The Handstand

I've never been a particularly gymnastic person, as a kid I chickened out when attempting to do cartwheels and handstands and as an adult I've always felt like too much of a weak blob to manage. It's part fear of hurting myself and part lacking in confidence that's kept me from doing these things but I've always had a wish to be able to do them.

Since coming home I've been practicing chins under our stairs (and actually managing to aaaaaalmost do one strict chin) so I thought I'd face another demon from my past - the handstand. I enrolled my dad to help me, with balance and mental support. Since I'm not really strong or gutsy enough he had to help me get my legs the last bit up but I was still chuffed to be able to do a handstand! Now I want to be able to do it on my own and have been watching tutorials all morning. You know, if you can't train you can at least watch videos of other people training....

Isn't It Just Typical

Yesterday I woke up sporting a proper chesty cough and a runny nose. I'm hardly ever ill but let me home over Easter to ski and I get sick as a dog. Freakin' typical!

Sunshine running

Today I took my cousin Friday on her frist longer run. Her parents were both pretty good runners back in the day and she's just getting into running after years of football and other sports. We've entered a half marathon that we are to run when I come hom in the summer and today we did our own, private, half marathon. In blazing sunshine and the temperature just above freezing we cruised through 22 kilometres, through old little villages and the lovely northern Sweden forests, enjoying running and enjoying the easy companionship.

So You Think You're Fit??!

Get on a pair of cross-country skis and you just might think differently.... I can run 26.2 miles in less than 4 hours, I can easily cycle a 100k and lift fairly heavy weights, but put me on a pair of cross-country skis and I'll eat a tonne of humble pie. I'm (clearly) not as fit as I think I am and I'm reminded why I think cross-country skiers are the most impressive athletes ever. Still I love it and an hour spent on the skis is balsam for a bruised big city soul.

Pain and Gain

 

 

'As soon as you accept that the last 20 minutes will be painful you'll feel better'

 

 Coach Martin at BOOM! Cycle isn't afraid to challenge you, and he doesn't hide the fact that it's going to hurt. If you're willing to subject yourself to a little bit of pain and lactic acid then Coach Martin will help you get results. Today's session focused heavily on working around the anaerobic threshold and you know what - that just ain't easy! 2x20 minutes hills, with a short rest in between, at just under, on and over anaerobic threshold. Constant intensity and accumulation of lactic acid.

 

Training isn't always easy, quite the opposite actually. To get results you will need to challenge yourself and it will be uncomfortable - maybe even painful. Some people are quite happy to just do 'feel good'-training but I'm not, I want to be pushed to my limits and redfine them. Sometimes I succeed, other times I fail - but I'd rather know I tried and failed, than that I didn't try at all. Today my legs were strong and I know I walked out of that studio a little bit stronger than before and that's enough to motivate me to love the burn.

 

 

 

 

That Thing Called Love

Thought of the Day