I was feeling great today. One of those days when you're just full of energy and raring to go. I'd felt this before I'd even got my running kit on but this proved spot on when I got out in the cold and began to run.
I'm in Stockholm on business and the climate change at this time of year is considerable. I left a relatively mild and wet Paris and arrived in cold, snowy Stockholm with about 10cm of snow lying around and a temperature of -1°C. I'd packed a running jacket and a headband but I'd forgotten just how cold your hands get when it's like this. I regretted not having thought about these after the first kilometre.
It was my usual route in Stockholm form the Marriot Courtyard (great hotel by the way - fully recommend it if you're staying in the Swedish capital) so down to the lake (actually the sea as I was informed by my Swedish colleagues later. Don't know whether this is a language problem for instance as the distinction between pond and lake but they insisted that this is bigger than a lake!). Anyway along to the city hall over 2 bridges to the far side and along the lakeside until the West bridge, where I changed for once and ran under onto another island. A small tour of this island in the pitch black, almost slipping on the ice, before heading back to the West bridge, over this and then back to the hotel.
10.1 km all up in 44:20 or an average of 4:23 per km. It would have been faster but for the uphills and the stretch in the dark where I had to slow down. All the flat, lit sections were run at marathon speed (4:10 pace).
Great feeling out there today. Felt like when I was running when I was young in the dark - full of energy and you feel as though you can run forever.Hope this continues...
Footing
10 years ago
2 comments:
Hi James,
Here's food for your thoughts about lakes and ponds. In my university days, I studied "Walden" by Henry James Thoreau, a classic of American literature. It's autobiographical and most of it takes place near Walden Pond. The professor who was doing the lecture (a very learned man as you can imagine) told us one day that the French translation as "L'étang de Walden" was absolutely outrageous. The correct French word for it, he said, was "lac".
Forget about the gossip teller career. See, I'm still reading you though there's not much gossip too be found in your last posts ;-)
Having looked up in greater detail about Stockholm, the city is located on Lake Mälaren, that flows eastwards into the Baltic Sea. It was once an inlet, or fjord of the Baltic but sand has reduced the depth of the outflow and it is now considered a lake.
The lake is at its narrowest, in the East, around Stockholm as it flows into the Baltic. This is the part that I run around, using the bridges to cross over and then alongside the water.
I think that the water is actually saltwater at this point (freshwater to the West of the city and saltwater to the East) which is why the Swedes refer to the part that I run around as the sea! So now you know.
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