30 km solo

The trail – among other things- seduced some of my running buddies to cover 38 probably very muddy kilometres. I felt too weak for such a challenge, and worried that my foot would get worse.

So I jumped on the commute train to Kungsbacka for a solo run on asphalt instead. It was eerie at the Liseberg train station this morning. I was almost alone. I had never been there before. It looked like an Underground station.

 

What followed once I got to Kungsbacka and started running surprised me. I held a steady, easy pace, listening to music, lost in my own thoughts and enjoying the wintry scenery – especially the grey sea. Winter is such a bittersweet time of the year. The bare limbs of the trees swayed gently in the wind. Yeah, it was a bit windy (it's Gothenburg after all) and, of course, it was headwind. Luckily it wasn't that strong.

Sorry about the bad quality. Not easy to run and take a picture with your mobile phone at the same time

I arrived at Nordgården, a bakery that is so cosy that you just can't resist buying something that will make your teeth rot and fall out. I loaded my already stuffed rugsack with a loaf of walnut bread, a muffin and a brownie, and started running again.

It was so easy. Except for the ache in my foot and the chronic, whiplash-induced pain in my left shoulder, I felt great, both physically and psychologically. When I was one kilometre from home, having run 29 already, I toyed with the idea of taking a detour and pushing for 35, but I decided to be smart. No need to push my foot to its limits.

A bit stiff, with my breath turning into small clouds as soon as it left my mouth, I got home. Where I shall now celebrate an easy 30 km with a brownie.