Oh my!
For the first time in my life, I have won a lottery - so I will participate in the 2026 Half-Marathon World Championship!!
(Along with a gazillion other people. For all practical purposes it is just the Copenhagen Half-Marathon, which I have done since 2019.)
The #ParisMarathon on April 12 is still my primary race of next year. But getting into shape to race the HM fast has just moved up my list of priorities.
See you on the starting line.
My race calendar for 2026 is taking shape.
Edit: Paris Marathon removed, Malmö Marathon added.
This morning, I took the train to Avedøre and then ran home, just to see something else than what I usually do. And yes, I am aware of the irony: it was dark when I ran in uncharted terrirories, and then the cloudy dawn lit it all up when I got to my home turf...
This was stage 41 of #52weeks52halfmarathons. There were headwinds all the way, but it was a nice run nonetheless.
Distance: 21.94k (total: 271.65k)
Pace: 5'37"
#ParisMarathon in 126 days.
This was a short easy run in the evening.
I would have loved to run further, but this was all there was time for before picking up my daughter. Every run done is a victory, though, and this one is no exception. Onwards.
Distance: 3.76k (total: 275.41k)
Pace: 5'36"
#ParisMarathon in 122 days.
This was stage 42 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
I train for a 42(.2)k race.
I'm 42 years old.
42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Coincidence? You bet! But this was a great run, where I explored some new roads (yololy adding 4k to the run), struggled with hard winds, and listened to a decent old playlist of mine. What a way to start the day.
Distance: 25.56k (total: 300.97k)
Pace: 5'44"
#ParisMarathon in 119 days.
Had a blast with #NikeRunClub's "Worst Advice Ever Run" this morning.
"No pain, no gain."
"If you aren't #running hard, you're hardly running."
"Numbers don't lie."
"Sleep is for the weak."
"You need to run every day."
"Running is boring."
@coachbennett, my philosopher of running, humorously shredded all this terrible advice, setting me up for a fun run. It was just what I needed. Thank you.
Distance: 5.60k (306.57k)
Pace: 5'23"
#ParisMarathon in 115 days.
Stage 43 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
Curiously, the run was mentally challenging. Experience carried me through, but even on autopilot this was an unexpectedly tough one. I probably needed this to process something, and a run is a run.
After all, running is my meditation.
Distance: 22.12k (total: 324.69k)
Pace: 5'32"
#ParisMarathon in 112 days.
A cheerful tempo run to start this day. The days are getting brighter now.
I compiled a playlist of Christmas music for running. It's 47 minutes of pure holiday spirit. 'Tis the season to be jolly. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2exZpqp5Fjl6wEdgw73SKA?si=GUnlSsHYTeumo3jzjfhOmA
Take care, folks. Remember to tell your loved ones that they matter - just like *you* do!
Distance: 10.52k (total: 335.21k)
Pace: 5'16"
#ParisMarathon in 110 days.
A long easy run, windy and humid. It was very nice to get out.
I should have done this run yesterday, but instead we watched "Hundreds of Beavers" and had mulled wine and cookies. I regret nothing.
Distance: 13.77k (total: 348.98k)
Pace: 5'37"
#ParisMarathon in 106 days.
A long run on a cold and beautiful winter morning.
This was stage 44 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
Distance: 27.11k (total: 376.09k)
Pace: 5'40"
#ParisMarathon in 104 days.
On the starting line for the last run of the year: the 10k Champagnegaloppen race in Køge.
It's nice and very informal, close to where I live, organized by the local runners' club. This is at least the 5th year I participate, and it's such a good way to end the year.
#EveryRunHasAPurpose, and true to my philosophy of #running, my plan is first and foremost to have a good time. But to push myself, I've also made sure my playlist is only 52 minutes. :-)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ffNX4QXmNdMoUrJg4jo44?si=mVmUu_soSjuf1qoDCoJnzA&pi=xozdVTzkQkWkQ
Champagnegaloppen done! 10k in 50:45 (official time). The weather was near perfect, and I got into the zone and executed my strategy exactly as I had planned for. This felt good throughout.
These were the last kms of 2025. I'll do a wrap-up later - now I need to get home, shower, polish the music quiz for tonight, and suit up.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Distance: 10k (total: 386.1k)
Pace: 5'04"
#ParisMarathon in 101 days.
While the pizza dough rose, I went for a quick run. This was a short fartlek, and it was both hard and fun.
It's 2026! New year, old me. This year, my running goals are:
- to still run at least twice each week
- to break 4:07:00 on the marathon distance
- to run Champagnegaloppen on December 31 in 49 minutes or less
- to still focus on joyful running
Distance: 5.30k (total: 391.4k)
Pace: 5'00"
#ParisMarathon in 100 days.
This week's long run was one of the most challenging and most memorable ones in a very long time.
It was freezing (with wind chill: -13°C), and I had to plow through 10 cm of snow for almost the entire distance. After 7k, I was toast. This was hard! And it kept on. But I managed, and it was a good experience. I feel like I learned a lot.
Stage 45 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
Distance: 21.61k (total: 413.01k)
Pace: 6'12"
#ParisMarathon in 99 days.
To whom it may concern,
I did a short write-up of the running I did in 2025 and my goals for 2026. It is what it is (namely a way for me to reflect and to remember), and it is somewhat self-indulgent - so bear with me.
See you on the next starting line.
This year, I ran further than I have ever done before, and it shows how much running has become an integral part of my everyday life. It is my meditation, the time where I clean up mentally and mindfully. Running is hard, but it is also fun and rewarding. It does spark joy. Otherwise, I … Læs videre "Running through 2025"
Did you ever watch John Carpenter's "The Thing"? (If no or yes, go watch it tonight.) This morning felt as cold as that movie.
But I got a short run in before waking up the family for the first day at school/work after a long and nice Christmas vacation.
I'll just wait here for a little while, see what happens. With a cup of hot chocolate.
Have a good one.
Distance: 5.14k (total: 418.15k)
Pace: 5'34"
#ParisMarathon in 97 days.
Good morning!
This was tempo run where I increased the effort continuously. Purpose: to train pushing myself, even when the going gets tough. It was cold and windy, icy some places and enjoyable throughout.
"The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for".
Distance: 5.21k
Pace: 5'22"
#ParisMarathon in 95 days.
Starting the day the best way: with an easy run.
This was a cold and windy run in the dark, with Springsteen as my soundtrack:
"Now, there's a fire down below
But it's coming up here
So leave everything you know
Carry only what you fear
On the road, the sun is sinkin' low
There's bodies hanging in the trees
This is what will be
This is what will be"
Take care out there.
Distance: 7.08k
Pace: 5'36"
#ParisMarathon in 93 days.
A pristine and most beautiful morning. Also a very cold one. But I did a nice long run, stage 46 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
These days, I play around with the hydration vest I got for Christmas from my mother-in-law. It's a Salomon 12 Adv Skin (recommended by @moelholm, thank you!), and so far I'm most happy with it. But I do look forward to not wearing a reflector vest on top of it...
Distance: 23.5k
Pace: 5'41"
#ParisMarathon in 90 days.
To make ends meet, I changed my routine and did an evening run. Running this late usually does not work very well for me, but this one was fun (and hard).
The first half was just an easy run to go pick up my daughter from a playdate - but as she was on a bike, the second half turned into a tempo run through the melting snow. Not super fast, but enough to push me a bit.
Distance: 7.7k
Pace: 5'35"
#ParisMarathon in 88 days.
Edit: typo
Because of family plans, I did stage 47 of #52weeks52halfmarathons this morning. It was a bit too icy for my liking, and a streak of red lights broke my rhythm in the beginning of the run - but apart from that, this was a nice break from grading papers.
If all goes well, my weekend run will be a spectacular one. Fingers crossed.
Distance: 21.58k
Pace: 5'52"
#ParisMarathon in 86 days.
I'm in Tromsø, north of the Arctic Circle. I had hoped for a spectacular weekend run under the aurora borealis - but the roads are too icy for outdoor runs to be safe so I must use the hotel threadmill. If there were ever a downgrade from expectation to reality, this is it.
Still, a run is a run, and I got to play around with pacing. And the northern lights were amazing Friday night. All is good.
Distance: 5.53k
Pace: 5'07"
#ParisMarathon in 84 days.
An easy and icy morning run.
For the first half, I could not really find my groove. It was ... ok, I guess. But when I then switched my music from Rosalía ("Lux") to The War on Drugs, I hit it bullseye and had a great run.
Distance: 8.21k
Pace: 5'31"
#ParisMarathon in 81 days.
It was a dark and terribly stormy morning, and to the beat of LCD Soundsystem's "45:33" I did a fartlek:
- 6:00 warm-up
- 2 x 1:30 @ 7/10 effort
- 4 x 1:00 @ 8/10
- 4 x 0:30 @ 9/10
- 4 x 0:15 @ 10/10
- warm-down until I got home
It was hard, and I got to really push myself, and it was fun, and I look forward to soon do it again.
Distance: 4.97k + some more not registered by the #NikeRunClub app
Pace: 5'15"
#ParisMarathon in 79 days. Getting there.
Stage 48 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
The soundtrack: my Radical Running playlist. It's good for a progressive run. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4G3UFLeVvtttZZNKF7Beft?si=DFxRVecJTaqS3Lx9NdRxwQ&pi=JWvIfsTlQoqzP
Distance: 22.92k
Pace: 5'36"
#ParisMarathon in 77 days.
This night, we had quite a lot of snow (by Danish standards), so this morning run turned out to be a somewhat technically challenging one. But challenges are fun, and I got to enjoy the beauty of the quiet morning. This is my meditation; I am recharged.
Take care out there, people.
Stay strong.
Stay sane.
Stay safe.
Distance: 5.42k
Pace: 5'41"
#ParisMarathon in 75 days.
Snow and black ice kept me from giving it all, but this was a (hard and) fun morning fartlek nonetheless:
- 5:00 warm-up
- 2 × 1:30 @ 6/10 effort
- 3 x 1:00 @ 8/10
- 4 × 0:30 @ 9/10
- 5 x 0:15 @ 11/10
- easy running home
(in-between the intervals: recovery run effort)
"Hey, I'ma keep running
'Cause a winner don't quit on themselves."
Distance: 5.21k
Pace: 5'15"
#ParisMarathon in 72 days.
Stage 49 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
This was a difficult run with hard winds and snow blowing; with wind chill, it was a freezing -16°c. So today, I trained endurance. #EveryRunHasAPurpose
Despite (or because of) the low temperatures, this was a beautiful countryside morning. And being able to stay in control and even increase the pace throughout the last 6k (where I ran against the wind) was a major win today.
Distance: 21.68k
Pace: 5'41"
#ParisMarathon in 70 days.
Bad news: #ParisMarathon is off (for me).
The combination of an excrutiating workload the next half year and sickness in my immediate family means that I had to cancel my travel and withdraw my participation. No need to sugarcoat it: it sucks! I had really looked forward to it, but the ends just do not meet. I feel very sorry for myself today.
I did a run this stormy morning nonetheless. Ever onwards.
Distance: 5.32k
Pace: 5'20"
#CPH42 in 94 days.
With the snow, the lights, the silence and calm of the world not yet awake, and Brahms' "Ein deutsches Requiem", this was a majestically beautiful morning run.
It was also hard, because I had to plow myself through 10-15cm of fresh snow for much of the run, and it was challenging and fun.
It was just what I needed.
Distance: 6.55k
Pace: 5'31"
#CPH42 in 92 days.
To mix things up, I took the train to Friheden and ran home this morning.
This turned out to be a difficult one, as most of the pavements and bicycle lanes were covered by a soup of snow, slush, and salt, and underneath it was a layer of ice. I'm not a big fan of #running on slippery surfaces; NO ICE!
A run is a run, nonetheless, and this was good training.
This was also stage 50 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
Distance: 25.02k
Pace: 5'50"
#CPH42 in 90 days.
Inspired by @robchapman, I started today's run a little later than usually to get to run in sunshine. It was a good call, as this turned out to be a wonderfully beautiful morning. (It was still horribly cold, though.)
Stage 51 of #52weeks52halfmarathons.
Distance: 21.47k
Pace: 5'35"
#CPH42 in 83 days.
Edit: typos
Good morning!
I did a run, where I focused on keeping the effort just a little harder than I usually would. It was fun, and if I had not had to get back to get the family out of bed I would probably have gone on for five more km.
The mornings are getting brighter (though not yet warmer), and today I even heard a bird sing. Spring is coming, indeed. What a time to be alive.
Distance: 5.11k
Pace: 5'15"
#CPH42 in 80 days.
This run was supposed to be a celebration.
Instead, it was a series of challenges. Snow, slush, soaked shoes, headwinds, heavy legs, cold, clouds.
I flipped the script. I had done this before. I had chosen to do it. I told myself to enjoy it. I did.
Overcoming a challenge is what makes a win. I struggled, and the run was a series of wins.
#52weeks52halfmarathons COMPLETE!
This was my celebration of #running.
Distance: 23.74k
Pace: 5'39"
#CPH42 in 76 days.
A nice and inspirational run with @coachbennett and Shalane Flanagan (in the #NikeRunClub app) through a dark and humid morning.
This was a good one, and even though I did not quite find my rhythm, I had a blast. Kept it easy and increased the effort slightly throughout.
"After winter must come spring
Change, it comes eventually
Everything is everything"
Distance: 7.31k
Pace: 5'28"
#CPH42 in 73 days.
This morning, there was no plan. I got out the door, turned right, and then improvised from there. I knew I had to cover at least half-marathon distance, but that was all.
The humidity was high, and I carried one layer of clothes too many, so the run was a little hard. I took it as an opportunity to train keeping up the mood while pushing through hard effort. The past years of training truly pay off.
Distance: 21.58k
Pace: 5'35"
#CPH42 in 70 days.
Kæmpe præstation igen igen.
Men som du skriver, så er det efterhånden ved at være en selvfølge! På sin vis.
Jeg har tænkt meget over tøj til i morgen, det er svært at fornemme i dette vejr præcis hvor meget tøj der passer.
Er det med væske på ryggen?
Tak. Og ja, det er spøjst, hvad man kan normalisere.
Ang. tøj: I går løb jeg med tre lag på overkroppen + lange bukser og shorts (men uden væskevest). Pga. luftfugtigheden og temperaturen var det ufornuftigt, for jeg svedte meget og blev noget tørstig undervejs. Så dér lærte jeg noget.
Påklædning ér bøvlet for tiden. Skulle jeg løbe et 5k-løb i dag, ville jeg nok klæde mig let på - men så til gengæld sørge for grundig opvarmning og for at have tørt/varmt tøj klar til efter løbet.
Tak for info om løbet i går!
Jeg overvejer lagene, det bliver nok de korte bukser og en tshirt, med pandebånd og halsedisse for at have lidt modstand mod kulden rundt om hovedet.
Grundig opvarmning og tørt tøj lyder smart! Det vil jeg huske i dag!
Det lyder fornuftigt - men afhænger naturligvis også af de lokale forhold.
Hvordan føles benene - er de klar? Er du klar? Og hvad er strategien i dag? Har du en plan, eller er det bare YOLO derudad i fuld firspring? :-)
Knæk og bræk! Keep us posted. Og husk (om muligt) at nyde det.
Benene har det fint, er lidt øm i skulderen, men jeg har nok kigget dårligt i nat, det skal bare varmes op.
Jeg har fået morgenmad og har vand og banan klar til pre-race optankning.
Under 25 er strategien, men tempo ca 5:10 den første km. Fokus på at starte roligt nok!
Fuld forspring virker kun på 60 meter! Selv 100 meter er for langt synes jeg 😂😂😂
Og ja, så skal jeg prøve at nyde det!
Du lyder helt klar! :-)
Aske Kammer
Vicomte Folmer af Helvede