Gym – My Journey to Kili and Back

Training – Other interests 01-02/21

8 heinäkuun, 2021 Ei kommentteja

Clear to say I have not been so into blogging about training since this is my first training post this year. Why, I don’t know. I have been training, but maybe it’s because I have not had any clear goal that I have felt like ”I have nothing to say” which is not true at all! I have found despite of The virus a new hobby that I love, pole-dancing!

And how did I end up doing it? Well I was in a TV series shoot as a statist and one of the lead actresses Minka Kuustonen told me she had practised pole-dancing for three months for this scene and she was such a PRO. I was so inspired by her that I decided I want to give it a try because it also seemed like a good upper-body and core balance training anyway which I desperately needed.

So I joined a class at Pole4fit and have been going there ever since pretty much once a week apart from the restrictions in place every now and then during the spring. You cannot wear your sports watch there either so these will not be logged anywhere which is actually quite relieving! Only you can push yourself and only you know how hard you trained in the end.

I highly recommend the sports to anyone interested regardless of age!

What about running?

Training this summer has been HOT due to the heat!

I bet you are asking… Well thank you for asking, I am running pretty normal. I have noticed that it’s not that important to me anymore. Other hobbies like my modelling, pole-dancing and gym have replaced a lot of the k’s I used to do when running. The good part about this approach is that when I do run, I can go on for a long time or super fast in a short time. So in the end not sure if I am currently actually running the right amount or was I running too much before. Anyway every time I go running it feels enjoyable and super easy which is only about two times a week nowadays.

Very far from 25-35 km a week, but still doing something hey! And every time I try to push it too hard, my IT band injury begins to remind itself so I am concentrating still on getting my legs, core and butt in shape 😀

So I am happy. I am not counting kilometres, I am not counting how many times a week or month, I am just doing it by the feeling and enjoying it. I can already hear your thinking in the background saying about time you took it a bit easier sis and I must agree 😉

The funny thing is I keep increasing my speed although I don’t run as much and in general I find that I have so much more strength to hold my own body which surprises me sometimes. So I will keep this path for now and train ”smart” not ”hard” hoping result will lead to me being able to do some proper swan or superwoman moves with the pole and yes the handstand in the end.

Gym back in the picture too

One of my favourite butt, core crunches. As high as you can go is the aim!

Now that the restrictions have finally eased and I have been going back to the gym also and found completely new kind of motivation for it too. I am determined to increase my muscle mass and legs plus but are the main focus as to increase muscles you need weights. I have again added stair climber to my warm-up plus treadmill. Doing some upper body training also and a core, bootylicious or body pump type of training when it suits the schedule. Now because of summer holidays everything works in a bit different pace.

So with gym same applies ”smart” not ”hard”. I am trying to think that it’s better to do something than nothing and avoiding the ”I cannot walk” days changing them rather to ”I feel I have done something” days. So progress both physically and mentally just not in distance, but strength. So you are definitely already now looking at a stronger me!

Stay safe and take care!

Training

Training 2020 totals – A very different year

27 helmikuun, 2021 Ei kommentteja

No doubt year 2020 was very different to me and not only because of covid-19 but also because I climbed to Kilimanjaro and after that didn’t climb or run for the next 8 months. My IT band inflammation was a complete surprise to me and extremely hard mentally to cope with.

I am used to exercising and that being taken away suddenly in addition to home schooling, working from home and covid restrictions I admit I was not coping well. I tried to psyche myself by putting my energy to something else and that is when modelling /tv/movie extra roles came into play. They have saved many days when you want to do something, but cannot run or even go to the gym. At least you can act!

Nevertheless I have been able to do quite a lot of training, but it’s just been a bit different kind than before and there has not been any kind of goals this time. After my injury and verdict from the doctor finally early spring I at least knew what was wrong and could plan on how to get better.

Naturally in this case less is more so had to cut back on training extensively and concentrate on handling the inflammation. Took the inflammation pills I got from the doctor, but they had pretty bad side effects and practically my heart was pounding and blood pressure went suddenly up and then down. They just did not agree with my body.

I did take the prescribed amount, but decided that I cannot risk being forced to take them again or at least would have to find another brand. Anyway luckily I then discovered ginger and turmeric and took capsules meant for joints that contained those for a few months and also drank shots of them regularly and still do every now and then. Late summer I didn’t feel the pain anymore and by September I wasn’t constantly watching out the leg and thinking about the pain and could slowly start running again.

At the same time I also started doing light exercises for hamstrings and glutes to get strength back which tshould support running. Apparently loosing significant amount of weight (16 kilos read more in ”My Weight Loss Journey” -series) and all that training caused the center of gravity to change and imbalance on the muscles. So more training to the butt that is!

I also found softer sports like Yoga which has been a life saver. It has helped me to keep myself flexible and also grow overall strength with movements based on my own body weight. It has definitely helped with getting the center of gravity back to where it should and my posture has improved so much! Four babies definitely caused changes to my body and I am glad I noticed now that I need to do something and not when it’s too late.

Anyways so year full of resting and softer sports with a bit of increase by the end of the year.

Let’s call year 2020 a year of mercy and recuperating <3

Total 2020

2020 total 184 Activities, ascent 8927 m (2615 m was Kilimanjaro)
- 2019 total 236 activities, ascent 18363 m (wow this was a lot..)
2020 Running total 294 k’s, trail 76 k’s and basic 218 k’s
- 2019 Running total 610 k’s, trail 307 k’s and basic 303 k’s
- 2018 Running total 440 k’s, trail 190 k’s and basic 250 k’s.
2020 total Hiking 67 k’s
- 2019 total hiking 179 k’s (Impressive!!)
- 2018 total hiking 56 k’s
Trekking 55,62 km (this was the Kilimanjaro Climb)
- None earlier used this for Kili
Walking 141 km ( I had to start recording walking at some point when I could not run…)
11 times weight training
17 times Yoga
18 Circuit training meaning different gym classes
81 km of cycling

So all in all a lot more variety than 2019 which is not bad. Amounts are understandably not as high as 2019 but surprisingly not as low as I thought. There are weeks during springtime when I have 0 activities. That is unusual, but it was necessary to stop. Truly looking forward to this year and grateful that I have found softer choices and learned not to demand so much of myself. Less is more they say and I think I believe that too finally!

How about my targets for 2020?

Like said earlier I fairly quickly realised I need to throw all my targets to the bin after the IT band inflammation injury. After that my target has been to survive until I can run again or do any sport for that matter. So comparing to where I started from it was pretty good year.

I did not increase any distance goals, but I did improve my average speed from 6,5 to 7,1 km/h so even though I ran less, I did it faster.

Target for 2021

Is still to survive and put more focus on full body strength and toning.

I will keep running, but it will probably never be a thing I can do as much as I did.
I also want to focus on trail running rather than basic running. I love nature and my legs can handle that better.
I would very much like to get back to orienteering again this year. Need to wait for a few months for the snow to melt.
I have also started new hobby pole dancing, It’s very good whole body strength training and perfect support for running!

So still alive and kicking just not as hard as before but definitely with more determination and mercy on myself!

Training

Training Aug/Sep/Oct 20 – Something is better than nothing

31 lokakuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

So where do I start? From the fact that when schools start it’s always chaos for our family for a few weeks. This time the chaos seemed to last forever. It’s been two months and I still feel like I am in a fast spinning wheel. Blogging has been on my mind, but unfortunately I have had to prioritize. But good part is that there has finally been progress on my training. I am nowhere near to the weekly training amount prior to Kilimanjaro.

Since the verdict of IT band inflammation and covid-19 early this year life has been very different and strange as we all know.

But back to training as the headline says something is better than nothing and that is what I have been telling myself. It has been a learning curve to be not able to do ”what ever you want” exercise-wise and it has forced me to think about a lot of things like getting older. How your body just simply does not adapt, heal and recover like it used to. I have had to find the ”good feeling” from other hobbies and I have accepted that I exercise when I feel like like it or can and if my leg is not hurting. I have stopped having any kind of schedules or training plans and I am living on a daily basis not forcing my body to anything.

Luckily after 8 months some sort of change has happened and I am not hurting anymore. My leg is fine and the constant feeling like I’m ”not ok” is gone. So physically I’m fine but mentally it was a tough journey for someone who has always been very athletic and able to move.

I do my Yoga

I have learned to like Yoga. I don’t know the different names of different types of Yoga (yet…) but I know some poses and do the ones I know are good for me the healing of my leg. I do them a few times a week on my own now since the usual class timetable does not fit my weekly schedule anymore because it coincides with choir practice.

Having done ”Yoga for Athletes”, ”Bootylicious” and ”Core” classes at my local gym for about three months now there is clear progress and more strength on my legs. I can do the Yoga poses at home, but I simply cannot challenge myself enough for the ”booty” or ”core” class so a bit disappointed that schedule changed and it’s harder to find suitable time to attend. All these trainings have most likely played a huge part in my recovery. I have realized that being so obsessed with Kili training going uphill and trail run training I lost focus on strength and balance. This all resulted in me having imbalance on my body causing too much pressure on right side (I was cautious of left) which lead to loosing strength on left side which again created a snowball effect which all accumulated on the time in February when my left leg completely stopped co-operating.

Lesson learned

So I have learned my lesson. I am not invincible. I am just a human and I need to listen more to my body. It’s not just the physical balance it’s also the mental balance. Your mind can push you to do a lot of things, but sometimes it’s good to just stop and listen to your body.

I have listened and I have no desire to be better than last time anymore. I actually enjoy being more flexible and being able to do Yoga poses well. Don’t get me wrong I still LOVE running and enjoy it even more than before and cherish the moments when I can go running in the forest, but I have learned not to push myself to the limit always.

Less is more

I do 3-4 k runs. In the forest usually I do a 6 k route. I try to do the same routes because at least then I know exactly the length and I got a few good routes. (Planning on doing a IGTV trail run route guide on one of them soon so stay tuned!). In addition to that I do at least Core or Bootylicious or similar class on a weekly basis and yes Yoga poses on my own at home. I do want to try to more of that and get some sort of regular schedule in doing Yoga. My body clearly likes that being tall and having long limbs <3

So how have the past three months been regarding exercise. Not as bad as I thought… Strange how your mind plays tricks on you. You think you haven’t really ”done much” and end up realizing you have actually done quite a lot!

Totals

August

I started feeling a bit better finally. The constant pain was subsiding and I was enjoying the classes I was doing. I was slightly hopeful that maybe I will run again…

Looking at the totals August was not that bad after all. Good on me!

38,02 kilometers. 21 activities.
Yoga 6 times,
Other classes 5 (Booty and core)
Running 5 times of which one trail run. Total running 20 kilometers
2 Gym trainings
1 (my first ever!!) mountain biking
1 dance class
1 walk

September

Distance was less, but in general I did feel better. I was taking sports ”less seriously” and would not beat myself up for not doing what I had scheduled. I am happy with the amount and proud that I have been able to resist running ”too long” distances. All runs were almost exactly 3k

22 kilometers, 13 activities
Yoga 4 times (at Gym… I do it at home nowadays too without putting my sports watch on…)
Other classes 3 (booty and core)
Running 4 times of which none trail running. Total running 12 kilometers
1 hike 5,7 k
1 walk

October

I have clearly upped the ante on the distance this month and I admit training has been great. No pain and I have finally started to do some weight lifting exercises for legs in the form of kettlebell class and my legs were fine with it. Squats, lunges here we go is what it means! I am so grateful that I was able to run 17 kilometers during the month and absolutely no pain anywhere. I even did a few 6 k trail runs during the month with no problems.

41 kilometers, 12 activities
1 Yoga class, BUT I have done it regularly at home
2 other classes (booty and core or similar)
5 runs distance 25 kilometers or which two trail runs
1 kettle bell class
2 walks
one run/trail run 6k

Conclusion

As said something is definitely better than nothing. I am non the rise slowly and surely. So great to be able to do sports without the fear of pain! So Yoga is definitely staying on my list. So are these booty/core classes. I know my body’s weak points and imbalances now and am working on them.

I was really desperate at times thinking I may never run again. Now I am slightly hopeful, but still not aiming for the kind of long distances I used to do. I am just enjoying nature and trying to keep sane in the middle of all this craziness. Being able to exercise again a bit surely plays a huge part in that.

Take care everyone and stay safe <3

Training

Training Jul/20 – Finally back to gym!

2 elokuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

I cannot even start to express how grateful I am that finally there has been some progress on the healing and I have been able to train (a bit) without any pain on my left knee. I think it was around mid July when there was a clear change.

I was getting fairly desperate with the pain since there was still inflammation on the left side of my left knee, but a bit different spot than previously in early March 2020. I could even pinpoint the spot, but had no idea how long it would take to heal. I was able to do short walks and short runs, but could not do any proper leg training yet. I spoke to my sister and she suggested that maybe try ginger and turmeric/curcumin since they might help with inflammation. I thought that I have nothing to lose as I cannot take the anti-inflammatory drugs anyway, so why not give it a try. Local Lidl grocery store right next door happens to have a Ginger-Turmeric drink so been drinking those every now and then and you know what, the pain is gone!

Not sure if time did its thing or was it the ginger-turmeric drink or just me deciding to stop whining and ”get back to it” -attitude that caused the change, but yes I am able to train again and the pain has not come back even if I do!

The amount of foam rolling and stretching I have done is bound to have some sort of effect also since my legs are not as ”stiff as a log” anymore. What I have though noticed these past few times I’ve been to the gym is that there is a clear imbalance between the right and left side of my body. So my body is weaker from the left side and maybe this is due to having been a bit careful because of the leg for a while now or due to losing about 16 kilos of weight causing the point of gravity to change or something else, but it’s clear that the imbalance has probably caused the inflammation in the first place and it needs to be addressed (and the doctor agrees that yes all of the mentioned above could cause this).

So I have been doing a few runs , 3 kilometer trail run, 4 kilometer hike and I have been back to the gym. I know the amounts seem like peanuts and was just thinking that how on earth did I a year ago climb 500 m for ”evening walk” and do 22 kilometer hikes. Well that was then and this is the reality now that I need to live with. At least I know what I am capable of which is kind of comforting. Anyway thinking about the imbalance and reading about IT band inflammation and talking to various people who know more about these kinds of things I now have a goal and…

I finally have a training plan again, wohou!

Training plan (weekly)

Total July

Total in July is something to marvel looking at June for example. No doubt there is progress and I am so happy there is! Week 27 ad 28 was still a bit testing, but in week 29 there was a clear change in the winds… So I will be moving to more regular training updates probably as there is something happening again <3

Running 9 kilometers
Walking 12 kilometers
Hiking 4 kilometers
Trail running 3 kilometers
Core class 1
Gym 2 times

Week 27

1 walk 2,1 kilometers
1 gym training

Week 28

1 walk 2,8 kilometers

Week 29

1 hike 4 kilometers (yes in the forest for the first time in ages <3 )
1 run 4,5 kilometers (yes running!!!)
1 walk 2 kilometers

Week 30

(decided to take it easy because previous week was a lot of exercise compared to past 4 months)

1 core class
1 walk 3,2 kilometers

Week 31 of July

I’m back! Well close to it. Yay!

1 times Gym
1 run 1,7 kilometers
1 trail run 3 kilometers
1 walk 1,7 kilometers

I truly hope I can keep up some sort of regularity with training now and look forward to being able to be more outdoors and especially going to the forest again. Let’s see how covid-19 restrictions change after summer, but luckily in Finland there is so much empty space in the forest that they cannot deny us that as all the social distancing regulations can be easily kept there 🙂

Training

Training – Jun/20 – No progress and holiday mode

2 heinäkuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

The only good part about June was that I was on holiday. We had fun with the kids camping by lakeside. Weather was perfect until we got a quick thunderstorm but the tent stayed dry inside so nothing to worry! It was almost midsummer so there was daylight practically through the night which is a bit weird when sleeping outside always. Feature image is from the campsite beach after midnight. We went to an amusement and a water park which both were practically empty as they had just opened up after corona. I also managed to catch up some sun and this sudden heatwawe felt so warm! I really enjoyed the short holiday, but training front has been as quiet, or even more quiet, than previous months (if that is even possible??)

Week 23 total is easy, complete zero! I do not know when has been the last time in my life that this has happened, but yes absolutely no exercise whatsoever. Week 24 so second week of June I did a bit more and then it backfired again and my knee started hurting so week 25 was easier again. Thought I would give it a try again week 26 and of course it backfired again after the long walk so back to square one every single time I try to do something.

So thought I would do upper body training instead and have gotten familiar on the muscles I need concentrate on with this ”runner’s knee” problem thinking I will do those then on my spare time and upper body at the gym and maybe, maybe one day the pain will not come back again…

I can assure you I am very frustrated, but try to not think about it too much. I see people running and walking passing by my house every day as it’s a very popular route for exercise and I look at them with envy thinking maybe I can do that one day again, but push the thought aside and try not to think about the fact that

I have not been able to run for four months now!

It makes me sad, but like I said I try not to think about it too much. Did I say I try not to think about it!!!

Truth is, it’s hard. Really hard when you are used to exercising and now cannot do anything practically. I did get referral to MRI and result is the same old ”runners knee”. So nothing broken and no surgery needed, but it does not seem to heal either. Orthopaedist gave referral to physiotherapy and now I’m trying to figure out who or how to pay for it as the insurance as such does not cover it unless it’s after a surgery which I was told I do not need.

Training plan

Whatever the cause or outcome I am tired of fighting against this injury and have been thinking that maybe I am not meant to run anymore. Simple as that. So no plans, no huge enthusiastic goals. Just waiting.

Total June

14 activities, 9 h of training
6 km running, 18 km walking, 11 km cycling 3 h gym and 1 h pilates

Week 23

0 = Nada = Niente = Nil = Nothing

Week 24

3 Walks = 6 km –> 3,25 km, 1,66 km and 1.38 km
1 Run 2,8 km
1 Cycle ride 5,6 km

Week 25

1 Walk 3,8 km
1 Gym training 1h 25min

Week 26

1 Walk 6,36 km
1 Pilates class
1 Gym training 35 min

Finding high places, Training

Training – W10/2020 Finally a bit more training

28 maaliskuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

Getting back to normal and a bit more training finally after a break. I still felt tired after training but it wasn’t as bad as the week before. Covid-19 virus was also spreading around the world already but there were not that many cases yet in Finland so we decided to go for a weekend getaway to a spa few hours drive from our house and stop over at Repovesi National Park for a hike.

It was a beautiful day and a good hike. New suspension bridge over the strait was ready and weather was amazing around few degrees and sunny. No snow anymore, but a bit slippery at times where snow had just melter.

It was nice to get away and thinking back it was good luck that we did it before things got worse as now it would not be even possible.

Anyway I was happy that exercising felt better again and was eager to keep going next week. I wanted to have a training plan, but have not quite made up my mind yet what my next goal would be and what kind my plan would be. That will surely come to me and decided to just enjoy doing whatever kind of exercise for now .

Total

1 hike 13,4 kilometers
2 runs 4,84 and 7,1 kilometers
1 treadmill run 3,1 kilometers
1 stair climber to 50 floors 11 minutes and 48 seconds
1 gym class 52 minutes

Training

Training – W9/2020 Back home and back to training

17 maaliskuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

I was full of energy to go running and to the gym after I got back from Kili. I thought I could just return to normal, but it seemed like my body had other thoughts.

I went for a few runs, but was totally exhausted after them and they were not even very hard runs. I remember that my eyes hurt because I was so tired in the evening and had hard time staying awake.

So I did not really enjoy training and it felt like my shoes had extra iron weights or something. I thought that Kili would have increased my endurance like usually these kind of hard training periods do, but there was no improvement in sight on the contrary.

So thought it might be the Anti Malaria pills. Or maybe the journey to Kili and back was actually much more strenuous than I thought it would be?

Total

Running two runs 5,32 kilometers and 9,27 kilometers
One gym session
Once run on treadmill 2,2 kilometers

Training plan

No plan yet, suggest me one! I need to tone up!

Next week I am hoping that training will feel good or at least normal. Now my body has felt so weird and not like my usual self. I am looking forward to getting back to routine training and hopefully I will find ”good flow” when training next week then.

Training

Training – W6/2020 Last week training

4 maaliskuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

Last week of training before Kili. Not that I can make any changes anymore but wanted to train a bit more since when in Kili I know I won’t be able to go for a run or gym at all. I am so used to running that the possibility of not being able to run for a few weeks feels a bit daunting

I was happy being able to train a bit more and am looking forward to finally going to Tanzania next week. I am ready with all gear and have been able to train for Kilimanjaro challenge as planned sticking pretty well with my training plan.

I have improved my stamina, endurance and oxygen intake just as intended so I could not be more proud of my achievement *a pat on my back*.

Total

Running 23 kilometers
Stair climer once to 50 floors
Cross trainer 11 minutes
1 gym training

Training plan

No plan… just run and climb as high as you can 🙂

Training

Training – W3/2020 Back to gym and good news

1 helmikuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

Got the doctors approval letter for Kili and my hemoglobin levels are also now OK back to ”my normal” which is around 120-125 but ferritin level is still too low and I need to keep taking iron.

Training front. Not aching anywhere so could have gone to gym normally but went only once. For obvious reason I am a bit reluctant to do massive training as I do not want to injure myself.

Back to running though and aim to do a few longer hikes still. It seems like life gets busier and busier the closer we get to the date and everything is just spiralling around one date… 11 th of February.

Total

Running 11 kilometers
Gym once times
Stair climber at gym to 100 floors so approx 330 ascent
Hiking 13,8 kilometers

Training plan

No plan… just trying to take it easy, do some basic exercise and a few longer hikes

Training

Training – Year 2019 totals

9 tammikuun, 2020 Ei kommentteja

Since the year has changed I thought it would be nice to look back and examine what did I do on the exercise front.

I know without looking at any statistics that I exercised more this year than the last, but how much? Well the amount of individual activities year 2019 was 236. Compared to year 2018 and only 140 it’s a massive increase. I have exercised almost twice as much as the year before so approximately every second day. Impressive I think!

One reason for this is of course that I had a plan. Plan that had target amounts of activities and type. I kept to my plan pretty meticulously apart from when I got sick or injured. What this has taught be is to think big, aim for something you never thought you could achieve and you might just get there, BUT keep the target tangible.

I had my targets through out the year. Targets like Best cooper’s test distance, Best 10 k time, Best average speed, One chin up, More than 5 kilos on squat each side, 10 kilos more on leg press and so on. I was competing with myself and it seems I am quite competitive after all. Especially if I am competing with me 😉

So let’s look at the totals first…

Total year 2019

Running total 610 kilometers of which trail 307 kilometers and basic 303 kilometers. Year 2018 total 440 k’s total, trail 190 k’s trail and basic 250 k’s.
Hiking 179 kilometers, Year 2018 56 k’s.
Orienteering 66 kilometers. Year 2018 zero.
Walking 63 kilometers. Year 2018 47 k’s.
Gym 27 times. Year 2018 18 times.

I am very happy with the results. There is more running and orienteering as a new one which could sort of be added to trail running. This would make running in the forests for me 373 kilometers which is a long way if we start thinking how far I would get I if I now started running towards Lapland. I would not get near Lapland but to Seinäjoki or Kuopio. If I add all my running together I would actually get to Kuusamo or Kemi. Still not above the Arctic Circle so I might aim to run enough k’s to get past Rovaniemi next year…

Anyway, there is a clear increase in hiking also which is natural having been exercising for Kili and visiting Norway and Lapland. Increase in going to the gym eI am especially happy about and there results can be seen in the form of more muscle mass, strength and toning.

How about my targets? How did they improve?

Best cooper’s distance: From 1600 meters to 2000 meters
Best 10 k time: From around 1:44 to 1:10
Best average speed: From around 6,4 km/h to 9,4 km/h
One chin-up: Yep did achieve that on straight legs and with a rubber band I can do 3-5
More kilos on all the equipment at the gym in general.

I have learned in year 2019 that I need to measure to be able to reach for something. When I measure I can see the difference. Consistency is the key here 🙂 First I wanted to reach for example 1800 in Coopers test and next time tried to beat my last record so very much competing with myself.

2019 was a good year in exercise front and after Kili I will continue having a training plan and logging what I do. I like to follow the progress and looking back to last year also motivates me. When I can see the numbers I know that all the hard work has not been for nothing since there is clear progress!

So back to it I say!

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