In the moment ...

Today I checked my running plan and realised I had to do a 5 km run! So I did. Decided to go to the woods and this beautiful lake that I live close to, Nøklevann, which is my favourite lake here in Oslo. There are a few other places here in Oslo that I also love, like Sognsvann, Grefsenkollen, Frognerseteren, to name a few. But Nøklevann is by far my absolute favourite place. It has everything. Beautiful lake and gorgeous woods. And it is close to my place. Today, however, was not a good day for that lake. Still some ice on the paths plus lots of water as the snow and ice is melting away. So I was quick to realise that I still have to wait a couple of weeks for my run around the lake. The path around the lake is 8.7 km so of course I’m not running around the whole lake in the nearest future, but it will be a great run later in this summer when my running form will have improved. The only drawback is that for me to get to the lake, I have to run up a hill. And not just any hill. A monster hill! I don’t mind running up hills to be honest. It is fantastic for your thighs and butt and the cardio vascular system, my heart was pumping like crazy. But I don’t like running down hills. Last year in Malta I had knee problems because of all the hills there. So now I basically run up hills (well, that is still a work in progress) and walk down them. 

But anyway, back to today’s run. So I turned from the lake and went for a lovely 5km run around my neighbourhood. Lovely part of Oslo although now it is a little messy with the naked trees, melting ice and mud everywhere. And the smell is kind of like sour hay, not very nice. But still, today was lovely. It rained earlier so the air was so fresh and lovely and I felt pure happiness running around, lost in the moment. This is why I love running, those moments when you feel totally happy in the moment. Love it!

I’ve been looking at my running plan and have to admit that it is a little too ambitious. A friend of mine commented on it earlier, that it didn’t look like a running plan for beginners. Of course, I would not admit to that, but I think I may have to swallow my pride and readjust this plan. Pride comes before a fall or something like that so as I don’t want to fail at this I just have to do something. According to this plan I am supposed to run 6 km on Sunday. And 8 km the following Sunday. I’m really not ready for that. So I think I will just repeat the first week again next week (if I decide to bring my running gear to Dublin) and repeat every week after that. I’ve signed up for a 10km run on the 1^st of June so I have plenty of time to work up stamina for that. No need to kill myself, and that is the reason why I always quit training. It becomes too difficult too soon, that becomes boring, and I don’t like boring! Life is too short for boring! That is why I like to listen to this when I run :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWXazVhlyxQ

 

My diet is getting better again. I’m still using Herbalife but haven’t decided if I will continue. It helps me to get back to controlling what I eat, but I don’t like to eat artificial food and I really want to remove all sweeteners from my diet. So I’m still thinking about how to do that. I figure if I keep to super healthy weekdays, no sugar or sweeteners, lots of fruits and vegetables etc. Plus training. Then I will have plenty of room for a little indulgence during weekends. Trying to keep away from extremes.