Waking up in Wisconsin

And, like that, poof, we are in the United States. I am very good at sleeping on planes, in cars (and have a husband who allows me to do this) so it really does feel like "poof" to me.

 I have been fighting this trip tooth and nail because I am so behind on my PhD work, but I made a promise to SR we would do this and what am I if I can not keep promises? And when I take a step back and look at the big picture, there perhaps is nothing more important than solidarity of the family.

Back to the town I grew up in. In the early 80's it really was all farm lands and prairies. These days, prairie reserves like Nashota Park are among the few remaining holy places for the soul, and the rest is highways, Applebee Country and urban sprawl.

I could have spent all day running with SR here. But as a mom, those days of "all day doing what you want" are so preciously few if they even ever really do exist. Nothing to do but soak up the moments. And perhaps teach your kids to love what you love :o).

6:30 AM Nashota Park, WI

Yesterday morning, back in Denmark, there was a problem with the delivery of some Salomon things I had hoped to use at Superior Sawtooth 50 miler next Saturday. No big deal, right? Well, Kim S. from Salomon thought this was a big deal, so he drove from the Salomon headquarters out to SR's parents' house to deliver my things personally, plus included a bunch of extra goodies.

I don't like bragging. I don't like materialism. Rather, I admire people who respect and are grateful for what they have. The Salomon vest I just received is going to change the way I run ultras. I am so happy that someone out there had that "aha" moment and realized it would be more comfortable to carry liquid on the chest rather than the back. It absolutely is. 500 mL of fluid on each side in soft bottles that don't slosh and you don't even notice they are there. Plus lots of options for carrying food and necessities on the side and the back. A vest like this does not happen by accident.

I have considered carrying more than this 1 L of fluid for the Crosby-Manitou 9.4 mile wildly technical section at Superior. Anyone who has run this before have thoughts on that?

This is the view from the pier at my parents' house. After our run, I swam North Lake Minor (2.5km) while SR, my dad and the boys were out boating. I don't know, I wonder if I'll ever become a fan of swimming over lots of large fish that look hungry for toes. This deep lake (25 meters) makes for good fishing and troves of seaweed that like to envelop unsuspecting swimmers.

North Lake, WI, 8:00 AM

Saying good-bye to Næstved and Denmark is always hard, always makes me cry, even if it is just for a month.

Næstved Harbor, 17:00

Christian  (left) with other blondies.

The wonderful ophthalmology nurses who have helped so much with my PhD.

Storstrømsbro to Vordingborg

The couple of weeks before I left were so busy with work and, you know, baking cakes with Christian.

But I need to thank Kim from Salomon,  Søren from Næstved Rygcenter for seriously fixing my right hip with a combination of chiropractic and active release therapy, Lone for her massage therapy and my coach Ole for daring to make fun of how I run 800 meters and continually helping me learn to run correctly.

There is always so much more to say, but why not just leave it at this for now?

Running Songs of the Day:

Pass This On by The Knife


And an old favorite "Hjem til Aarhus" by På Slaget 12