running

Slow Sunday

10th September 2017 by Jax Blunt 4 Comments

I woke up this morning stiff and full of pain. I should have done week 6 day 3 of couch to 5 k – there was no way that was happening. Instead it took me nearly two hours to stagger about hanging out two loads of washing with frequent rests, and by the time I’d done breakfast and lunch as well for small children I was pretty much done.

I spent the afternoon in bed with a book and it really seemed to help. The main problem at the moment is my hip, again – I’ve been doing my exercises but it doesn’t seem to be helping. I’m so tired of going to GP or physio and having them basically not interested at all, because there are no obvious markers for anything that they can fix. I was born with a dislocated hip, and one leg is shorter than the other. I’m hypermobile, although mainly I have crunches and clunks going on rather than anything big in the way of dislocations, although I’m pretty sure I at least partially dislocated the left hip again while giving birth to Big, so 17 1/2 years ago now. That was the start of physio interventions, and back then they got very hands on, now it just tends to be stretches and exercises. Which *if* it works, works very slowly and in the meantime I’m hobbling around like I’m 30 years older than I am.

All in all, I’m fed up. I just want someone to take me seriously, tell me why bits of my body keep packing up, and give me some advice on how to prevent it or how to fix it when it does happen. Is that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

Have a sketch.

I’m off to bed, hoping that today has been enough to settle down my hip, although realistically, I doubt I’m going to be running in the morning either. Bah.

C25K take three?

8th September 2017 by Jax Blunt 10 Comments

I’m not sure how many times I’ve started and restarted running now. The first couple of times I devised my own routines and built up over time until I was regularly running 3 miles or occasionally further. But I’ve suffered a bunch of odd injuries and found it really hard to get going again. So this time I’m using a C25K app, and I’m now in week 6.

It isn’t easy. The only way I’m making progress is by setting out each time focusing only on that run, and telling myself it doesn’t matter if I don’t nail it this time, I’ll just do it over until I can.

Running alongside the sea helps. Hugely.

I bought a set of running headphones too, with a band that goes round the back of my neck. And I log the run separately on runkeeper which keeps track of distance and speed. Or not speed, depending on how you look at it. My Samsung insists that I’m not actually running most of the time and has only once logged a workout as a run rather than a walk.

My aim with all of this is to maintain strength – given how stiff I am while exercising regularly I think I might actually turn into a rock if I gave it up. And on mornings I don’t run, as I’ve said before, I’m doing yoga. I’d like to find a class at some point, but for now, routines in the garden will do.

Do you have a fitness routine, or any tips you can share?

Look down as well as up

16th October 2015 by Jax Blunt Leave a Comment

Lesson of the day – look down as well as up.

No sunrise visible today – heavy cloud cover and drizzly rain. I spent a while on the beach trying (and failing) to take artful pictures of spray – got my feet wet twice in the process.

Decided I’d walk around the point to see if there were any better viewpoints from the clifftop, and on the next section of beach came across this little beauty.

He looks a bit lost – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a starfish just flopped on the beach like this before. I took him down nearer the water line, and failed to get any better pictures (lesson two of the day, check your pictures *before* you wander away from the subject. Sigh.) Anyway, fallen stars and wet feet aside, Friday feels oddly hopeful. How is it for you?

(Apologies to those of you who have already read the above on instagram. I’m loving the community feel there at the moment, and the conversation, but I want to have this permanently here in my archives. There must be a balance to be found in that too, I’m not sure what it is.) Do you copy your pics to your blog? Share your stream? (That’s still just providing a window to someone else’s platform, and an exit from my blog, which seems counter productive.)

I did think there would come a time in life when I had more answers than questions, but it’s beginning to occur to me that that will never happen. Should never happen. The achievement is to work out how to hold yourself still and clam amid the uncertainty I guess. (And no, I’m not just talking about fiddly questions about how best to present a picture to the world. I have bigger questions than that, but some are just too big to put into words just yet.)

(Anxiety level slightly lower. No I’ve no idea why on that either.)

Time to quit…. smoking that is.

3rd April 2014 by Tim 1 Comment

I used to run. I started when I was doing karate, to top up my fitness and, if I had a break from training, to get myself back in a condition to cope with long tough karate sessions.

Life got in the way, I haven’t done karate for many years and I miss it. Maybe one day…

So, that left me with the running. But I have had issues, a slipped disc for one, and the running also fell by the wayside.

I smoke, I drink and I am getting older, have you noticed how the years seem to slip by faster and faster? I don’t mind being old and grey, I like the drinking, but I don’t like smoking and I don’t like being unfit. If you are unfit and smoke, you are less able to cope with life’s little challenges, like stairs, for example, or even walking to the pub.

So, I had a very nice offer marking No Smoking Day from SportsShoes.com – a pair of shoes to help motivate me to stop smoking.

Running doesn’t take up a lot of time, you can run all you need for fitness in the time it takes a lot of people to drive to and fro from their gym, you will save on wear and tear on the car, gym subs, you can do it pretty much anywhere and you really don’t need a lot of kit.

What you do need is a good pair of shoes (although I did used to do barefoot running when I was a karateka). Oddly my feet have changed size, a lot. I didn’t know that could happen, but it has and my feet nearly two full sizes larger than they used to be.

So, my lovely pair of Saucony Grid Approach running shoes no longer fit. I had a look through what SportsShoes.com have on offer and deep joy, they sell Saucony shoes. I had a good look through though, and there was a pair of Brooks shoes I fancied (I have heard good things about their shoes), but in the end I settled on a pair of Saucony PowerGrid Xodus 4.0 Trail Running Shoes.

When they came I was thrilled to bits, the look great and are beautifully made. Small hiatus, I mentioned the growing feet – I underestimated and they were too small so I had to send them back and get a half size larger. The turn round on this was pretty quick though and today was my first run in years. Just a half mile, but it is a start. Now to find the E-cigs.

Along with the shoes, Sportsshoes expert panel supplied information on quitting smoking. (Note, all this was intended to happen around Quit Smoking Day. Personally I think every day should be quit smoking day, so let’s not get hung up on dates, eh? Jax.)

To celebrate National Smoking Day this month (12th March 2014), SportsShoes are offering expert advice on how exercise will help you to kick your smoking habit.

Get fit and quit; 5 ways that exercise will increase your chances of quitting for good

1) Improve breathing

Acute cigarette cravings often last just five minutes. If you feel like a cigarette, try going for a run for just 20 minutes, by the time you return your craving will have passed.

Smokers often avoid exercise as they become breathless and get cramps. This is because carbon monoxide hinders the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart. You’ll get more enjoyment from physical activity after you quit smoking and, by gradually building up your exercise levels, you will soon improve your lung intake. Set yourself small targets and you’ll be surprised how quickly you’re able to do more, in fact your lung capacity will improve by up to 10% within nine months – you certainly won’t want to ruin your progress by lighting up!

2) Reduce stress

Many smokers blame their habit on stress but scientific studies show that people’s stress levels are lower after they stop smoking – nicotine addiction actually makes smokers stressed from the ‘withdrawal’ between cigarettes. Physical activity, on the other hand, will improve your state of mind and get the oxygen flowing, which will help you to concentrate better and increase your mental wellbeing. When you are working out, your body will release ‘feel good’ hormones which ease symptoms of depression and fatigue. Key hormones include serotonin, which regulates your mood, dopamine, which helps with concentration and norepinephrine, which influences performance.

3) Increase energy

Within 2 to 12 weeks of stopping smoking, your circulation will improve, this will make all physical activity, including walking and running, much easier. Cardio exercise will get your heart pumping which means it won’t have to beat as often to circulate your blood – thus your resting heart rate will become slower, reducing demands on your body and meaning you will have more energy.

4) Boost immunity

Smoking depresses the body’s immune response so there is less protection from bacterial, viral and fungal infections. A smoker’s body is more toxic too, so the liver is more stressed – making it a target for disease. Quitting smoking will make it easier to fight off colds and flu. Regular exercise will better equip your body to distribute oxygen, as well as encourage efficient functioning of the lymphatic system by stimulating the muscles – this will promote the removal of toxins from your body.

5) Reduce visceral fat

There is increasing evidence that smoking causes greater accumulation of visceral fat, which surrounds your intestines and liver and is a serious health threat. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to store fat in your abdomen rather than on your hips and thighs. Quitting smoking and upping your aerobic activity and strength training will help you to lose visceral fat and gain muscle mass.

With each stride, more words came.

5th April 2011 by Jax Blunt 5 Comments

I am daughter, sister, partner, mother.

I have worn many names and carried many labels.

Known such love, made connections, and experienced much loss.

I cook, clean, write, sing, dance, read, create, entertain, cry, shout, swear and run.

I am alternative, eco-friendly, geek, vegetarian. Niche, mainstream, square and weird.

I plan, procrastinate, play and potter.

If I had a lifetime I could not share all of you with me. There are things for which I have no words.

Do you know me? Would you recognise me in the street? Or if my words appeared elsewhere with yet another label?

I do not lie. But sometimes I don’t speak at all.

I don’t have to.

And yet, what you see is what you get.

As much of me as you want to know.

This is me. Who are you?