Tip tip

If you're a rookie runner in a cold country, running with an iphone or iPod touch, you might feel the need to remove your gloves to change the music, start, pause or stop a workout. Don't, you need your fingers warm and happy. Instead, use this tip from the arctic region: use the tip of your nose.

Before + after or show me where you run -Emi

Ok hands up people who really felt like going running this cold, gray morning. My hand is now touching the floor. But I put on running gear anyways cause you can't always succumb to your inner lazy child. Here I am pre-run, walking the kids to daycare and school. Vanja took this pic, that's why you can't see her.

What I saw on my run. Beautiful winter landscape.

Ran into my neighbor Matilda.

Kept running.

Back home. Happy, warm, ready to shower. Have never regretted going for a run once it's done.

Now send me your pics! emi@lovegun.net

Before & after or show me where you run

Hi people, blogs with pics are more fun. So starting now, please send me a pic showing hwat it looks like where you run.

Or, if you're brave/ not all that self-conscious, send me before and after pics of yourself from your run. I'll try to post my own pics here tomorrow to lead the way.

send pics to emi@lovegun.net

thanks!

Training Lisa Chong -week starting November 15

This week, get your three workouts in and indulge yourself for doing so great. To my mind, this indulgence should not be food or drink-related as I think it's confusing for the brain to always think of gratification or comfort in terms of food or drink.

I'm sure you know something else that what would feel like an indulgence.

.....

This week, try to run continuously for 2 km. You can do it. Then switch to walking for 1 km, then run 1 km then walk your last 1k=5k. You'll soon be able to run a slow 5 k.

Also, do you have an iPhone? am thinking of setting up a challenge for you!

Training Lisa Chong - the treadmill challenge

Running on the treadmill is boring boring boring. Unless you watch TV or are listening to Lady Gaga and Beyonce singing Telephone and are dance-running and lip synching the words and feel like a million bucks. This can happen, I've experienced it myself.

Here's a way to make it a little little bit more entertaining.

1. Get on the treadmill at a slow pace. Make sure the settings show kms, not miles.

2. Warm up by walking briskly for 2-3 minutes.

3. Now start running SLOWLY at a pace of like 7 (km/h)

4. Now run for a minute at 7, then increase your level by one tenth the next minute, increasing till you get to 8,5 or whatever level is still ok with you but you have to give it some effort. Then go back down again. You do this and you have your 30-minute workout and a slight boredom relief.

I've done it and loved it.

Training Lisa Chong

Lisa, where are you , in relation to the wagon?

Tell me, and I'll tell you a great thing about treadmills.

Other people, are you running/reading or should I quit this?

testing Nike+ GPS

Have an iPhone? Then you can get the Nike+ GPS app for a few bucks. It will tell you your distance and cheer you up and all you people who try to follow this but get confused by the km-thing- you can set your settings to show you how far a km really is!

I say it worked fine and the runs are really easy to sync.

The Nike+ thing really helped me when I started running. By now, I've run and logged more than 1500 kilometers! Perhaps in a year or two, you will have done the same!

A former rookie shares with us

I did this Run with e-rookie thing a while back. Jennifer in Canberra, Australia, was one of the rookies who started out then, and she's still running. Today, I received the pic above from her run yesterday. She wrote: "Your former rookies still like to run..."

I love it!

Training Lisa Chong - sick

Just heard from Lisa:

"i was sick last week and still don't feel good----i feel like i'm so behind now. my best wishes to your other runners---leave me in the dust! it's ok!!"

This brings us to an important point: what to do about running when you're feeling sick? Should you run anyways? Skip it alltogether?

I say, try to go for a walk. It's so easy to fall off the wagon and many of us have a tendency to let even the smallest notion of not 100%-ness be an excuse not to go out an run. Excuse to whom? To ourselves! A common saying is that if your illness is above the neck, go running, below neck, don't. As in: I often go running when I have a slight cold but not when I have a cough.

And 95% of the times I have, I've felt better both during and after the run than before.

If you're a beginner, you might not have it in you to conquer the wall of resistance aided by sickness. Forgive yourself. Then get back on track. All is not lost. Nothing is lost. This is not about losing a few pounds before the holidays, it's about bringing a source of joy and health into your life from now on.

hear that lisa? take a walk and forgive yourself. a slow walk if you're not feeling so great. but fresh air and moderate physical activity, fall colours and time to yourself never killed anyone. the training you've done up til now is never in vain.

love

-e

First kilometer is the hardest

This week, starting today, you will try to run one kilometer without stopping. You might think this is impossible, but before the week is over, before Tuesday November 9th, you will make it.

I promise. Just keep running. Tell yourself it will soon be over. Tell yourself each step makes you stronger.

you can do this.

i know you can.

cause I myself once thought it was impossible.

Little known secret about running: Just like the first million, the first kilometer is the hardest.

Back from New York - report to me please

Lisa? How's your running? Other people?