Once

The name for this one probably came about because I was listening to Pearl Jam before I left. It could probably have been named after several of the songs on Ten. This route could also have been called Childish Thoughts.

I like this run on two levels. On the pure jogging level, it’s nice for a number of reasons. You get to experience the best that nature has to offer in this area: forests, streams, hills, livestock, big sky vistas over wheatfields that make it hard to belive that you are in a suburb of Copenhagen, not in the Midwest. If you are out there early enough you can even see deer.

It’s also a practical route that allows you to turn back at a numer of points if you need to cut it short. But if you don’t turn back when you come out of the woods and onto Svenskevej, you’re in it for about an extra two kilometres. If you are feeling good, you can also extend it in a number of ways and make a really long run for yourself if that’s what you are looking for.

If you choose the wrong time or the wrong day, the return trip between the overpass and the roundabout at Nøjsomhedsvej / Kulsviervej can be a purgatory. But once you turn on to pass Brugsen, you’re almost home. If you slip onto the path at the bus stop, you can finish cross country style, with a litte uphill spurt to boot.

On the personal level, this route also means a lot to me. The area around Raadvad was the first place we took Elisabeth for a walk after we got home from the hospital. And the stonecutter that made her gravestone is there. He was a real artisan, and did the work by hand, which, we found out, is rare.

For all the times I’ve been running in this area the past two years, this was actually the first time I’ve been down the path through the woods since our walk. I went in the opposite direction, not really on purpose, but maybe it that was symbolic in some way – or maybe it just meant I was running in the opposite direction.

Another reason why this route brings back memories is because the three of us wound up walking on much of the route on a very long walk together. I don’t think that we intended to be out so long, but it just felt so good to be out there, together, that I don’t think we wanted it to come to an end. Of course we did make it back. We had arranged to meet a good friend at home and were seriously late, but no one minded. That was the way things went that summer. 

There’s a handful of other reasons why being in this area brings back strong memories. But they don’t really have anything to do with why my feet took me there today.

Tomorrow we meet with our adoption case worker. She didn’t get everything about Elisabeth down the first time, and the board wants us to answer a few questions. It’s fair enough that they need to turn every stone. It’s just a pain. I never mind talking about Elisabeth; but it is irritating that we have to do it again after already using several hours talking to an adoption person about her and us. Sofie says it’s kind of like preparing for an exam. In way it is. We even have the questions they want us to answer. Now it’s just a matter of answering honestly and convincingly … and correctly.

Once

Run from Ørholm to Ravnholm. Continue past Ravnholm, past the IBM building and over the stream. Turn right off the asphalt path, onto a dirt road that takes you past a hill where there cows grazing in the summer. Pass under the motorway. Keep to the right when the path splits, otherwise you run up into the wheatfield. There are nice views to both the left (wheat fields) and the right (forest with stream running past at the bottom of the hill).

The path splits twice, but you can take either way. I suggest keeping to the left on the first one (the right path is a muddy horse path that runs parallel). Take the right path at the second fork. It’s a little narrower but you can see the stream better. Watch out for mountain bikers.

When you get out of the forest, cross over Svenskevej to the path that goes through Krudtmølleengen. I suggest continuing on the road to the second or third cut in to avoid the nettles and the mud.

When you get to Raadvad, head back along the asphalt biking path through the woods. You come out at the Hjortekær gate to Dyrehaven. From there it’s nearly a straight shot back.

But as I said, the opportunities for improvisation on this one are endless. You don’t know where the path will take you until you head down it.