110km 77hrs 49 mins

we made it!
and I'm struggling to find the words to describe it.
Amazing, hard, emotionally mentally physically draining, so I'm just going to put some pictures up, and maybe when the words come I will tell you all about it.
I will say that I am proud of my self, and I have a new sense of what is 'hard'.
Thank you Jane for sharing this journey with me :)

go pro

go pro

go pro

go pro

go pro

go pro - ROCKS!

lingon

keb in the background hiding in the clouds

team good to go

the hardest 10.5 km of my life

too scared to take off the tape

I took the tape off

110 km in the arctic circle

Next Friday I will set off on what will be my first big adventure of the year and quite frankly possible the hardest thing I have done in my life so far.

I have entered into the Fjäll Räven Classic.

http://www.fjallraven.com/classic

it is 110km or 11 swedish miles up in the north of Sweden.

I have done this walk before with Sofi when I first moved here, but this time it will be a little different,

I am aiming to complete the walk in 4 days, 

I find myself doing the maths of the walk and it works out that if we walk for 12 hours a day we should make it in time to get our flight home.

I am surprised at my complete lack of fear going into this walk. 

in my mind it seems like a big thing, when you say it out loud it seems like a thing that I should be scared that I cannot complete, instead I am inspired and excited.

in the helicopter from Kebnekaise to Nikkaloukta

I look forward to this challenge, I look forward to being physically exhausted, to finding out if my body can do this or if I am going to have to be helicoptered out.

(on my last trip we caught the helicopter from Kebnekaise Fjäll Station to Nikkaloukta. It was an awesome end to a fantastic trip.)

Right now with the trip 7 days away, I am fidgeting in my chair thinking about what I am about to go through.

It Shouldn't be that hard right, I mean just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

We shall see.

this time next week I may feel very different, but right now in this moment all I can say is Bring it on!

Tjäkta Passet

so stay tuned folks, Ill get back to you in a couple of weeks with news of the trip and photos of how awesome it was.

core, core stability and building good core habits

I had started this post out with some very big definitions and details pictures and wonderful things, and then I sat back a looked at and thought...
'way too technical'!
and I proceeded to delete what was the best part of a days work.

Lets start with understanding what the core is.

Your core is the group of muscles that helps stabilise the torso, through every movement we make, this includes breathing, and standing.

It encompasses so many more muscles than your abs, but also includes them.

I find it helps to think of your core like a corset holding everything in.

the important thing about it is if it is not activated correctly then I have other muscles in my body doing its job, and if they are too busy doing the cores job then they are unable to perform their own job properly - this leads to injury.

As a trainer I use the following cues to help clients engage their core

• belly button in towards the spine
• pelvic floor in and up.

To build on this idea at the Good to Go training studio we also have what we call 'set position', which is the following

• feet hip to shoulder width apart
• knees soft or off lock
• pelvic floor on
• belly button in towards the spine
• shoulder blades in and down (set in position towards the rib cage)
• bottom of the sternum up at angle towards the roof
• chin dropped slightly.

We use 'set position' as a starter for most of our exercises, it puts the body in correct posture so that your muscles can do their job.

And as with most things to do with the body, it is that simple but so much more complicated.
One of the biggest things about having a good core that I think most people miss is that, OK so you now how to turn on your core, but how often do you do it?
It has been my experience that most people (including me) do it when told by your trainer, and then in the next movement it gets turned off and not turned on again until someone reminds you again.
BUT!
To build a strong core you also need to build good core habits this means having your core on in everything you do from sitting at the computer to walking the dog to picking the kids up to brushing your teeth.
Everything!!!
Not just when you're planking at the gym.

And how do we build a habit?
the first thing is to decide that you are going to do this, then make sure you set yourself reminders every day.
What ever works for you.
For some people it may work to set an alarm.
Write it on post it notes and put it around the house
but catch your self more and more often and keep reminding yourself until it becomes a habit, until it becomes a natural way of being for you.

There you have it, short and sweet.
CORE ON PEOPLE!

Running still sucks

so running still stuck, and after having some weeks off, and trying to get back into it I feel like not only have I lost all the progress I had made before I broke my finger but I have gone backwards.

my new running partner olivia and her egg

This is a very depressing feeling, and somewhat debilitating, I mean where is the progress, technically speaking it should be easier for me to get back to where i was not harder. My education tells me that my body should still have some muscle memory from my training before, and even tho i have not run for 6 weeks and will definitely not be at the same level I was before injury, i should at least not find it as hard as I am finding it to actually physical run.
But reality is somewhat different.
I'm heavy and every step is hard work, its painful and I am not 'feeling it in any way'.

So what do I do?, well today we change direction and start a new path. for those of you who dont know I have signed up for the fjäll räven classic this year
www.fjallraven.com
this is a 110km trek through the kings rail at the top of Sweden, I have signed up to do this with my cousin, and am hoping to complete the trek in less than 3 days.

and what does this mean for your running program I hear you ask?
well here is my new plan.
because its not just about running its also about

• using my body, 
• feeling good, 
• creating some head space, 
• working towards a goal,
• teaching y kids that exercise is important

and all those kinds of things, I have had to sit down and re think my program.

so to work around all those things that are taking me away from my training i have sat down and written a program that should work into my life instead of being a burden and making my life work around my training program,

essentially what I want to be getting in is, 

3 walks  - minimum 10 km

2 runs - minimum 1/2 hour - will probably be mostly taking the dog out for her exercise

3 rides - because riding my bike is not only a healthy and environmentally friendly way to get to and from the studio, our of all the cardio options I have cycling is by far my favourite.

so there it is people

oh and don't forget, 

squeaky and olivia in the snow

1 core w/o

and 1 functional fitness w/o

and there you have it

my training program for the next 10 weeks,

lets see how it goes.

speaking for core w/o's my training tip for this week will be on 

'what is my core and why must I turn it on?'

my diary says it time to go for a walk, so Ill collect the dog and head out.

thanks for reading

getting the right trainer

this week I came to a decision that it was high time I started putting up training tips on the blog instead of just using it as an outlet for my rants about the ups and downs of becoming a runner (running sucks this week BTW).
and life has provided me with my first tip topic.
the very next day I received this photo from Sofi.

the headline translates to 'my PT gave me an eating disorder'.
and the article reads that this woman decided to get into shape and went to a gym hired a PT, who gave her a training program and recommended a strict calorie controlled diet with a cheat day once a week.
this is a fairly common training philosophy, and it works for some people.
However, when this woman told her trainer that she would binge so much that she would purge afterwards, it would seem that he would just laugh it off, and she was left feeling unhappy and often in tears.
As a trainer I hate reading articles like this one, or hearing stories like this, so I though I would write up my tips for getting the right trainer and program. It's important to have the right advice from the beginning.
Lets say you want to climb mountains, and I told you the best way to train for that is to swim.
you'd be asking questions right? I know I would.

So here it is

• interview your trainer

• at good to go with our fitness programs my policy is first session is free 
• if you are trying one of our group sessions, first session is free
• if you are wanting PT, we sit down and have an interview
• it is important that you and your trainer are on the same page, do they understand your goals?
• are they the right trainer for you? this may take a few sessions to work out, but if the relationship is not working end it, it's your money your body, your life.
• a good trainer will should always offer to meet with you first free of charge to talk about your goals and whether or not you can work together to achieve them.

• do your own research

• by research I mean understand what your goals are and research your trainers philosophies, if the recommendations they are giving you are not the best for your goal, then you are not going to achieve your goal. in saying this also understand that this is what your trainer does this for a living, so they are probably going to know more about it than you (at least I hope so).
• as a trainer I like to keep updated on all the latest things in the industry not just because if something new is out there that I can use in the studio to make training more fun and effective but also because if I have done my home work and you ask me about something that I don't believe works then I need to have a knowledgeable and valid response, not just laugh things off or dismiss them.

• make sure your trainer is qualified!!!

• this is a big one, it is no good handing your money over to some guy or girl at the gym who knows lots, that's all well and good, but there is more to being a PT than just having trained for years and knowing stuff.
• a PT has an obligation to make sure you are safe at all times whilst training
• among other things a qualified PT will have studied first aid, and contraindications and injuries, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and the list goes on.

• don't be afraid to end the relationship.

• this is also a really big one. As a trainer I have had to end relationships with clients, and it is always hard, but my view is that same of clients as of trainers if the relationship is not working, move on, training should always be fun, hard and goal oriented but fun. if you're not having fun this is a pretty good indicator that the relationship is not working.

so there it is friends.

just make sure your trainer knows what they are doing.

and have fun

J

my new running partner

its going to take some time to get used to running with her.
she is nothing like my training partner from last year (who has unfortunately had to stop training because of injury )
she is very young,
and were learning to work together in our training sessions
to date ourlongest run has been 4 k's
which was today, ,and whilst we ran faster than i normally would we did a shorter distance.
her concentration span is a little short and i have to keep reminding her of where we are going and what we are doing.
she does'nt mind if I listen to music whilst we run, she doesnt say much.
and really its going to be probably another cuple of years before we can get to some good distance runing but this is true for me also.
so Im very excited about running with her and when my old training partner is recoverd and can come back to running, all 3 of us can hit the trails.

one of the best things about my new training partner is I always know when she's had a good run, she goes stright to sleep aftrwards.

dojo dog

loving the new shoes not so much the old body

Im gooing to start this post with an apology.
sorry.
but i need to have a rant, i'm tired old fat and just a little depressed, and getting back into running after a great start is hard and annoying.

I can help but think about how much further I would have been in my training if I hadn't broken my finger and if I hadn't not trained for 3 weeks and well bla bla bla blaahhhhhhhh.

I did go for my run on friday I also went cross country skiing on sunday and then went for a run on monday.
on Sunday I went and bought my self some new shoes to see if I could get myself out of this little funk I'm in, and well a little retail therapy usually works, and I

NEW SHOES!

do love my new winter running shoes, the come with little spikes so I don't slip on the ice, but you  know what even though they were awesome they didn't make me any lighter or help me run any faster, and I spent more time walking than I did running sports tracker isn't working properly so I don't have the proper stats for my sessions, and it makes me cranky.

aaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh

I know there is nothing for it but to just get out there and do my training. But its sooo frustrating!!!!!!!'

so because i have a broken finger i cant grip anything with my lef hand, so that means no lifting for me, more frustration. i cant even do the things im good at, lifting heavy things and hitting people.

so here i am and now for the next 3 to 6 months whilst i rehab my finger i will focus on flexibilty and core stability and running and cycling, no lifting heavy and no hitting people

so I'm feeling a bit stuck.
how do I fix this?how do I get out of this funk?

I look to Winston Churchill who said 'when going through hell keep going'.

so this is me keeping going, keeping motivated keeping inspired.
meh.
not its not, this is me with my cranky pants on.

the plan for the rest of the week is core and flexibility training wednesday thursday, run on friday and maybe some more skiing on the weekend.
we shall see.

check ya
J

trouble getting started

its been a while,
but I've not just been on holiday.
I broke my finger just before Christmas, and needed surgery.
personally I wouldn't have thought that a broken finger could stop me from running, but it has.
and now I'm struggling to get back into the routine.
and I'm slightly depressed about it.
but here is my plan.
tomorrow I go out and run. at least 8 km.

there it is, now I've said it I have to do it.
stay tuned - Ill get back to you tomorrow about how it went.