Paul Rosenquist

My challenge for this weekend, on my quest to Swedishness…

Ok, when I moved to Sweden 6 years ago I figured that the only way to sort of become like a local was to do the Vasaloppet. A 90km cross country ski race in Dalarna. I bought ski’s and even roller skis as I figured I was about down 25 years of XC ski experience. I started rolling around on Djurgården and soon had holes, burn marks and war scars all over. No fear. I was going to be more Swedish than Gustav himself.

Winter came. Running, skiing, biking and doing whatever outside just as normal. I did not have a job (we did not) in those days and we thought to save serious cash by not having our electric heaters on. Dumb move. Together with all the training in the cold (not uesd to) and an average bedroom temp of about 8°C disastrous colds and dripping nozes were bound to happen. So come Vasaloppet I was sick as hell. Louise, being a real Swede, was ok and staked here way along the 90km forest trail. I supported here on bike which in hindsight seemed worse than the actual race. Having since then put most of my efforts into rowing, and having established a more hate/hate relationship with mr winter Vasaloppet ambitions slipped away.
2 weeks ago they suddenly re-appeared though. Dont ask me why. Henke and I had talked about it, but Henke has been coughing and sneezing for the last weeks.
Anyway, I have trained 150km km’s two weekends ago, so I must be super fit right???..
Up to yesterday nothing was arranged. Nobody wanted to go with me. The race is sold out.
Things looking grim.

BUT a breakthrough. Sten, my buddy who never lets me down when it comes to supplying me with Powerbars and all called his brother, and this morning a starting number, some brand new ski poles from SKI GO and a bed in Mora were ready!

I just bought a bus ticket to get me there and back. My return bus is at 17:30 so I better get my ass to Mora before that time.

A great thing is that Peter from SKI GO is helping me out with prepping the damn skis.

The conditions seem te be awefull, and I think it is going te be Klister. MEaning some tacky kind of glue that should glue me to the mountain. No iddear how this works, so better leave it to the pro’s.

Super thanks to Erik and Sten for the help!

Oh yeah, I have had some pain in my left achilles now for long time. It is just manageble and when warm I dont really feel it. But thinking, ‘ok now comes this long ski thing, I better start doing something about it’ I started with some excercise. I heared that excentric excersizes on calves are good for the achilles. So after last weeks cirquits I stood on a bench and worked my calves for 10 minutes. Calv muscles beeing the only muscle (well nearly at least) not used while rowing are hugely underdevelopped on my vehicle of life. The result is a pain in my calf that makes me limp like an old bastard. Yesterday I ran home from work and did 5 tough hill climbs on Haga backen. This morning I had to crawl to the toilet. Great! One could say, yeah but your right leg is ok isnt it?….No it isnt.
There I have a hole in my heel. Last weeks hill running with Ruari on the frozen hill gave me probs. I was using me damn Icebugs (spike shoes) which I though were runn in. But no. After 5,5 intervalls I had to take them off and witness a bloody mess at the rear end of my right hoove.

So double thanks for the folks helping a: Dutch, half cripple, allready blistered, over weight rower with this effort.