Nope

Oh so did I run on Friday? No! I suck!

I really was so going to, even though I still have a bit of a cold. But then the ground was just ice ice ice, and all my work mates where saying how I shouldn't run as I would fall over and break a leg or something. So I listened. And it's true, how can you run on pure ice?

And now of course my cold has got worse, it's now on my chest and is making me cough. So we will see if I feel up to it this week or if this break will have to go into next week. Rubbish.

I Should Be Running But I Am Not

God I feel lazy, I haven't done any running since Wednesday last week, and that was the only bit of running I did last week. Why? Well I have a bit of a cold, but not really bad enough to be an excuse. I just don't want to!! It's cold outside and I don't want to get sweaty in loads of clothes. We have been taking walks on the lunch break instead, but it's so not the same thing.

No, tomorrow I need to kick myself into gear and go for a bloody run! If you stop for too long it's so easy to postpone it another day, and then another, and then it's really hard to get back in to it.

Tomorrow I am running again and that's it!

It's Warm

It's a very strange autumn this year, very warm. Last year the snow came early and the winter was long and cold.
Now it feels more like September than November, we have no snow and we still have plus degrees. It's grey and dark and wet.

The upside to this is that it's easier to run when it's not too cold. We can still run in the forest which is something I really miss in the winter when it is overtaken by the skiers.
The best thing though is that I can still ride properly! When everything is frozen the only places you can do anything other than a slow walk is on the plowed roads or snowy fields, and when I go out in the evening it's pitch black so going out there is not an option. Now I can still ride in the pen, working her in trot and canter just like in the summer.

I do look forward to the snow, but we really don't need a 6 months long winter like the last one!!



Lake Mälaren in Kungsör (pic by James)



How To Motivate Each Other

I must say that without my work colleagues I would never have started running, and I would never have been able to keep it up.

There's three of us that run three times per week, and sometimes someone else joins in as well. If you feel tired, hungry, or for any other reason don't feel like running they are always there to talk you in to it.

Like today, we did a shorter run, just over 5K. Then my work colleague said "hey, let's run up that hill!"

Ehm, no?! At first I refused, but then when I saw them running off I decided to give it a go. Halfway up my other colleague was giving up as it was so slippery, but then I overtook him saying "come in, we can do it!"

And so we did. Well done us, another good work out!


We're running up that hill...



On the way down

Step It Up!

I have been keeping up my running and trying to stick to three times per week. The problem is that I have found a shortcut to our normal run, which excludes all the killer hills in the end. Perfect! Instead of going up the hill I turn right and run downhill for the last kilometer.

The only problem is doing this when I run by myself does not really prepare me for running with my work mates who do not take short cuts. Normally I feel reenergised after a run, but yesterday after our lunch break run I just felt knackered.

Time for some hill training I think.

The Incurable Hunger

The backside of doing more running, or exercising at all, is the incurable hunger! I am constantly hungry, it's like a black hole that I can't fill.

I just want to eat eat eat eat eat!

Sofia has written about this, she's got the same problem. Even worse I think, as she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night because she is hungry, haha!

Because we use Lina's Matkasse where all the meals are prepared for us, you can't really decide how much you want to eat. The other day I actually made some pasta and mixed in with the rice and stew. I don't get full up from normal portions.

The solution is probably to eat more often, I will have to get better at eating fruit and stuff. Healthy snacks. Or muffins.

Anyhow, here's pictures of what I ate on Friday.

Breakfast at work, home made bread made by my mum. So good!

It didn't fill me up though so I had half a cereal bar

Bought lunch. Meet, sause and potatoes. Bread and salad. Yum!

Had some coffee and the other half of the bar in the afternoon

Dinner, the rest of my lunch as it was so much I split it in half!
And a glass of wine to celebrate the start of the weekend

Evening snack, more bread and a chocolate cake thing

With some tea

Then we went and got some more snacks. I had some salty cars and one of the chocolates.

Training

Today we are doing a 10K run in preparation for the longer run in November.

Last week I did quite a bit of running. No long distances but we did some intervall training and I also did a run on concrete and one in the forest.



It was raining!

I Am Going To Do It!!!!

That's it, I have decided that I will run from my parents' house to my sister's, from Hallstahammar to Västerås, 17 K!

And I can't wait too long, as winter is getting closer. I am hoping to do the run in about 3 weeks.

Now I need advice and all your running tips for getting ready for the longest run I have ever done!

To Challenge Myself

Because I have been ill I have not done any running for 10 days. I have actually been dreaming about running!!

Today I did get out again, we did a 7K run and it felt really good. I just used some nose spray before and I was fine.

The problem with me is that I love running, but I don't like it when it's hard work. I don't want to be too out of breath, I don't want to go too fast or too far. 6 or 7K is perfect, just over half an hour's worth of exercise. Any more than that I stop liking it. (5K in 28 minutes is good, 5K in 23 minutes is horrible!)
I hate the feeling of not being able to get enough oxygen because you are panting so hard.
Wobbly legs, the shivers. Uuhhh!

I need to start challenging myself. And therefore I have this idea in my head. I am thinking about doing a run from my parent's house in Hallstahammar to my sister's in Västerås. I don't know where the idea came from, but I can't seem to let it go.

It's about 18 K. Should I do it???

Can I run 18K?

I Am Still Sick!

This is driving me mad now, I still have a cold and it's now making my chest hurt. I haven't done any running for a week and last night I actually dreamt about running.

My legs are itching to go but my body just wont work with me. Even though I thought about going for a run anyway I quickly realised that it is better to wait it out. So annoying!

On the plus side I have now started doing all my push-ups properly (not on my knees). I do 15 x 15 x 10 x 10 at the moment. We will see how the optional challenge will go today, I will just have to do it slowly and listen to my body.

75 push ups per day starting today!

New Shoes

Even though I have decided to try running barefoot I am not intending to give up running with shoes! I will try it out as a complement to my normal running.

First of all I live in the wrong country to run barefoot all year around, as we have snow on the ground for about 6 months of the year. Also I have read that you need to start up very carefully when running barefoot, as you use completely different muscles. You need to start with very short runs, 300m might be enough the first time!

So I have now finally bought new shoes! I went to a place in Eskilstuna called Husky that my work colleague who runs a lot recommended. Since my old ones were knackered I started getting a bad back and a bad knee every time I ran.

At Husky's I got to run on a treadmill whilst they filmed my feet. Apparently I have quite a good step and strong ankles (from horse riding), so I didn't need any special insoles or anything like that. However, I tend to slant my right foot slightly inwards when I run, which is the reason why I am getting a bad knee on that side. These new shoes should be able to rectify that. Great! It was a great shop and I really recommend people around Eskilstuna to pay a visit.

My new shoes. Saucony, voted best running shoes in Sweden 2010

I tried them out today, a quick 5K in Kungsör, and they felt great! I also tried something new, listening to music whilst running! I know I am so behind never to have tried it before, but WOW what a difference! It really spurred me on, and I didn't have to listen to myself panting which made a nice change.

I am excited now, and definitely feel like I have got my motivation back! In my new shoes with music in my ears I will be unstoppable!

Running Barefoot

I have been inspired by Elina and Emmi's blog about barefoot horses. It made me think about the way I run. My shoes are well and truly worn out, and every time I run now I get a bad back and a pain in my ankles.

But what if I took my shoes off? What if I tried running in the way that humans were actually made to run - barefoot!




I have heard that in countries where people don't wear shoes the injure rate is very low. You use a different, more gentle step when running barefoot. Less strain on your knees and back. I am intrigued.

So there is only one thing to do - try it out!

I will do a run next week which will be posted in Emmi and Elina's blog, and off course I will also write about it here. Wish me luck!

Where Is My Motivation?

I have been trying to get back in to running at least three times per week since we got back from our holiday. And I have been sticking to it, but only just. I have been doing shorter and slower runs, 5K instead of 7 or 10K, slowing down when it's hard work.

I don't know why but I have no motivation to exercise at the moment. I just don't want to. It's autumn and it's getting dark and cold outside, it keeps raining and I just want to sit in the sofa and eat ice-cream.

Sure I want to be fit but it is just such hard work and a never-ending struggle. Is it worth it?

I don't know... What can I do to get motivated again?

  


During my crazy challenge in July
It was such hard work!

 

Oh What A Dirty Korv

I think I am getting a cold. I woke up last night with a gasp as I felt like I was choking. Then I realised that I had been trying to breathe through my nose and my nose was blocked. Bad idea. Good thing I woke up before I died.

My body is aching as well. I have been riding Corvette quite alot recently, plus I have been upping my running a bit, so I don't know if that is the reason or if I am actually getting ill.

I'll just have to wait and see.


You can tell that summer is ending when the horses start to look like this.

"What?"

Inside Out

Oh how silly you feel when you think you discover an inside pocket on your running trousers, but you are actually just wearing them inside out.

Starting Up Slowly But Surely

During our holiday I did not do much of running. Mainly because I was too scared to leave our hotel and run off into the African wildlife. I went to the gym twice and did a slow 30 minute run and that was it.

Since we got back I have been starting up gently, doing between 4-6 K runs 3 times per week. This week though I've only done two runs, 5 K and hill training. And as I am having another riding lesson later on I don't see myself going for a run today.

Ah well never mind.

On Wednesday I didn't feel like running

Being Strong Makes You Run Faster

I went for a run the other day, and my work colleague said that I seemed stronger and faster than before.
I do feel stronger, and I know what it is. It's my exercises. Strengthening your core makes you a better runner.

I feel good!

(Oh and I can't find my hair brush.)

Hot!

It's been so hot this week, humid and hard to breathe.

We did a short run on Wednesday, and then on Friday we did our normal 7.5 K run.  My god I have never been that hot before I think ever! I was sweating so much it stung my eyes, and I was shivering (why?) by the time we finished the run.
So so so hot and such hard work running when it feels like you can't breathe. Talking of breathing by the way, as the doctor ordered I have now stopped taking my asthma medicine, and I am absolutely fine (touch wood)! Hurray for that!

23 Minutes - YEY!

Yesterday I did another 5K run in Köping called "Kom i form loppet". I had aimed to finish it in under 25 minutes which I failed with 9 seconds last time.

 Me and Tess warming up

My mum came to cheer me on, and we met up with Tess and her family there.

This time I decided to go out hard and then see how long I could keep it up. The first kilometre I just ran for it, and finished it in 4 minutes. I knew there was no way to keep that pace up, but I tried to keep a good pace.

In the end I finished it in 23 minutes and 2 seconds, which is a personal best (beating my 23min 37sec).

I am so happy with my result, I couldn't have done any better!

Me yesterday

Run Charlotta Run

On Thursday I am going for another 5K run with Tess. Last time I failed on running under 25 minutes and finished it in 25 mins and 9 seconds. So annoying! So I am going to give it another go.

Today I went for a fast run, I don't know how far it is but I used to do it in 24 minutes, and today I did it in 18 mins 40 sec. It was hard work, but it felt good afterwards.

Finger crossed for me on Thurday!