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

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

I am a runner!

So we did it!
we made it as planned.
as testament to how hard just starting this endeavour for me has been, in true form, my level of self sabotage was pretty high. I brought many things into my path on monday afternoon that previously have been a great excuse to not go for a run.
at about 2 pm my leg started to hurt.

Me and my mountain bike

since i was 14 years old I have had "shin splints", and at certain times over my life this condition has gotten so bad that just walking was an extremely painful experience.
I have been working very hard with my body over the past 18 months to eliminate my bad habits and to be able to run.
This hard work however has not been tested, and with the expectation that running was going to be a painful experience my legs started to "go out" as I like to say and I was experiencing pain in my anterior compartment of my lower right leg.
But this was not going to beat me.
Next I hid my heart rate monitor from my self - I know , can you believe it?
I got home from the studio, got it out to see if it needed charging, it didn't, I then proceeded to put in my jeans pocket and forget that I had done so.
When my training partner had arrived and we were getting ready I went to get the monitor and lo and behold it wasn't where I thought it was.
I then spent the next 5 minutes looking for it. getting stressed, know full well that here was a perfect option to just say nup cant go, cant find my HRM.
But no this will not get in my way.

in the forest

I decided that I was running even if I couldn't find it. And with that decision came the flash that it was in my jeans.
HRM found, now I can collect all the data I want.
So we left the house, and began walking to the start of the track.
In the play area near our building we bumped into my wife and our son.
a flash of inspiration.(and a potential stumbling block)
Now My wife is a runner, She doesn't train much at the moment as her focus is on other things, however even when she isn't training her level of fitness is still that of an elite level athlete, and for me, as a non runner, I just simply haven't been able to go out running with her. Its humiliating. Now I know you're not supposed to compare your self to others and you should just compete with your self and all that but you know I'm human, and I do these things, and I have let them get the better of me in the past.
But in order to overcome this hurdle instead of constantly beating my self up for not being at the same level as her, I have come at it from a different angle, I am training with someone at my own level so that we can both come up to the level that my wife is at in the hope that one day we can run together, and not just as a couple, but as a whole family.

more of the forest

I want my kids to look at our level of activity and be inspired, i want for them to enjoy the outdoors as much as we do, and I want for them to so that when taking on a challenge, hard work dedication and an intelligent approach will bring rewards.
So any way back to the run.
This is the first time my training partner and I have run together, we have trained outdoors and in the studio for over a year now, and its proving to be a great friendship and partnership, but running is a totally different animal.
Running brings up all kinds of stuff.

even more of the forest

And we have an agreement to be ok with what ever comes up, and totally ok with the fact that we would both rather listen to music very loudly than chat whilst running.
we get to the start of the track and it begins.
I am reminded of running down the bush with my dad as a kid and I smile to my self, I am happy. and I am looking forward to running becoming a happy place.
So we ran to the out door gym, did a couple of rounds of obstacle type stuff there, and kept running .
all up we walked 1.3 km, then ran for the next 1.5 k's to the gym, did our rounds, then ran a further 3.5 ks round the track, then walked home from there.
and what can I say, it felt Awesome!
The running part was fantastic, the hills were hard but achievable, we stopped at the right time, I think if we had kept running what was a good experience may have turned bad,
in the aftermath, by legs are sore but in all the right places, NO SHIN SPLINTS!!!
and 4 days later I am ready to go again.
And I am very proud of my self. I can see my self running through the finish line at next years tough Viking and many other races (as well as the lidingöloppet MTB race, cant forget the bike races).

 So We Did It.
and there will be many more.

Be Strong
Love
Have Adventures

Good to Go Jo

conntect with us on sportstracker to follow the data.
goodtogojo.

Today is the day I become a runner

This weekend I signed up for the Tough Viking race for august next year.

Now for any of you who know me, (and now for all of you who have never met or trained with me) running is not my forte'.
Lifting heavy things - I can do that
Martial arts - I can do that
I can even do aerobics - but running... not so much
in fact I can often be heard saying (usually by clients who are asking me why I am not running with them when I make them go for a run), "the reason I learned to fight is because I cant run".
For me running is a painful and very uncomfortable experience, yet there lies within me a desire to to run, and not just run but to compete in these types of races.
For years I have looked at adventure racing and multi-sport races and wanted to do it, but given it a miss because running is just not my thing.

Well no more. Starting today I am a runner. My training partner is coming round at 4pm and we will go for a run.
I am terrified. my legs hurt just thinking about it.
If I was my client I would be saying something like Jo you just have to do it. Of course its going to hurt at first but after a while it will get easier, you just have to start - come on lets go.

And then there is that other part of me that smiles warmly and says "Finally... I have been waiting for years for you to reach this decision, now lets go before fear takes hold of you, I know you can do this because you are doing it and in a very short while you will have done it".

the basic plan for today is:

• walk to the start of the track & warm up in the process
• run to the out door gym (approx 1.5 km)
• do a circuit that involves equipment at the gym and running
• run home
• stretch

so now the only thing left to be done is the actual execution.

Today I remove the words "I cant" and replace them with "I am"

and that feels awesome - what an adventure this is going to be.

Ill let you know how it goes 

be strong

love

have adventures

good to go Jo