Chasing two rabbits I - Stoltzekleiven Opp 2017

The first rabbit is caught!

The one who chases two rabbits catches none, says an old saying. Since after the summer holidays I have been chasing two very different rabbits: PB in both Stoltzekleiven Opp and Oxford half marathon. The races are just one week apart in time; the first one short and steep, the other one long and flat. I have been wondering whether it is possible to achieve both goals, or wise to train for two so different races at the same time. On the other hand, thanks to organized training sessions towards both races the training has been a lot of fun, and I have been enjoying it very much.

In 2014, I had decided not to participate in Stoltzekleiven Opp, because I was participating in Oslo half marathon just a week before. But during the training towards Oslo, I discovered to my big surprise that I was doing much better at Stoltzekleiven than earlier. So I raced anyway and got a new PB recorded. In 2015 when I was not able to run, I was doing only steep uphill races, and I put all my hopes into Stoltzekleiven Opp. That year, training towards this race was actually quite stressing. I felt like I really really had to achieve a PB, because otherwise there would be nothing to show for the whole year. Fortunately the PB came at the race, though I was nowhere close to it during the training sessions, struggling with negative thoughts along the way. Last year, the big goal was Amsterdam marathon, and I simply did not have the energy or the will to train for Stoltzekleiven.

This year, things have been going well since the start of the year, and training has been more fun and rewarding than ever before. In my fourth year as a "proper" runner and race participant, I finally seem to have figured out the right balance between the dedication and discipline that is required to achieve results and the fun and joy of simply playing with friends. I think it is because I have finally confidence that training will work and things will gradually improve. Typically, right after the summer holidays I would find Stoltzekleiven training very hard, and I would have thoughts like "This is my maximum effort, and I am so far behind my PB, how am I ever going to do better at the race?" This year it was rather "I know that every time I train, the next session will feel easier, and I will become faster without increasing my effort."

Frank and I joined the Stoltzekleiven training sessions of Fjellgeitene as soon as we returned from the summer holidays this year. We also participated in all of the four trial races that come every two weeks before the real race itself. The training sessions were Mondays and Thursdays, and every session involved going up and down Stoltzekleiven at least three times. The Monday sessions were my favorite: first time up all at once fast pace, second time up four long intervals with a minute break in between, third time up 1-minute intervals with 30 seconds break in between. Although I know this might sound pretty extreme to many, it was actually surprisingly doable, since the rounds felt easier and easier due to the decreasing length of the intervals. And it was a lot of fun to do it together, with many interesting and funny conversations during the descents.

I could not complete a full training session immediately right after the summer holidays, though. Sometimes I would find my own variant, for example just taking half way one of the last rounds. But most times I would be helped by some of the sweetest Fjellgeit ladies, in particular Linda, Ann Eileen, and Siri. During the intervals, when all the guys and the really fast gals disappeared, we would stay together and push each other through the last intervals. Especially Linda was always incredibly good in coming up with an alternative plan if we felt like we could not take more rounds. Several times, when I did not have time to go to the organized training session, Linda would come with me to do an alternative session another day. The best part is that, although she is so fast that she races in the elite class, she always played along and made me feel like we were at the same level, both of us complaining about fatigue or heavy legs from other training.

This training schedule worked incredibly well. It felt like it worked automatically by simply just participating, without having to push very hard. The progress was clearly visible in the results of the four trial races: 15:38, 15:27, 15:08, and 14:27. The last one was actually a new PB last Monday. And then there was more than 20 seconds improvement again at the race, just five days after that. Either I was really lucky and the race came when my improvement was the biggest, or perhaps I could have done even better in a couple of weeks. In any case, I will try to start the Stoltzekleiven training a little bit earlier next year.

Now the question is whether these Stoltzekleiven sessions have been beneficial or not for the Oxford half marathon training. Personally I think they have complemented my flat running training well. Anyhow I cannot do too much fast and flat running before some injury starts acting up again, and I think Stoltzekleiven has kept me happy, occupied, healthy, and motivated. Of course two races so close are not ideal. First you have to taper for the one, and then for the other, and then you start wondering whether it is too much tapering all in all. Oh well, we will find out in just about six days!

Let's see if I can catch that other rabbit, too.