pianysteen

Himmelbjerget at about 17km Julsø Ultra was my second ultra-race, my first race was Rosenhøj Trail 53km in September 2020. That race was 5 laps of +10k, so very different than Julsø, which was one long route of almost 60km. My training up to the race had be great, however, race day May 1 st was also going to be my first day of unemployment. My stress level was sky high, and my self-esteem from countless of job rejections was extremely low. Bottomline, I could not handle another failure and not living up to my own (or others’) expectations. I was very clear leading up to the race, that this race was not for the podium or placement, this was for ME and ME only. I did not need anyone else’s expectations, I had enough pressure from myself.     Game plan Thursday and Friday before the race, my back started giving me trouble. I’ve had it before, and knew that if I push my heart rate, then my ribcage would start hurting as my lungs cannot expand enough, and I won’t be able to run (tr

From when I heard South Coast Ultra was happening this year at Møns Klint, I was determined to do the 30km race, and I was so looking forward to it😁 I loved racing there last year, so had no doubt in my mind I wanted to do it again. The race The last two weeks leading up to the race, my body has just felt off, and during this race both body and mind was off. I'm in the front for the first 2km when a girl catches up to me, we run side by side for about 1km and then she slowly pulls off, and I never see her again until I crossed the finishline. I wanted to chase her, but I had no power in my steps and I didn't feel like I could increase my pace, there just wasn't a different gear I could change to. After 10km I was really struggling and didn't feel well, I started debating if I should just stop, a million thoughts went through my head "how would I get back to the start area?", "how would I tell my parents I stopped? I don't have a phone"

What started out as a spontaneous idea in October 2018, turned in to an amazing experience with lots of challenges way before the big race, 42km at Marathon Du Mont-Blanc.   Leading up to MMB I had been dealing with many minor injuries on and off since January (at least that’s how it feels). For those who know me well, I think it’s fair to say I have been quite emotional about this race and determined to do it, even at times were I couldn’t run. In February when I couldn’t run due to issues with my knee, I knew I had to change my focus in my strength training to focus on building stronger legs that’s could help me get through this. There’s no doubt in my mind that all those hours spent in SATS doing rehab exercises and other rather boring non-Instagram worthy exercises have helped me get through the race. Chamonix-Mont Blanc Waiting in line to pick up my bib Friday before the race, I started talking to some of the other runners; well that was stupid, that freaked me out!😲

Here is my 2018 in pictures, they pretty much sums up my year😊 The year included lots of bouldering Bouldering with Astrid at DTU Bouldering My first OCR race of the year, 19km Strong Viking in Germany Strong Viking is the first race where, I've done Flying Monkey The year included lots of trail races, this was my first ever 1st place finish Røsnæs Trail, 11km Nordic Race Hasle Bakker is one of my favourite OCR races in Denmark 3rd place at Nordic Race Hasle Bakker One of my favourite trail races was SkyTrail at Himmelbjerget 1st place SkyTrail 7km A fall from Reborn's Stairway to Heaven at OCR European Championship changed the year The fall that resulted in a broken wrist First race after I got my cast off, my hip flexor gave me so many problems, which continued the rest of the year Oddsherred GeoTrail, 2nd place Best running experience of 2018 is without a doubt Møns Klint, such as an amazing experience, love run

During 2018 I stood on the start line in 18 races, 2 races I did not finish, 2 races were road races to get a PR (15km and half marathon), and in 10 races I managed to finish top 3, so based on statistics, 2018 has been a pretty good year.    Finding my motivation In the beginning of the year, my running was great, I started the year with a PR on 15km and shortly after it was time for my first OCR race of the season. It's no secret that I finished off 2017 with no OCR motivation, therefore, I went on a road trip to Germany, to see if I could find it, and I did ! But I also found a joy for the longer OCR races, which turned in to a general joy for long trail races as well. My race calendar started being filled with trail races since that was what motivated me, this is also where I managed 8 of my 10 top 3 finishes. The year was off to a good start, and I had some awesome running experiences; including Røsnæs trail (where I found the love of running on rolling rocks an

Photo Sportograf.com Last weekend it was time to get back to OCR after my fractured wrist this summer. As many know I have struggled with my OCR motivation for almost a year now, the Danish races are too short and the terrain is too flat for my liking. Therefore, it was time to try a new race, which combined obstacles, awesome running experience and distance, I decided on Spartan Race Beast in Barcelona. This race would be in the mountains, just outside of Barcelona, the distance would be 20km+ and more than 25 obstacles, it sounded like a race that had it all. View of the mountains in the background Photo Sportograf.com My lead up to the race hadn't been good, as I had struggled with my right quad and hip flexor, so trail and intervals had been off limits for two months. Nonetheless, I was looking forward to the race, though I was worried since I hadn't really been working much on my upper body strength since I got the cast off. A few days before the race, I sat