An all-round good training

I decided that those smoothies I came up with were worth doing, and so, I now try to keep some fruit at home, some frozen berries and also canned fruit. It is a good thing to be able to get something so filling in the stomach right after training, and the mix of ingredients once again gives relief from muscle soreness. Thus I make a new smoothie every time I go to Kali Sikaran practice, and have a sandwich after every iaido practice. It seems to be working out rather well, so far.

We all train for different reasons. One of mine is, very clearly, that it makes my body stronger, which I definitely approve of. For various reasons. Once, I worked hard at it because if I was to be superior to my tormentors in school not just in mind, but also in body, well, I'd have to work for it hadn't I. So I did. Then my knees got in the way until I discovered iaido, and...
It occurred to me many years ago by now, how much better I feel after iaido, and it has at times been the only thing that kept me going. I get edgy and skittish if I am unable to go to practice or train something. It is oh so easy to just sit still and try to fill my mind with something, to make it not go haywire or hurt. But practice, oh, once I get into the swing of it, there is no thing as good for clearing the mind and giving me the strength to go on, as training!

Iaido is particularily good for cleansing the mind. Kali Sikaran too, it seems, has the effect to clear my mind and calm me down somewhat. It is social in a wholly different way from iaido, and I seem to crave that. We may hit, punch and kick at eachother, but it is always done with respect and in the interest of mutual benefit. And I get to use my muscles to the very end of their strength - and that, often, is just what I need. With the way the public transport runs now, I also have about half an hour extra after training has ended, and I use it for extra exercises and stretching, and some socialising, and perhaps a bit accidental extra practice.
Yesterday I found a new nice tool for training - I think it is called the "t-rex", and the basic idea is two handholds on one string each, and then there's all manner of things one can do with those. The core-strengthening exercises were particularly brutal, and therefore, I must of course feel the urge to get one myself. My shoulders, too, had a nice time of being savaged and thus strengthened. I do appreciate meeting others who train, and especially martial arts. One can always share and learn from eachother!

To me, iaido and Kali Sikaran complement eachother in just the perfect way for me. I am overjoyed at the snow outside, and will definitely be exploring the area behind the house to see if I can find some nice fields to make tracks along, now that it's stopped being all thawy and icky again. I cannot run, as the way they keep the roads here... argh. Honestly, making them all spongy and sploshy, instead of letting them get hard and fast, so that one can run properly! But I can run in the apartment - yes, indeed, I discovered this after I returned after the holidays. It's not a big apartment, but if Nelson Mandela could run two kilometres every day in his tiny cell, then so can I in my apartment... All right, so I do not run every day, but the point is that I can, and I do, just to assuage my burning desire to run outside.

I like a good overall training. I love "finding new muscles", so to speak, and to learn how to work them, too. It does require cold showers afterwards, healthy food and after-practice eating, and good stretching, but once one gets into the habit of actually doing some sort of working out, one can just keep adding more if one likes.

So, like I said - the things I practice complement eachother quite well. Do you think about this aspect of your training at all, do you do it without thinking, or is it perhaps something you ought to think more about?
And - what are your methods to avoid muscle soreness, if you get it at all?

Return to power

Dear me, but I have let this blog fall asleep. Well, there was a lot going on, and I had rather better things than sit down and type...

The Kali Sikaran Christmas camp in Gothenburg was a blast, of course, and the ensuing soreness was glorious. I struck up an old friendship again, the person who once mentioned the very thing of Kali Sikaran to me in the first place. That was really nice, and we are a rather good team as far as practice and sparring goes. It was clear to me that my talent this far lies mainly in unarmed combat, "chaining" techniques, knives or improvised weapons. This is a nice thing as the movements for one can usually be used for the others as well... Karambit was inordinately fun to learn, although apparently it is not a very good idea, juridically speaking, to protect yourself with them in a real-life situation... (Open-palm slapping however, is, to my great pleasure, as I have also proven to be quite adept at using open hands rather than closed fists if applicable).
It was also rather cool to see the advanced classes and those I did not participate in - and there were a few, and oh, how hard it was to choose at times! Good fun, all in all, and great to have many different partners of varying skill levels and body builds.

And as soon as I got back, the very day after, I went to iaido practice, of course. To my disappointment, the holidays, during which I had been rather looking forward to going skiing a ridiculous amount, went... well, soggy. One good long ski tour was had, but then the weather changed for the worse. And of course, bad enough that it wasn't possible to have a good run either, until later, and when I did, well, I borrowed mother's shoes, and had blisters that are still healing (not hurting anymore, though, just... the last loose pieces of skin are falling off). But damn, it went well! I had to slow myself down again and again to pace myself, and not come back home completely exhausted. So, of course, I did have energy to spare when I had completed the run, but... well, I think my lungs still thanked me.

I had a go at being ill in mid-January, to my great unhappiness. It was no fun at all! Just when the training had started up, too!
Buuut, then, I hit the ground running and have been keeping it up since. The muscle soreness is a joy to feel, and this week, there's been a lot of it. The two arts truly do complement eachother well regarding my muscles. My shoulder has not been giving me too much trouble apart from a brief spell around the time I was ill, when I could hardly sleep for the pain in it, and the rest of the neck - I am uncertain as to why this was, but, it passed, and I now sleep with a plastic teeth-protection-bit-thingie. This helps my jaws to no end, and I no longer wake up with my front teeth in a new shape every morning....

For me, it was easy to get back into training after the involuntary hiatus over the so-called holidays. I occasionally run to the train just for the hell of it, or, jog, at least, as I can't run properly in my big boots, I challenge myself in every training session, and I am working on my cutting technique in iai, and, well, whatever is thrown my way in Kali. I have really started to have the various pieces fall into place, even double stick. Today's practice was a joy, with and without sticks. And it's not just me who find that speed is one of my strengths - one of the others grinned and muttered that it'd be far easier to "hit" me were I not so quick. ("Hit" because it was warmup, and all about a light touch to the shoulder or knee, rather than a punch). Also, today I had a truly epic smoothie after the training. I usually only take a sandwich with inordinate amounts of cheese, sausage or something such, usually with salad on top, but I had the chance to mix up a pure-fruit smoothie, and so I did. Strawberries, raspberries, an orange, a banana, an apple... ecologically grown, too, or as locally grown as I could get them - because it damn well tastes better, and is better for the environment too. And, I added a dash of that powder (Gainer or Whey-80, can't remember which and can't be bothered to go and have a look right now) from StarNutrition which I used for a while when I went from pretty much easy workout to four days of hard training a week and very little sleep - it saved my health and I am not ashamed to use it, though I do not use it as a substitute, but rather a complement to the food I eat, a dash of extra help to avoid muscle soreness and promote muscle growth. It's Swedish made, tested for pretty much everything and one of th brands with the best reputation there is, as far as I have found. And if I take just a dash, and blend it into a LOT of other things, well, then I can hardly taste it, and I can stomach getting it down. So tomorrow, I shall see if it has helped the muscle soreness somewhat! I will not overuse it, but, like I said, use it as a complement to give that extra little bit that my body needs. I didn't slack off too badly muscle- or fitness-wise over the holidays, but I am certainly not going to let my evolution stall here...

Over to you, now - was it easy getting back into stride after the holidays, or did you just not stop doing your regular routine?

I hope you're going to follow me yet again, because I am back, and so should you be! Oh, and that enormous blue blotch on the inside of my knee, pay it no heed. That was caused by a well-placed heel, and is now being treated with a very helpful gel, hopefully to be vanished soon...

A bit on training others and oneself

One more late night writing, for your pleasure! My toe have gone through all manner of shapes and colours these past two days, including a neat blue-black-red streak that seemed to spread down to the space between that toe and the one next to it. I should have taken some sort of time-lapse sequence, with one hour between photos, I suppose. Iai was very little trouble despite this small injury, and we had a visitor who normally lives in New Zeeland, here to visit his parents. It is always fun to meet other iaidoka and discuss their takes in iai, see what and how and why they do things, and so on. This turned out to be no different. And of course, it is a small world, isn't it? This yondan (fourth dan) iaidoka from New Zeeland, whose parents live in Sweden, have met my beloved Ohara-sensei from Japan, and others that I know too besides. He has also practiced at a club where a guy who trains in the same Kali Sikaran group as I, used to practice. "Coincidence", people call it. There is no such thing. There is just a creeping suspicion that something is up. But back to important things! I have become quite adept at mixing together random things into edible and tasty stuff, often with a bit of squash/zucchini as key ingredient. This is good, as cooking is seldom something I do for enjoyment, but I sorely need to keep my every-three-to-four-hour eating habit up. I was the one that held the training for the beginners yesterday (Wednesday), which meant I did exert myself as much as I would otherwise have. But there were of course a proper warmup followed by core strengthening exercises, and so on. I tend to drive iaido beginners quite hard, if not unfairly. I expect them to make an effort, and if they do, it shows right away. You can tell the difference between pure lazyness/indifference and inability/struggling. Some people think this is not so, but I know when someone tries their best but their body or mind does not quite and entirely follow their orders, and, conversely, when people are probably just not interested enough to bother. And I am not nice, I suppose, in that I know the power of mind, and have very little patience with whinging people who constantly convince themselves they have every excuse not to do this or not to be able to do that. Especially when it comes to iai. By no means am I unfair to beginners, but I have sharp eyes. I do very much like to spread encouragment around me, though, and I make certain to tell people when and what they are doing right, which is perhaps less Japanese in mindset than what I described above. But, some beginners need to hear it, and it never hurts to tell someone that what they just did was good. You learn after a while. I am no expert, but I can figure things out. Regardless, I did feel today that I had exerted my leg muscles quite a lot this week. So I was a little relieved today, when during Kali Sikaran training, we not only did Sikaran (kicking) but also quite a bit of Panantukan (boxing, more or less) with and without mitts and gloves. I also wore a pair of new shoes, some kind of Asic wrestling shoe, I think, which after a very short moment's reflection I bought without even mentioning the price. I wanted good shoes, I need good shoes, and they are just what I want: split-sole, about as thin as I can get them and still have them stop my toes from getting bent again. And wide enough, I do not like shoes which squeeze my toes together. It was highly refreshing, but I was not as sharp and focused as I generally am. I think it may be because I took a whole anti-anxiety pill yestereve to be able to sleep, and this probably still had effect today and tonight. I know I was a bit drowsy today, even after I slept almost two hours longer than intended. There was also a bit of strengthening exercises, with some interesting boxing on people's stomachs to make them stiffen their muscles (and get used to getting beaten, even if we did it with gloves and rather softly), and while good, my shoulder doesn't quite permit me to do pushups the way I ought to. It is a delicate balance, for me, to be able to sleep I need help (or the brain simply goes into higher gear and I lie there and the Autobahn that is my thought processes - several lanes at the same time - go on and on and I never fall asleep), but I must be careful with what I use. Herbs are good, but tend to be less effective in chasing away unwanted dreams. Yet sleep I must or I cannot practice! Sleep, eat, hydration and training, I need them all to feel good. I had a period where I slept much too little and practiced, well, what was back then a bit too much. I did not have time or money to eat enough, and I couldn't figure out why I was always bone-weary and had nosebleeds all the time... Take my advice: Sleep enough. Eat enough (do it, damn you, muscles weigh more than fat anyway, if THAT's why you're exercising). Drink enough water (soft-drinks and the like do not, ever, count). And have fun while you're doing whatever it is you are doing. And now I shall drag my tired legs to bed, hope that the endorphines wear off and that my soothing tea will help me sleep. Tomorrow I may actually take a day off from training, or then again, I may simply do some core exercises just to keep it up. Over to you, reader - what have you done this week, and what was your favourite training-related thing that happened?

Colourful toe

I now sport a toe which is turning into all kinds of different colours. It is the next to smallest on the left foot, and, interesting to me, it is the one that most often fails me when I do iaido and need it to slide across the floor without bending. What happened was that during Kali Sikaran practice, practicing Sikaran (kicking) specifically, I did a bit of a clumsy movement with my left foot when kicking with the right leg, and the toe felt a bit as if it cracked. It's probably not broken, though, even if it hurt. But then, a lot of things hurt. I thoroughly enjoyed today's practice, it felt good to use my whole body, and my shoulder feels a bit better than it did yesterday. I think it is very beneficial that I vary my iaido practice with something else, in many aspects. The warmup consisted of easy and relaxed kicking, and built gradually from that. We used mitts for some technique practice, and gradually even I started to get some sort of semblance of good kicks, for a beginner. I kept training after my toe went wonky, of course, I just found some tape and taped it together with its neighbour, though I had to refrain from standing on my left leg, and had to use it exclusively, for kicking. When practice was over, I was sweaty and happy, and was given two fighty stikks, that is, rattan sticks (or bamboo), that are used in other aspects of Kali Sikaran. I shall sew a bag for them. I ate a sandwich with cheese, smoked ham and mushroom, and drank a lot of water. This is necessary for me, I cannot simply have a banana or two. I also showered in cold water, and, speaking of which, I have not felt any muscle pains from yesterday's iaido, possibly in part thanks to doing the same yesterday. During the day, I ate my customary youghurt bowl, a well-mixed bowl of bulgur, sweet corn, haricots verts and meatballs and another small youghurt, plus some extra stuff. I know that my practice of iaido has left me with a good set of muscles, and it seems it is easier than I feared to get them back after an extended period of rest. Also, it helps me in general during Kali. My most frequent sparring partner this time was a shorter but probably a wee bit older woman, who went from absolute nothing to, well, Kali, and passed "quit smoking" on the way. She, and many others, visibly struggled somewhat as the exercises became more and more demanding, and while I certainly felt it, I did not falter as much. This makes me very happy, and spurs me on to try even harder! Well, that must be all for today - look at the timestamp for when I post this... I intend to attempt the thing called "sleep" now.

A more detailed look at an iai practice

Tonight's iaido practice was a rather intensive one, and for me it was a bit like going back to another club in the way it wasdone. Warmup started with a bit too quick a run for my tastes - it is supposed to be a warmup, and one starts slow, and then builds on that. But I did not lead it, so I had to follow. It was a rather good, all-round practice, with a lot of cutting excercises. About 200 cuts were made, with our iaito, only in excercises, and not counting warmups or kata. After running and abit of limbering up, we made the regular owing and mokuso (a sort of meditation for focusing) and so on, and then we did warmup cutting. Here, again, the pace was too quick in the beginning, but I must also point out that my sword is rather heavy, and I cannot cut as quickly as I ought to, at least if one looks to the combination of heavy sword and my injured shoulder. Cutting can be done in many ways. From standing positions, to turning and cutting. It is good to make certain one varies it as much as possible. The kata for this practice was, to begin with, one from the Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei (ZNKR) Seitei set of kata, number six, or ropponme: Morote-tsuki. After several repetitions (which was very good, as it allowed me to focus on it and go deeper into what I was doing and how and what I could do to make it better), we moved on to koryu, Musou Shinden Ryu Shoden kata, the first four, which are all from a sitting (seiza) position. I have been doing them for quite some time now, another there for as long if not longer, and the others for varying degrees of shorter time, between a few years to merely a few weeks. Why can iaidoka always practice with eachother? (More or less). Well, because regardless of how far you have come, the basics are always worth coming back to, again and again. And because there is no such thing as "leaving old kata behind". Now, there are many things to take into account when doing those seemingly simple kata. They are the four first, why would they be so complicated? Doesn't that sort of thing usually wait? No, not really. They contain several very important details. How you draw your sword is a basic skill, to do the essence of iai, and then protecting yourself when you lift your sword from nukitsuke to kiritsuke position... and so on. And the timing, especially - you cannot simply wave your sword around, you have to think about when, exactly, you do so. And the more you learn, the more you think, before something just fades away and becomes second nature (after which of course something new takes up the thoughts), and the more you use your muscles. Koryu requires more energy than Seitei kata, and I usually come away sweating quite profusely (which is uncommon for me!). The practice finished up with some cutting exercises again, standing still and moving, and then the usual wrapups. I took care to shower in cold water, as it really does make a difference (thank you Matthew of Genbukan Edinburgh for that insight!), and do some stretching. And eat a reasonably dark sandwich loaded with thin slices of ham, cheese and mushrooms. And then a half flapjack I had left since Saturday. And that, my readers, is why I am all cheery and babbling away. Before practice, I was half sick with terror and wanted to run home and hide again, but as soon as I get moving, it all falls into place!

One more week

As I said before, I get home late, and then have no energy to write anything. But, I have not been lax and lazy! Monday it was again time for iaido practice, though I was senior and the others did not think there was to be any practice - as I am a woman, I change in a different room, and miss out on all the pre- and post-iaido social stuff, and they missed me going into the hall. Well, I did a good warmup with some extra core exercises, and then had a good hour and a half practice. I tried to do many of the basic things, and also did mostly koryu kata, which are more strenuous, which is good. I had a plan to go to Wudang Tai Chi Chuan on Tuesday, but my head wouldn't hear of it, and it ended up being a day for stillness, except for a walk. Wednesday however, I got to iaido practice, and there was nothing special to tell you about that. I had forgotten to bring proper food to eat afterwards, which is never advisable! Always have something to eat after your training session. Your muscles rebuild themselves faster then. On Thursday I went to Kali Sikaran practice after a very quiet day, and it was very good to burn some energy! Kali Sikaran includes much sparring of varying kinds, and I went away sweaty and cheery, and decided to commit. It is pricy, but I believe it may be worth it. The all-round exercise seems to help me even out some of the one-sidedness I have acquired to certain movements and muscles and reflexes, from the iaido, which is by necessity rather "one-sided" when it comes to the sword. You always keep it to the left, for example, when it is in its sheath. So, like every sensei I have met have recommended me to do, I have now got a secondary budo art (well, not budo, strictly speaking, but a martial art, at least). Friday, I had slept lousy, and was very tired, and thus took only a walk and did some core exercises. I noticed when I was going to sleep, that this affected my ability to fall asleep. I sleep marginally better if I have done something physically exerting during the day. Saturday had me dressed to the teeth and going to an event, which made my legs ache - walking, walking, walking; it takes more out of you than you think! Today I also took a few good long walks, and tomorrow I am hoping to go grocery shopping, since I am almost out of things to make good food with. I had to revert to chicken-meat sausages and pasta with some sauce and cheese the other day! Which is nice, once in a while, but I do prefer something more... vegetably to go with it, if that is the case. I would go running today, but I suspect I ought to listen to my knees and not do so. I do have twenty minutes to spare for some easy exercises for my torso and legs and arms however! Tomorrow, I look forward to iaido practice, but not to getting home at around eleven in the night. Remember to always do something, no matter how small! Fifteen minutes a day is the minimum you should do, and after all... fifteen minutes is hardly anything. It really is a very short time, so anyone can fit it into their schedules.

Exercises for efficient recovery

I had to remind myself that I am still working on building strength today, or I would have gone on a run. But I felt a bit stiff from yesterday's iaido, and decided to let my body rest from that kind of exertion. Instead, I went through a thirty (or a little more, possibly, timekeeping isn't one of my strong points) minute program of stretching and strengthening exercises, because I know that is a weak point with me. I tend to describe myself as being "as limber as a fridge". This is not a very good thing.

One should strive to balance strength, stamina and flexibility. Without the last, you are in a very real danger to hurt yourself. I am aware that the last is my weak point, and therefore, working on for today's excercises felt like a very good idea, no matter how unwilling I may be to sit still in various positions and count my breaths.

It loosened stiff muscles, had me feel a lot more limber afterwards, and did, actually, work to make me feel refreshed. Thus, very good.

Nothing exciting regarding eating today, except that I had fresh berries from the brambles outside for my morning yoghurt. Dinner was leftovers after lunch, that is, lots of white thick rice (sushi rice, without the fancy name, more or less) with wakame spicing and some sesame seeds, and an omelette with leek, mozzarella cheese, tomato and some sweet pepper. Wicked tasty.

I have a bit of trouble sleeping well. I may wake up and get up, but I inevitably feel lethargic and sleepy until afternoon, evening-time, no matter what I do (Well, I haven't had two cups of tea in the morning yet, maybe that might help). Come nightfall, though, I manage to perk up and have the energy to read and do things. I'm going to experiment with vitamin B-pills, and have soothing tea in the evening time, but honestly, it could be anything.
It does seem, however, that a movie or an episode of "Doctor Who" (or "Torchwood, for that matter) wakes me up, so perhaps I'll have to - oh woe! - watch one every morning for breakfast accompaniment. Worth a try, certainly.

Back to iaido

It was a close call, but I managed to go to iaido practice tonight. It was worth being a little fuzzy in the head after half an anti-anxiety pill.
Wednesdays means beginner's practice, which today, meant two beginners and the rest of us practiced by ourselves. Being sandan (third dan) I occasionally broke off and helped the others, while our sensei took the beginners through the correct way of standing, holding, cutting and so on.

Practice usually starts with twenty minutes of warm-up which segues into strengthening excercises, many of them the same as I do on my own. Then, it is time to get our swords. I am happy to say I did not lag behind or feel exhausted! And, my body is starting to look again like it ought to, and feel. It is especially important I keep my muscles well excercised so that I don't go back to having chronic pains in varius parts of the body.
I do feel something in my left knee, the one with which I have always had the most trouble (probably somewhat due to me breaking that leg in school once, and it not healing for about three months - it was a bad fracture), but such is always the case when I do the koryu kata (old, historical style iai) of the Chuden level. They do put a lot more strain on the left leg, and it doesn't feel any worse than after any half-long amount of time during which I have not done them.

I have been doing iaido for... well, it's more than eight years now. It very nearly never fails to make me feel more centered, secure, happy, calm, cleansed and energetic. If in doubt, do iaido. I could never excercise or train just "because", I need a proper reason for which the results of such training would be beneficial. And for me, that is iaido. Whatever I do that strengthens my body (and mind!) it directly affects my iaido in a positive manner. There could be no better incentive, for me.

Also, because I like it, I jogged home from the bus. Not far, but still.

Eating has not been anything out of the ordinary today. A vegetarian schschszhcnitzel and rice with maize, peas and sweet pepper was the dinner, and I had a dark ryebread sandwich with sausage, cheese and sweet pepper after practice (and two small pieces of chocolate, to reward myself for facing the horrors of the commuter trains).

Film accompaniment

I was in half a mind to run today, but at the last moment decided against it. I've been sitting still for most of the day; such is the life of studying. I'd forgotten.

Regardless, I put on "The Chronicles of Riddick" and let that rather well-muscled main character inspire me. Why not, after all?
I had the timer on 20 minutes, but I think I will change that to 30 the next time. I kept going until I got lazy after 35 minutes. I focused mainly on my arms, my stomach and my back, but threw in a few exercises for the legs too. I think I will start again with the old habit of doing easy ups and downs while I am brushing my teeth. It's such an annoyance to be able to do only one thing at such times, anyway.

I felt a bit of after-exercise muscle pains after yesterday's session, though nothing in the legs. That felt good, so for my back exercises I did every exercise with more than twenty repetitions, and for crunches, 15+15 three times. I also carefully cut two times ten cuts with a bokuto (wooden sword), and while my grip is good, I believe I shall have to do that a lot more. I feel I really need to change the way I cut - I want my shoulder to heal one day, and for that, I need to be able to cut without it "falling" forward while I do so. It's an easy mistake to make when you have a heavy sword, and if you're not careful it will be the natural way of cutting, which isn't very good at all (trust me and my injured right shoulder on that).

Eating today was a yoghurt bowl, the bulgur and sauce mix, pasta with crême fraiche, and fried mushrooms, squash (mmm, tasty!), pepper and bacon, some (unfried) salad, and after my little session I had a small bowl of yoghurt with just a few seeds and nuts in it. I also had quite a few pieces of dark chocolate, and drank the last of the unsweetened juice.
I seem to drink more water than I am used to, which is always good. Water cleanses the body!

I have not been sleeping well, but my herbal tea didn't make any change yesterday. I suppose it's got to do with external troubles then, for otherwise, I tend to sleep very well when I practice regularily.

Finding new tracks

I just returned from having a thirty-minute blast of a time running. I couldn't force myself to go by train to iaido practice, sadly enough, but I took a small breather out behind the garden today, and found to my satisfaction a nearly overgrown path (which I suspect is merely a dead end) and that the field nearest to the trees has no fence. Consequently, I figured I'd run around it for a while, but then I grew curious - where does that road lead, anyway? To a riding school as it turned out, but there were paths too, and I took a random one which at first seemed well trodden, then became almost overgrown, and then seemed more used again. It lead upwards, upwards on a hill covered in shrubbery and trees, probably rather untouched since the trees didn't look very desirable for use as building material. Then I found out which paths lead to dead ends and eventually found a quarry I had seen on a map, where I had a lot of fun jumping between stones and cliffs. And finding someone's old discarded clothes, but they were several sizes too large, unfortunately.

The last part of the jaunt was unfortunately on asphalt, and my right leg, again, felt gradually more and more stiff, although less so than on Friday.

Then I did a few crunches, now fifteen in a row instead of twelve (times... two, I think, every time going from fifteen straight crunches directly into another fifteen side-to-side crunches before doing something else), some stuff with my red band for my shoulders, and a bit for my back. Nothing much, just keeping it up and doing a little more than I really felt like doing - that is a good thing, I have found, to do juuust a few exercises more, before giving in. Not giving in at once is important.

I have thus found a good path for running that is not all asphalt, but, it remains to be seen how good it will be later in autumn, and in winter. My socks are hanging up to dry, not that I minded a lot, but it's a bother if everything gets too muddy.

Eating was as per usual my bowl of yoghurt, with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and some green raisins added to the usual mix. They will also become a staple ingredient.
Then I had lunch and dinner consisting of a gorgeously tasty mix of fried squash, leek, tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet pepper, haricots verts, tomato sauce, taco spices etcetera, and bulgur. It was so tasty I didn't mind having it twice. Possibly I ate too much, just because I liked it so much...

After my running, I've had some of that wicked tasty crisp bread with some butter on it. I'm thinking of having an apple and a spoon of yoghurt or somesuch, too. I usually eat far better after I've been out and about, but I ate fairly soon before I ran, so I don't feel the need to do so this time.


Running in terrain is far more fun than just eating up miles on a road. It's more challenging, the scenery is better, there are less people and you can always find a new random path. And I don't forbid myself to stop occasionally, either. I just don't stay stopped, and I never walk more than I absolutely have to. I rather prefer to very slowly jog, instead, if the terrain requires I slow down. Besides, I'm out to run, with fleet feet, so why stand still and catch my breath?

Two days in one post

In the interests of my knees, which I am still more cautious than happy about their willingess to work, I took the Saturday off from excercises and running. I admit I could have done some excercises, but a many-hour trip for several bags of groceries was all the excercise I felt up for (mentally especially). I ate well as per usual, but tried a Billy's Pan Pizza - they're supposed to be less filled with icky additives than is usual in such items, and I am careful to always keep something at home which can be made ready and eaten in about five to ten minutes. I know well how I need to eat every three to four hours, with no exception, but sometimes one cannot account for a late train, changes in plans and so on. And I do nearly always lug around a sandwich - but only nearly; after all, it is not always one expects to be away for very long, is it?
Anyway. I have not eaten such a thing for... well... near on ten years, I believe. Unfortunately, I didn't find it very tasty. So I'll stick with powder-soup for a while yet, if I'm all out of vegetables and such.

I find that music sometimes merely annoys me when I am doing something else. So I turned to a trusty remedy, that is, audiobooks. http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/ have a large selection of "classics" read by happy amateurs, to a varying degree of success (I couldn't stand the book by lord Dunsany I most wanted to hear, for example, read as it was by someone with abominable accent and bad reading skills), but for those unwilling to purchase audiobooks, it is an excellent webpage.
Audiobooks are useful for many of the things I do. Today, "Pride and Prejudice" (call me girly if you like, it's an entertaining read) accompanied my excercises. I set the timer for 20 minutes, as I find I can hardly fit all the excercises I want into fifteen minutes, but continued long after it had beeped. I estimate it to have been half an hour to about 35 minutes. I did a bit of an allround choice of training. Variations of crunches, back-lifts, work with my red elastic string to strengthen my shoulders, something for my legs and jogging in place. It felt good and I did not feel the tiredness in my legs that I had yesterday. However, the stiffness in the right lower leg makes itself heard when I've been trotting around for a while.

Even though it was late, I managed to get going with training. I think this is a testament to the importance of perseverance. Fifteen minutes a day became twenty, and suddenly I find I hardly need to remind myself to take the time for it. Make it easily accomplished, make it a habit, and then, when it's pretty much ingrained in your everyday routine, add to it a little at a time.
I COULD go the hard way and just go all-out at once. I know myself well enough to know I have the willpower for it. But I prefer going easy on myself after my various illnesses. Better I regain my appetite for excercise, than find it a chore! And it is such an appetite, once whet. The joys of feeling one's body grow stronger, to feel muscles in places you didn't know you could have them, to see posture and gait improve... it really is a wonderful reward. I admire myself, in a not self-centered way, but in a self-loving way, and that is as it should be. If I do not love me, then, really, I shouldn't look to others to do it for me.

For food, I have deviated but little. I added a nectarine to the half apple I used for my morning yoghurt, lightly fried some leek, squash, sweet pepper and mushrooms and added to what became both lunch and dinner with the aforementioned pasta sauce, to which I cooked fresh pasta. Nothing exciting there, eh. I had a bout of chocolate-eating, 86% dark, several squares and with a sideorder of small mints, but chocolate isn't candy, it's kind of like light and oxygen and water and such, wouldn't you agree?
For a late snack I had some wicked tasty crisp bread that has a lot of different seeds in it, with cream cheese and salad on it. I have also been drinking a probiotic juice during the day, wich is about as sweet as I can take it.

I must be honest and say that I think today's intake has been a bit on the excessive side if my physical activity is to be considered - I have been painting and not moving outside much at all, but a hungry pointy-ear is not a happy one. I don't need to worry about gaining weight in the wrong way, rather, I NEED to gain weight, since it will amount to me gaining muscles, which is rather a goal of mine.

Rainy run

After a day with close call on panic attacks on the commuter train, I couldn't wait to get back home and treat myself to a run. Of course, by the time I had wolfed down some food, it was dark outside, and the rain that hadn't let up all day just kept on pouring down.

So naturally, I dug out a pair of old linen trousers, a t-shirt and my sandals, strapped on the backpack (well, I haven't got anything better to keep keys and water bottle in) and set out.
I set a timer for ten minutes, deciding that I ought to turn back after about this time. I want to go a bit easy this early on, since even though I never seem to run out of breath (it's incredible, really, but I just don't), I want to ease my body into this gently. After only about five minutes, my right lower leg started feeling stiff, and it didn't ease even after a few ten-metre walks in between running, but I am attributing this to being unused to running, and also, most of it being on asphalt. I'm out of luck there, especially when it comes to being after dark. I daren't go wherever I wish where I currently live, even though it's a reasonably quiet area (or so I suppose) and I am well able to defend myself - I do not wish to take unecessary risks.

After ten minutes, apart from the leg, I felt as if I could go on forever. But I kept my own wild instincts in check, and I think all in all I was running for about 25 minutes. I was a little worried about my right knee, as it started feeling suspiciously stiff, but it feels all right now, after some stretching.

Getting back, I had plenty of energy to spare and wasn't too hot, thanks to the rain, so I did a few crunches and other easy exercises, before a shower.


I ate much the same as yesterday - bowl of yoghurt, bowl of salad with lots of nifty stuff in it - and also a bowl of pasta with a sauce to it, made of tomato sauce, chickpeas, red lenses and possibly something more. I'm going to have some hardbread, I think, with cheese on it, for an after-training snack.

Late August run

Like I said in the first post, the book "Born to Run" certainly did wake me up. But it's not gospel, and to each their own - remember that! For me, it was easy to change my running style, and something I was able to do in about a week, but that was mainly because I didn't really have one! And the muscles I had developed from my iaido martial arts practice coincided very neatly with being much of what I needed to run "barefoot", or, on the balls of my feet rather than the heels. So before you go and run barefoot on asphalt for many kilometres, read the book, think about it a little, and use your old sneakers instead. They'll be formed after your feet well enough. If you want to go with Vibram Five-Fingers, go ahead, but be prepared they require a different set of muscles than ordinary running.

With that said...

Today, around dinnertime, I realised I needed groceries. I'm a bit of a recluse, and I was supposed to meet a friend today, but the thought of going there by public transport for two hours one way, in rush hour, paralysed me, so I had to give that up. Instead, I dug out old but serviceable shorts and a t-shirt, and strapped on sandals and a backpack, and set out.

The way there is mostly asphalt, but I took a detour through a small area of trees with a nature trail up and down a hill. It is clear my fitness is not on top, but I didn't stop and walk. It's probably merely a kilometre or two to the store. After shopping, I took a detour back, with a nice slow uphill climb for the last part. Again, it was no more than a few kilometres, so when I arrived back home I put the yoghurt in the fridge and set out into the woods behind the house. They are, let me tell you, not well-trod. It is a great pity, but I shan't be able to run there very much, which strands me with a fairly drab set of asphalt road for beginning and end to every run.
Regardless, when I got back from my jaunt in the forest (it was fun dodging nettles and fallen trees) I felt I had energy to spare, and was high as a kite on the joy of running.

I have also done three sets of crunches, 12 times each of straight and double-side, three sets of varying back-lifts (twenty or so repetitions every time), shoulder excercises with a red rubber band (three sets of every excercise, one-sided and double-sided after eachother), iai goshi ups and downs (standing in iai goshi and going up and down, with the front knee in static position above the heel), some cuts with my iaito (about a hundred I'd say, slow and faster), core excercises (standing with straight body on toes and bent arms, I have no idea what the name is in English) and so on.

I had set the timer at twenty minutes, to encourage myself that it really wasn't a lot of time to waste, just twenty minutes, hardly anything really! I may have gone on for five or ten minutes more, because it felt good. I did a little stretching, but far too little.

Eating today has been:
a bowl of yoghurt with various nuts, puffed unsweetened rice, half an apple, dried cranberries, crushed linseeds and pumpkin seeds
dark rye (?) bread with cream cheese and sausage
tea <3 (black, one cup in the morning, and then herbal teas - I know what caffeine late in the day does to me...)
bowl of salad with one mushroom, one tomato, Gouda cheese, mozzarella cheese, cashew nuts

Painkillers used:
none, yay!