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?

Swedish National Iaido Championships 2013

And I'm late yet again!
To my defence... it was six days of iaido last week. And this will be a long and rambling post.

Monday I was left pretty much alone, as I was on Wednesday. I tried to focus on Seitei Iai, the ZNKR kata, but it was pretty much just going through the motions and also trying to call up a proper fighting spirit. And I ought to have left well alone on Wednesday - my shoulder was acting up more and more, not showing any signs of letting up since last week, and the right shoulder decided to keep annoying me too. It felt reasonably good apart from that though.

Kali gave me a welcome respite from iai, and was interesting as always, though the commuter train had the audacity to make me an hour late - if ever I get annoyed and start thumbing that Buddhist rule of not letting my anger flow, it's if something hinders me getting to practice... And there I was, stuck on a train between stations - had they only told me a little earlier, I could have got off and taken an alternate route, but oooh no!
There was a lot of focus on defense against a barrage of hits, and taking "revenge".

Anyway. Thursday morning dawned and I got up after about three hours sleep. Flying went well, I used every trick I have to get all my luggage along with me - I'd forgotten to book an extra luggage, you see... and the sword case took up the one slot I had. Going to the plane restroom in ordinary trousers and hakama over them is a challenge, but one I have done previously and never failed at. I wanted to bring two sets of keikogi to the seminar, but, alas. Training and competing in the Swedish National Iaido Championships would have to take place in the same clothes.

Training was scheduled to start at midday, twelve o'clock, and after a bit of research I managed to hunt down a decent lunch salad and something for the pauses between practice.
The seminar was opened, and I took a spot that turned out to be rather unlucky. The cold light, the blue floor and the wall plus some low detachable black wall with text on it... I was wobbling as much as I would have done had I been severely ill. It wasn't so much not having anywhere to really focus my eyes on, it was more the fact that all around me seemed to be a blurr and instead confuse the eye.

I was in enough pain that I had to explain several times over the weekend that yes, I know I am doing a rather wonky cut, yes, my angle is wrong, but my shoulder is painful enough that most people would scream. I had liniment, Voltarol and Arnica salve and applied them all at every opportunity.

The ZNKR kata were gone through thoroughly, and there were actually one or two changes... none that I liked. In the number ten kata, there is now a mandatory little step after the first thrust, which I am having trouble implementing. I know Henry-sensei does it without any effort, but I've always just glided through that part, and never had to worry about taking some odd step to get back onto the "line" again.
We were nitpicked upon by various sensei, paired up and went through ZNKR kata ourselves and at the end of the day, were all thoroughly exhausted. I felt the first tinges of feeling rather lucky about being of such a reasonably high grade as I am, and I definitely felt lucky about actually getting some pointers here and there. It happens seldom... but I had a lot. Radakovitz-sensei especially seemed to zoom in on me quite often. I appreciated this a lot, and his explanations invariably made sense and made me try harder, try differently and try to better myself.

Friday saw more of the same but in a better hall, with wooden floor and better lighting. My shoulder almost had me give up entirely at the end of the day, and indeed, I did fewer kata and even skipped one or two entirely, to save myself for the Saturday. Regardless, I had by then got a lot of things to work with, and it was good trying to figure them out and change my forms.
The judges seminar for a lot of the afternoon gave some good advice and training for both senior and junior judges. There've been some policy changes there too. I did wriggle out of actually judging the competitions and gradings though - I don't think I'd have done a very good job, especially not with all those people watching intently. Panic attack anyone?
The very last hour that day, I caved in and said "to hell with pain" and did some koryu. That felt very good. I always cheer up when doing koryu. I tried to figure out which I would do if there were koryu allowed in the competition, but eventually, I wrote text messages to three sensei and asked them.
They, of course, on Saturday, all gave different answers...

As on Thursday, I fell asleep rather early, and despite the fairly hard floor I slept hard and long (well, until the alarm went off).
I felt I might not have got quite the warmup I'd have liked on Saturday but, I did well. After watching the godan matches, we sandan were up next, in the pool matches. And, to my pleasure, I did far better than I usually do, and went on to the knockout matches.

...for more on how iaido competitions work, ehm, I'm going to have to ask you to go to YouTube and Wikipedia. It's fairly easy but I tend to get lengthy in explanations. Quick one: Two squares, one red, one white. Three judges with two flags (one red, one white) each. After predetermined set of kata are done, judges raise flag for the iaidoka who did, in their opinion, best.

I was far less nervous than I usually am. Now, I don't get all flustered mentally, but, the body reacts in some nasty ways, with increased heartrate and other annoyances. It usually abates after one or two matches, which, really, one doesn't exactly have the time for... So I countered this by imagining that it was I who stepped forth to do the matches before it was my turn. Thus the body and mind had worked through the worst of the nervousness by the time I walked up to the starting line.

I did decent to really good iaido in my two pool matches, winning three flags in one, and none in the other (and that last one against the guy who came second in sandan class). We were set to do Ipponme Mae, Nanahonme Sanpogiri, Kyuhonme Soete-zuki, and in the knockout matches, one of our own choice (so naturally I went straight for koryu!) and four ZNKR kata.
After lunch and the advice from a fellow female iaidoka (can you imagine? There were TEN of us present at once! Or even eleven, I think! For one who's usually alone in the changing room, this was glorious. To be able to chat about iaido and kata and keikogi before and afterwards... it was great) to do Ukigumo rather than Seichuto (or Inyoshintai, which one sensei advised against because "the shorter the kata the less that can go wrong") since I had a flow that was apparently quite good, I was up against Jesper "Redbeard" Waldestål.
And I didn't care. I was so set on winning, killing, getting at least one flag, winning the Fighting Spirit prize, that I did absolutely great. Probably my best match ever.
My Ukigumo (a Chuden kata, no less! So something usually done only by yondan and up) was as flawless as I can get it (with my current skill level), and I even did well on the Seitei gata (ZNKR kata). "Had it only been the koryu kata, you'd have won without question," said my friend who'd helped advise me on which koryu kata to choose. And that cemented my good feeling. He's pretty much unbeatable anyway, and him being better at Seiteigata... I couldn't care much less! Koryu is where I excel and is what I like anyway!

I did great. I did outstanding iaido, I got beat 3 flags to none and I felt great.

I helped the other person from my club Kensei to iron out some last little details on his kata, was miffed when he lost out but after the course of the succeeding matches I watched him in, figured out new things for him to work on.

The finals were exciting, really, and two women took the indisputably well deserved first places in Mudan and Shodan class. But other than that I wasn't too surprised at the winners, who are known to me since many years by now. Great iaido was had, and many good details setting the participants apart were noticed. Oh, and, of course, Jesper won, with Patrik, whom I lost to in the group/pool matches, came second. I only get beat by the best!

Sunday was interesting, with team competitions taking place. Me and Micke, Kensei One (and Only, spot the geek reference), were surprised but very happy to get second place in our group, as we were a two-person team rather than a full three-person team. We did great though. In knockout round one we were beat, but we could definitely have done worse. It's hard to beat such a good team as that one, and, they came second in total.

There was the usual bit of after-competition trotting around and receiving and giving advice and compliments, I was very pleased to see Micke without any greater difficulty passing his nidan grading, and then goodbyes were said.


Between matches and even when not competing oneself, it is hard to just sit still and do nothing, so, one gets a bokuto, or one's katana, and does a bit of warmup, or a bit of trying new things out... So, I was understandably physically exhausted on Sunday evening. And mentally, too - focusing so much during so many days, and being around people non stop, took its toll. I think it's good I didn't go directly back to my home, since now, I couldn't do any iaido on Monday even if I wanted...

My shoulder is still sore, still stupid. It was driven home to me that in order to progress in skill, I need and must have a new katana - shinken, preferably. Even with muscles enough to handle my current, I need it.
Having so many people tell me that in so many ways felt a lot like "Your body is not good enough, you need to change everything about it" though... and it actually hitting home (which it never does with me, and never really have). Ouch.
My knees are happier after so much exercise. I can tell I need to work more on exercises that strengthen the muscles around them

All in all, a good seminar and a good National Championships. I am very proud over how well I did.

Learning that one can learn new things

Well, look at that, I forgot to write last Saturday! Admittedly, it was a week without much outside of the ordinary, what with the snow beginning to thaw and all but the roads still being treacherous.

I was called upon to lead the iaido practice both Monday and Wednesday, and it went really well. I must say, something has changed in my brain, something just... worked. I tied together warmup exercises and the kata we did on Monday, and I am really pleased that both days, everyone seemed to have progressed in the end from where they were at the beginning.
On Wednesday, both the "ordinary" sensei came anyway, but we had agreed beforehand that they were to focus on their own practice. This, I think - no, I know, in fact - was a very good idea. They, as sensei, need to keep their skills honed, and also to get a break if they start to grow weary of teaching. And more importantly, they as iaidoka need to keep their level of skill and understanding. I am very proud to have been able to give them an opportunity to not be the teachers.

In regards to my other martial art, I am quite fond of being a beginner, I must say. There are many new things to learn, and over and over again it is proven to me that I can learn them. I listen to and watch the explanation and demonstration, try out the first tentative times, and then me and my partner both gain confidence and understanding, and at times we even get quite good at the specific move or exercise in question!
I believe that to be a very important part in anything, really - to accept that there is always something more to learn, to embrace the same fact, and to encourage oneself and others to strive to learn these new things. And, to enjoy the process, no matter how bitter or hard or painful it may be!  With "enjoy" I do not necessarily mean in the laughing, smiling, satisfied way. It could also be the knowledge of an obstacle cleared or that one perseveres even though things look bad - and the knowledge that one actually did persevere.

This was again something I really felt during Saturday's "open practice" hours. It was two hours of mercilessly building things from the ground up. And at the end, all of us used both hands, with weapon or without, stick or knife optional, for attacking as well as defending, and moved about quite a lot in a way we've been badgered to do for quite a while. It took all of those two hours, but great thanks go to our trainer for finding just the right exercises to put piece after piece into place, making it a fine puzzle indeed once finished! At first, everything felt... too much.  "Well, I'm decent at this and that, but all of this... give me a few months, and then maybe..." We had the general gist of the idea of things. But at the end, we moved instead of thought, and learned from our mistakes, having passed "gate" by "gate" of learning. All fitted together, and for me, something that had been building since months, fit into place and I felt really good afterwards. I couldn't describe exactly what that would have been, only that... something suddenly seems to have put me on the right path in regards to my other martial art beside iaido.

I have been having trouble sleeping lately, which I suspect may be due to some medication. Last night I didn't try anything external (such as calming tea), but instead went to bed rather early, and refused to get up (except for the bathroom), insisting on falling back to sleep every time, until half past eight. Well, at least I felt rested for a few hours... before feeling sleepy again. I'll just wait and see. I've found a strategy that works at least.

Over to you, then - do you find that sometimes you simply cannot do an exercise or the like, right away? Or perhaps, the other way round!
The idea is there, you understand the theory of it (more or less) but it takes ages to get it? Unless you have the opportunity to do seemingly almost unrelated exercises, building up towards finally doing the entire exercise, and then you suddenly get it? Or, perhaps you have never had the chance to do just that, instead having to rely on hard work to see you through to "understanding"?

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...

The importance of motivation

I have been meaning to speak about motivation, and I will do it now. I am not the best to do so - I have always h ad a more than a little stubborn streak, a willpower that could shatter granite or even diamond and an annoying habit of going through with things I have decided upon. However, I am also adept at simply not doing other things. It often comes down to motivation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is a noun, and "the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way", including "the general desire or willingness of someone to do something". It can thus be why we do what we do, or how much we want to do something. I have always wanted to be able to run. Why, I do not know. Possibly from seeing mother tear her way through competitions for the sheer fun of it, when young. Or possibly because I couldn't, after around eleven years of age. Or because I had, and loved it, and wanted to again. I have wanted to get rid of pain (knees, shoulder, back...). But I went to doctors and specialists alike, and seldom got a very good reception, until one lady finally began, well, listening. Not just hear what I said, but listen to it, too. However, even before that, I had found a prime motivator for myself: Whatever I did that caused my health to be on top, it helped my iaido, my martial art. That seemed to be the key. I could never do all those boring exercises I was supposed to waste half an hour on every day, and so on. I have always had a lot to do, simply because I can, and I enjoy it. And enjoy sometimes painful, often exhausting and boring, and definitely repetitive, exercises designed sorely to "make the muscles in my legs steady the knees", well... it wasn't a motivator that helped me. It did nothing, no matter the pain. I have to go roundabout ways to get motivation, or get motivated, or to do things. But like I said, my mind is strong, and the device "mind over matter" has nearly always helped me. When it doesn't, that's when I fall into deep pits of despari, but let's talk about that some other time. Now, I started doing iaido in... uh... 200...4? I think? That should be it. It was clear from the start I had to do the sitting kata standing up. No kneepads I could borrow or buy helped that. Until 2005, in autumn, after I had lived in Japan and been ordered to come back and grade for shodan (first dan) in November. I had to get something for my knees. And I went to a specialised company selling stuff to amongst other professionals, militaries, and so on, and there, I found Arc'teryx's kneepads with a thin, hard, plastic part on the outside, and soft cushioning on the inside. They had adjustable straps and, I bought them and thought it worth it, when three weeks later, I had learned to do the kata sitting down, and taken my shodan. I have used them since. Sure, I may look odd compared to everyone else, but they make it work. And once I had those, I could start on more complicated stuff. The koryu kata that are practically all from a sitting position didn't hurt in the bad way, they suddenly... made the pain go away. Unknowingly, I was strengthening all those muscles all the therapists had been trying to telling me to. But I was doing it on my own accord, and for my own reasons: my way in life, that is, iaido. It is not simply something like going to the gym. It is a "do", a way, of living, not just physical exercises. In short, I need something more than a mere "do this and everything will be fine, or at least better". And I needed the honesty, a few years later, of someone saying "you have accepted that you will never get perfectly well, but you are willing to make an effort to become as good as you can, and that is good" (thank you, Anna-Karin at Bosön). I have had many different motivations throughout the years. My mind is my strong point. I have used imagination, down to writing myself a message "to be taken to the elf king beyond the valley, by fastest runner - go!" in order to run (of course, this was back when I ran "normally" and though I certainly did it, I still found it a struggle and stopped), or putting myself in an imaginary Japan, with a whole other name, in a dojo, training as one of the warriors of the clan, in order to be well defended against outsiders. Yes, I use fantasy, and I use my own imagination, and if I find something strong enough, it works. When I was young, I used the motto that if I wanted to be an elf, I had to BE one. Run, jump, train, exert myself! So I went from being unwilling in the PE classes, to being quiet, and very, very hard-working. I hated the others there, but I did everything and I did it well, and it showed. And it felt good, because I knew that I had to be the best, or I wouldn't be an elf. Because an elf is better than a human, right? For running, I used the motto "what if...?" What if this works, running barefoot style? What if it will help me run again? And I used the will from way back when to actually run, the one I had, lamenting, put into a small mental box and mourned and given up. Some use winning as a motivation. Being the best, beating everyone else, can give you an immense satisfaction, and a boost to your self-esteem. Now, I think you should be able to boost your self-esteem all by yourself, and not depend on others for it (and certainly not do it by somehow diminishing others, or hurt them, or cause yourself to feel "higher" than them by making them "lower"), but we are talking motivation here - whatever works for you! (Almost whatever, anyway). Some use getting faster, stronger, harder. Running longer, or the same distance but quicker. This can be a very powerful motivator for some, but I think its importance and strength has been exaggerated. Especially in school, we tend to see this almost everywhere, and fail to realise, there are other ways of motivating people to get better. Some need some goal, such as loosing a specific amount of weight (muscles weigh more than fat, mind you) or being able to, like above, run a set length for a set time, or somesuch. Some need something less tangible - like me, where I need somehow to be able to relate everything back to my iaido. Whatever I do that might even remotely benefit that, is automatically easier to do, or, gets done at all. Or I must have some fantasy in my head to follow, but then, I live a lot inside my head anyway so that might not be good for everyone. And some do not need A to have a result or worth of B. For some, the sheer joy, or the doing itself, is the motivation. A modified quote from one book by Charles de Lint is "It is the doing, not the done" ("Yarrow" by Charles de Lint). Some need others to keep tabs on them, since they "cheat" if they are the only ones involved. Some use treats for motivation - a chocolate praline, a new pair of shoes, going out to dinner, taking a trip, having a bath, buying something they've wanted for some time or whatever the case may be. Others use the opposite - threats - for motivation. "If I don't do this, then that will happen/be my punishment." This works for some, but I prefer positive motivational force. Some people are stuck in trying to motivate themselves in one way. We change over time, no matter how long we live or what we do, and therefore, I would advice to occasionally try out another way of motivating yourself. Try keeping it positive, encouraging and, well, motivational. If it's a chore, it's not motivation. Find what works, think your life through. And do not shy away from unpleasant realisations or hard decisions, questions and suchlike. Motivation is a powerful force, so use it as such. Combine many ways, or use only one. What are your thoughts on motivation? What is your personal way of being/becoming motivated, or for motivating yourself or others? Do you have some example of what has worked, and what has not worked?

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?