Month: July 2005

Up a bit higher..

I am leaving for altitude training this morning. Only 3 1/2 hours away close to the highest mountain in Norway Galdhøgpiggen.

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


 

Bislett Games yesterday:)

The opening of the new Bislett Stadium yesterday on a very nice evening for athletics here in Norway.

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

Ready for tonight

Only some hours to go now before racing at the Bislett Games. So just relaxing and doing some small things to prepare. Not alot of time to go so the main work has already been done. The weather looks nice, 20 degrees C and no rain.

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..


Sognsvann


– 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


 


 

Finetuning for tomorrow

Still trying to do my best to recover in time for tomorrows race at the Bislett stadium. Lots of massage and icebaths trying to use every hour the best I can as I still have a little bit to go.

– 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

Bislett Games in 2 days :)

Only two days until the Bislett Games now.. Yesterday I took a short trip down there to watch to a test meeting and to get a extra view of the track.

It looks great there. The stadium fits perfectly into the Oslo city picture, just like the old one. It should silence all debate that has been around building a new stadium..


 



– With the stadium behind me –


As you can see, the old walls have been saved in the back – making the structure just like the old one. I spoke to one of the the top people involved in the buliding project and got some info on the process. They have kept the three aspects of the old track that made it nice to run on : 1) the special walls around the stadium, that ensures nice wind conditions – if you get wind from the north it means tailwind for 200 meters and no wind on the straightwalls. 2) the long straightways, even though the turn have been changed slightly 3)the hard track. This is probably the hardest track in Norway already, even though it is only a few weeks old.Quite rare but very good. I discussed it with the project manager and they have done a very focused job on those things – planning to make it as good fast as possible. They have something like 2 meters (!) of different layers underneath plus used some of the best people within asphalt making in Scandinavia on the last part. So feels nice.



– From another view –


Easy training session this morning. Got stopped after 10 minutes by a doping control unit driving up next to me, so had to run the last part of the session in circles around the cinder by the top athletics center for them to watch me. Good to see they are doing their job and testing athletes when they least expect it 🙂


A bit harder work this afternoon and plenty of rest now….


From Oslo,


Marius


 

Off to Heusden, Belgium tomorrow

On Saturday I will race a 5000 meters in the Grand Prix race in Heusden, Belgium. I am looking forward to this race, on a very nice track down there and great atmosphere at the “Nigh of Athletics” meeting. I ran there two years ago (only ran 13.35)…


and got a good feel for the meeting so I wished to come back there.

Short track session this afternoon right in between some very heavy rain. Good timing, leaving for Belgium already three days before the race. That way I will get good training down there and not just empty “travel days” Plus the weather being more stable there, will be helpful for the running muscles that needs plenty of recovery between the faster stuff in this tapering period.



Just briefly from Oslo :))

Marius

First session on the new Bislett stadium!

For the first time I tested the track on the new Bislett stadium. A series of intervalls gradually going faster. Not a long session, about 6 km total. Ståle Jan came by on his way to holiday and Frank was in town so they watched the session….

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

Well into training again after Rome :)

With 30.5 degrees celsius yesterday, I waited until late evening to run my first hard workout after Rome. A longer endurance workout to get in the right mode again after the race down there. I was feeling fine during the workout and it was nice to…

get the race out of my legs. I need those endurance sessions now to ensure that the tapering process will continue without losing the essential endurance element.

This week will be a mix of track workouts on off track work. All of it at float speed, controlled and lactate tested but with more variation than normal to “break the pattern” I have good experience with this from earlier years ; to do the same things but just with small variations all the time.

Recovery is also a key element right now. Small things like not moving around too much, plenty of physio, good food very frequently, lots of sleep and relaxed days. The last one no problem in the extremely hot summer here 🙂

I took a short trip down to the Bislett stadium the other day and it looked absolutely great. Steep stands, facing down to the track. It looked just like the old stadium just with a brand new look to it. Much, much better than expected – including a very hard track for fast times. So looking forward to the 29th!

From sunny Oslo,
Marius

Very pleased with an 13.11 opener

Yesterdays race here in Rome gave a very good feeling, ending with a 13.11.70 time.

I am especially pleased since the last sessions show that I am right in the break into the tapering period. This race shows that I am on the right track in…

this very important phase in between spring buildup and the seasons peak for the Bislett Games and World Champs in Helsinki.

I had originally planned to pass the 2k in around 5.18 to get the qualifier. But the front pace was very, very fast. The plan was for them to do 2.34 but instead it was 2.31. So at the tail of the field I got through in 2.35 for the 1k and 5.11 for the 2k. I then stayed with a group of runners up to the 3k at 7.52. One of them being Garcia that Spaniard that is back from a two year ban. He got past me on the last lap after running head to head for a while and finished with a 13.10. Quite nice for him, considering that he only ran a 5.20 2000 meter the 14 of June (for 8th), a 7.59 3000 in Zaragoza (9th) the 24th before hitting the 13.10 here.

Easy run this morning before travelling home.

Fantastic night for Norwegian athletics last night. Tømmernes was quite happy 🙂 84 in the javelin for Thorhildsen, 14.53 in the 5000 for Susanne Wigene (after passing the 3000 in 8.53 with a pr of 9.01) plus Pilskog in 4.07/1500 and World Champ qualifier for her also. Looks quite promising..

Time for a run now,
From Italy,
Marius

In Rome, preparing for tomorrow

I arrived yesterday to Rome from Oslo, to great weather here, just like at home 🙂

Ketil Tømmernes, the Federation head coach is here with me and after arrival we went to the beautiful park Villa Pamphili nearby where I preformed some easy AT…

intervalls on the cinder there. Just easy float as he looked after and read me the lactate readings to me in between runs. I like to have familiar people around me before meetings and he has done an excellent job as both Federation coach and before when he was closely linked to the athletics part of the Olympic team.

The rest of the Norwegian athletes arrived today and they all seem fit and ready to race. Great to finally have some other Norwegians at these meetings 🙂 Last year it was only me plus Trine Pilskog the 1500 meter runner.

Easy run tomorrow again in the park before breakfast. Then relax, relax, relax during the day before my race starts at 20.37 Norwegian time..

From the Golden Gala,
Marius