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?

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!

Finding new tracks

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Rainy run

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

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

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

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


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

Late August run

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

With that said...

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

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

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

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

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

Painkillers used:
none, yay!

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.