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– This is important for self-confidence, Grøvdal tells NRK after running a 5km street race on 15.04 in Spikkestad on Sunday afternoon.
It’s 20 seconds better than Susanne Wigene’s best old Norway record in the distance.
The weather was bad, and in the latter part of the race, Grøvdal had an added challenge when he had to jump away from an oncoming car.
Had to be in the ditch
– It came so suddenly that I didn’t see it until I heard someone yell. Either I had to stop or pass, says Grøvdal.
So he chose the latter, although it took him a few steps off the track.
– It was not a crisis or dangerous, but as a runner you will always have the shortest possible path to the goal, he admits.
That you have wasted a few seconds in any case does not cloud your joy. Both time and experience show that the body is now back after being injured since March.
Not a good summer
It started with a stress reaction that eventually turned into a stress fracture, that is, a fatigue fracture, in the pelvis.
– I can’t say I had a nice summer, because I haven’t. It has been difficult since I was injured in March, and it took me seven months to get back, she says.
The injury caused Grøvdal to break 3,000 meters during the “Impossible Games” in June. He did not compete again until last Saturday, when he ran 5000 meters on 01/15/13 at Kvalheimmila in Bislett. However, the timing was unofficial, as Grøvdal ran in street shoes that are not allowed on the track.
– I have trained well the four weeks before the race at Bislett, so I have been in better shape each week. I have continued with the alternative training all summer, but I have run minimally. So now it’s really fun to be 100 percent behind and see that my level is not far from where I have been in my prime. It’s a relief, so to speak, he admits to NRK.
Motivated by Olympic training
Now he has two good races in just over a week, and he doesn’t stop there.
– I still have NM terrain and Hytteplanmila. Then I get four good runs on the butt. It is important for my self confidence and to show that my form is there. I haven’t lost that much despite having a severely amputated season, says Grøvdal.
For its part, it is also fitting that the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year.
– Now it is only next year that applies and the Olympics. While others now have a season break, I am well on track with winter training, so I am very motivated to do well in the Olympics, and the plan is 5,000 and 10,000, says Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal.
