Gothenburg Training Camp (warning, this is a long report!)

Our reception party at Gothenburg Landvetter Airport

It seemed like a long time ago that the plan was proposed by our Swedish friends to invite the Harriers over to Gothenburg for a weekend of running, somewhat similar to our own TTC weekend. However the last few months flew in and last Friday nine Harriers made their way through to Edinburgh Airport for the direct flight to Gothenburg. Stuart Gibson had gone out earlier in the week and would meet us there but unfortunately Kenny had to pull out at the last minute reducing our number to ten.

Friday 6th July - A long delay to our departure (about 3 hours) left us with time to kill at Edinburgh Airport and threw the meticulously detailed plan sent by our hosts into the recycle bin. However this did provide plenty of time for the well read Billy Buchanan to work his way through the crosswords in all the free newspapers available in the airport (I'm not saying he completed any of them though) and for us to get our hopes up that we might be able to buy Sweden tops at the airport JD Sport to lend our support to our hosts (no luck, only Brazil and England tops).

Eventually we boarded and distributed ourselves throughout the plane for an uneventful flight where the pilots obviously had the hammer down to make up time. I had kept Johan and Ulf up to date with our lack of progress from Edinburgh Airport and the team of Johan, Ulf, Ljöt, Mats and Eva were still at Gothenburg airport to enthusiastically welcome us on arrival. A more delightful welcoming committee would be very hard to find! The guys had three cars with enough room for all the Harriers and we were soon off to the ferry terminal at Saltholmen on the southern outskirts of Gothenburg. We had missed the last of the fast ferries to the island of Vrångö where we would be spending the weekend but the slow boat seemed more appropriate anyway given the relaxed pace of the island (the island has no cars, only a few motorised tricycles for carrying goods to and fro and one tractor belonging to the local playboy no doubt).

Of course we were way too late for the planned pre-dinner run and after crossing the island on foot from the ferry pier to the fishing harbour (OK, the island is only a half mile wide) our attention turned to checking in to our two delightful harbour-side cabins (5 in each cabin with a nifty vertical ladder to the loft for three of the beds). After smartening ourselves up we made our way to the rented house just around the corner where Johan and the guys were staying where pre-dinner drinks were served, event T-shirts distributed and welcoming speeches made. With the sea as a backdrop, this was a very civilised start for a Harriers event!

Johan and Ulf had arranged a seafood dinner al fresco back at "our place". There were four or five buckets of cray fish (I wasn't counting but ask Gordon as he had a good go at emptying them) fresh from the fishing boat berthed 100m along the harbour. We also had the small matter of 91 beers and three boxes of wine to work our way through over the weekend (don't worry, we are responsible adults; Chris was on soft drinks). Again, we had a good try.

Seafood dinner

After a great evening, we were in to our cabins for a well earned sleep. Or so we thought. Lack of planning on our part (to open doors and windows on arrival) and a two month heat wave in Sweden meant that the loft accommodation was like an oven! Add to that the need for a certain person to make multiple descents and ascents of the creaky loft ladder to the downstairs bathroom and a good night's sleep was a non-starter. However, Saturday would also be a relaxing day, so no problem.




Saturday 7th July - military precision was required for today's events. The long run would be in Skatås country park on the mainland on the northern outskirts of Gothenburg at 10am where we would meet the local running club, Solvikingarna (The Sun Vikings) at their clubhouse. Only one important thing to get right: be at the pier to catch the fast ferry to the mainland on time. Next critical time check would be to catch the afternoon fast ferry to be back on the island for the 4pm kick-off for Sweden v England where our support was required. Only one important thing to get right: be at the pier to catch the fast ferry to the island on time. This seemed like a simple plan.

The ferry attempts to make up lost time......

Of course things did not go exactly as planned. Gothenburg foot passenger ferries run to a very precise timetable and depart on the minute stated in the timetable...... until the Harriers arrived! I was the first one to fall foul of the timetable (I know, imagine the coach letting the side down). Having walked across the island in plenty of time to catch the fast ferry, 10 minutes before the ferry was due to arrive/depart, I noticed that I had forgotten my phone. Not that I was intending to phone anyone but I did want to use it as a camera, its main purpose nowadays! Ten minutes? I can run across the island, get my phone and be back in ten minutes no problem. Its amazing how the seemingly simple network of footpaths through the village turned into a maze when travelling at 5 minute mile pace! Lets just say that my return journey was on a very unique route that involved back gardens, playgrounds, various quizzical looks from pedestrians and a heart rate through the roof due to lack of a warm up. I rounded the last corner and saw the ferry ready to depart with all aboard. Somehow Johan had managed to persuade the ferry to wait and so it departed one or two minutes late with a fully warmed up me on board. Tut tut! To make matters worse, I forgot to start my Garmin, so the pace and route remains a private memory for me.

Julie leads out across the floating boardwalk

Time for a cool down swim

As the guys had left their cars at the ferry terminal, we were soon whizzing through Gothenburg to Skatås where a reception committee from Solvikingarna were waiting for us at their club house. After introductions to the 4 coaches in attendance, we split into 4 packs aiming for between 90 minutes and 2 hours of slow, easy running on the extensive network of very undulating trails through the forest. Julie, Chris, Stuart and I went in the fastest/longest distance pack under the leadership of Ove, the club's fastest runner and with another 4 club members for company. It took me a good ten minutes of running to work out that the runner I was talking to who spoke English extremely well but with a slightly strange accent was actually Welsh and not Swedish! That explained everything.

The pace was a very strictly monitored 6 minutes per km on average, which was fine for me given the severe undulations and heat. This two hour run would be Chris' longest run ever but he was well up to the job, only beginning to struggle in the last 30 minutes or so.  Needless to say Stuart didn't break sweat and Julie was doing fine. The route involved some very steep climbs, beautiful lakeside trails, a 200m long floating boardwalk across a lake (quite bouncy with a pack of runners on it as the girl lying sunbathing in a bikini on the middle of the pontoon discovered), a brief stop at a cafe in the woods to re-hydrate the Harriers who had run dry and, 2km from the end, a diversion to a bathing beach for a quick swim before a gentle run into the finish. If only all runs could be like that!

It had become slightly overcast during the long run but was still very hot indeed. Therefore, the showers and refreshments provided for us in the clubhouse were very welcome. After an hour or so of "fika" (Swedish word for coffee and snack/lunch) and emptying the club's shop of Solvikingarna vests and T-shirts, we realised that we were under time pressure for the ferry (again!). As we were now one car down (Ljöt had an afternoon wedding to attend), our plan was to take the tram from outside the forest park to the city centre and then take another tram direct to the ferry at Saltholmen. By now we had only one choice of trams that would get us to the ferry on time. No pressure! Fortunately the head coach, Anders, took us on a shortcut to the tram stop so we were off to a good start. We exited the tram in the city centre where everyone it seemed had a Sweden top or flag except us. We did try. With a close eye on the tram arrivals board it looked like we were fine when the number 9 turned up and we all boarded without problems. This is a long tram journey out of the city and I was quite relaxed until Johan phoned me about 5 minutes from the end of the journey to say that he was at the ferry and it was leaving in 5 minutes or so! It is about 400m from the tram stop to the ferry. I felt another speed session coming on although this time in pedestrian rather than running gear!

Made it....... again!

As soon as the tram stopped we were off, chasing a local girl who was (hopefully) also running to the ferry. I was the lead chaser initially until Sandy flew past with designer handbag over one arm, mini skirt and stylish shoes and absolutely going for it. I couldn't live with the pace so had to let Sandy go. This is a bigger ferry terminal with a ticket office in an archway entrance to the pier. Sandy "sailed" passed the local girl at the ticket office and I was in hysterics to see the ticket office staff hanging out their kiosk window shouting "Hej Ja, Hej Ja" which is basically a standard sports supporting chant in Sweden, as the Harriers raced through the line, sorry ticket office, onto the pier where once again a ferry had been "held" for us. Or at least for most of us! Julie couldn't live with the pace and had been dropped in the final sprint. The gangway was on its way up when Julie arrived and short of a Tom Cruise style leap to grab it with her fingertips, she was at the mercy of the captain lowering it again. Thankfully he did as I'm not sure Julie has the arm strength for Mission Impossible style stunts. Relax!

And so after a pleasant ferry journey and heart rates restored to normal, we walked across the island again and prepared for the football, starting in a half hour or so, pacing our way through the 91 beers as we went. There was not a cloud in the sky over the island and it was absolutely scorching. As the football was not going as our hosts had hoped, and presented with the view from their house shown below, a few of us decided that a swim was the most appropriate half time activity.

A room with a view....

Due to the attraction of the warm water (at least 22 degrees C we were told) the second half completely escaped me and Sandy, Billy, Chris, Gordon, Colin, Stuart and myself made a good job of impersonating seals for the rest of the afternoon.

The evening was fast approaching and for this Ulf was preparing a BBQ back at "our place". Ulf and Johan's wives had made it across to the island for dinner too which was a nice addition to our party. Ulf is definitely an expert BBQ'er and had everything under control. Even when flames spouted out of the BBQ 3 feet sideways very close to the wooden hot tub and pier, I wasn't scared! A selection of BBQ ribs were on offer along with salmon pie. A very filling meal indeed. We still had a lot of beers to work through and had even acclimatised enough to venture onto the 7.5% Elk Beer. In a quiet moment, Frances had visited the well stocked supermarket 100m along the harbour and stocked us up with ice cream to complement the fresh strawberries Johan's wife had brought for dessert. Even more perfect!

After dinner, some of us climbed the small hill to the highest point on the island to watch the sunset (just too late for that too as it turned out; unlike the ferry, the sun doesn't wait for the Harriers).

The day rounded off with an unscheduled game of frying pan rounders. Given the Harriers' history with things that are thrown or hit usually ending up stuck in trees, it was fortunate that there were no trees in the vicinity of the harbour. However, there was a large body of water otherwise known as the sea. By some miracle, the ball did not end up in the water. Another major Harriers' achievement. We had even worked out how to get a cool flow of air up into the loft, so Saturday would be a peaceful night (except for the creaking loft ladder and occasional thump of someone falling out their bed) where we all slept well.

Sunset on Love Island. Who are those shady characters?

Sunday 8th July -  This was to be another scorcher with varied activities to fill the day entirely on the island and hence (probably) no ferries to catch. We were meeting up with local house owner Philip who would take us on a pre-breakfast run on the nature trail that goes all the way around the island, a full 7.5km circuit. What a pleasant run this turned out to be as most of it was through shady, tree lined paths hugging the coast. We ran as one big pack and stopped every so often to re-group.

I am even told that some of us were up for a second lap (Julie, you must shout out louder next time!). After breakfast it was time for another swim (of course), this time off the bathing pier in the harbour. A bit deeper and a bit cooler (still over 20 degrees water temperature though), very pleasant and very busy too with plenty of swimmers. I think all the Harriers were in the water at the same time which is probably a record as usually there are some who insist on staying on shore to watch the jackets, kagools and survival blankets. Not here though!

After the harbour swim

After lunch we had a choice. Something had been playing on Billy's mind since we arrived and now it was time to let it out. Yes, there were a half dozen sea kayaks stacked outside our cabin, the sun was blazing and the sea was calm. There was no way Billy was missing this opportunity! The kayak hire was from the same guy renting us the cabins, so that was easily arranged. Billy, Gordon, Sandy, Geo, Frances, Chris and I were quickly kitted up and instructed on procedures by Hakan, the owner. Of course, with our own expert, Billy, in attendance, the map reading capabilities of Gordon and Chris safely installed in a two-man kayak with nominated responsible adult, Gordon, we felt perfectly safe venturing out into the sea with Denmark the next coastline if we got it wrong.

Unless you have been to the west coast of Sweden, it is difficult to imagine how much the Swedes are into boats and yachts. Gordon expertly navigated us around little islands and in the sheltered bays between islands there were dozens of motor cruisers and yachts berthed as the owners sunbathed and partied on the isolated beaches. We had hired the kayaks for 2 hours but with a slight breeze, progress was slow when into the wind. I eventually remembered to start my Garmin and estimate that the total trip was about 6km which took us two and a half hours. The only slight mishap was running aground on a sand bank between two small islands. Unfortunately these kayaks are not fitted with SONAR for depth readings, so I'll let Gordon off. Despite the fact that the owner noticed that Billy's kayak had a lot of water sloshing around in it on our return, Billy insists that he was not Eskimo Rolling when we were not looking.

During the kayaking expedition, Stuart and Colin had stayed ashore to relax and Julie had ventured to the ferry for a trip into Gothenburg city centre and a canal boat sightseeing tour. However, the (mis) adventures were not over for the day. The cabin/kayak business owner, Hakan, is a former Swedish national wrestler (Greco Roman Olympic wrestling, not WWE!) and he had offered Johan the chance to put us through some drills and wrestling strength training in the afternoon. Of course most of us jumped at that chance. With Geo going for a wander and Julie still in Gothenburg, Johan and the rest of us were back into our running gear and jogging behind Hakan to a beach about 1km away. It wasn't a straightforward jog though as he had us touching the ground as we ran, running backwards, sideways, hopping and jumping to mobilise all our muscles before hitting the beach.

Trouble brewing - Colin v Hakan

No surprise in the end result though.

Once on the beach we paired up and went through a series of resistance exercises, one against one strength drills, pushing and pulling each other along the beach, testing our dexterity with wrestling grips and generally using every ounce of strength in our bodies. In the Sweden/Scotland cultural exchange, perhaps the most exciting was the "match" of Colin against Hakan in a straightforward Scottish Square Go, for which there was only going to be one outcome (Sweden 1, Scotland 0). I tried my best to get one back for Scotland but Hakan had every vertebrae in my back and joint in my arms cracking before I too was elegantly flipped onto the beach.

Best matched pair of the day was probably Big Billy "The Mosquito" v Wee Al "The Coach". However, he's a slippery customer Big
Billy and definitely streetwise, so I lost out on that one. After a final round of 4 v 1 escape the circle (an elaborate group hug with one person in the middle who has to try to escape the hug) which again Hakan won, dismissing Billy, Frances and I as mosquitoes on his back, we were done! However, as we were at a beach, it was time for another swim. We then hobbled back to the cabins to prepare for dinner, a very nice pasta which Frances somehow had the strength to prepare!
Johan and the guys had departed at various times throughout the afternoon, so in the end it was just the Harriers left.

As we would be off for an 8am ferry on Monday, we had one last thing to do before leaving the island. Get up that hill before the sun set! This time we made it and captured some amazing photos to end our trip to Vrångö.

Monday 9th July - in the morning we were up bright and early and unfortunately ready for a third time lucky attempt at meeting the ferry. No problems this time! Our journey continued by tram to Gothenburg Central Station and then by airport bus to Landvetter. A baggage belt problem delayed check-in by a half hour or so and the flight was also slightly late as a result but pretty smooth all the same and soon we were back to Edinburgh and onward to EK.

We owe our Swedish friends, their families and club mates a huge thanks for inviting us over and organising one of the most exceptional weekends I have experienced. A nicer group of people you will not meet. A huge thanks to Johan, Ulf, Mats, Ljöt and Eva for everything they did for us and most of all for the wonderful company through the weekend. Of course, if it was not for Philip suggesting the venue, the experience would not have been the same, so a big thanks to Philip also. We look forward to seeing you all at the TTC in September!

A few more of my photos and videos are in this album. Please feel free to join the album and upload more photos of the weekend if you have them.
Tack så mycket!
Alan