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Running Makes Me Happy

Posted on May 1, 2013
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I have been addicted to running, and working out in general, for a few years. The anxiety starts to set in and grumpiness raises its head when I can’t get my workouts done – whether it is because of absolutely crazy busy work, travels or sickness. Right after my Chicago trip, or actually already in the Windy City, I got a cold. And I don’t think I have ever been so sick in my life. In fact I was very close to call my Doc for some Tamiflu to get rid of the crud but eventually just sucked it up, and kept flying on my business trips. Flying with a cold is pretty miserable experience, by the way.

Obviously, all that sneezing, coughing, and constant nose blowing meant that training was definitely out of the question. Not that I would have had a whole lot of energy for it either. And the longer the cold was bugging me, the more annoying annoyed I became, not only for being sick but also for not having my daily dose of endorphins. When I finally got out for a little jog on Saturday, another on Sunday, and real workout on Monday, my life is back to normal. Running is my happy place.

“One late afternoon, after swimming in a lake, he began to jog around to ease his chill. Soon enough he found himself running for the sheer exhilaration of it, across the moor and toward the coast. 

The sky filled with crimson clouds, and as he ran a light rain started to fall.  With the sun warming his back, a rainbow appeared in front of him, and he seemed to run toward it. Along the coast the rhythm of the water breaking against the rocks eased him, and he circled back to where he had begun.  Cool, wet air filled his lungs.

Running into the sun now, he had trouble seeing the ground underneath his feet, but still he rushed forward, alive with the movement.  Finally spent as the sun disappeared from the horizon, he tumbled down a light hill and rested on his back, his feet bleeding, but feeling rejuvenated. He needed to reconnect to the joy of running, to get away from the tyranny of the track” – Neil Bascombe: The Perfect Mile

Oh boy, how I enjoyed my 4 miles in 32 minutes. I hardly even got sweaty, and was running with a big smile on my face. The cough is almost gone, I don’t sound like a dying sea lion anymore. I’m thankful for being healthy again. Happiness is often about small things… And the running saga continues also on other fronts. I have quite a few races and charity events lined up for the summer – some for pushing my own limits, some running together with my Personal Training clients, and helping them to reach their goals. This weekend Jason and I also signed up for a Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon – the race is run after summer. Hubby is one of those really lucky ones who doesn’t love running and have a deep passion for it but he still excels at his fitness tests without any strict training. And yes, I am jealous …

P.S. The R’n'R race was his idea – this time I didn’t nag about signing up for an event.

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Saturday Sunshine

Posted on April 27, 2013
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IMG_6506_instantWhat a beautiful day it has been! Sun has been shining since the early morning, and days are getting warmer – even on the Last Frontier. Snow is melting, everywhere else but on the mountains as you can see on pictures. So we headed out to check out the running/skiing trails nearby. Despite my cold that apparently got worse this past week, thanks to all the flying I did.

It was a wonderful day. Hubby and the dog were goofing around while I was running. We had a great time, and made plans to return to Hatcher Pass in a few days – with snowshoes, or maybe with skis and skins, or snowboard. Some spring skiing & snowboarding sounds like a blast!

However, three miles were a joy, albeit really slow for someone running regularly 6:30 miles, and I am so hoping to feel better tomorrow. It’s hard to be fast when you have to cough or blow your nose way too often. But at the same time running shoes are so crying out loud my name, and begging to get out for a long run. And my Ironman training would greatly benefit from that too.

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P.S. The joy and surprise of the day came in the form of cheese today. After our outdoors stuff we ran some errands, including grocery shopping at the Commissary. More than one the Commissary has turned out to be a great place to find some tasty treats, such as Fazer Chocolate from Finland. And what did I see today?!? Bread Cheese. I haven’t seen the bread cheese since leaving Finland, which was like forever ago so no surprise, I was in heaven. Quick Google search also showed that Carr Valley Cheese ships this delicacy. Now I know where to find my bread cheese!

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Winter – Again?

Posted on April 8, 2013
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Snow... no more. Please.

Snow… no more. Please.

Last week we had spring in Anchorage. Sun was shining, roads were dry and driveway was clear. Then the Friday night came, and snowing started. Most of the time Alaskan weathermen have no clue what kind of weather we will have but with this snow front – oh boy – were they right. Last week we were barbecuing steaks and chicken breasts, this week the grill on our back deck is totally buried under the snow.

So far we have gotten about 15″ of snow, and this snowfall should continue until Wednesday morning, bringing another 10-15″ more. And I would even think about betting my money on that forecast: the snow keeps steadily falling as I look out. Our military installation, JBER, has changed the road conditions to RED once again. Red meaning hazardous roads and often poor visibility, and driving 10mph below the regular speed limits on post. I guess we really took a few steps backwards as far as spring goes…

I might be a wimp but, really, I am not in a winter mood anymore. Well, I have never been a hardcore winter girl but would rather play golf, train for triathlons without dressing up like a Michelin man, or would like to hop into my car without digging it out of the snow. Besides, my studded running shoes have already been retired for this winter, and running gaiters are well stored for future use. So please, could I have my sunny spring days back? And temperatures above freezing.

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New Year’s Resolutions and Exercise Videos

Posted on January 10, 2013
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Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to be healthier, to get into shape in 2013? Hopefully your fitness endeavor is still going strong when we are 10 days into new year. Even if you feel discouraged, keep going for another 20 or so days – after that it will get a lot easier. We usually need to stick with a new fitness related behavior for  4-6 weeks until it really becomes a routine that is easier to maintain, and sometimes even addictive.

While I wholeheartedly promote healthy lifestyle – eating low-fat, quality food, exercising on purpose and for necessity, there are some fitness trends that make me shake my head. Exercise videos. Home workouts are absolutely awesome for the busy people who don’t have an access to other kinds of fitness facilities and need ideas for an effective fitness programs but at the same time they should know what they are doing, and be in a decent shape already. The discouragement of fitness routines easily comes from pain and agony caused by workouts – either in the form of post-workout soreness after doing too much too soon (there is positive post-workout soreness too, though) or injuries.

Especially the new fitness enthusiasts would greatly benefit from group lessons with a real instructor, or a few hours of Personal Training. In these real human connections, a trained professional can show the correct, safe movements. Did you for example know that in a forward lunge your front knee needs to be lined up with the heel, and a little bit behind the foot when the front knee is at a 90-degree angle? If the knee leans over your foot, there is a good chance to create patella injuries. Patella (or any knee) injuries are a real pain, literally, to recover from. And they  are also frequently seen among overweight exercisers.

So if your goal this year is to get into shape and shed extra pounds, and it has been a while since your active workouts, check with your Doctor that you are good to go before doing anything. And if the Doctor finds any restrictions that you should be aware of, make a note of them. Then, start working out in a safe environment on group classes or consult a professional trainer or fitness knowledgeable friend to get started. This will save you from unnecessary pain, and helps you to stick with the fitness routines. After all, there is nothing better than a great workout.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” (Jim Rohn)

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The inspiration for this blog posting came from my discussions with fellow Personal Trainers who I have recommend to some of potential new PT clients during this post-Christmas personal training season.

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Yoga Journey

Posted on September 5, 2012
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Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame. ~B.K.S. Iyengar

A couple of posts ago I wrote about my relationship to Yoga. How I have found again the joy of yoga, and how the practice makes me feel better, more energized, stronger and beautiful. Funny what some handstands can do to a girl, right?!

Those of you who know me well, or have been following the blog for long enough, know that I am used to be seriously addicted to coffee. There was no way on earth that I could have started my day without a giant mug (or two) of coffee. I traveled everywhere with Starbucks Via, just to make sure I can have quality coffee anywhere, at any time. And now I have not been drinking any coffee at all for a couple of weeks nor I have any kind of craving for it. I can walk by Starbucks without having even the tiniest desire to get coffee. Not even pumpkin spice latte gets me excited. Coffee just doesn’t taste good to me anymore.

But…. tea… There is nothing better than high quality Oolong to start the day with, sip some Jasmine tea in the evening, or Dragon Well green tea in the afternoon. I can only wonder if this change of preference between coffee and tea is related to yoga…? I don’t know but I do like the change.

In addition to falling in love with tea, I think I have also found my yoga niche. Forrest Yoga. I have tried yoga forms from Ashtanga and power yoga to bikram, vinyasa and hatha. Last week I did another Forrest yoga class, and found my yoga love… fascinating, challenging and addictive. So I will leave you with a Forrest yoga demo by Ana Forrest, yogi who developed the Forrest yoga.

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