I have been asked that question many times in connection with writing this book, most recently by my “ghost writer” Dorthe Klyvø, who helped me to revise and edit the material. I wish there were a single answer to that question! But it is probably a combination of many things.
On the basis of my knowledge of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), I am now aware that I possess some extra resources at the upper level of the competency line. It is a subconscious competence, and though I admit to have become more aware of it over the years, I am still not sure where it comes from. Since I cannot account for the competence with any certainty, it must be said still to be subconscious.
I own a stubbornness and strength of will that refuse to compromise. When I have set my mind to doing something I rarely fail to realise it. That is not to say that I haven’t had to accept defeat once in a while. But my stubbornness – and my well-developed sense of fairness – mean that I am willing to go the whole way.
As examples of both stubbornness and my sense of fairness, I can mention numerous episodes in which I have fought for years with insurance companies, housing sharks and various swindlers who have attempted to cheat either myself or my sons. An extra little curiosity is that, in 1971, I decided to get hold of three extremely rare single records. I did everything to achieve my goal. In 1984, I managed to secure the last record, so that took me 13 years.
It is quite simply (!) the same resources I have applied to my running. On many occasions over the years (more about this later) I have been on very long, extremely tough runs, but my strength of will has got me through within the time limit. On those occasions, I was told that my run would be approved even if I didn’t finish within the time limit. But my own built-in sense of fairness simply doesn’t allow me to complete a run on the basis of exemption, so I have fought my way through just before the time limit was up.
Thoughts and convictions are very important when it comes to achieving something. When I set off in 1986 to run three kilometres with Hanne and our neighbour, I was convinced that it was a long way and would be difficult. And that’s the way it turned out. You get what you expect! So when, on that occasion, I had run two kilometres I really had to struggle to complete the last kilometre. But when I started doing longer runs, I had other convictions. It is as though when my brain knows that I’m going to run a specific distance, my mind and my convictions are regulated in such a way that I don’t tire as early in the runs as I otherwise would. I can mention two examples which are described later in the book.
In the Ultra Marathon Bornholm 2000, I ran up and down hills in pouring rain without getting extremely tired. My brain had adjusted itself to the fact that I was going to run 57.805 kilometres in addition to the marathon distance, which meant that the marathon simply became a station along the way to the final goal.
In February 2013, I ran two marathons in 24 hours! Can a 54-year-old man weighing in at 90 kg do this? No … or … of course it can! In fact, my run in Antarctica wasn’t particularly tough. But this run is also an example of my strength of will, because I completed the run even though it was cancelled prematurely. In this example, I was probably running – in my eagerness to finish a race on the seventh continent – on some extra adrenaline.
But when I run, I split the race up into subsidiary goals. Every single kilometre gives me victory and a cause for inner jubilation. I think it makes it easier for me than if I only focused on the ultimate goal. In that case, 42 kilometres far away in the horizon would seem like one heck of a long way.
Before and during a run I use my senses to create some inner images, sounds and feelings about my own performance. It is so attractive that it makes it much easier for me to achieve the goal I have set myself.
For me, when I have said A, I must also say B. To begin with, I went training with Hanne without telling anyone that I intended to run a marathon. But when I finally did tell people, the “contract” had been signed, and there was no going back. That’s the way it is with this book, too! I had written more than 100 pages before I told anybody. When I did tell people, my inner “book contract” was signed.
Physical and mental recharging
I don’t have rituals as such when preparing for a run or immediately preceding an event, though there does seem to be a pattern. For a creature of habit like me, it would be rather strange if there weren’t.
There is, of course, a difference between ’charging up’ for runs in foreign climes and those I run in Denmark. What is common, though, is that there must not be too much stress. Of course, I have been under stress before a run, because you can’t possibly have absolutely everything under control, but I do my best to avoid it.
On long trips, it is very important for me to relax on the day before the run. Often this is not easy, because these trips have a pretty tight schedule and since I don’t want to miss anything, the day before a run can be a bit hectic. But in China for instance, Friday has become a proper day of relaxation when I can recharge because there is no longer anything in Jixian and environs that can tempt me. I usually spend the day walking, reading or at my computer.
On run days, I like to be there in good time. This goes without saying on trips where everything is scheduled, but when I get myself to a race I have to make sure I have my soul with me. For example, if the start number is to be picked up on the day of the run it is vital for me to pick it up in good time without rushing. I need to be at the start with enough time to allow me to absorb in a relaxed state of mind all the impressions that go with an event of this kind.
I’m not a great one for warming up, although I usually do a bit. At my running pace, I delude myself perhaps with the idea that I warm up as I run. Wise folks are bound to disagree, but as is apparent from this book, there’s not much science or strategy behind my runs.
Just after the start I try to position myself properly in the field, which in my case is pretty well at the back. I don’t like starting at the front of the field and getting “run over” during the first few kilometres by the fastest runners. Similarly, it isn’t optimal to start too far at the back and have to struggle past runners who aren’t as fast as I am.
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