This has been a record-breaking week. I ran a total of 34 km. And I broke my distance record this last wednesday by 4 kilometers with my first 10 km run since my army days.

I will try to run the 10 km lap twice next week.

I ran my first continuous 10 km (6.2 miles) since my army days today. I ran as usual to the marina but continued on towards Sandvik. The Sandvik Track (the “loop” on the map below) runs inside a nature reserve so it’s a beautifull run thrue some very dense forest.

I use the running calculator at IFORM (in Swedish) to measure the distance of my runs. According to IFORM my run was 9.87 km, however, I got kinda lost there at the far side of Sandvik so I probably ran an extra 500 meters.

I’ve learned that running can be very meditative. Sometimes I reach that elevated phase – I think the experts call it the “steady state”. All I think about is my breathing and running posture. It becomes a mantra of sorts. “Breath in – breath out…” I repeat to myself. It clears the mind.

My toe nail has been bruised for more than a week now. It doesn’t hurt but I don’t know exactly what is causing it. It could be that my shoes are a bit too tight but I’m not too sure about that. Apparently it’s a common phenomenon among runners – just like sore nipples.

I bought some new gear. A pair of shorts and a couple of training t-shirts. Shirts made of cotton doesn’t breath, but these polyester shirts do. It’s much more comfortable to run in.

I ran 5×6 km this week. Next week I will attempt my first 10 km run.

It’s been a hot week. With the temperature rising close to 30° C (86° F) in the shade during the day I’ve been forced to run earlier and earlier in the morning. Past 8 AM it just gets too hot for running.

I think I need to get something lighter to wear – the black Adidas I bought a few weeks ago are not exactly ideal right now. A pair of shorts is what I need.

I reached my goal of running 24 km this week and I’m raising the bar for next week to 30 km.

Level up! Sam gains:

Level 2
+1 STR
+2 STM
+1 AGI

Or with less “geek”: This week I’ve gotten a tiny bit stronger, I can keep running for longer periods of time than before and I feel a little bit more nimble as I run.

It seems all of my muscle soreness concentrates in my calves now. They get very tight and unflexible after a run – no matter how thuroughly I strech the calf muscles. I hope it doesn’t mean that’s the only muscles that is getting a thurough workout.

I ran 4×6 km this week. Next weeks goal is to repeat the same feat.