Staffan Dahlgren

How old are you?

50

Where are you from?

Stockholm, Sweden

Website

https://wwwfyraochtrettio-staffan.blogspot.com/

Instagram

@dahlgrenstaffan

Strava

Staffan Dahlgren
 

What is your history with sports and athletics?

I’ve always been a runner but periodically and it wasn’t until the birth of our third child back in 2006 that I picked it up more regularly, starting to running maybe just 2-3 times a week. I really enjoyed it from the beginning and quite soon found out it fitted me perfectly AND, I was quite good at it too. From thereon I haven’t really looked back and now I’ve been running about 4-6 times per week for the past 16 years and I am well underway of completing my first lap around the globe looking at total mileage (although mileage in itself has never been a primary goal of mine).
 

What do you enjoy most about being an athlete?

I run for a variety of reasons. Easy running or trail running with friends for social reasons, for relaxation and and spending time outdoors but I also enjoy the variety that setting goals, train towards those goals and race occasionally gives me. Having completed a tempo run, an interval session or a long run with some faster miles in the end makes me feel very alive and I strongly feel that now, being a runner is an important part of my identity in a very positive, non-pressing way.
 

Have you experienced any challenges or obstacles?

I have had the fortune of running very consistent mileage over the years. Of course initially I had some of the beginner struggles like shin splints and runners knee but overall I’ve only had one major injury back in 2015 when I voluntarily and with the help of the physio refrained from running for a 6-week period to heel my tender hamstring muscle tendon.

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant both an opportunity and a challenge. I work almost 100% remotely and I have to refrain from running too much/every day because remote working means a lot of hours in front of the computer. I almost suffered from over training before I decided to be quite strict about taking one or two days completely off running every week. That has provided a better balance between recovery and training for me.

Has your participation helped you overcome any major life issues?

This is a long story but something I am willing to share nevertheless. I had a best friend that also was my running mate for over 10 years and we had so much in common inside and outside of running and we were very close. He suffered from a lot of pressure and anxiety and had a history of depression from his teenage years and unfortunately due to several different circumstances he committed suicide in march of 2018, leaving behind a wife and two children. Although my loss was nothing as compared to his family’s, this was still a major quite devastating experience for me but running has helped me heal. We often went trail running together and I think of my friend David still often when I do that and I ask myself if he would have wanted me to quit running which of course he wouldnt. That year back in 2018 running for me was therapeutic and I completely put aside the competetive aspects of running that I normally enjoy, because at the time it just wasn’t important to me.

What is your “why?”

It motivates me to try to keep a certain level still. My days of new PR’s are perhaps behind me, most of my PR’s are from 2014 so they are eight years old by now but still I am not that far away from them and I like it to stay that way for as long as I can.

I guess my why is that running adds very positively to my life, makes me feel more alive and I enjoy the fact that I’m healthy and in a very good shape and a way better runner at the age of 50 as compared to when I was in my 30’s. I run both for the relaxation and spending time outdoors and for the challenge and the fun of competing against myself in races every now and then.

What is your favorite gear or training equipment?

My Garmin watch is perhaps not a favourite gear but it’s an everyday companion also on every run. Shoe wise I’m a Nike guy. They fit very nicely on my feet and I really enjoy the ZoomX cushioning of their racing line of shoes. Everyone deserves to experience the feeling of running fast in a pair of Nike Vaporflyes. They are so much better than all the other competing brands of new “super shoes”.

Do you have a favorite race or event?

I ran the New York City Marathon back in 2015 and that was really special! I plan and hope to be able to go to the US and experience both the Boston and the Chicago Marathons going forward and I typically achieve BQ/qualification standards with a good margin whenever I have ran a marathon. So far I have ran 11 marathons and my home town marathon in Stockholm Sweden in May/June and the Stockholm Half Marathon in September are both big favorites of mine, very well organized and with lovely courses along the water line of Stockholm. The finish of the Stockholm Marathon is inside the Stockholm Stadion which is really beautiful and also historical since it hosted the 1912 summer olympic games. That’s quite something.
 

What’s next?

My major goal the spring of 2022 is to run the Stockholm Marathon for the 9th time. I haven’t ran a marathon since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic. My PR in the marathon is 2:50:43 (the enclosed picture is from that finish) and last time I ran it I ran 2:53:52. Last year 15 men in my age group men 50-55 managed to run faster than three hours and I want to be one of them on the 4th of June in Stockholm. That really motivates me!
 

Any fun facts about yourself?

I have four kids, two cats and a dog (that I hope will want to join me running once he’s old enough) and also owns half a horse (my daughter owns the other half) 🙂
 

Do you have any advice for someone interested in getting started?

Be a “student” of the sport, try to read and learn, don’t be afraid that you’re “slow” and inexperienced. Take advantage of running with others, runners are social types of people that like to hang out and my experience is that there very seldom is any prestigue and that newbies are always very welcomed. Be patient focussing on creating a habit. Don’t run the same route and the same pace all the time that is boring! The key to enjoy it is variety both when in comes to routes, surfaces and paces. You’ll see dramatic improvements quite soon as a beginner so just be patient and trust the process and try not to overdo it running too hard, which often leads to injury and loss of consistency.