Mar 3
Today we picked up our sleeping bags for Marathon des Sables at our sponsor Chillout Travel Centre. After having gone through a number of different brands and models, we’ve chosen to go with Western Mountaineering’s ExtremeLite Series. Apart from the weight and stuff size (how small you can stuff it), the most important aspect of the bags is in what kind of temperature you can safely sleep. Read more
As most of our friends and readers know, Jakob & Jakob are planning to run the desert ultra Marathon des Sables in April. As with earlier running projects, we have decided to raise money for a children’s charity. We challenge YOU, our families, colleagues, pals, associates, acquaintances, extended families, co-workers and everybody who has ever said hello to us on the street, to help us beat the record we set while raising money for UNICEF back in November, while trying to run the New York City Marathon! Read more
As we’ve written earlier in this blog, INOV8 are sponsoring us with both shoes and backpacks for our run. I haven’t tried the new Roclite 295 yet, but will be lacing ’em up for the first time on Thursday afternoon’s 25k long run. Their backpack, Race Elite 25, also arrived in the mail before the weekend and my first impression is: WOW! Read more
Gentlemen and ladies, Jakob & Jakob are very excited and pleased to announce a brand new partnership with Chillout Travel Centre. Chillout is one of our cosy oases in Oslo where we often come to enjoy a cup of coffee while sauntering through their shop, browsing through it’s huge variety of travel literature and closely examining their multicoloured backpacks. Read more
Yesterday’s long rung was scheduled for 06.00 a.m. by the forest trails of Skatås in Göteborg. Even though the snow cover wasn’t as deep as in Oslo, there was still a light sparkling of dusty white over the trails here as well. Apart from bunkering up some miles in our legs, we were also supposed to try out our new camping stove which we will bring to the Sahara. Jakob & Jakob’s accumulated camping experience over the years is quite poor, and what can we say? We love our feathered beds, bacon and egg-breakfasts and gourmet dinners. Read more
We’ve been lying low on quantity the last couple of weeks, concentrating instead on intervals and toughening up our muscles, teaching them to withstand the pain of lactic acid. Training intervals is at it’s core about one thing, and one thing only: getting as close to your own personal lactate threshold (the intensity where you run almost as fast as you can, but slightly below max so as not to accumulate lactic acid in your muscles, thereby terminating your exercise) as possible, pushing the limit ever upwards in order to become faster and stronger. Read more
The question is often entertainingly debated and has contributed to many an interesting discussion over dinner tables in families more than mildly interested in the sport. Haile Gebrselassie, for instance, has two Olympic gold medals (10 000 m in Atlanta and Sydney) and four World Championship gold medals, being the first person to break the 2.04-barrier in the marathon (Berlin, 2008). On the other hand, the flying finn, Paavo Nurmi, dominated running during the early 20th century and ruled supreme in the Olympics of the twenties. He is second on the overall list of most olympic gold medals (9), being beaten only by Michael Phelps. Read more
Cross country skiing is supposed to be one of the best alternative training modes for running, not only strengthening your legs, but also improving your balance, your coordination (ski poles are tricky) and your upper body strength. Last weekend, Jakob & Jakob found themselves in the lesser travelled forests and highlands north of Lillehammer, borrowing a cabin from a close relative. As cabins go, this one was marvellous in all it’s simplicity and extreme cosiness. But since it lacks running water, a WC and central heating, you need to take care of all of this yourself. Read more
Please say hello to our newest crew member: chiropractor Martin Klcovansky! Martin works in Göteborg at Citysjukhuset +7 and treats a wide variety of patients, but specialises in sports injuries in both amateurs such as ourselves and professional athletes. He has very generously agreed to collaborate with us and help us reach our goal of staying fit, healthy and injury-free. One of the basic rules in Jakob & Jakob’s general philosophies of training states that one should surround oneself with people smarter than yourself to surpass the limits one wishes to cross. Read more
Yeah, really it is. Just have a look at the video below that we’ve snitched from coach Christian’s ultrarun blog. The video shows a desert race without a fancy soundtrack and without the make up. You can imagine the hot, dry wind exacerbating the heat. If you’ve ever found yourself in a furnace, you know how we’ll feel. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could probably tell us that what will save us is our faith in our own feet and in the divine. Tomorrow marks NINE weeks left to the race, and rest assured that Jakob & Jakob are as prepared as they normally are prior to a race. No, don’t laugh! Really! Read more
Right now €603 
Jakob & Jakob 