This is it: Helsingborg Marathon, now
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The first 21.1k was basically transport. My plan was to get through it without spending too much effort or energy. I would need it later.
I listened to two live albums as I've done on many runs (The Rolling Stones "Totally Stripped" + The War on Drugs "Live Drugs"), reminding myself that this part was actually just another run.
Even so, my pace was faster than it should be. My effort was easy, but I probably got a little carried away by how great I felt and how much fun these races are.
At 7k, we raced through a cozy small harbour. At 10k, we climbed hills and soon got into the woods.
Around 16k, my right leg started aching. Not much, and I could still easily run. I have struggled with a sore tendon for a few months and it seeminly hadn't fully recovered.
I ended up running together with one of the pacers. He had apparently done his part (his co-pacers were far ahead), so he just chilled. Taking to people, joking around, and now running in sandals; nice guy, but wtf?!?
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At 7k, we raced through a cozy small harbour. At 10k, we climbed hills and soon got into the woods.
Around 16k, my right leg started aching. Not much, and I could still easily run. I have struggled with a sore tendon for a few months and it seeminly hadn't fully recovered.
I ended up running together with one of the pacers. He had apparently done his part (his co-pacers were far ahead), so he just chilled. Taking to people, joking around, and now running in sandals; nice guy, but wtf?!?
One stride at a time.
Running is repetitious.
One stride at a time.
An energy gel every 5k.
One stride at a time.
Easy breathing.
One stride at a time
Water or energy drink at every station.
One stride at a time.
Smile.
One stride at a time.
Trust the process.
One stride at a time.
Strides accumulated to meters that accumulated to kms.
One stride at a time.
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One stride at a time.
Running is repetitious.
One stride at a time.
An energy gel every 5k.
One stride at a time.
Easy breathing.
One stride at a time
Water or energy drink at every station.
One stride at a time.
Smile.
One stride at a time.
Trust the process.
One stride at a time.
Strides accumulated to meters that accumulated to kms.
One stride at a time.
I raced the same course last year. Running it again held up a mirror for me; I remembered places and inclines, experiences and emotions.
Last year, the heat knocked me out. From my race report: "I do not know how I managed the next kilometers. From 24 to 28-ish is a blur for me."
Yesterday, it gave me strenght to see I could negotiate the same streets and trails without much trouble. Even if my legs were getting heavier now.
Oh, and there was my wife and daughter with an orange and cheers!
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I raced the same course last year. Running it again held up a mirror for me; I remembered places and inclines, experiences and emotions.
Last year, the heat knocked me out. From my race report: "I do not know how I managed the next kilometers. From 24 to 28-ish is a blur for me."
Yesterday, it gave me strenght to see I could negotiate the same streets and trails without much trouble. Even if my legs were getting heavier now.
Oh, and there was my wife and daughter with an orange and cheers!
It is a somewhat challenging course, technically. Lots of hills, and lots of shift in the surface you run on. One moment, it's a broad street in the city; 100m later, a narrow forest trail. So I had to adapt constantly. This kept the race interesting and fun to run, but it also made it harder than what I'm used to from Denmark. Still, I felt strong and managed to keep the pace somewhat steady.
My daughter had compiled a Taylor Swift playlist for this part of the race (25-32k). It was good.
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It is a somewhat challenging course, technically. Lots of hills, and lots of shift in the surface you run on. One moment, it's a broad street in the city; 100m later, a narrow forest trail. So I had to adapt constantly. This kept the race interesting and fun to run, but it also made it harder than what I'm used to from Denmark. Still, I felt strong and managed to keep the pace somewhat steady.
My daughter had compiled a Taylor Swift playlist for this part of the race (25-32k). It was good.
Around 32k, I hit the wall. My legs hurt, I was thirsty, and there was still a long way to go. I knew I would struggle, physically and mentally.
Except ... it didn't feel like the struggles I've had in other marathons. My legs kept running, I didn't really suffer, and I was able to dismiss negative thoughts and focus on how being there brought me joy.
This was no existential crisis, rather a phase of the race I just had to get through. I had come so far, and I could go on. So I kept going.
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Around 32k, I hit the wall. My legs hurt, I was thirsty, and there was still a long way to go. I knew I would struggle, physically and mentally.
Except ... it didn't feel like the struggles I've had in other marathons. My legs kept running, I didn't really suffer, and I was able to dismiss negative thoughts and focus on how being there brought me joy.
This was no existential crisis, rather a phase of the race I just had to get through. I had come so far, and I could go on. So I kept going.
I learned yesterday how much experience matters.
When I was under pressure, I could calm myself down and focus because I had been in this situation before. I knew what to do when I hurt. I knew when to push and when to back off. I knew what was demanded to run the remaining distance(s). I knew when (not) to drink or eat.
I knew that if I stopped running and started walking, it would not solve anything. I knew I wanted to run this race.
It was hard, yes, but I was never out of control.
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I learned yesterday how much experience matters.
When I was under pressure, I could calm myself down and focus because I had been in this situation before. I knew what to do when I hurt. I knew when to push and when to back off. I knew what was demanded to run the remaining distance(s). I knew when (not) to drink or eat.
I knew that if I stopped running and started walking, it would not solve anything. I knew I wanted to run this race.
It was hard, yes, but I was never out of control.
Before the race, my PR was 4:24:28.
Early on, I felt I had a decent shot at beating it. Halfway through, I committed to going for it. Around 34k, as I was running through the wall, I knew I would succeed.
And with 4k left, I did the math and realized I could not only beat it; I had a real opportunity for breaking 4:15:00, which is a magical limit for me. It would require a steady pace of ~5:51m/km for the rest of the race. I could probably do this, but it would not be a walk in the park.
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Before the race, my PR was 4:24:28.
Early on, I felt I had a decent shot at beating it. Halfway through, I committed to going for it. Around 34k, as I was running through the wall, I knew I would succeed.
And with 4k left, I did the math and realized I could not only beat it; I had a real opportunity for breaking 4:15:00, which is a magical limit for me. It would require a steady pace of ~5:51m/km for the rest of the race. I could probably do this, but it would not be a walk in the park.
3k to go: Downhill in shadow with the wind in my back. Nice! I ran strongly.
2k: Now it was a flat course, so I had to work for every meter. I tried to accelerate, chasing my goal. I had to dig deep.
1k: Still a long way to go. It was hot. Runners struggled, elderly ladies cheered. The visceral buzz of the homestretch.
150m: So close now. I heard my wife and daughter cheer. There was only me and the finish line. I had a job to do; I didn't come this far to not give it all I had.
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3k to go: Downhill in shadow with the wind in my back. Nice! I ran strongly.
2k: Now it was a flat course, so I had to work for every meter. I tried to accelerate, chasing my goal. I had to dig deep.
1k: Still a long way to go. It was hot. Runners struggled, elderly ladies cheered. The visceral buzz of the homestretch.
150m: So close now. I heard my wife and daughter cheer. There was only me and the finish line. I had a job to do; I didn't come this far to not give it all I had.
I finished the Helsingborg Marathon in 4:14:31.
This was a monumental victory for me and an emtional moment Not so much because I shaved almost 10 minutes off my PR and broke a time I though impossible for me (yes, both of course matter to me!) - but because I managed to push through and keep going during the hardest parts of the race.
Time is but one measurement of performance. How I felt and what I learned yesterday is what matters most. In the end, we only compete with ourselves.
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I finished the Helsingborg Marathon in 4:14:31.
This was a monumental victory for me and an emtional moment Not so much because I shaved almost 10 minutes off my PR and broke a time I though impossible for me (yes, both of course matter to me!) - but because I managed to push through and keep going during the hardest parts of the race.
Time is but one measurement of performance. How I felt and what I learned yesterday is what matters most. In the end, we only compete with ourselves.
@askekammer congratulations 🎉- very well done!! Strong effort 🏃🏻♂️👏🏻💪🏼
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
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@jessamyn that's really sweet!
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@evan For the sake of this question I am assuming merb'ys are included, esp these folks from Newfoundland
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@swelljoe It is nearly Christmas.
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Bill Clinton should be in the same boat as Bill Cosby.
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Centolettori (ebook)
@libri - Peccato per la scarsità di notizie di contorno
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This week I bought another guitar and another domain name. Truly spiraling.
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Super-Sizing Insects and the Benefits of Bones
One swol mealworm amidst its weaker brethren. (Credit: The Thought Emporium, YouTube)
Have you ever found yourself looking at the insects of the Paleozoic era, including the dragonfly Meganeuropsis permiana with its 71 cm wingspan and wondered what it would be like to have one as a pet? If so, you’re in luck because the mad lads over at [The Thought Emporium] have done a lot of the legwork already to grow your own raven-sized moths and more. As it turns out, all it takes is hijacking the chemical signals that control the development phases, to grow positively humongous mealworms and friends.The growth process of the juveniles, such as mealworms – the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle – goes through a number of molting stages (instars), with the insect juvenile hormone levels staying high until it is time for the final molt and transformation into a pupa from which the adult form emerges. The pyriproxyfen insecticide is a juvenile hormone analog that prevents this event. Although at high doses larvae perish, the video demonstrates that lower doses work to merely inhibit the final molt.
Hormone levels in an insect across its larval and pupa stages.
That proof-of-concept is nice of course if you really want to grow larger grubs, but doesn’t ultimately really affect the final form as they simply go through the same number of instars. Changing this requires another hormone/insecticide, called ecdysone, which regulates the number of instars before the final molt and pupal stage.Amusingly, this hormone is expressed by plants to mess with larvae as they predate on their tissues, with spinach expressing a very significant amount of this phyto-ecdysone. For humans this incidentally interacts with the estrogen receptor beta, which helps with building muscle. Ergo bodybuilding supplies provide a ready to use source of this hormone as ‘beta ecdysterone’ to make swol insects with.
Unfortunately, this hormone turned out to be very tricky to apply, as adding it to their feed like with pyriproxyfen merely resulted in the test subjects losing weight or outright dying. For the next step it would seem that a more controlled exposure method is needed, which may or may not involve some DNA editing. Clearly creating Mothra is a lot harder than just blasting a hapless insect with some random ionizing radiation or toxic chemicals.
Gauromydas heros, the largest true fly alive today. (Credit: Biologoandre)
A common myth with insect size is that the only reason why they got so big during the Paleozoic was due to the high CO2 content in the atmosphere. This is in fact completely untrue. There is nothing in insect physiology that prevents them from growing much larger, as they even have primitive lungs, as well as a respiratory and circulatory system to support this additional growth. Consequently, even today we got some pretty large insects for this reason, including some humongous flies, like the 7 cm long and 10 cm wingspan Gauromydas heros.The real reasons appears to be the curse of exoskeletons, which require constant stressful molting and periods of complete vulnerability. In comparison, us endoskeleton-equipped animals have bones that grow along with the muscles and other tissues around them, which ultimately seems to be just the better strategy if you want to grow big. Evolutionary speaking this makes it more attractive for insects and other critters with exoskeletons to stay small and fly under the proverbial radar.
The positive upshot of this is of course that this means that we can totally have dog-sized moths as pets, which surely is what the goal of the upcoming video will be.
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Good move, Amtrak! Come on, corporations—do the right thing here; it’s actually good for business too!
Amtrak is slashing executive bonuses to give out $900 apiece to over 18,000 rank-and-file workers
https://fortune.com/2025/12/12/amtrak-bonuses-for-18000-workers-900-apiece/
