A bit of oomph into the attack

So, another week past! Shoulder has been aching a lot less, and I feel as if I've come quite far with the Kali stuff. I still overextend at times, both reach-wise and strength-wise, but that is something I need to work on, eh!

My research into getting a new katana, a shinken this time, has been a bit uplifting, but mostly made me feel a little downcast. Swordstore.com has the perfect service for selecting all the details yourself and great customer contact, but I can't afford 7200 USD - I've got a little put by as an emergency stash, but it's so far from that it's ridiculous. Nine Circles, the go-to if you're in Europe, have great budget alternatives and it's perfectly possible to change tsuba, tsuka etcetera yourself... but they're out of shinken in the length I'd like. I could use 2.5 (shaku and sun) of course, which is what my current iaito is, but I am aiming for 2.4.5 instead - I like my fingers fine the way they are thank you very much. There's a seminar in a month's time where I'm going to go for yondan (4th dan), and I'm meeting with a buyu (budo friend) who'll bring his 2.5 shinken for me to try a little. It can potentially hurt like the bloody blazes what with it being razor sharp, but it is worth trying!
Well, anyone interested in seeing my iaido, that which I hold most important, progress are welcome to donate to the "get Ellie a shinken"-fund... I'm simply not going to get any better without a new sword. But I can always focus on teaching others! That's something, at least!

I've had a sneaking ache in my left knee on and off for the past few months. I'm rather worried and here I do now pledge that I shall get back to doing some physical therapy exercises in order to strengthen and better it - and the shoulders.
And part of why I keep this blog is to make sure I don't skive off such things. Hence why I give questions and am always happy to receive answers! That's a way of seeing that people see what I do and will know if I skive off training, and any motivation that gets you going...

My footwork in the more self-defensive martial arts have really got better. It has to, really, standing still is asking for having that knife in your belly...
Saturday was great; though only me and Theo was there, we had a wicked good session! Mainly, we focused on single-stick, and on the knife. Because I've picked up a lot of the movements and technicalities on fighting with such, we moved on to something rather interesting: depth of fight, as I'd like to call it. It's like shu-ha-ri of any do, you progress not only in skill but in understanding.
There's a method to the madness. Having the "intention", "thinking about what comes next" and so on are things I have heard many times by now, but last Saturday that actually started to make sense and sink in. It's about pushing, putting weight of mind and body behind your attacks (and defences!), starting to read your opponent's body, knowing where they will be when you've made your attack or defense, and knowing where you will be too, and where you'll be when they've... and so on. I'm not good at chess but this is more physical, so this I can do. At the end he was pleasantly surprised - "I can't just stand around anymore, I've actually got to make an effort!" - and I feel very good about that, because he's just so skilled that he hasn't been able to get any sort of challenge to drive him on or even keep him on the right level of skill. I feel I progress very quickly indeed, although it's really only been half a year of free sparring (or less, even).
So, that feels great! Not just noticing how much I can actually pick up during just two hours, but how much of it sticks, how much better I get all the time, and how much I can help him with his own training! As a trainer, one must not forget one's own training, or else how can one stay on the level needed to teach others?

Now, if I could only start running again... I'm being a bit too careful about that, I think.

If you look back on the past half-year or so, what are the most encouraging points of progress you've made?

Articles on barefoot style running

It is about time I wrote a bit about barefoot running again, so, that I will do.

This week saw little out of the ordinary. I was the senpai/sensei for Monday's iaido, managed again to tie in warm-up with the kata we later did, On Wednesday I was a careless klutz in iaido and managed to cut a small cut in my left middle finger - I will continue to badger everyone lifting a sword that is of less grade than I am to do their noto correctly; with fingers together and good hikite/sayabiki. (That is, the motion of putting the saya back onto the sword). Yes, you can cut yourself even with a mogito (not a shinken) - all you have to do is be careless and find that uttermost part of the tip.
Kali held a few challenges, and some of them I conquered quite well! I am very pleased that my knife-work and -defence is fairly decent for my level. Knife-fighting is definitely one of the things I'm most worried about if I would ever get dragged into one.

The Saturday SecurityFitness Open Mat was great as usual. I suspect I might have possibly impressed the instructor a little when I managed to get in behind his guard and hit him with the knife a few times, but, it wasn't really worth mentioning. I prefer finding out what I can do even better, instead of being complimented on something I did all right mostly by accident. So, a few bruises richer, I then took Saturday off from just about everything. Today I merely took a walk in the sunshine - I have to study, so I can't do much else, though the roads are really clearing up now!

And speaking of that: I want new shoes for running in. And I'd prefer not paying a thousand SEK just because they have a nice brand - I know good shoes are important, but I'm cautious nevertheless. I know what I want, but I can't pay crudloads for it, so if I AM going to buy something, I better read up on it. I'm thinking of finding some sort of running flats.

I ran into a few articles on the matter of barefoot running. There are apparently many styles and gurus and preachers and denigrators out there... and as usual, I try to avoid them. Yes, "Born to Run" is a bit evangelical in tone, but at least it is a fairly engaging read.
Now, this series of articles was made by a professional with a background in physiotherapy, and I'm going to drop you right at the end of the series - here - even though it is in Swedish. The little numbers in brackets lead almost all of them to English-language studies on barefoot- and ordinary running. Some are done by companies, others by those seeking an answer and therefore getting it, and so on. Apply caution!

What the series concludes with, in any case, is with an "it depends". It seems fairly certain that too much padding and oddities in shoes aren't too good, but that few people ought to go straight onto running with actual bare feet. The author runs "barefoot style" a few times a week, but mostly in the heel-down way. He is not convinced by anyone's arguments, but stays somewhere in the middle, with a firm "it depends".
There is a bit about marathon runners, a bit about the choice of shoes and a bit about injuries.
And here comes a, to me, interesting part: barefoot running significantly decreases stress and risk of injury on your knees. That is instead moved to lower down the leg, which can be deflected fairly well by good muscles, careful running and proper shoes for you - yes, you yourself, not anything hyped up. Try those shoes out, and don't just trust what people tell you. Shoes ought not to be constricting, too narrow, and, whenever you can, you should walk barefoot - indoors, for example, doing everyday things.
Some people, when faced with shoes with a thinner sole, began putting their feet down more to the middle of the foot, instead of the heel. This too lessens the strain on the knees and the force of the impact on the ground.

So, there were quite a lot of comments for people who said they'd rediscovered the joy of running, and no longer had trouble with their knees! And then there were those who didn't particularily like it, and were fine with running as usual.

One thing that interested me quite a bit was the talk about changes in performance and "economy of running". That is, the energy expenditure and whether your technique is energy effective... and so on. If I understood it correctly, that is. It seems it requires a wee bit extra expenditure of energy to run barefoot style, which, when it comes to running far, is of course a drawback. But as I do not compete, and run for the sheer joy of it, I find it an interesting detail at most. Something to remember, but not anything I will worry about.

Well, for me, the articles and the tests they referred to didn't change my mind about barefoot style running. It did remind me that "to each their own", but I think it is important to tell people that barefoot style running is an alternative. Maybe it won't be for them, but you can't know until you try, and as long as they go on and try past that first bump in the road that is building up the new muscles for it, I'll accept their declining to continue.

Have you read any articles on barefoot style running, and what positive and negative sides did you find in them? Were they well written, or were they more like propaganda? Did they change your mind?

See you next week!

To owe the body a rest

All in all it became a very active week - nine days altogether, with some kind of physical exertion every day. Sunday saw me confirm my theory of the possibility of skiing from the back door all the way to the sea, I would have done the same on Monday and Tuesday too considering the weather was just as stunning then, but having had the week I did, and knowing I was to be the trainer for Monday's iaido, and go to Tuesday's Kali Sikaran, I felt I had to forego skiing those two days...

Which is a pity, as there probably shall be no more skiing this winter. But there you are.

 The skiing tour took me over those glorious golf fields - glorious only because they are covered in snow and I don't have to see them, nor am forbidden to go right across them in winter. I followed a small brook, or perhaps a stream, on the northeast side of it, going past a house or two and then across field after field, interspersed with trees and the occasional track from the local wildlife. Actually... there was quite a lot of tree, both beside the stream and around, but everywhere the land was flat enough, there were fields. Eventually I saw the castle (a rectangular, tall building looking like a large house, to be honest, but I've nae been inside it yet), and noticed that I had some time to go yet before the bus would take me back. Now, I'd not normally have taken the bus, but as I said, I knew I had to let the body rest a little, even if I didn't want to.

So I walked (taking my skis off) across the road, put them back on, and found my way the last bit beside the stream and out to the sea, going past a picturesque red house or three on the way, delighting in the feeling of skiing right across another snowed-over golf course, seeing a couple of other skiiers in the distance (they, unlike me, seemed to do some sort of active effort of going fast and getting into physical shape, whereas I mostly... explore, and enjoy the nature around me...) and eventually finding a small collection of wood probably meant to moor boats by in the summertime. The sea was covered in ice, that was covered in snow, and I toyed with the idea of going out across it. It looked solid enough as far out as I could see, it was a rather protected little cove of a sorts, and there was a bus an hour later too... but I didn't have any sort of ice safety equipment, and therefore decided to just ski back to the bus.

Once home, I took a long shower, and, still grinning like a happy maniac, made myself some food. Because one really, really does need to eat as soon as one can after such an extended period of physical exertion.


After Monday's practice, I stayed behind a little and did some Chuden kata from Musou Shinden Ryu, just to work my leg muscles a bit more. ...yes, you can probably see the flaw in the plan here, you too. It wasn't really a bad plan, not really... but maybe I could have done some other kata, that weren't quite that taxing for the legs. The day after I definitely felt the strain and the lack of a whole day of resting them. But I knew the Kali practice was unlikely to be very hard on the legs, and I was right. So they didn't feel worse after that, just "as bad".

This influenced my decision to be a "roller" rather than a "carrier" when I packed my bag - I didn't want to put any unnecessary strain on my knees, and to be a bit careful about them. I went to my lovely Chalcatraz, and spent the Wednesday in good company. Thursday, though, I flitted about, here and there all over town, on a bike and on foot, and Visby may be lovely, but flat it is not. So I do count that as a bit more than the normal kind of everyday exercise!
Yesterday and today saw quite a bit of walking, and I haven't really felt I've missed the training, but that could be because of the resident cat... and the soreness in my stomach muscles after about 140 crunches in succession on Tuesday's Kali practice...

Well, all in all, nine consecutive days of glorious exercise certainly felt like a treat. I still wish I would have dared to go skiing on Monday and Tuesday too, but, I have learned the hard and bad way to listen to my body, and so I had to do this time also.
Have you ever foregone practice purely or mostly because you know your body probably could take it, but shouldn't? Or have you used it as an excuse, feeling a bit guilty - or, perhaps, felt guilty despite having a very valid reason?
I know I've been guilty to that very last part quite a few times.
Listening to what the body tells you is important, though it is important to know the difference when one can push through, and when one really needs to go a bit easier.

Regarding the differences in bodies

I am a wee bit busy, so I shall for that necessity keep this shorter than I had thought. Yesterday saw another Kali Sikaran practice, but even before, there was something up with my right knee. The right knee is usually more well-behaved than the left, but not this time. It might have something to do with a wonky move I did during a kata on Monday, where I certainly did not make the right movement with my right leg while turning from a sitting position, and it felt as if I had almost torn a muscle or something in the thigh. I kept going, of course, but that may have affected my knee. Thus, the Sikaran practice, where of course we were kicking, we also were to grab hold of the other's leg and hold it, sometimes drag and sometimes push, and that, as you may imagine, did not do anything good for my knee. In fact, the trainer managed to make me say "Aow, that hurts, that hurts." which is rather rare indeed. Of course, I am careful in general, having no softening stuff underneath the kneecap itself, but this was something more than that. Some of the twisting and turning when kicking also stressed the same parts of the knee, and I resolved to be careful with stretching, and do it several times also today. It does not appear to have helped much, so I suppose I tore something small, or caused a... well, something. This evening I was to be the trainer for iaido, since sensei could not come. To my surprise, neither did anyone else, bar one woman from the beginners' group. This was of course turned into something very beneficial as soon as we figured no one else would come, and the entire practice was spent with the added focus of having a woman's body in what is, gender equality and so on notwithstanding, a sport essentially designed by and for a male body. Biologically, this does make quite a difference at times. The positioning of certain parts of the skeleton are different, such as the hipbones. Our hips are far more mobile, I suppose you could say, giving slightly different conditions in many areas - for example, when running, biologically female bodies expend more energy than biologically male (henceforth, the terms "female" and "male", "man" and "woman" will be used without such prefixes, but rest assured I am aware of the difficulties and nuances and variations of gender and sex, chosen and biological). In iaido, the most noticeable part is the cutting. A proper cut with a katana is stopped partly by correct grip of the tsuka (sword-handle), and more besides, but definitely by your arms sort of naturally hitting a stopping point: your chest. Even with shoulders rolled back, if you hold and cut correctly, your upper arms will naturally come to a halt because there is a chest in the way. For a body where there is not merely a chest with ribs and muscles, but also two bags of fat, that can be everything from nothing annoying to a bloody nuisance and huge in size, there is a problem - your arms will suddenly stop before they ought to. (Quite apart from the fact of the shoulders being built slightly different, and women having a wee bit of a harder time building muscles). So there you are, cutting as beautifully as you can, but... bump. The most natural way is to in some way bend your elbows, but be careful the male sensei and senpai (lit. "teacher" and "person of higher [status]") know WHY you do this*, and do try to find a compromise between having the "correct" posture and way of cutting, and adapting it to your own body's condition and prerequisites. *And don't let them get away with the "hrrrmhhrrrrmh" of not wanting to speak of it. We are at practice, training in one way or another a martial art. Stop being flustered about body parts. It's just a variation on a general theme - sacks of fat, or no sacks of fat. If you have them, you do have to do things a wee bit differently. Get over it. But be careful you do not suddenly start doing strange things. Keep your shoulders back, have a look at what you're doing with your elbow - it might possibly have to be a wee bit more bent, and try to twist it so it doesn't show the inside upwards, but rather towards your body. Now, I am using iaido as the example here. But the discussion is still valid: every body is different, the differences between bodies of different sexes are generally the largest. When running or walking, a female body will swing the hips a bit more than a male, their way of using the feet is a bit different, when doing crunches or pushups or what the bother ever - it will be different. Variations on a theme (the theme being human body with bones, muscles, ligaments etcetera), but still variations. Your body is different from everybody else's. This means one body may have visible, swelling muscles with no effort, and you forever wishing your softness would disappear (mine won't, it just doesn't run in the female side of the family to go without a most charming little roundness on the stomach and well-shaped arms that look soft and feminine no matter how strong we are, but the legs, and the butt, oh, THEY show at once if we have been running or walking or somesuch). Or your body may refuse to be more dextrous than it already is, no matter how good at yoga you have become, whereas your neighbour can bend around like a gymnast. Or you need to work bloody hard at the dexterity part, whereas your stamina has been good since you were little. Always try to follow the advice of your trainer, but do read up on it too. Don't go wikipedia or youtube on it. Don't argue too much (especially not during your training session! damnit, there's little enough time as it is), but do ask questions and pose suggestions in a creative way, rather than a criticising. If you train something that has very set rules and ways, well, deal with it, and keep in mind who it was made for, and in what circumstances and how your body may differ from the conditions of that. If, however, your trainer says "...but we have different strengths and weaknesses, and our bodies are different" then rejoice, because then you know what no matter how long you train, you will always meet other people who do the same thing as you, but perhaps in a slightly different way, to better suit their own bodies, and sometimes you will gain good insight from this as to your own way of doing things. Always be ready to listen, and try, but be also always a little bit careful. ...did I say this was going to be short? I seem to have failed. Especially relevant for this blog, I would say is the matter of running. Surprisingly many people have now confessed to me they run barefoot style in various situations, and one even during their normal jogging , but I got the feeling that the people selling them shoes didn't quite accept that way of running... It can work. It certainly does for me. Suddenly, changing style and way of using my body, I found one that suited me. Have you experienced such a change in your preferred way(s) of physical exercise? How do you deal with the limit, constraints, strengths and opportunities your body has? Give an example, if you like!

On stretching your legs

I believe I said I would write a post on stretching, and thus I will do! This might become a wall of text... be warned. Now, I have heard so many contradictory things on stretching, that it is quite ridiculous. I will once again revert to my favourite saying of "to each their own", but to me, that is a "yes please". Some feel nothing, some (like me) can immediately tell the difference the day after between having stretched properly, and not having done so. I am not a scientist, I am not a researcher in this matter, but these will be my personal reflections and recommendations. Regarding the main point of this blog, which is to keep me running and exercising because I know people know if I do or not, this brings with it several things. Stretching is one of them. I tend to say I am about as dextrous and limber as a refridgerator, which I am not alone in saying about myself. Remember the three important things I spoke about earlier? Strength, stamina and dexterity. The last is the trickiest, and the one most often overlooked, and the most important. Being limber helps prevent oh so many injuries, and that, at least, is something I have never heard disagreement of. Even weight lifters and boxers need to be limber and dextrous, whatever one may think. Stretching is something that needn't be done after training. It can be done before, during, or without relation to at all. The different kinds of yoga have different ideas about this, too - some say it should be done in a hot environment to keep the body soft and limber, others say it ought to be done with no warmup, so as to get better effect. But stretching after training have, with the majority of people I know, a beneficial effect, in that not only does it limber you up, it also helps the muscles so that they do not go all contracted from earlier exertion. I will here mainly focus on stretching the legs - that is the most important part for me, and there are really so many ways of stretching it is quite astounding. I recently saw a book which I liked, but could not afford at that moment, regarding "new ways" of stretching. They took a bit of a look at some exercises and told of how to change them, so as not to, with the new knowledge we have of the human body, risk injury or strain it involuntarily. There are many books on the matter, but the best also contain some anatomical guidance, so that you can see things from a more holistic point of view, and with a better understanding of how every little thing affects another. "Prescriptive Stretching" by Kristian Berg is one that might be good, as I am always a fan of going past the "everyday things" into the realm of recovery, medical aid and so on. After all, why should I do "everyday things" instead of things that are designed to be extra gentle and extra good and extra helpful in rebuilding a body, or keeping it in good condition? "The anatomy of stretching" by Brad Walker might also be of use, although I have not read it myself. The more technical and less popular-science-y a book, the more I am inclined to look at it... Your mileage may vary, however. An important part to stretching is this: we want to stretch our muscles, usually, first and foremost, and the tendons carefully and second. We do not want to bend our bones out of the way, nor make odd little bits of the body pop out of their sockets or strain to keep up. The standard starter point is a good posture. Oh, have you heard this until your ears fell off! But it is still valid. Stand straight, your knees ever so slightly bent, and clench your stomach muscles, straightening up. Then you can let go of that, but the important part is: do not rest on your back. Do not get a duck-butt. It is not good for your spine. Push your jaw in a bit. In fact, try to stretch out your spine, holding two fingers above your breast area and sliding them upwards, trying to follow with your entire body. Roll your shoulders back. Hold your head proud but not nose in the air! Roll a bit on your feet, perhaps, back and forth, but keep your weight perhaps 55%/45% onto the front part of the foot. And so on, and so forth. No one can learn this but you yourselves. When stretching, do not allow yourself to get all duck-butt-ed. Your spine was not made to hold you up on its own, that's the job of the muscles around it to help out with. Basic thing: Take it slow. Breathe. I try to count to between twelve and twenty breaths for every exercise, sometimes aloud, as you need air in order to speak, and you need to breathe in order to better relax your muscles! Stretching the front of the thighs is perhaps one of the most common sights to see. You can stand up, for which I recommend having something to hold on to - you want to relax while stretching, not have to constantly tighten the muscles in order to keep your balance. Or you can lie down, your bent knee on a thin pillow, and hold it up to your rump. That is a very effective way for me, by the way. You can also stand on the ground with one knee at about ninety degrees, leg forward, and hold the other (and do keep something soft underneath that knee!) up to your butt. Ideally, you should be able to stand and do this against a wall, but start out allowing yourself to bend forwards, if necessary. Straighten that back, friends, and your hips as well! This is not the time to allow them to sag, although for some, pushing them forward may help. To stretch a slightly different part of the thigh (and actually a part of some muscles in the lower back, or so I heard), one can stand on the floor, again one leg forward and knee at about ninety degrees, and the other backwards, letting it lie down (and that includes the foot and toes) and sort of allowing the hip to fall forwards. If you need extra leverage on this, twist your torso gently over to the side of the upstanding leg, and even raise the hand that is on the same side as the "resting" leg, to create quite a nice shape with your body, and help stretch it even better. From there one can easily go on to the hamstrings. Just put the toes of your back foot up instead, hold your hands behind your back (straight! no duck-butt or slouching!), keep the front foot on its heel and the knee slightly bent (oh yes, bent, I said), and lean forwards slwoly, relaxing the muscles all the while. And then, one can pull the front leg back, sitting with one leg and foot underneath one's butt (much like a one-sided Japanese seiza posture), and bend the front leg, almost hugging it, keeping the foot by the thigh of the leg one is sitting on, and trying to get the heel to touch the ground. This may take a bit of mucking about, and it might not work for everybody, and believe me, it is a dashed tricky one to describe, but you look a bit as if you're crouching down, hugging or leaning on your knee, and the lower thigh muscle is what is supposed to be stretched. While we're at that, stand up and put your front foot up against a wall. As steeply bent as you can! Straight back again, relax, breathe, and lean forwards. I find that I need to do this either by a low wall which I can bend over, or by a corner to bend around... It's not very effective for me. Then, you can use to your advantage a variant of what I know as the iai-goshi position. That is, one leg forward, the other backwards, try to keep the back heel to the ground and lean forwards, bending the forward knee. Easy, but takes a bit of knowledge of your own body to do effectively and not simply put strain on various important bits. The hips are part of the key here - and the back. And the stomach. Having core and stomach muscles help a lot in performing it better. There's the ever-popular standing up, straight legs and trying to reach the ground. I am now proud to say I have only about a finger's length left until I can do that again (I could when I was a child, before I broke my leg at least), when I started trying again about ten years ago, I could reach only down to just below my knees. Refridgerator, didn't I tell you? This is a good one. Sit on the floor, reading, with something against your back. Feel the back of your knees stretch, yummy! Or, when standing up, cross your legs, and reach down. Then switch foot. Good variation on the classic theme. Or, sitting down again, bend one leg to have the foot as far in towards your crotch and other thigh as possible, aaand bend. To the toes of the outstretched leg. Some people are able to do this sitting with their legs in a V, switching foot and holding them with both hands, putting their forehead against their own knee. I am not. But I am working on it, doggedly. Some people hoist one leg up over the other, hugging the knee to the chest and turning to the side of the bent leg. Some bend the then straight leg in under them. Do the Youtube on this, to get a proper idea of how it should look... Text works only so far, and I am not going to go the Photoshop way. I have a personal favourite which seems to require bare feet (no problem for me as I always seem to prefer bare feet). Stand on all fours, pushing your butt as high as you can. But still, no duck-butting! Your back should be straight, and your body ought ideally to make an upturned V. Push your shoulders away from your ears (try it, and you'll understand) and experiment a little with the position of your hands and feet. Sometimes keeping them closer together is better, sometimes pushing them further and longer apart. This is supposed to stretch the back of your legs, and some people prefer taking one leg at a time. The important part is to try, to keep your back as straight as you can, and to keep your shoulders back. This may feel like an exercise for strength, and in a way it is, but mostly, it is to stretch your legs. Don't keep that position for too long, though. No need to overdo it. Some people use four or six breaths, I tend to go at least to ten or twelve. Do the superhero thing, too - stand with legs wide apart, and lean towards one side. Some stop when their knee is a bit bent, others go down to stand on the front foot with knee bent, yet others go all the way to sit on leg and flat foot. The common denominator is to stretch the inside of the other leg. Some point that leg's toes straight up, I tend to keep them forward. It should not hurt except in a "good" way. A little pain, all right. Much pain, not good. Relax, take a quick pause, do again, and find out what works and what doesn't. Strive, but don't be stupid. You can then lie down on your back, put your one foot over your other thigh right by the knee or wherever it feels comfortable, and hold your hands around said thigh near the knee (usually), pressing it towards you. Straightening that leg is also a good idea, it usually feels as if I get more out of the bent and being-stretched leg then. There are many, many more ways, and Google is excellent help on the matter, but oh, do look at what you find with a critical eye! Stretching is for muscles, not for joints. They ought to be strengthened and helped along by said muscles, not torn apart or put to stress. I focus here on leg stretching, as without it, my knees would still be giving me much too much trouble. The muscles around my knees are what helps me go through some days almost without any pain at all, and I have in the past cried in happiness and joy and thankfulness and relief, that my iaido, which is so strenuous for the legs, have built up so much strength of the right kind, that recovery-type and medical exercises never did. I can walk, and now - I can run. The sense of joy and freedom and completeness is indescribable. But when the pain comes a-knocking, stretching can give quick relief, and it can help after training, and it certainly helps in an overall manner. Easy exercises help too, but oftentimes, stretching is more accessible, for example when one is oot and aboot on town. And remember, no duck-butt. Use the muscles in your back and your stomach. Do you have a favourite stretching exercise for the legs? Would you explain any of the above in a different and better way?

Having a treat

As you have seen, this week meant four evenings of quite intensive training, and I felt it would be good to let the body rest and rebuild the muscles on Friday. I did feel some tiredness in many muscles, but on Saturday I could not keep myself from strapping on my sandals and have a run. I haven't had one for so long! It was a rather glorious weather, a bit cool but sunny, and the autumn colours make running a joy. I started out going on the asphalt down to the bus stop and up the long and sloping uphill part of the road - one of those uphill stretches which are the perfect mix of long and ascending, meaning that almost anyone feels a little less energetic when arriving at the summit. I have a bit of a problem with pacing, I know that, because I enjoy the feeling of running so much I set out too quickly in the beginning, and only slow down if something big comes along, like said upwards struggle. I then jumped into the bushes and up and down in the rocky quarry, and felt again that even though my muscles certainly cooperate, my breathing and stamina isn't up to par yet. No surprise, perhaps, but annoying all the same. There had been a little change in the forest, a tree had fallen up on the bare rock, but otherwise it was as pleasant a part of the run as always. Coming down onto the gravel road near the farm again, I felt I had more to give, and kept running past the small pathway that would take me back to the apartment. I found a random path, and decided to explore it. It wound alongside fields and took me past places I didn't know was there, sandwiched as the area is between the tiny town(ish) and the motorway, but it felt like being out in the countryside. Parts of the path were rather muddy, but easily traversed, and I had a fun time dodging thistles and head-high grass. Eventually I wound up on the back side of a school, and decided to wing it, taking a path that led off into a small cluster of trees. And voila, I had found the gravel road, quite close to the runic stone, again! Out in a field someone was flying a tiny model airplane, I met two riders on horses and then, for the last stretch before turning up through the forest, I gave the road what I had, running like the wind and grinning like a maniac at the joy of it. That did take quite a lot out of me, and I am happy to say that I felt almost exhausted, but I still jogged on until I got home and by then I had recovered and would have been able to try it again. To finish, I did some stretching exercises and took a cold shower, which today rewards me with far less muscle soreness than I otherwise would have had. All in all the run took a little over half an hour, and I am astounded at how quickly I traverse random stretches of countryside. I'm going to have to find that supposed pathway underneath the motorway and start running longer, if this keeps up! (Yay!) I did also do some easier exercises with the red rubber band, for my shoulder, but I refrained from doing anything else. It felt more like treating myself to something nice, like chocolate, than forcing myself to go out and exercise. In fact, it most often does. And that is what is so marvellous to me. I liked running for its own sake, I just found it dead boring to do so on roads or in school, and I couldn't do it very well because if I did, I would invariably have to use crutches or other walking aid the day after. If I could walk at all. It felt so heavy, instead of light and easy. It was a chore, no matter how much I knew that good stamina is important. And then, I read "Born to run" and especially chapter 28 (I think, could be 26 - I've mentioned it earlier though!) and put one and one together with how I do iaido, and, tadaa. Suddenly I find the joy of running. No pain, no chore, just pure joy. Grinning like an idiot, like I said before, is standard facial expression from when I get out the door to when I get in the shower. I also had my first comment a few days ago, hurrah! From a fellow "barefoot runner", which, I think, shall be the name I use for it in the future. "Barefoot running", even though we use shoes. Now, this has been a fairly standard post about my own training, but tomorrow a post shall go up which deals with stretching, the ever so important part of training. I know it is said that there is no scientific evidence that it does either good or bad, but for the majority of people I have met, and certainly for myself, stretching helps build flexibility and dexterity, helps alleviate muscle soreness and that is a fact. I feel at once the difference when I wake up the morning after a heavy training session and have not done any stretching, as opposed to when I have. And after that, I shall touch upon a subject which my first commenter has pointed out - how they, when young, probably ran "barefoot style" but was told (like I remember being told!) to put heels down first and roll the feet forward. I also have a friend who runs (and even at times walk) on their forefeet, "barefoot style", and explained many years ago that it feels a lot better. And they have never had a day of trouble with their feet, no matter how worn their shoes have been, or how much they have been out and about, running in that supposedly "wrong" way. I was going to write about motivation, but that too shall have to be for a future post! And that I look forward to, because it is such a diverse subject, and rather dear to me. Is there something special you readers would like me to write about? And, do you like the unchanging nature of wherever and whatever you practice, or do you prefer changeability and seeing how things evolve/devolve over time?

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.

Spontaneous running

Dexterity. That was the word I was looking for! Not flexibility. I shall go back and fix the older posts. Thursday saw me try Kali Sikaran practice, and I found it to me immensely fun and rewarding. It was far less "macho" than I had worried about, and one practices with eachother, rather than against - much like Shorinji Kempo, then, which I remember that I really liked. The training session started right away with warming up, but in this case, that meant taking turns to do loose kicks, at first, and then other things were introduced and gradually we got to more strenuous stuff. Using a bamboo stick was also interesting. I took to it all rather like a fish to water, and I am sorely tempted to commit at once. However, I said I would try Wudan Tai Chi Chuan twice, so I will. I merely had a walk on Friday, and one on Saturday, but today I decided to go on a run. I was itching to do so, after not having been able to for quite a while. Well, able, with regards to time or to my head and its antics. It was probably a good thing I had the chance now, as my left knee was starting to act up, and I suspect it was because I had not exercised enough. I started off with the slow uphill stretch and then turned around, and it was glorious. It was a bit of an exploratory run, as I came upon an unexpected rune stone, which I simply shall have to find out everything about (telling me that the road past it is far older than any building nearby, and hinting on interesting relations in the landscape... but I digress), and found that the gravel road is quite long, and quite empty at that time of night. I foudn that if I didn't check myself, I automatically speeded up, and by the end of that road, I let myself fly. It was, again, glorious. There are quite a few paths in the fields, which are possible to take although at times somewhat muddy. This is a blessing (the paths, not the mud) since neither I nor my legs particularily like running on asphalt. It took about 25 minutes, and I finished off with ten leg-lifts (strengthening the stomach muscles), some random stomach-strengthening excercises, twenty back-lifts and a bunch of stuff for my shoulder. It was a good idea to take the chance, while I was going out anyway to see a friend off at the bus, to prepare and get my running gear on, and when the bus had gone, just set off. I was outdoors anyway, and that, I find, is something people at times find the hardest: just getting out the door. Once out, once in your shoes and on the road, it's not hard, but you have to take the step to get there. Self-discipline is sadly lacking in many people, but there are ways around the most obvious obstacles. Try to find what works for you, and surprise yourself with something new now and then! Sometimes, it's still hard to believe that I can run. And just like that! And how I fly across the landscape, as if borne by the wind. It is quite remarkable, really. I had lost hope and put it behind me, but as so often, what was needed was merely a different view, another path, a slightly different way of doing things. That is worth keeping in mind.

After a pause comes exercise

And it did! Saturday was my "day off" again; Sunday I merely took a walk and did some household work (which to be honest can be quite good as a workout too, depending on what you do and how you do it), Monday I took a brisk and long walk and combined it with grocery shopping. After that, I Carried Heavy Things. I don't mean to, but I seldom manage to pack only what I need. I always add something extra, just in case. Often, I do need it, but not always, and it invariably leads to my bag being, well, heavy.
Tuesday was the time for another long walk, some part of it uphill. But Wednesday, oh, Wednesday brought good things! I had the chance to go for a run with mother, and we ran first for about fifteen minutes, took a very brief stop, and then for five or ten more before I had to concede that maybe I should be careful with my left knee after all. I walked for a while, until mother had turned around and began jogging back, after which we ran for I have no idea how long. All in all we ran for more than thirty minutes, and though my lungs are not on par with my muscles, it still felt very refreshing and good. And I can be fast, too, when I sprint! After this I did just a few crunches, back exercises and some core, nothing much really.

We topped that off with a swim (yes, a swim - an old limestone quarry where once, in a busy summer's day, you might see one or two other families there, and you probably knew them, but now... there's space for three hundred cars (supposedly...), toilets, recycling stations... well, while it's good these facilities do exist, I would gladly smack the blogger over the head who made this place public. Well, that person, and the one who mentioned it in a radio programme, and in a magazine, and there probably was some idiot on tv, too... But, on the twelfth of September, there was only us. A bit chilly, but lovely and refreshing.

Today, Thursday, saw a bit of an interesting event. Mother and I decided to go kayaking. We decided on a good route that would take about two hours altogether, maybe a little more, and then set out. We went out on the east coast of Gotland, and had wind blowing from land, out to sea. It was, at times, fairly hard and steady. This made for some interesting waves and, in places, some very interesting currents. Nothing too tricky or especially scary, though, but still, it was rather harder going than expected, and even I was glad for the tailwind when we paddled back after a sandwich on land. It turned out the outgoing journey took a bit more time than expected, a delightful detour some short distance up a small brook took some time too, and when we returned, it was clear I was not going to be able to go to the shooting range, where I had been offered to have a go at a rifle and moving targets. But, it was a great day nevertheless and I feel most pleasantly tired. I hope this means I shall sleep better tonight than I have lately!
I prefer long lazy swells to the smaller cocky waves we had most of the time today. It just feels so nice to speed across them. The smaller waves make balancing harder, which of course gives you more work for your muscles, but still.

Kayaking is a very nice thing to do, but one is a fool if one believes it is all about arm strengt. Yes, arm strength does play a part, but if you use only your arms, you will tire in no time at all! You should endeavour to use your shoulders (always roll them back, don't hunch!) and even your torso! Tighten your stomach, straighten your back and don't forget to use your legs for balance - but don't stiffen up too much, or you'll lose your balance that much easier. Having some kind of strength in your fingers is recommended, too, and if you didn't think one has muscles in the hand, then I strongly advice you on taking a wee look on a schematic over the muscles in the human body. Which, by the way, should give anyone an excellent view of how everything is connected, and everything affects something else!


This little post should also point out that doing something else now and then is nothing bad. Deviate from your usual training regime. Take a day with looong walks, or let moving house count as strengthening training. I didn't just let go, I picked it up again despite taking it easy for a few days. And I took the chance of doing something completely different (kayaking) from what I can normally do, which puts everything in perspective - I practice other things, therefore I have muscles that allow me to do this other thing as well! Try something new now and then, either for finding a whole new thing, or just for a detour into unknown lands. It gives new energy to continue with what you're already doing, or, it may spur you on to keep going.

Forest jaunt with nice company

I have found that, since a few years, the worst of my muscle pains comes not the day after, but about one and a half day after. However, this time it was because I forgot to shower in cold water right after iaido. That helps to get the blood to carry away the leftovers from the muscles, which helps to avoid muscle pains.

Today, thus, was consequently a day of feeling a bit stiff and rather pleased with myself that I did. Eating got a bit jumbled, with breakfast being lunch; that is, late, and dinner therefore came early. After that it was time for a jaunt out in the forest. I had company, who is rather unfit (but working on it; has strength but not yet stamina, since it's not been too long since said person finally got the right cockatil of medicines to combat their asthma), so I was literally jogging in circles a lot of the time, doubling back along forest trails. We started out with the asphalt road before heading up into the quarry and the forest. All in all it was about forty minutes of running, perhaps fifty, with a few minor pauses for walking here or there where the trail was too tricky. Afterwards I did a rather short and easy set of crunches, core, back and shoulder excercises, and then, stretching. And showering in cold water (well, at first, then I had some that was a bit warmer).
It was particularily nice having someone to occasionally chat to, and to help said person keep going and not stopping, as is so easy to do when one despairs of ever getting some kind of constitution back!

My left knee was beginning to act up about thirty minutes into the jaunt, so I walked downhill (it's a rather long and uneven stretch) and took it easy for a couple of minutes, until I could jog on flat ground again. It doesn't hurt very bad, but as I have said - I am going to take it easy for quite a while so as not to sink this ship before it's left port. It's been many many years since I could run fast and far.

As to the blog name, "Fleet feet, pointy ears", it partly has a nice ring to it and of course also stuff behind it. I feel so joyous being able to run again, and I don't run with a thumping motion, but even when running quite slow, I seem to float along, looking quite fleet despite the speed. And, of course, if you look at the famous works of the nowadays well-known John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the elves there are known for running fast and far and light. They even walk on top of snow - something which caused me great joy when a decade ago I saw the movie version of "The Fellowship of the Ring", that they had incorporated. Note how the character of Legolas runs in those movies - lightly, on the balls of his feet rather than heavily and lumbering on his heels! So, like an elf with pointy ears, I run, and I run best when I am in a forest on a winding path.

Perhaps on Sunday I will tell you a bit more about why I am so careful about starting out slow, and why I couldn't run for so very long. Until then, run easy, run smooth, run careful and run joyful!

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).

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.

First post

Snappy title, eh!

This is a blog that popped into my head during a jaunt in a rather snaggy forest with few clear paths, after I had ran to get some groceries, taken a detour to get home for the sheer joy of running and then didn't even stop to put the yoghurt in the fridge before deciding that what the hell, that forest behind the house, how bad could it be?

It turns out I am out of luck with easily traversable forests nearby, but that's merely a minor setback.

You see, what is at the moment of writing seventeen years ago, I started having constant pain in my knees. Bad pain, at that, rendering every step and indeed every moment even sitting down, a torture. I was told it was merely growing pains, but didn't really buy into it. X-rays and catscans were done, people looked at it and poked at it, but no clear diagnosis could be given. Many years after the catscan, a reumathologist told me I had "joint pains", which I still consider a waste of many SEK, since I had been telling them that all along.

In any case...

Living with pain became second nature. I resigned to using only the softest, most padded sneakers, never walking or standing for more than two hours in a row, and being utterly unable to run, at all. Pay attention to that statement. I was in my teens when I gave up on running - skiing was fine, that didn't hurt, but running? Some investigations showed that I had no cartilage around and under the kneecaps. Imagine that - it's bone grinding against bone for me, no padding at all.
Around ten years after it all started, I began practicing iaido, which is a martial art from Japan. It trains the mind as well as the body, and at that, the entire body. Cutting is merely an afterthought if you look at what the rest of the body has to do! Explosive strength and static strength are both developed as a side-effect from learning to handle a katana, whether a sharp one (shinken) or not (mogito or iaito). I couldn't do the sitting kata (forms), until about two years after I had started, and that was after buying incredibly expensive knee pads - but oh what a good thing that was! Suddenly, I started building muscles around the knees. The excercises I had been given previously were probably good, but my will to do them always petered out eventually, but here, oh, here it came as a side effect of something fun! I had to start slow, but my strength grew, and some years later I realised - wait, there was no pain in my knees! I could go for almost a whole day without pain! I still had to be careful, though, and running still seemed to be out of the question.

Fast-forward even more, to when I had been doing koryu (old-style iaido) for quite a while, and realised I was fit as a... well, I was practicing at elite level. It was a thrill to be able to run when I was late for buses and the like, even if it was only a short distance. Sure, my shoulder had by this time been bothering me for a while (no, it never ends - there's always something new!), but oh, the knees! I could walk and stand and work!
And I started to sometimes join in the warm-up running during practice. Now, in iaido, we wear keikogi consisting of hakama, obi and what is known in the West as "gi" - that is, jacket. Our feet are bare. Therefore, we teach our beginners to run not heel-to-toe, but to land on the front of their footpads and spring from there. It is a glorious sound, when the thudding gradually stops! And though it did at times still hurt, and I had to be careful, well, at least I could join in. The rest of my posture was fairly straight, a little bent forward, since I was used to running heel first...

And then, a mere week or two before I write this post, I read the wonderful little book "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall. Now, I am an academic, at heart and mind and by training, so I seldom read things and accept them unquestionably. But I am also an archaeologist (in Sweden, we make a distinction from the title of anthropologist). And chapter 28 really struck a nerve. Never before have I seen such a plausible explanation as to the evolution of the Homo Erectus becoming Homo Sapiens and Sapiens getting the upper hand over Homo Neanderthal.

So... I thought to myself, why shouldn't I try? A lot of what the book presents makes sense, apart from being an entertaining read.

Ergo:

I had the chance to walk around barefoot a lot this summer. It's an absolute joy, and I love doing it. Jogging on the grass, I found that putting down my foot like I had in iaido practice, like the book described, was far more comfortable.
I strapped on my relatively new, but rather simple, sandals, with a little padding, and set out. Just on random, to see if I could, and I took a backpack since I figured why not take a little walk to the grocery store? I knew I could always take the bus part of the way back.

...and it worked. I focused on making it smooth, and quite soon, the body adjusted itself. Straight back, head high, hands above waist level. My run settled into a gliding fashion rather than up and down-movements, and soon I was grinning widely. I couldn't help it. It was euphoric. So I ran to one store, and then, just for the hell of it, to another, to pick up some other things. And then I ran back, and when I returned, I had run about five kilometres, with a few pauses for walking at a fast pace for altogether about a few hundred metres.

I had run five kilometres. Could it be true? With sandals, hardly no padding, and certainly no insertions. I had floated over the ground, grinning like a madman or just someone insanely happy, and I came back and felt full of life and energy, so I did some other excercises too.

Suddenly, I want to run everywhere. My thick boots doesn't feel comfortable anymore, and I dread the winter.


I went from being hardly able to walk, to being able to run, barefoot or with only thin-soled sandals.
As mr McDougall says, "Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I’d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet."
My energy for training and practice has been reinvigoriated, so I will record it all here. After half a year of reclusiveness and only occasional practice and training, I feel energised and wanting to treat myself to another run, another few dozens of crunches or back excercises. Come join me - if I can, with all my mental health problems, with a body that is unwilling, then, take inspiration and energy from me, and try you too! Now, I may see everything as being of benefit for my iaido, but you can train even without such an incentive. Just because I need one...

With fleet feet and pointy ears I will run into the future, lightly, happily, like the Tarahumara if you will, and I will do it gladly.