running the entire race. I told myself the time was not important, but of course it is…. Deep inside I hoped to finish on less than 5 hours. And…
I did; I finished on 4:28 and am soooo proud! While running the only thing I cared about was my pulse and to keep it below 80% of max. I had a steady pace and during the whole race I saw each km as a victory and cheered with a “wohoo” for each one. My dad, mum and sister drove around and also cheered when they saw me. Thank you so much for that! So, tick, first ever full marathon – done! 
 
3 weeks later it was time for Oslo Half marathon. Remember last year? Where I failed completely? I had that very fresh in my mind, and was determined not to do the same mistakes again. I knew I was in better shape, but… would the marathon have done too much damage? I
started slow, and kept the focus on my pulse. But after a while (10km) I decided to just go for it, I slowly ran faster and even though my heart rate jumped to over 190 I kept running steady and tried to keep focused. It was so fun running this day, and everything worked just as it should. I even raced as fast as I could the last 400m, and finished…. three… THREE!!!!! seconds behind
my best time ever! How is that even possible?? Arg… but I was very happy with the race, and after all it was 8 min better than last year ;) So Oslo, bring it on for 2015 – THEN I’ll beat you! 
 
Sandnes half marathon
Today (5th Oct.) I ran Sandnes halfmarathon. I signed up only last week, and since this is the first time they arrange it, and I have not (well almost not...) been training anything the past two weeks, I just wanted to finish below 2h. It was a hard race, with a massive insane crazy climb up a monster hill two times, and a mix of gravel and asphalt running. The weather was perfect and everything felt superb. I managed to finish at 1:52:28 and am very pleased with that.
 
Other things 
In addition to the above, I’ve done a lot of trail running in the nearby mountains, I’ve taken a kitesurfing course and, yes you can guess it, I’ve been running like crazy ;) Now my focus is Himalaya and Island Peak. I am super excited 

Trolltunga 2014

The last weekend in June we visited Trolltunga (The Troll´s tongue) the Himmelstigen way, in beautiful Hardanger. Trolltunga is one of the most spectacular scenic cliffs in Norway. 1,100 meters above sea level, hovering about 700 meters above Lake Ringedalsvatnet in Odda. Himmelstigen is a via ferrata, almost vertical! We also did Trolltunga zippen, which is 3 zip lines where you almost fly, giving you a real "wow" factor :)

The trip was absolutely fantastic, the first day it was me, my Dad, his wife (Janne), her oldest daughter (Stine) and her boyfriend (Eirik), and the next day one more daughter (Hege) and her boyfriend (Thomas) joined. A real family trip :)

The trip started Thursday evening, and my dad, Janne and I set off in their RV. We´d decided to go "the scenic route" to get closer to nature, and for me to experience this road. It was lovely, beautiful nature, waterfalls, mountains and lakes. Norway is really beautiful! We parked in Odda, and after a BIG meal we went to bed. Super excited about the next day.

We woke up early the next morning, and drove the last kilometres to the Trolltunga parking. Here we met our guides; Sol and Marissa from www.opplevodda.com . We were given a harness, helmet and a bike and started. First 7km cycling along the water, then uphill towards the via ferrata a few hours. A pretty hard climb, but not to bad. We took loads of breaks, and got to see the magical Trolltunga from below - amazing! That´s a goal right there, in just a few hours we would stand there, or I should rather say; jump there ;)

Finally we reached Himmelstigen, and started the climb. This via ferrata was very different from the one I did on Mt.Kinabalu. Here it was you who was responsible for your own safety, and the wall was pretty much vertical! Slow and steady, clip in, clip out and climb higher and higher - I just looooove it!! I am also very amazed and proud of Dad and Janne, you know, they are not 20 anymore... and not to forget Eirik and Stine who struggled with the height. To do such a climb not feeling safe is pretty hard core! 

A few more hours went by, and then, finally we were rewarded with almost no cue or people on Trolltunga! What a spectacular view! I can´t believe it does´t fall down, to be honest ;)

My dad and me jumping on Trolltunga

After some time at the top, we took the same route back down. This time, it was much scarier, going down the wall. We helped each others, and after a short hike, and the 7km cycling we were safe and VERY hungry back in the rolling house :) A lovely fantastic day :)

The next day we did Trolltunga zippen, which are three zip lines between the mountains just below Trolltunga. It was amazing, and something you just have to do if you are in the area.

I just love Hardanger, and would like to come back for more climbing and playing around in these mountains :)

Nordsjørittet 2014

On Saturday 14th June, I participated in Nordsjørittet, this time for the 5th time. Nordsjørittet is a 90km cycle race on both tarmac, gravel and on a muddy field. It goes from Egersund to Sandnes along beaches and through tiny towns. The scenery is lovely, and you really get close to nature in all possible ways. This is the 3rd time I started with TV-Aksjonen, which is a annual fund raiser for various cases each year. I feel it´s extra special to know that all of my start fee goes without any cuts to the case. I will definitely do the same next year :)

This particular Saturday the weather was fantastic, bright sun, clear blue sky and almost no wind at all – this rarely happens here on the west coast, so it’s something to put into the history books ;)

The day started way to early with a bus ride to Egersund together with the “early starters”. It’s so nice to feel the excitement in the air, especially when all elements tell us this will be a perfect day. When arriving in Egersund we were met with thousands of super-ready excited riders, eating and drinking to fuel up, all dressed up in sponsored clothes, it’s very colourful and special :) 

I started in seeding group 14 with start date 9:10am, in total there are over 30 groups! So as you can imagine this is a huge race :D

The race started and off we went, I had as mentioned earlier a goal to finish below 4 hours… did I make it? No… but I did set a new personal record :) I finished at 4:02:12, and are very happy with that. Of course I tried my absolutely best to meet my goal, but I am just not good enough yet. I know my weak points, and where to focus until next year. First, I need a new bike with better suspension and tires. Second I need LOADS of more training on loose gravel and stony, muddy hills. I am just too cautious… I know I can improve my time a lot by being more confident there. Last I need more cycle training in general; it’s just not good enough to start after Easter :) From now and until next year I’ll try to cycle at least a few times every week, to become super strong for next year’s Nordsjøritt :) :)

Come join me!! :)

Summertime and training

View towards Stavanger from Lifjellet

The past two weeks have been lovely here in Stavanger, superb warm sunny weather, and longer and longer days. My focus these days are cycling, to be ready to Nordsjørittet (90km) the 14th June... my goal is less than 4 hours, so I pray for southern wind, and not to warm weather. I´ve been cycling to and from work most days, and have had two longer trips on 46 and 53km. I feel ready, just hope I can hold back in the start to keep some energy to the last half ;)

In addition to all the cycling I´ve been walking in the nearby mountains, and paddled both on an old windsurfing board and in a canoe. 

It´s only one month to Macchu Picchu - hipp hurray! Can´t wait to get going :)

Hope you´re having a lovely time you too :)

7 Nutsløpet

The weekend started with climbing outside for the very first time here in Norway. It was amazingly cool! I went with a friend who is an experienced climber, and had a fun time. The same guy asked me if I were up for 7 Nutsløpet on Sunday… I´ve only heard about this before, but decided to give it a try. Basically it is an off-road run where we climb (or should run up) 7 small mountains. It is 14km long, and has a total of 900 altitude meters to ascend. It is arranged by Den Norske Turistforeningen www.turistforeningen.no, who also arrange 7 Nutsturen, which has the same route, but is more of a hike.

Well, just before 8am Sunday morning we got our BIB´s, and started to get ready. I had no idea whatsoever to expect, I did not know the route at all, but have been on one of the tops; Dalsnuten many times before. I´ve even tried to run up a few times and know very well it is a steep climb… so I put on my heart-monitor to keep an eye on my pulse, didn´t want to collapse either ;)

8:45 sharp we started and it immediately went upwards. I don´t have off-road shoes, so I thought normal running shoes would be OK… not exactly, the minutes we descended the very first hill I slipped on a wet rock and twisted my ankle, BUMMER! I sat down for what felt like an extremely long time, and checked for swelling and warm parts. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the fact I had a BIB on my chest… but I decided to continue, just a bit more careful downhill from now. And wohoooo I am glad for that! I just loved this run! Super duper hard, up and down hills, through small forests, over swamps,and the delicious reward when reaching a “summit” where you met super-nice people clipping a new clip in your BIB, while you enjoyed the view – just fantastic J

Borrowed from www.dntfjellsport.no

After finishing the 5^th “summit” I started to cramp in my calves. I especially felt it when jumping up on rocks and slowly running downhill, I tried my best to ignore it and stretched now and then. When I finally ran, or limped the last 200m I could see the muscles curling back there, ohhh it hurt sooo bad L But… it didn´t matter at all – I finished my first trail run on 2:34 ish, and am extremely happy with that. I know I´ll come back to these tracks to train and run some more, only with proper shoes J

If you are in the area, come join me next year!

J

The plan ahead

I´ve finally decided the next step, the next huge step towards my biggest dream... I am going to Nepal! Initially my plan was to wait until next year, and climb Mont Blanc this year, but things changed, and 24th October I´ll be in my way. It is very hard to believe... I´ve said to myself and people around me if I ever go there, to see the magical Himalayas I´ll never come back home... so I am very excited on my feelings, how will it be to see it all, to meet the culture and people and of course how will it be to climb in this mountains? It´s almost as I do not want to tell myself it is real, in case it isn´t...

Well, I´m not only going to watch, I am there to climb Island Peak, 6189m. A different type of climb, harder I presume, but oh so fantastic. I travel with Topas once again, and hope for a wonderful group of fellow climbers. In addition to climbing Island Peak, we are going to experience Nepal, and... to go very near the most beautiful mountain I´ve ever seen, or I haven´t seen it in real life yet, only on photos, youtube and movies... it´s Ama Dablam... this magnificent mountain is part of my big dream, and I hope and wish to sometime stand on top...

But, before I can even focus on Island peak, I have some other things to do...

The first thing is Nordsjørittet, a 90km cycling competition along the north sea coast. This will be my 5th time participating, and I hope I can finally beat my goal which is below 4 hours. It all comes down to the wind, and this stretch it known for not being nice to it´s visitors. I pray for southern wind, and cloudy skies with no rain :)

Next I´m going to Peru with my Dad and his wife to Machu Picchu, and the Inka trails. This will be a fantastic trip, and I promise you a thorough update when we come back :)

After that is a nightmare.. I´m doing a full marathon here in my home town; Stavanger. I am not sure what I feel about that... but somehow I signed up and now I am to proud, or strict to myself is maybe a better word?... to not do it. So I need to run run and run some more to be ready. I do not have goal, only to finish. It´s 30th August, so hopefully I´ll be ready :)

I hope you´ll stick with me to see how all of this are turning out :)

Thank you for following!

Wings For Life - World Run

The Catcher car

Today I participated in making history, I ran the world run "Wings for Life" which is a charity run for spinal cord research. 35397 people started in runs in 32 countries, all starting at the same time. The race did not have a fixed distance, or a finish line… well technically it was after 100km, but no one can run that long. So instead there was this Catcher car, starting 30min after the runners, with a speed of 15km/h, gradually increasing. This was the finish line; run as far as you can before the car catches you. After some time it caught up with the runners, and one by one we were caught. After just above 54 (!) km the last woman was taken, a young lady from Norway - congrats! The last man was beaten after 78km!! 78, that´s insane! I managed just above 19km and was happy with that. My goal was 23… so next year I´ll have to say 35km or something ;)


I am very proud to have participated in this run, especially since we together collected more than 3mill Euros! Imagine what that can do for research!

Next year I am certain this run will be even bigger, when the media knows more about it. Join you too! Sign up for information at: www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/join :)