Three and a half years ago, I decided to take control of my life and started exercising. The following summer in Åre was absolutely magical. I ran across the mountain tops and felt completely high on the fresh mountain air, but then the problems started. I developed issues with several different tendons in my feet, which led to several years of rehab and alternative training – with no running at all. But last autumn, I was finally able to start running again. The problems gradually disappeared over the winter, and now I’m finally back in Åre to run in the mountains!

The original plan for the weekend was to go sailing with Vera. However, with gale-force winds predicted in the Stockholm archipelago, I had to rethink things. Instead, I strapped a bed to the roof of the car and headed up to Åre to build a loft bed in the cabin. The weather forecast here didn’t look much better, with rain on the way, but the forecast was wrong—there was actually a fair amount of sunshine too! After a morning of carpentry, I found myself with a few free hours and decided to lace up my running shoes.