Wisper words of wisdom...

Regarding eating primal and running barefoot I realized when running my 91st barefoot streak today that, and you may quote me:

"It's strange how well adjusted we are to our evolution"

(På svenska: "Det är märkligt hur väl anpassade vi är till vår evolution")

Eating stuff that we've been eating during our evolution makes us slim, strong and fit. Running like a caveman makes you feel even better.

Go primal at Mark's Daily Apple.

/BarefootCalle

Morgonkaffe efter 6h

Med stor vördnad tog Maria och jag en segerskål i var sin välförtjänt pokal i morse efter gårkvällens utmaning - Spring för barnen 6-timmars i Göteborgs famuösa Slottsskog.

Vägen till Götet var fylld av ångest och panik från nybörjare till mer lutrad långlöpare. Men sagt är sagt och rätt snart anlände vi till Villa Bel Parc i god tid före start.

Efter lite irrande hittade vi tävlingscenter som huserade i ett par gigantiska tält precis i anslutning till uteserveringen.

När starten skulle gå kom en enorm störtskur och tävlingsledaren KG Nyström valde att skjuta på starten 15 minuter.

Pang! Och så var vi iväg. Maria placerade sig strategiskt och tog direkt ledningen. Egentligen ställde hon sig sist, men vi skulle tydligen springa åt andra hållet.

Hur man springer fel på en 730-meters bana är en gåta, men vi lyckades ändå svänga höger och få en lång vända runt huset istället för den fina vägen genom Villa Bel Parcs uteservering.

Rundan fortsatte i vänstervarv runt flamingodammen, en ganska fin liten runda. Dagen till ära var det dock lite lätt fuktigt. Staben gjorde sitt bästa med att sopa bort så mycket vatten som möjligt, men två rejäla pölar gick inte att få bukt på, vilket innebar att två stora pölar vätte fötter och skor vid varje varv under sex timmar. Om det fanns en skala för uppluckrade fötter skulle det motsvara 7.3 på richterskalan. Huga!

Maria tuffade på bra från start i ett lugnt men bestämt tempo. Vi slog följe några varv ibland och stannade och fikade på stående fot tillsammans någon gång. Efter dryga fyra timmar fick hon ont i ena knät och kunde inte fortsätta springa, men bet ihop, satte lurarna i öronen och gick i rask takt resten av tiden, lätt förbannad för att hon hade ork med inte kunde springa.

För egen del tog jag det rätt lungt timme 3 och 4, men de två sista timmarna fövandlades jag till en monstruös uthållighetsmaskin som matade varv efter varv i god fart.

Efter målgång blev det prisutdelning där vi ur K-G Nyströms hand fick mottaga de gyllene pokalerna. Maria tyckte vi skulle dricka morgonkaffet i dessa och så blev det också.

Hemresan utfördes utan större mankemang och vi kom så småningom i säng trötta, stela och lyckliga efter en lång och tuff dag.

/UltraCalle

Ps. Jag tror mig ha värvat en löpare till Skövde 6H som går av stapeln i mars nästa år. Nu gäller det att hitta barnvakt... Ds.

My Unknown Brother

My unknown brother is also a barefootter.


He's pretty, I say.

/Callum

BigBoss

Tyckte det var lite mycket pengar på lönekontot.

Förklaring till höger.

/BB Calle

Egg Power

I like simplicity when cooking. Here are two easy recipies suitable as breakfast, after training, or when ever you feel for it.

Eggmilk

3 eggs

50 g butter

3 dl boiling water

Mix imidiately. Bottoms up!

Energy: 481 kcal.

Fat: 48 g.

Protein: 11 g.

Carbs: 3 g

Eggcreme

3 eggs

2 dl cream

Whip lightly! Engulf!

Energy: 867 kcal.

Fat: 88 g.

Protein: 14 g.

Carbs: 9 g

Enjoy!

/Calle

Skäggy (Beardy)

As you can see I'm growing a beard.

- Why do you grow a beard, you strange barefoot running owl?

I'm sure a gigantic beard will get more attention than my bare feet. Now everybody looks with suspicion on my bared soles when I pass them on the forrest trails around my home with a big smile on my face. With the kind of beard I have in mind they would say:

- What a beard! It's amazing!

/Calle

Ps. Some nice looking beards can be found at www.beards.org. Ds.

BarefootGustav

My youngest son, Gustav, 4.5 yrs, wanted to tag long on my 84th barefoot streakrun so he put on his jogging shoe and I nothing. We decided to take my ordinary mile run (1.65 km) but after a couple of hundred meters he started to get whimpy and lost the will of running. We continued another hundred meters until we stopped and I asked him if he wanted to go barefoot instead.

- Yes!

Imidiatly he turned into a running machine. When we turned of the asfalt into a small forrest road he got even faster and on the trail part he was amazing, se the movie above.

He had a rough time on a 100 meter piece of gravel road, but that didn't stop him as he sprinted the last trail path to our home.

I wonder if the fruit of my loins is a natural barefoot runner.

Is it a bird, is it a aeroplane, no it's Barefoot Gustav!

/UltraDaddy

Down for a count...

Down for a count after my first barefoot tabata session.

A tabata interval session takes 4 minutes to do but is very exhausting. I've tried it before but never with bare feet.

Doing tabatas with naked paws works perfectly well, but make sure the surface is nice and smooth, otherwise it can hurt you bad. Today I used the 350 meter running track around the Viskavallen soccer court. One or two minor stones here and there but I managed to avoid them.

First I jogged one round as warm-up. It was enough because I ran a short terrain course half an hour before. I started the tabata-timer in my cellphone and ran 8 times of 20 second maximum effort with 10 seconds rest. About two and three quarters of a round where completed. Finnished the session with a slow jogg the remainding quarter.

A complete workout in about 10 minutes - That's great for a busy man!

/UltraCalle

80 days

Yesterday I did my 80th barefoot streak run.

Why run every day?

- Because I can.

Check out the hard core streakers at US Running Streak Association.

Why run barefoot?

- Because I'm born to run with naked paws, and so are you.

Read Born To Run and you will know the secrets...

Any goals?

Now I'm aiming for Tuesday the 8th of September and 100 days.

After 11 km hardcore trailrunning some week ago I starting to believe that Varvet or Finalloppet should be possible to handle with bare soles. But no promises...

/BarefootCalle

GAX 100 2009

Some images and movies from my attempt to run futher than I ever did before - the GAX 100 miles.

Towards the starting line

The hard part was reaching the starting line.

After some time of low confidence in my running ability and too few miles in my legs I didn't think it would be possible to run more than a standard marathon, but after some pressure from the family and agains my own sane mind I was now in the car, riding with my wife, towards the starting line at St Knuts square in Ystad.

The start

About 30 runners were gather at the square and at 08:00 hours we were off.

Hour 1

After one hour of running I felt rather good. The city of Ystad was now behind me and the landscape opened up. I can't really call it rain, but some kind of cool humidity was hanging in the air.

1 h

Hour 2

Scania is not as plain as it looks. Here there is a long downhill, and behind the farm a rather steep and long uphill.

Hour 3 - still going strong

From the open I came into a pine forrest. Still feeling good.

Hour4 - moving on

Still after 4 hours and about 33 km I was living the dream as the very light rain was keeping my body cool - really perfect running weather.

Hour 5 - back on track

Just before five hours running the route markings were poor and I missed a turn, giving me about a mile of extra running.

Hour 6 - 1/4

At 6 hours on the road I had passed the first service station where I had feed myself with some cream, some cheese, and some cocosfat. Filled up the camelbak.

6 h 1/4

Hour 7 - soon 50 km

Now I was not only running, but ultra-running.

Muuööö!!!

Had a close encounter with this little calf and his companions. They were very friendly.

Hour 8 - i like to move it

Now it started to get warmer but still no sun. I was feeling a bit tired.

Hour 9 - 23 to go

Tripping over Lövestads Åsar I did my daily barfoot streak run. The trail was muddy but my feet were happy to get out of the stinking shoes.

Hour 10 - more than 10 km to Haväng

Running alongside the Verksån river was very pleasant. A shady trail snakeing its way forward towards Haväng.

Hour 11

The last stretch towars half-way was really hard. The hills of Brösarp was tough to overcome.

Hour12 - Haväng in sight

Finally I reached the service station in Haväng were I took a well deserved break before moving on into the night.

Hour 13 - passing my old distance record 81++ km

I was happy to pass my old distance record after abouf 13 hours. The darkness was now starting to come down on Scania.

Hour 14 - leaving Kivik

Leaving Kivik, entering the night...

The night

Just like last year I climbed up and down Stenshuvud i complete darkness. Would be nice to go there in daylight some time.

To continue running through the night was an intresting experience. The movement forward could not be called running but I was dragging along all night apart from two short naps straight on the ground when I was starting to wobble too much.

The only really dark moment was wakeing up after the first nap, otherwise my mind was positive if not happy.

Hour 22

During the night I got more worn out, bad chaffing in the armpits and a bad blister under the ball of the left foot made me aim for the 128K station instead of the finishing line.

If the blister would go really bad I would loose weeks of training and also my mind.

Hour 24 - infinite beach

The last stretch was along the infinite beach towards Sandhammaren. Infinite is about 4-5 miles.

128 km - end of story

Finally I reached Sandhammaren where my wife Maria and small son Gustav were waiting and the story ends for this time.

I came with nothing and left with 128 km of wonderful trailrunning and 24 exiting hours in the lovely Scania.

/UltraCalle

Beach run in Löderup Scania two nigths b

Beach run in Löderup Scania two nigths before GAX100

Back squats

I have never been a gym rat using free weights, barbeg, dumbells and strange heavy stuff with names unknown to whimps like me.

Yesterday I lost my virginity. After a mental struggle and 60 minutes of spinning I sneaked into the gym and found a rack, an olymic barbell and some weigths.

Olympic barbell and a nice rack

The goal was to complete a Crossfit WOD (workout of the day) consisting of only Back squats 1-1-1-1-1-1-1. That is seven repeats of maximum weight with as much rest as you want between each repetition.

First I tried the barbell without weights keeping an eye in the mirror on the techinque. It looked pretty good so I mounted some two 10 kg weigths and started the WOD. Before next repeat I mounted another two 10 kg weights. For the last two reps I mounted two 5 kg weights.

After checking the weight of the barbell, 20 kg, I could calculate the correct weights: 40, 60, 60, 60, 60, 70, 70 kg.

/HeavyDutyCharlie

LowCarb candy

Finally, today, I found the LowCarb snack that I searched with candle and torch - Beef Jerky

LowCarb candy

Not zero-carb but atleast a low 5.8 g/100 g. A snack much better than, for example, Cotton Candy (candy floss/spunnet socker).

I really like the taste and consistency (maybe a bit too sugary) so hopefully it will last until this evening when I'm a grass-widower and will watch the movie Madagaskar 2 on DVD.

/Carl-Jerky

GAX 100 is coming

It feels terrible thinking about the distance I have to run, walk, and crawl in less than a week.

To be more exact 11 days to go before the hardest challenge I ever have met will start - the GAX 100.

100 miles is not far - it's beyond far - it's ultra far.

Now my feet are hurting, my legs ar stiff, my knees are crooked, my eyes are dim, my mind is weak, but...

I will start and I will try because the only failure is to not face the starting line and...

All I have to do is not give up.

How fast and how far I go doesn't matter. I will be out there running, walking, crawling, laying, sleeping, eating or even doing cartweels across the floor for 32 hours until the cut-off-signal echoes over the plains of Scania.

/Calle

Hither and dither in Mark

Relaxing after 3H long slow distance

The sunday's long run was a real odyssey through my home community Marks Kommun. Starting from home, Stenhall, and ending at Friskis in Skene where I met up with my wife and kids.

Started running the old Öxabäck road to Kovra where I crossed the road and went up the hills to Sjögarås. Continued on terrain path Älgstigen to Hanatorp where i ran along the beach as far as possible to the little stream, turned back a bit and continued to Örbyhallen passing the camping.

Passed under Svenljunga-road into the forrest, ran the path to Åbacken where I crossed the brook and continued through the forrest and over the field to Hjortedal.

Next up was the asfalt road to Skutesjön where I entered the path leading up to Furuberg. Eat some pemmican and walked a hill. After I while it started to be downhill and I reached Skoghem in Bollared.

The Golf Club where passed without any intermezzo and I ran the tunnel to the railroad in Kinna. Tried the new cycle path along Sahara and ran down Mor Kerstins road where I took a small hill I wanted to try for a while.

Pruhults road took me to the new Viskan river passing and left me to battle the hill at Viskavallen. I won!

Nynäsgatan and Velingstorps road took me to Kajbergsvägen where another uphill took me to the Hedgärdesvägen. Running down I choose Sjuhäradsvägen to Hebo and ran all the way down to Viskan before I when up the hill to Willys and around the block to Friskis where I could get a well deserved rest in the green green grass before the family arrived.

The run was hot and humid, slow and unfocused. And I have lost all belief that running 100 miles is possible.