Time to go faster

Running fast is great. For me, that is the moment when I actually feel like a runner.

Today I’ve decided to take it ‘easy’ and try out my speed. The weather seemned nice and the tempareture was decent.

Luckily I own several pairs of running shoes, so I didn’t have to wear the ones that are all covered in mud and dirt. (I know I should wash them, but it seems like a such a hard work! Maybe another time…)

Anyhow. I got all dressed up (forgot my hat and gloves though) and went running against the wind. I must stay, it is quite a workout! Already after 5 minutes I felt like opening my jacket and trying to catch my breath. I would recommend windoroof gear for these situations, but like I said, after few minutes, you’re warm enough, and might not need anything fancy except for a running jacket (although a headband would also be quite useful – as my ears were getting cold….).

I did a 6.5 km run in 36.5 min = 10.68 km/h ! That is really good. I am aiming to run in 11 – 12 km/h a 10k distance somewhere in the summer. Going through online tips for improving the speed, it is recommended to aim for the hills, quit eating sweets and do some sprints. I know I’m not good at following any tips that dont allow me to eat things like chocolate, so I’ll try to train (run) more often and go little bit faster each time. That’s more doable.

This month I haven’t done as much running as I did in October, so that is another key element; consistency. It really does feel harder to run and have a good performance after skipping few runs! My excuses were university and other nonsenses I do daily (like facebooking and checking e-mail), when I could have had even a short 15-20 min run.

But I hope I will do better in December. I have to. And for anyone reading this blog, I really recommend keeping track of your activities. I think it is important to see and compare the runs, logs and everything! Because then you can learn if you have gaps in your activity calendar, and how to add exercise into them. Also have a goal and check how are you performing/are you getting there?

That’s all for now.

XO

M.D.

The training – begins!

My friend has noticed on my Facebook feed that I’ve started running relatively often and asked me to join her for the Helsinki City Marathon that will take place on 12.08.2017 in Finland.

And of course I said yes! This would be my first race ever, and marathon is a long…. long… 42km long run (at least in my world it’s super mega crazy long).

So today I went to do a ‘test’ run. My friends comment “if you can run a half marathon, you can run the entire thing” was stuck in my head, so I kept running.

I did 20km and I felt like I’m going to die.

At least now I know I have to start training, and probably find online marathon training sheets.

I can usually run 10km in less than 1 hour, but the road wasn’t runner-friendly.

So I had to run slowly, jump over muddy puddles and avoid the ice.

But scenery was nice, and I have never ran to these places before:

After the run, my shoes were all wet and covered in mud, as well as my legs and socks.

I want to be able to run much faster, so I need to plan different runs and exercises to be able to do so.

That’s all for now. I’m going to start searching the web for training plans, exercises and food recipes. 🙂

XO

M.D.

Running from A to B

If you lack motivation or discipline to start running, try running as getting from A to B. This can be – a run to the shop, to work, to your friends house or if you’re a parent, to the playground.

I used to run around the city ending up to the bar where my friends always hang up. Of course if I was sweating and stinky I didn’t stay around but most of the time, the run was slow and easy. I didn’t drink alcohol if I was out for a run, but it was great way to catch up with with friends and get fit at the same time 😉

Nowadays I run with buggy taking my daughter with me. If she already has had her nap, we go out, and I run to a place where we can play around. If it’s a playground, it’s a great place to do some gym exercises, but even just sightseeing, is enough 🙂

XO

M.D.

Running in dark

I’ve just returned from a late run. My 10k run took place on road and forest trail. There are no any street lights and it gets literally pitch black.

Wearing a head torch, I’ve managed to complete the run, but there are few things I’ve learned from this run, that even I need to improve for the next time.

1. Visibility: check your gear, and make sure you have 360 degrees reflection.  Your reflectors might be as thin stripes/dots/various shapes on your jacket and pants. Wearing a reflecting vest is another option making sure you are seen. Doesn’t matter are you running in the city with street lights or not, it’s for your own safety.
2. Head torch: From personal experience, I recommend investing in quality torch, that lights up big time and doesn’t move around on your head or feel uncomfortable when wearing it. You won’t see far, but with better light you can spot puddles or bumps.
3. Stay motivated and brave: When you are unable to see far, the run can start to feel to take for ever. Or you might even get scared of empty roads and darkness. Just try to think of something positive – the run will be over soon!

XO

M.D.

New blog icons

Dear visitors and blog readers!

I am updating this blog with new featured blog post icons.

I have not decided which style I am going to use, but for now, I have selected these ones:

Running and fitness

Training

Motivation

Food

Slimming tips

Music

Articles, guides

Clothing

Treadmill running

 

Each icon will represent the topic.

I hope you like this idea, and I will try to find icons I like the most.

Thanks and cheers!

XO
M.D.

Icons from flaticon.com

Trail running

Trail running is a new thing to me. Sort of. Back few years ago when I first started to run, I went running in to the woods, because my run was only 3k (there was a small forest patch on a hill with really good trail). When my body got used to run 3k, I had to change my run, and started to run on roads.

Now I have rediscovered the joy of trail running. Biggest benefit that pops into my mind is, that you are changing your running style and you need to concentrate on the path. Jumping over muddy puddles, skipping over roots, and non-stop ups and downs.

I must admit, my time for 5k trail run is much slower than one on a road, but it feels harder and really gets heart pumping.

If you don’t have a trail near your home, once a week or even once a month try to get to one. I’m not an expert, but you could skip your strength training at the gym for a good trail run (not all of them though! Because you still need to do some strength training), since you will be using whole bunch of other muscles than what you do when running on a flat land.

Think about it and give it a try. You can even walk it, because sometimes a good walk equals to a run. 🙂

XO

M.D.

Mixing things up

If your running starts to feel “too good”, easy or boring, you could mix up your training with other activities, or spice-up your run.

Making a big change, is by changing the sports. From running to cycling, gym classes or at home workouts by watching videos online. Doing something completely different will have an affect on what you feel about running and what you can feel about new activities. Who knows, you might pick up a triathlon after some time.

Relatively small and easy change is by changing the scenery and running type. E.g. From road to trail or from jogging to interval running.

Spicing up your run with extra activies is very common, and I have seen this done by runners in different countries! Here are few examples;

• Slowing down your pace and adding boxing. Shadow boxing is a great way to add something new to your run and warm up your upper body.
• Stopping for strength training and stretching. Pull-ups, push-ups, squats, ect. You might be lucky and have a outdoor gym nearby, but kids playpark work as well! If I run in the forest, I try to find a nice solid rock to jump on and off from, and smaller ones to use as weights. There are plenty cool ideas online on how to use the outdoors as your free gym.
• If you’re not tracking your runs, start doing it now, and try to beat your runs by distance or speed.

Thats all for now!

XO

M.D.

What to wear?

I am living in a country with 4 seasons, so we get +30 in the summer and up to -30 in the winter. With changing weather from warm to cold and dry to wet in spring and autumn.

So deciding what to wear for a run can be challenging at the times, especially if you haven’t invested in ‘weatherproof’ running gear.

In this post I will only talk about running gear for autumn/fall season.

Starting from top to bottom, if the weather is semi-warm, with a bit of wind and possible rain; I would personally recommend these items:

Head: A running hat or band to keep your head and ears warm. You can also find ones with wind proof piece on the forehead, but that’s just plain luxury. If it gets warm, you can take it off and put into a pocket. (With headband I usually pull it down and wear as ‘necklace’, if it gets too warm)

Upper body: There are two options. Long sleeved shirt with a vest or top/t-shirt with a jacket. Jacket/vest should be your usual, thin and water repellent (mine is Nike storm fit, where you can zip-off the sleeves). Don’t wear any heavy, thick jumpers, even though it’s cold outside – you’ll get warm soon enough while running (other option is to do a quick warm-up before heading outside).

Lower body: Again two options; shorts with long, thin thermal pants or long running tights/leggings. I prefer running in my usual leggings, on warmer days I wear 3/4 leggings. You shouldn’t wear too much nor wear winter gear yet.

Feet: Your usual socks and running shoes. If you want to be fancy, you can buy yourself waterproof running shoes for rainy days, but you don’t really need them.

Now if it rains, it really doesn’t matter. You’ll get wet anyway. Just take off your wet clothes as soon as you get back in.

And don’t stay out stretching. You might feel warm after a run, but the weather is still cold (and you might get sick).

That’s all for now!

XO

M.T.

Preparing yourself for a long run

Just few days ago I’ve managed to run almost 20k. It was hard but rewarding. It was my second time I’ve ever ran that far. First time my run involved a lot of walking, because I wasn’t physically nor mentally prepared.

It took me a week after my first attempt try it again.

Just last month I’ve picked up running again. I’ve been occasionally running 3-5k in 30-50 minutes.

Entire September I was running 4-5 times a week between 3-6k and once a week with 10k run. Improving my pace and performance in general. I have also been also doing strength training at the gym, attending boxing and lifting classes.

After my first 20k attempt, I had short recovery and ran 16k at a very slow pace. Continuing my usual training routine, day before my new attempt I ate well, and on the actual day, I was fuelled by proteins and carbs one hour before the run.

Run went well, and I was totally broken the next day. Doing stretches and relaxing.

My goal is not to run a marathon, but to be fast in a long run.

After posting my successful run in the social media, my friend had commented doing his 20k in 1h 45min. Now I have a goal, and really need to do interval training for speeding up my pace.

I wont be doing long runs, I will continue with my 6-10k 4-5 times a week, and try to do a long run after a month to see is there any progress.

Anyone out there, I highly recommend setting up goals, and getting there slowly. You don’t need to increase your distance with every run, because even a short run counts. I hate intervals, but they are a must, if you dont want to be jogging your marathons.

Remember to eat and drink plenty of water!

XO

M.T.

Running blind

Short insight of an inspiring article from Runners World SA (October 2016 issue) Out of Sight.

Being relatively new to the running, and “runners world” (talking about runners in general, not the magazine), I haven’t put much thought regarding other runners out there. I run alone, I have never entered any competitions and I do not have any running buddies (few of my friends run, but we all train by ourselves).

After reading an article Out of Sight by Lisa Nevitt, about Richard Monisi, who was born blind, really made me think about runners who are achieving so much, even with their disabilities.

Monisi has achieved 11 Ocean Ultras and 12 Comrades Marathons! (Marathon PB 3:15)

Imagine, that a someone who cannot see what is infront of him, runs. There has been falls, runs into walls, and you will never see the finish line, but you still run. There is so much more to it, than just getting from A to B or finishing the race. What is it to you? Have a think about it, what your runs really mean to you.

In the end of an article, there are good tips, if you want to become a guide for a blind runner. Now I am not sure when or where I am going to sign up for a race, but when that day comes, I am quite sure I will try to be the helping hand if needed, as there is only so little but at the same time so much to give.

Thank you for a wonderful story Lisa!

XO

M.T.