In Gothenburg, briefly

I flew in from Switzerland last night and directly to the European Champs area in Gotenburg. We stay in a hotel quite close to the stadium – only 500 meters away. Just to get checked in and ready, plus to get some treatment on my legs.

Published: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 by Marius

The physio that was with me to London, Klas Eliasson who I have worked with for some years, was here to take care of me as well as the rest of the medical/team. Then I will travel back again this evening to Oslo. Back in Oslo I have Johnny Høgseth plus Ynve Sundfjord who has been in teaching with Johnny for a couple of years now. He was with me the first part of my St Moritz June stay, knows my muscles well and has done an excellent job after being taught wisely by his master 🙂 I am now resting after altitude. Just taking it very easy + keeping the system going somewhat with shorter sessions. The heats of the 5000 meters is on Thursday and the finals on Sunday. I was also entered in the 10000 but will not run there (it has been pretty clear for a while now) Of course because of the leg problem but also because I think it is better for me to focus on my core event – the 5k and not risk going into that tired from a 10000 only a few days before. All well from Gothenburg ! Marius

Back from Gotenburg

Online again after the European Championships down in Gotenburg. Just arrived back yesterday evening after the final on Sunday. Two difficult races down there.

Published: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 by Marius

Like before I am feeling fine up to around 2500-3000 meters (just like in Rome even though the pace there was 7.57-58 and the physical shape now is better) before getting into the same kind of trouble. Absolutely no way to continue pushing. Very frustrating. It it now just a matter of giving it some rest. So just running outside of the track plus strides to help for the recovery 🙂 Briefly from Oslo again, Marius

I tried to take some days very easy after the European Champs, even rest days, before testing the leg on a threshold sessions two days ago. Even though it improved dramatically just during the period before the Europeans (and even between prelims and final there) it is still not well enough to even finish up hard trainings – let alone races.

Published: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 by Marius

So it is time to give it some real rest now and let it heal nice + steadily. School has just started up again, moving down to Ullevål hospital from the Rikshospital. More and more clinical work so plenty to do in the time to come 🙂 A semester of in depth heart,lung + kidneys with more focus on pathology than previous semesters. Really looking forward to it. It will be quite challenging but as long as it is intersting it should be no problem.. A small  update from here, Marius

Off to the US

I am off to the US now, in the beginning off next week – to Chicago where I attended high school. Will be quite interesting to be back there again, ten years (!) since I graduated there 🙂 It was there I started the real hard training for the mid to longer distances – a very, very motivational year.

Published: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 by Marius

I am training every other day now, doing mostly good quality things to keep the system going. Some longer reps, mixed in with shorter stuff. Just long easy running is the best way to lose shape quickly.. The leg is feeling fine now, so no problem keeping a rytm in racing flats now. Quite a relief after the problems I had this summer 🙂 All well from Oslo, looking forward to a trip to the US again Marius

Press relase today

I have sent out a press release today concerning my running career. I took some time after the season to figure out what to do, in terms of running and school.

Published: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 by Marius

We have now done the switch from more theoretical work in school to spending our days at hospitals doing clinical work for the next year. Very interesting, but it also requires more long continous work. So I have decided to put the focus on this for the schoolyear to come. Right now I have really no plans in terms of the time after that, I will just start to do the detraining now for health reasons as I have been training twice daily for the last 11 years. I have been asked today if this is merely a rest year or what but I would not call it that. It is just a matter of what I wish at the moment  but at the same time it is impossible to tell what the future will bring. And it is really not something one has to decide right now 🙂 This page will still be up for a while, before deciding what to do with it. From Oslo, Marius

I had originally not planned this but have  been having many discussions with the people I work with the last few days. It is the first time in seven years I have not been able to do my normal summer altitude training, due to a number of circumstances.

– the place I will be staying, the spot in the left corner. Quiet and peaceful plus good for training –

So a few days up there now feels right and beneficial. Just about four days, short stays that I have good experience with from my artificial altitude training in the years before. It makes it very safe and you will get the acclimatization period done just before you go down again. I will go with a friend up there, nice for some longer runs.

The level at the world champs will be extremely high in the 5000 meters this year. With 7 Kenyans/ethiopians, having run sub 13. Another three sub 13 Kenyans from other countries (Bahrain, Quatar, Uganda) two Marroccons that have been under plus Mottram from Australia and the winner in Heusden (KSA). For 15 spots in the final it will be extremely tight so I have to be at my sharpest.

Looking forward to some fresh moutain air again 😉

Marius

 

In front of a great homecrowd I was very eager to do an ok race and hopefully lower the national record a little bit if all went well.

I was feeling fine up to the 1000 meters in about 2.36/2.37 as expected. Normally, the pacemakers Keino and Kiplak go through the 2000 in about 5.07/08 (they were set for 12.52 pace) but the pace kept on getting slower and the 2k in 5.15. Another 1 km in 2.41 and 3000 in 7.56 made it impossible for a really fast time and it was just to stick in the race instead. I tried to push the pace a bit midways and was feeling ok then but at the end had to let go of a bunch of stronger Kenyans plus American Broe who I stayed behind some in the very early stages of the race. Finishing time 13.14 is still my seventh fastest 5000 meters and I consider it about the same as my first two races in Rome plus Heusden when I look at the different race developments.

Magic evening on the new stadium. It is finally up and going 🙂 Something special with that, it actually looks like a WC stadium, not just an arena..

Easy run this morning with Americans Webb and Broe up at the Sogsvann lake.

Some pics from the race  click here :

Kondis

From Oslo, out for the recovery run

Marius

The startlist for tonight looks as follows :

1	238	Jonathan Riley		USA
2	14	Sammy Kipketer		ken
3	223	Meb Keflezighi		USA
4	158	Alan Culpepper		USA
5	261	Shadrak Korir		KEN
6	135	Nathan Lagat		KEN
7	276	Robert Cheseret		KEN
8	253	Abdi Abdirahman		USA
9	258	Roberto Garcia		ESP
10	230	Manuel Penas		ESP
11	116	Moses Mosop		KEN
12	194	Bernard Kiprop		KEN
13	137	Khalid Zoubaa		FRA
14	170	Richard Limo		KEN
15	128	John Kibowen		KEN
Outer startline:
16	123	Moses Kipsiro		UGA
17	171	Bado Worku		eth
18	147	Marius Bakken		nor
19	283	Khoudir Aggoune		ALG
20	290	Gebu Burka		eth
21	302	Tim Broe		USA
22	309	Boaz Cheboiywo		KEN
23	164	Martin Keino		ken
24	244	David Kiplak		KEN

Quite nice field, though a bit crowded so I hope the pacemakers will take it out hard. In Heusden we had a similar size field and if the first two km is not fast enough you can run your legs out just positioning yourself in there.But with the regular pacemakers Keino plus Kiplak it should be ok. 

20 minutes jog this morning, one lap around the Sognsvann lake. Early in the morning, quiet and beautiful surroundings. What you need to start off the competition day..

– Sogsvann Lake, south side  –

More phyio yesterday evening to get the last part of the training + races out of the legs. And the Bislett strawberry party of course, great tradition the day before the meeting. Link to some pics from the Strawberry party

Now it is just to get ready for 20.15 this evening. Get a good float in the first 2000 meters, concentrate up to 3000 and then push as much as possible all the way it. Hopefully the legs will be recovered well and the crowd will be what Bislett has been known for..

Getting ready,

Marius

 

 

– The 2004 Bislett Games, in Bergen with 13.08 –

I have seen many predictions for tomorrows race in terms of times, but all I can say is that last weekends race in Heusden was done under absolutely perfect conditions and it is hard to know what to expect especially as I am in a very important recovery phase after the last 5000 meters. A 13.07 takes some guts out of you for a few days.  Either way I will do my absolute best to perform as  good as I can and sell myself to the highest price possible at every single step out there. The Bislett crowd deserves that.

Easy run this morning with Susanne (Wigene) who will be running the 3000 meters tomorrow. Quite interesting in terms of Norwegian interests. After her win in Heusden last week she can probably be right in the top there all the way in this time also, as the field is quite similar. Plus we have Andreas Thorkildsen in the javelin as well. So should bring out the Bislett atmosphere needed for nice results there.

Great memories from Bislett – especially last year so looking forward to it.

Well,time for some more rest now..I will try and update tomorrow from the race day as well,

From 20 C and no rain in Oslo.

Marius

The report from the new stadium ? I looks great, but the track there is also fast. Not Mondo, but still very nice and hard (while at the same time very elastic). They have kept the old stadium walls,which means that if the wind conditions are right you can get tail wind for 250 meters and no wind for 150 meters. Under the stands by the start (where the callroom is) they have already put down a 2 lane track under the stadium. Only about 150 meters at the moment but long enough for the sprinters to warm up before big meeting – and gives you a good view on how things will be when they eventually get the full 550 meters indoor track under the whole stadium. So for the runners waiting to run there, look forward to it 🙂

I am still building my shape after Rome. Plus spending lots of time recovering the muscluar system. Important to have those things right in this tapering period…

From Oslo,
Marius