Hvordan har du det, Hvordan er livet? (How are you doing, how is life??) I'm practically fluent in Norsk these days (:Oslo was a blast! I stayed in a place north of Oslo city called Jessheim. The trail systems in this area were amazing, between every small village there must have been two or three trails, where you could pick to either run on pavement or soft trails with miles of untouched lands surrounding. Some of the trails really give meaning to the term "isolation".
I finished the race in 3rd position which is quite outstanding considering the field. In attendence, the top Norwegian runners competing for the Norwegian Mountain Cup as well as a fleet of Kenyans showed up on a warm day in Tryvann. The race in my opinion was a Cross Country race. A short one at 5 kilometers, the race only climbed about 300 meters. So I guess you could say that a race like this would be the perfect middle ground for a fast road racer and a cross country/mountain runner. However, the flat lander has much more of an advantage on this course. Being that I had not focused much on my flat land speed (since its mountain season) I felt like I was sprinting after about 2km. I'm training to peak for the World Championship so it was ok that I felt like this in a flat race. The World Championship will be quite steep, but its good to see a change of pace every now and then. After about 3k I found myself behind 3 of the top Kenyan athletes including one that has run 13:17 in the 5k. I had raced him in College so I knew he would be a contender for the win. Around the point of the course where pretty much the only significant climb existed I took the lead and pushed hard. I had to fight with everything I had as the race only offered prize to top 3 finishers. For a loaded race with so many good runners fighting for a spot on the prize podium I had to take a risk and make it hurt early. I figured with this move I would secure at least 5th place. Looking back with about 1km to go I found that most of the field had been dropped and only the two Kenyans I mentioned had passed me. I surprised myself and held off the 4th and 5th place runners to place 3rd just a few seconds ahead of 4th place.
After the race I went for a nice little trot throughout Oslo and checked out one of my favorite cities. Oslo is such a small city, but so much is going on, you have to really pay attention. I get the same feel as I do when I'm in New York. You see the hustlers hangin out by the bus stop selling anything from cigarettes to prescription medicines. Vendors on almost every corner sellling local foods to traditional Norwegian wear (I will have to post a pic of my new Norwegian traditional sweater, you will have a nice laugh). I wanted to wear the sweater while in Norway, but all the Norwegians I had been hangin with said I would look silly wearing it out, and that I would look like a tourist, as if I don't look like one as is haha. Among all the different races of people I felt like I was home. You see the Arabs, the Ethiopians, Spaniards, Ugandans, and many other countries mixing in with the Norwegians downtown. Oslo has to be one of the most diverce cities I have ever seen. After the long run and walk about the city, I had a nice long bus ride up to Klofta, where I then proceeded to explore a bit more by running from there to Jessheim. A very long run, so I don't recommend it. Needless to say, I walked quite a bit of that run and even got a chance to grab a nice new snack I found in Norway. As many of my friends know, I love Haribo gummies. In Norway I found some random package that mixed a bunch of my favorite Haribo gummies in one package. Brilliance in a bag...
After a short flight from Oslo to the UK I crashed in my hotel in Gatwick for a few hours before getting the most out of my 5 hours in England. I have to add, the British are by far the most helpful people. I mean almost everyone you ask for direction or any help at all will literally go out of their way to help you and "sort you out" as they say hahaha. On the flight over to Britain I was nervous for one thing and thing only. Not to see London, not for the wide assortment of great British beers, but for Jaffa Cakes! I used to bother a guy on my team from Britain every time he went home begging him to bring some back, but now I was in Britain and I took full advantage of it. After getting my train and bus tickets, Jaffa Cakes slowly lightened my wallet. I still haven't figured out the million dollar question, are Jaffa Cakes biscuits or cake? I ran into a guy named Ahmad while riding the train around England and after a long conversation about running and life in general, he called me a "proper bloke". Now, I have heard this word millions of times as a few of my collegiate teammates were British, but I never quite knew what it meant so I was inclined to ask for the first time. I asked Ahmad, what exactly bloke meant and he giggled like a school girl, giving the notion that it was a stupid question. His laugh was one that made you laugh with him no matter what the situation was. Whenever he laughed he reminded me of Krusty the clown on the Simpsons show. I thought it was a valid question as I explained to him that I have heard people from Britain use the term in a negative way. Well off to Italy now, CHEERS !
Bye bye Norway (I will miss your assorted fish packed buffets and dessert tables!!), Here I come Italia!!
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