After more than five weeks of almost no training at all (due to a very prolonged virus infection) I was finally able to pick up my training again. I also went on a one week vacation with my family to the Swedish mountain and managed to get two runs and one hike up a mountain done.
The Swedish mountain are fairly old and therefore do not have very sharp peaks. They've been rounded by the glaciers during the ice age. One would think that this makes it easier to run but it also means that there are a lot of rocks and boulders everywhere.
Nice view from a peak
I quickly realized that I was extremely spoilt when it came to running back home where I mostly find asphalt, gravel and nice smooth trails along fields. I'm extremely grateful to Eric for all the slant board and balance discs exercises that have strengthened my feet enough to survive this (for me) unusual terrain.
The two runs went fairly well but a lot slower than I had expected. I found myself "mountain goating" along the trail, jumping from rock to rock with quick, short strides. The terrain was either rocky paths or 1 feet wide walk boards that required some concentration to stay on ... especially the more "springy" ones. It was a lot of fun and I realized that it required a lot of concentration to run in this kind of terrain. I let my mind stray for a short while and managed to get a very nice scratch on my knee (which my 4-year old daughter was very happy to patch up for me).
One of the mosquito infected paths I explored
Unfortunately I'm now back home in farm country again. I learned that the mountain hut we stayed in arranges running camps a few times a year. I now know what I want for Christmas this year :)
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