Keeping up the form during winter: Vinterkarusellen and Fløyenkarusellen

Spring is here and everybody is out running. Those who have kept or improved their form during the winter are already achieving new personal best times.

I have been wondering and asking around about what the English translation of "karusell" is, in the meaning of a series of races. I have finally figured it out: circuit! A race circuit is a series of races on the same course, repeated at even intervals (typically three weeks), that last over a few months' duration. This winter, following the advice of my trainer Ketil, I participated in two such circuits: Vinterkarusellen and Fløyenkarusellen. Winter circuits like these give a great opportunity to keep and improve your form even outside of the season. The fact that you can do better and better times at each race in the same circuit provides great motivation and inspiration. And as you know by now: I simply love participating in races.

Vinterkarusellen consisted of eight races between November 3 and March 23. Participation in at least five of the races entitled to a medal. Each time one had the option of participating in the 5k or the 10k course. My initial plan was to participate in the 5k races until the end of the year, and then participate in the 10k races in 2015. My hope was to be able to finish the 5k course (which is a tough one, with slight downhill first which you get as uphill on the way back) in less than 25 minutes before I moved on to 10k. I almost got there. Were it not for snow and ice during race number 3 and 4, I think I would have managed. (My personal record on 5k is 23:47 but that was at a track and field stadium.) During the first four races of the Vinterkarusell, I did 26:01 (on bare asphalt), 25:07 (on bare asphalt), 25:19 (on ice - running with spikes), and 25:12 (on ice and slush - running with spikes). I think the last one could easily become 24:30 were it on bare asphalt; I had a very good feeling and it was the easiest of all races up to that point. That was January 5 this year.

Then I started my experiments with various therapies, and ended up not participating in the next two races of the Vinterkarusellen. After a break of two months I participated at race number 7 on March 9 without any prior practice, which resulted in the worst time of the circuit. Given the situation, I did not let that weigh me down too much, and I was simply very happy to be able to race again. I was also planning to participate at the last race two weeks later, and hoping for a better time as I had gotten more practice since the last race. But a run the day before gave too much pain in my knees, and since I had already earned a medal, I did not participate. Instead I went to get my medal, met my Melkesyre friend Linda there who was also struggling with an injury, and ended up cheering the rest of my Melkesyre and Varegg friends into finish.

The course of this race is actually quite boring, along traffic and you go back and forth, instead of around a loop. Still I am very happy with the Vinterkarusellen experience. Especially when you do better and better at each race (I count it as better when the time slightly worsens as the ground conditions worsen dramatically), it is really perfect for self confidence and further motivation. Also, meeting your friends at the start and at the finish is always a great motivation. Last but not least, in circuits of this type so many people at so many different form levels participate that if you are a serious runner, you end up doing pretty well no matter what. I ended up being number three in my class (of typically 60-80 participants) in two of the four first races!

Fløyenkarusellen was an even better experience, especially since it is organized by Varegg and almost all my friends from Melkesyre and Varegg participated. Fløyenkarusellen is an uphill race, quite short of distance, only 2.4 km, but with more than 200 m of elevation gain. It consisted of five races between January 28 and March 25. I participated in the first and the last two races, and I was a volunteer at one of the others. My hope during this circuit was to manage under 17 minutes, but as it was the case with Vinterkarusellen, I only almost got there. My times during the races I participated were: 17:17, 17:10, and 17:02. Still, I was very happy with my improvement during the circuit. Especially since I did better and better in the last two races (which were both in March, after my not running period) than in the first one which was in January when my form was more or less at its top. Being able to improve my race time although I was struggling with injuries and pain gave me renewed motivation and hope. And reaching the finish line at these races was an incredible experience. I knew almost all of the participants, and it was like a party up at the top of mount Fløyen every single time. In particular, several of my Melkesyre friends who did not participate, showed up along the course and cheered us, which made us able to push ourselves a little bit more every time. At the last of the Fløyenkarusell races, also Frank participated, which added to the greatness of the event.

There are circuits like these all the time all around the year. Most of them have the format of offering 5k and 10k distances, and some of them even offer marathons and half marathons. They are all over the Bergen area, so everybody can find one close to where they live. I can really recommend such circuits, especially outside of the race season.

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