61 degree change in latitude, straight down the way

We're packed! I have a giant bag!

Now to drop from 60 degrees to -1 degree latitude and try running again.

See you soon friends in the North, see you sooner friends in KENYA!

 I look tired! I felt pretty good this morning until I saw this picture.
x

So long Stockholm

Last night we did our last training run in Stockholm. We just made it out of the house in the midst of packing and were very glad we did as the most beautiful moon had just risen over the City Hall in the clear sky.

Thanks for all the training terrain Stockholm, see you for recovery runs.
x

Stats for the week (1st June - marathon month!)

ONE - Some lovely early morning runs this week. And the sun has come out in Stockholm, so we are finally getting the chance to try out our super-snazzy hats. 
TWO - Rich's family have been visiting this weekend, so we have been having a fine old time visiting our usual haunts with a three-year-old and a one-year-old in tow. This is a beauty of a quote from Harrison. We rather annoyed him by, instead of being terrified by our impending doom, launching into a whole series of these. "Orange to live!", "mango to dance!", "pineapple to go to the moon!".
THREE - Rich at the Historiska museet, with totally random children. These guys are not related to him, they just decided to take part in the picture. This makes me even more amused at the little guy on the left's face. He was there entirely voluntarily.
FOUR - Thank you so much to everyone for the sponsorship. You are marvelous.

Terrain profile and course map

We got a map! This is actually a real race, who knew! It's good to see an outline of the course, and alarming to see the terrain profile. My favourite thing about this though is how different it will look to us in three weeks time, when we can picture what it actually looks like.

My favourite bit of this is 13.4km: spectators will encourage you here! Least favourite is definitely 8.7km: beginning steep climb. I fear that on the second time around this may become beginning steep walk / stumble up a hill.

Stats for the week (25th May)

ONE - Yes! The first time we have run more than a marathon in a week! Now we just have to work up to doing it in a day.
TWO - We found a new route this week, which took us over 5 bridges and 6 islands on a six mile loop. It was a perfect day for running, sunny and a little breezy. Up and down off the bridges makes for some very good hill training and some daunting moments when you are at sea level looking up at the bridge that you want to be on. We accidentally found ourselves caught up in the tail end of the Stockholm marathon too, albeit on the other side of the barriers. I simultaneously felt very pleased with myself for prancing along up a gradient (completely unjustifiably, since everyone else on the bridge was on about mile 20 by then, and I was on 5), and terrified at the grimaces on all other faces. Marathon running looks tough.
THREE - Something we have been asked quite a few times throughout this escapade. Truthfully though - yes. Which is not to say that half the time (maybe more than half the time) I am not sure why I am running in the first place, or that it's always fun to get up an hour early to run (it is never fun to get up early to run), but we've been to bits of the city we would never have gone to, and been out in all weathers and temperatures. We saw a deer so close we could probably have caught it and ridden it home. And though 26.2 miles still feels like (still is) a bloody long way and quite terrifying, I can now run at least 16 miles. 16 miles! That's actually far!
FOUR - Ready to be pestered?

Leuven

I went to Belgium for work last week. I did not do any running at all, despite my best intentions. One month to go before a marathon - that's a good time for a break, right? However, I did drink beer and visit a magnificent toy shop, so not a wasted week. Also, the conference was pretty good.

Stats for the week (11th May)

ONE - Most of these in the course of one run, where we got hopelessly lost...
TWO - From me, whilst hopelessly lost, and in a forest. I thought we were going to have to make a camp and hold off the wolves all night.
THREE - Here are the extra 3 miles we accidentally ran, round and round in a lovely nature reserve at sunset. We were setting off on a 13 mile run from a friends house, our of town, having spent the afternoon eating and sunbathing; correct warm-up for a long run? Then we waved everyone off on the tram back to town, slightly apprehensive, and realised my phone was also speeding away from me, in Ilary's bag. With it our maps. On the plus side we saw a deer as close as anything! He was lovely, and startled. On the negative side I have only just regained the use of my legs, and we didn't get any pictures, since phones now double up as all electronic gadgets.
FOUR - nothing new, but a happy tally!