This post is 3 months overdue. This break came naturally as my internet access became limited and I decided to just get on with everything else going on in my life instead of getting frustrated at the slow internet connection or a complete lack of signal.

Then I waited a bit more with writing a new post, because I simply did not know where to start. My last one was about me preparing to take part in a half-marathon. Since then I ran the half-marathon and completed a full marathon (my first ever!) a month later. And I didn’t report any of this here.

That’s why it was harder to come back to writing, because I thought I would have to recall what had happened weeks ago before I could write anything else. So this blog became like a drawer you know you have to clean up to put your new stuff in it. But you simply don’t want to be bothered with organizing your old stuff, so it puts you off from being excited about your new stuff. And you’re stuck.

Being stuck is more frustrating and exhausting than cleaning a thousand of forgotten drawers. So I’ve decided to just get on with it and write new posts, organizing the old stuff as I go.

I had made up my mind about the Great Scottish Run just a few days ago when I was flipping through a copy of the Runner’s World magazine I got for my train ride from Inverness to Pitlochry. I saw the ad for the race and thought, why not? The timing couldn’t have been more perfect: exactly 4 weeks before my marathon on October 4^th. Since I already run half-marathon distances (21k or 13.1 miles) as part of my training, why not run one in an official race? (And check out one more Scottish city in the meantime.)

I really have to regularly pinch myself these days, because my crazy ramblings from months ago are coming true and sometimes it is hard to believe that they are my reality. I say ‘crazy ramblings’, because that’s how it must have sounded in various emails and conversations with my friends and family a year ago.

At that time I was working for an e-commerce agency in central London and I was kind of unsettled. I didn’t think it was the right place for me; I didn’t like the office routine, the commute, the crowd. Instead of taking the tube or a bus to work, I usually cycled or just walked once I moved closer to the office to avoid traffic jams and the claustrophobic tube trains. I just wanted to feel the air on my face and not the breath of the passenger next to me.

And one day a thought popped into my head: how about the ultimate freedom? How about… running?! That moment I just had a vision of me running through wide open spaces, of covering great distances on foot without elbowing anyone in the process (and I probably drooled over my office keyboard). At the time the ‘great distance’ meant 10 miles and up as I could barely run 3 without the need to call it a day, but hey, it was all ahead of me.

Despite my terrible running record, I started to search for running events around the world. I browsed different races, from 5k’s to ultras, and found the marathon distance strangely appealing. I’m not really sure why, because 10k or a half-marathon was definitely more suitable to start from at my level of fitness, but 26 miles (or 42k) seemed like the perfect distance to aim at. I guess it was like a doorstep to running these ‘great distances’ I imagined: ultra marathons. Once I became comfortable with the marathon, I could venture out into the wild world of long distance running.

As I browsed through a list of marathons, one race suddenly struck a chord with me: the Loch Ness Marathon. I read that the route is around Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands and immediately felt that this was exactly where I wanted to run. I had never been to Scotland before, but I found myself strangely attracted to the place.

The registration opened a few weeks later, in January 2010. When I completed my entry form, I had already quit my job and was a few days from starting my month-long trip to Brazil followed by a month-long trip to the United States to visit my college friends (I had spent 4 years in Western Pennsylvania) and venture out West, where I had a taste of what it feels to be running in wide open spaces.

When I was hiking through Zion National Park in Utah, I was overwhelmed by the incredible beauty of the canyons and couldn’t stop myself from bursting into a run. It wasn’t a long run, but I felt like a dog released from her leash outside of city limits. I simply felt so happy and free!

When I got to Scotland a month ago, I couldn’t believe how right it felt and how happy I still was, even though I was pursuing some crazy ramblings of a bored office worker at her lunch break. It is quite overwhelming to watch it happen, to have my dreams materialize right in front of my eyes.

Perhaps it might not seem like a big deal to you - there are plenty of people running marathons. But for me it is incredible that I have decided to follow my crazy heart instead of sticking to what I had known. And it feels amazing; it is pure joy!

Next time you feel an urge to do something out of the ordinary, don’t shrug it off. Mull it over and if the urge is still there, no matter how crazy it may seem, follow it; and taste the happiness.

(photo: taken by my boyfriend in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, in March 2009)

Good Morning Fellow Newbie Runners and Experienced Sitters!

As I mentioned on the Train For Humanity blog, I’m going to take part in another marathon very soon: the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland. My toes painfully remember my last attempt and I haven’t drastically improved my times, nor have I figured out a replacement for the nauseating apple-flavored energizing gels. Oh, and I continue to look like a Sunday runner (too much clothing and too much cushioning - not in the shoes though).

And yet I’m doing it again, and in such a short time, again. Perhaps I took too many exams in my life and I can only get disciplined if I need to be accountable to someone other than myself. I don’t mind. If my efforts need to be measured and checked, I’m all for it if it gets me where I want to be!

I could run 26 miles by myself on the 4^th of October instead of running with hundreds of people, being photographed, measured and judged. But I know that if I were going to do it on my own, I would have had a much harder time.  I would’ve found a dozen excuses to postpone the date and ended up running the marathon distance after Christmas. If ever.

I could also make up a dozen excuses not to participate in the Loch Ness Marathon either, even though I’ve told you about it. I could also just stop running altogether and hide behind a rock or in front of a TV, and watch House, M.D. in the time I freed up by dropping running from my schedule. (No offense to House, M.D. fans.)

Somehow this last scenario doesn’t sound very appealing (even though I do enjoy House, M.D. now and then. It reminds me to quit whining and live), so I need to stick with running the marathon in October and even with setting up some goals! Shocking.

Here are a few things I’m working on:

• Finishing the marathon. Since I failed the first time, the second time should be the charm. I’ll make sure to let you know all the juicy details this time too.

• Finishing the marathon under 4 hours and 30 minutes. I know it’s ambitious, especially for someone who walked more than ran in their last race, but it would be pretty boring not to be ambitious, don’t you think?

• Wearing running tights. There, I said it! There’s no going back now - I pledge to wear running tights during this marathon.

I don’t know about you, but I am hysterically scared of wearing tights (even fashion leggings) without a skirt or at least a long shirt hanging over my butt and thighs. The ‘jiggling thighs’ I mentioned in the post on how to start running - yup, that’s me! (The hanging belly part - that’s not me.)

When I’m on a long run, I stop caring about my thighs, sweating or anything else that was on my pre-run mind. Perhaps that’s why I love running longer distances - it puts me in the present moment.

But my pre-run mind doesn’t let me put on tights, shorts or anything tight and above the knee, for that matter. Or anything brighter than navy blue. No wonder I was too hot during my first marathon!

But the hiding days are over. Instead of baggy long pants, I will wear a ¾ length tight made of spandex or other body-hugging fabric. Or something even shorter (whoah!).

Fo’ sho’. I’ll take pictures and all, and I’ll post them here for your viewing pleasure. Now that’s ambitious. (Seriously, it is. I’ll let you in on more juicy details soon.)

(The photo was taken by my dad after my first race: 12.5k around a lake in Lublin, Poland, on May 10, 2009.)

How about you, what kind of running or fitness goals do you have?

I love New York (yes, I have the T-shirt!) and I wouldn’t mind a few more visits there this year. New York has an amazing atmosphere with the coolest music venues, unique art galleries, delicious restaurants (vegan and raw too!), organic markets, trendy vintage and thrift stores, yoga studios, distinctive architecture, stunning running routes and, not to forget, fascinating people - everything I love in a city!

Running in New York

Despite being a concrete jungle, New York has many parks which are runners’ heaven, like the most famous Central Park. It also has smaller green spaces like the ones around Brooklyn, which were attractive enough to lure me into running outside in January, on a snow and ice-covered ground. I was lucky that it was New York where running in adverse weather conditions is not out of the ordinary. I didn’t have to face puzzled looks of dog walkers, which would have inevitabloy happen, let’s say, in Poland. In the park I met a few daredevils like myself who convinced me that I was not such a lunatic after all.

Unsurprisingly, one of the most prominent running events takes place in New York: the New York City Marathon. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with the reported 37,850 finishers in 2006. Now, that’s a lot of people! Such a crowd can be quite intimidating, especially if you’re a running newbie like me, but I’d love to take part in it one day - I need to make sure that I’ll bring my magic hat though!

The New York City Half-Marathon, August 16 2009

For all us runners who feel a bit panicky about the NYC Marathon or who prefer to run shorter distances, there are various smaller events organized in the city, like the NYC Half-Marathon. It is indeed a smaller race than the NYC Marathon, with a shorter distance and less participants, but it is not a small event. In 2007 there were 10,506 finishers, still quite a fine crowd!

The course of the half-marathon starts in Central Park and goes through Times Square and along the Hudson River waterfront to Lower Manhattan, finishing near Battery Park (see the photo for details). This route is a great way to get to know and admire New York City: I’ve walked this way a number of times (not the whole route every time, only during my very touristy excursions) and I would gladly run the course too!

I’ve already planned to be in Scotland in August, but running this half-marathon could be a great starter before tasting the great NYC Marathon in November. Who knows, maybe you’ll see me there in 2010?

Run With a Charity

The individual registration for the event is now closed, but don’t fret: you can still secure an entry if you run for a charity. One of the charity partners of this event is The Fresh Air Fund which organizes summer vacations for inner-city children at camps and with host families. This is a great opportunity for New York kids to experience a life outside of the noisy and polluted city, and enjoy the slower pace of suburbs or smaller towns in the US and Canada.

The charity has already helped over 1.7 million children since its foundation in 1877. Its success is a result of ongoing support from numerous kind individuals who donate their time, skills and money to brighten up the monotony of the inner-city life of thousands of children each year.

If you’d like to take part in the NYC Half-Marathon and support the Fresh Air Fund’s initiative, you can sign up to run with the charity:

Run the NYC Half-Marathon with the Fresh Air Fund

Last year the Fresh Air Fund-Racers raised more than $125,000! For more information on the Fresh Air Fund, the NYC Half-Marathon and other ways to help inner-city children, visit these links:

The Fresh Air Fund

The NYC Half-Marathon

P.S. I was asked to write about the possibility of running the NYC Half-Marathon with the Fresh Air Fund by their employee. I did the research and can firmly recommend running in their colors. If I was going to be in NYC or somewhere nearby in August, I would have signed up myself. If you have a few hours to spare that Sunday, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them.

Many runners run their long distances on Sundays, perhaps you do too - why not do it in an organized event and support summer vacations for inner-city children? You’ll be done by 10 am! (The race starts at 7 am and there’s a three-hour time limit to finish.) Now that’s a productive morning!

If you do decide to run the NYC Half-Marathon or if you have run it in the past, do tell! I’d love to hear your stories from the event.

photo credit: RunnerSpace

I Hit the Wall

Oh yes, I hit it hard! I think my wall had started to materialize around the 25^th kilometer. At first it was a quite flexible wall which I could just push away if I focused hard enough. It was more like a veil than a brick wall. It slowed me down, but I could still pick up my pace and run. It was annoying, but manageable.

Not for long! Around the 27^th or the 28^th km I began to notice a horrifying trend: before I was running with walking breaks, and now I was walking with breaks for running. I started to get very frustrated  - I did not come here to walk!

So I turned to music as my savior. It’s Blitz!, the latest album by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, had just come up on my mp3 player with the first song Zero as a perfect piece of running music.

I was really moved by the beats, the words and Karen O’s energy to the point that I started to sing with her, out loud! Singing or even talking is not that easy when you’re out of breath and slightly nauseous from consuming too much apple flavoured energizing gel, but this time it was the perfect medicine for my lack of energy.

Can you climb, climb, climb higher?

The music, like the magic hat before, carried me through the next few kilometers. Then help came from the people I met in the villages on the route of the marathon. They were all cheering me on to run and that gave me the strength I was lacking. How can you not motivate yourself to run when little kids you meet are just dying to race you? You can’t - you just pick up your pace and let them win.

What else could I use? Nothing came to mind, there was no one else out there to pick me up. I felt that all my tricks were slowly losing their power.  I took of my headphones, started to shiver from being cold (sweat can do that) and slowed down to a stroll in front of the puzzled looks of my supporters. My magic hat, my power music and my resolve to show that even non-athletes like me can run this distance - all that - had run out.

The wall was a brick wall now, too high to climb, too thick to push through it. I just couldn’t walk anymore (yup, I was mainly walking at this point, passing the 35^th km). Even mentally, I did not have the strength to go on, as if someone had unplugged me from the energy source and left me with my battery running very low and, eventually, running out.

I did not have any knee pain, any muscle pain. But my feet felt like they were boiling inside my shoes. They felt swollen and hot and way too big for my shoes. Every step was uncomfortable if not outright painful.

(When I took my shoes off after the race, my toes resembled frankfurters, the super yucky kind - if any kind of frankfurters is less than super yucky - the one you can find packed into cans, short and chubby. They were also covered in blisters, and I scored another black toenail! Just in time for the sandal season.)

I was walking very slowly and really didn’t feel like walking for another hour and a half (uh, this is the time I needed to complete the marathon at this pace… It really was a stroll! The kind you do in a park on a sunny afternoon, not your usual marathon pace.) - so I stopped.

And I stopped a police car that was patrolling the route. I got in and chatted with the two officers and felt so relieved, and happy.

Why was I happy that I did not finish the marathon when I had only 5 km to go?

That Sunday morning I was determined to finish the marathon at any cost. I could not fail! I did my training and I was prepared to at least finish. I wasn’t aiming at any particular time, but finishing was the least I could do, right?!

Fast forward a few hours and I couldn’t feel more differently. Before I started to run the marathon distance I had no clue what to expect. I thought I would have run the majority of the route and then walked the remaining kilometers. Boy, was I wrong!

When my walking breaks exceeded my running intervals, I knew it was not what I signed up for. I did not want to finish at any cost any more. I wanted to finish the marathon running or at least jogging, or - well - walking, not strolling! This was not how I wanted to take part in my first marathon.

The decision was not easy and it took me about 2 kilometers to make it.

I knew I would have to tell everyone that I did not finish. I would have to explain and share all the details of my failed attempt at long distance running. I knew there would be many “I told you so’s” and “It’s not for you’s”.

Really, finishing would have been a less annoying option.

***

How I Did Not Finish a Marathon - Part 1

I did not finish my first marathon race which took place two Sundays ago. I got into a police car at the 37^th kilometer.

Details, Excuses, Explanations

The number one reason for finishing early was that I wasn’t prepared for a marathon. Me attempting to run a marathon was like a person with a hearing impairment trying to listen to a concert without wearing a hearing aid, it’s possible, but unlikely! Perhaps I was prepared to finish 42.2k. But I wasn’t prepared to finish it if something went wrong. And, well, it did.

I was used to running in cooler and cloudier weather than the one I experienced that Sunday morning. It was the first day of summer and it really felt like it. I woke up around 5 am to the bright and cloudless sky instead of drizzle from the weeks before. I was really happy that early morning because, thankfully, it wasn’t going to rain. But perhaps the rain would have been a better running companion!

During my training I did not run in a hat to protect myself from too much sun, because there wasn’t too much sun then. When I arrived at a town square where my marathon was supposed to start, I knew I should’ve brought a hat with me: almost all the other runners were wearing one. Especially the ones looking like pros had a hat or a scarf on their head even though their clothing was minimal.

I didn’t think all was lost then because it wasn’t that hot. It was warm and definitely not warm enough to strip to a bikini on a nearby beach. Perhaps not. But it was definitely too warm for a long run without some headwear.

I started to feel it after passing the 10k mark. I was getting a headache and had to slow down my pace because I felt tired already. 10k was my usual short run so I didn’t understand why I was already feeling weak. But a few kilometers later, after numerous hills with no shade and some super annoying flies around my head (we were running by the fields full of grazing cows), I knew it was simply too warm and sunny for me.

After several gulps of water and a few squirts of some apple flavored energizing gel (I swear I’m finding an alternative to these gels which doesn’t resemble space food - perhaps a mixture of coconut water and some fruit? Chia seeds?), I was still feeling pretty weak. I felt like I was running through a desert with no rescue caravan in sight.

Perhaps I’m exaggerating. Perhaps it was more like running through a deserted park on a sunny day with ten more loops to go or on a treadmill at a gym with a broken air-con. The bottom line is, I felt it was too sunny and too warm for me to go on.

I felt nauseous and dizzy by the time I reached 20k. Before I stopped at a cooling station at that mark, I decided I would ask for a ride. I couldn’t see myself running for another twenty kilometers, especially since I had slowed down quite considerably. I thought that I could finish the half-marathon and call it a day. I’d never run a half in a race so this would’ve been something to celebrate anyway.

But I wasn’t allowed to quit then. When I reached the 20k mark and said I was done, the men helping out at the cooling station there (which involved handing out sponges soaked in cool water) said it was simply not an option. But it was too hot for me!, I whined. They took me on the side and gave me three cups of water which I gulped down quickly. They tried to cheer me up saying that I have already run so far - I can surely run the same distance again!

I was still hesitant and tried to explain that I really wasn’t feeling too hot (pun intended) and that perhaps a half-marathon was enough for me at that point. But then one guy mentioned that I would have been doing better if I was wearing a hat. Duh! Well, I nodded and sighed. I did not have a hat, OK?

So he gave me his to wear. I objected, then declared I would return it at the finish line. He said he wouldn’t be there, but that’s OK. I could keep it.

I passed the twenty first kilometer, which marks the half-marathon, flying. Well, it wasn’t exactly flying, but it felt like it in comparison to how slow I was running before I got my magic hat. The hat was not a light runner’s hat but a typical ball cap, with extra features like oil and sweat stains. It was the best hat I had ever worn.

During my last year of college when I was pursuing my Russian Studies degree, I did a 10-week internship at the International Institute of Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania. I helped out at their Language Department with admin work and with Russian-to-English translations of birth certificates and other documents.

The institute helps refugees to resettle in Erie and become self-sufficient in their new country. It involves learning English, education, paperwork, finding employment, cultural assimilation and anything and everything that can help refugees to feel like home in the United States.

One of the groups which probably needed the most attention were the refugees from Sudan.

The recent War in Darfur started in 2003 and is not over yet. According to the United Nations, 300 thousand people have died in the conflict. Some aid groups estimate the number of people left without food to be 1.1 million, and 1 million without drinking water.

(photo credit: wanderingzito)

People, Not Numbers

300 thousand people - that’s almost the population of Lublin, a city I grew up in. When you put the numbers into perspective, you get a better picture of the magnitude of the destruction and death this war has brought upon the Sudanese.

Looking at this and other conflicts, as well as natural disasters, we should remember that there are people behind the numbers. There are people suffering because of decisions of a few or the reckless habits of millions. Let’s think beyond the nameless casualties, victims, civilians, displaced, refugees.

Let’s see a person behind the number and help them like you would help your neighbor.

Many Sudanese refugees who resettle in Erie need help with things we take for granted, like learning to use home appliances or public transportation. There’s a long road ahead of them to feel comfortable in their new homeland, but they are in the right place and have dedicated people to lead them through new experiences.

There are millions of people still in Darfur - they need help too. Many international aid organizations focus their efforts on providing relief for the genocide victims in Sudan, the neighboring Chad and anywhere else in the world where Darfurians have been displaced. The needs are vast: from clean water and food to clothing, shelter, education and psychological help.

Train For Humanity

When Mark Hayward was looking for an organization to include in his new project, Train For Humanity, he learnt about the Darfur Peace and Development Organization which helps Darfuri orphans affected by the genocide.

DPDO is “a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to a peaceful Darfur that is justly governed and developed in a sustainable manner. The mission of DPDO is to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the genocide in Darfur, to facilitate just governance, and to enable Darfurians to effectively rebuild and develop their homeland.”

I learnt about DPDO and Train For Humanity from an article on Zen Habits. Leo Babauta was one of the first athletes to take part in Mark’s project: raising funds for a humanitarian cause through getting fit and social media. I thought it was an amazing idea and signed up. If I was going to start running regularly anyway, I might’ve done it for a greater cause, right?

Share Your Lunch

Mark Hayward, Leo Babauta and Dan Clements have raised $1,500 in the first phase of the TFH project and recently received a thank you letter from DPDO for making the donation. This project is real - it has measurable results - and I’m really happy to be part of it! I hope that the effort I put into my training will inspire people to act and help those in need.

Ordinary people can do extraordinary things - let’s get involved and stop thinking that perhaps others can take care of it. “Others” already are, but your help is priceless too. Don’t underestimate your importance.

You can help support Train For Humanity’s efforts by becoming a TFH athlete - if I can train for a marathon, what’s stopping fitter people than me?

But if you don’t feel like sweating too much for several weeks to prepare for a sport event, you can donate your other resource: money. You can donate as little as $5. In the Western world, it is the price of one lunch, or even one coffee. It is a small amount for many, but a huge amount for the Darfuri victims, especially if it’s multiplied. Share your lunch, you won’t go hungry!

Mark’s goal is to donate $50,000 to the Darfur Peace and Development. If every $5 from this sum was donated by one person, we would need 10,000 people to collect the total of $50,000. Only!

Don’t think of 300 thousand, 1 million or any other overwhelming number. There’s a sea of needs to be fulfilled in Darfur, but this time your one drop can really help. Think of that one person for whom your $5 will make a difference.

There’s a unique, personal story behind every victim of the genocide in Darfur, behind every number, behind every face. There is a human being. Who knows, maybe one day they will be resettled to your neighborhood. Would you give $5 to your neighbor in need?

If you can’t afford to donate, please spread the word to those who can. Any type of help is wonderful!

My dream is to spread the word about Darfur and Train For Humanity to 10,000 people who are willing to share their lunch.

Can You Help?

Please make a donation and spread the word:

before I saw the light

Let’s face it, hipster: you’re out of breath, out of shape, living on coffee, Lucky Strikes and pasta. You might be skinny but I wouldn’t like to see what’s inside that carefully styled package. Even if you’re into organic, raw, vegetarian, green, what have you - you still can’t resist that pizza and Coke in the wee hours of the morning after you’ve had a few Pabst Blue Ribbons (or more). Thank God for the smoke ban in bars, otherwise your “social smoking” would blow up to a pack a day.

Don’t panic though!

Your insides can look as good as your outsides: just lace your high tops, throw on your favorite T-shirt and perhaps a pair of cargo pants if sweatpants are a bit much. Then load up your iPod with the following tunes and step outside - and let the magic happen!

1.       Helter Skelter - The Beatles

OK, so you’re outside, good. Start walking and push ‘play’. Listen.

When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again!

If it’s not enough stimuli for you and you haven’t started running yet, let’s try this:

2.       I’m So Excited - Le Tigre

I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it,
I’m about to lose control and I think I like it.
I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it,
I know, I know, I know, I want to!

Don’t think how you look, perhaps that girl you spotted in the coffee shop doesn’t have her lunch break now, so you’re safe. You’re free from tight jeans and forehead-covering bangs, so what are you waiting for? Lose control and run even faster!

3.       Gravity Rides Everything - Modest Mouse

OK, you’re free to slow down a little. It’s your time to contemplate your life and how great you have just felt when you were zooming through the park alleys. Can you keep that feeling?

4.       Spread Your Love - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

I spread my love like a fever
I ain’t ever coming down

You’re hooked. You need to keep going! Can this be looove?

5.       Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

Oh no! You’ve just zoomed by the coffee shop girl. Her lunch break is earlier than you thought. You stop two trees later, but then you pick up your speed - she can’t know you’re out of breath! You try to jog confidently.

6.       Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death from Above - CSS

Your imagination is running wild. So are you!

Run run run, to make your heart shake
Kiss kiss kiss, will make this earth quake
I’m gonna get what I’m willin to take
This gotta worth the miles you made

7.       Boys & Girls - Blur

You’re still high on adrenaline. Wow, maybe you can even do it regularly? Maybe you can actually leave the herd?

Streets like a jungle
So call the police
Following the herd
Down to Greece on holiday
Love in the nineties
Is paranoid
On sunny beaches
Take your chances

8.       We Will Vacation, You Can Be My Parasol - Be Your Own Pet

You’re ready. You’re ready to be uncool, leave the herd and do your own thing, with your insides intact. You’re so stoked, you set off to sprint!

9.       Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Phew, you’re exhausted.

Purple haze all in my brain,
lately things don’t seem the same,
actin’ funny but I don’t know why
’scuse me while I kiss the sky.

10.   I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown

But damn, you feel good! You leave the park tired but it’s like you’re walking on air - can this be real? You make a little jiggle and turn around to check if anyone’s watching.  No one, oh well - you’ll be back! You’re gonna take the park by the storm and maybe even venture out onto the streets. Perhaps you’ll even run through your neighborhood, past the coffee shops, music venues, bars, vintage and record stores, wearing shorts and moisture wicking shirts. Your mind is racing.

But before all that happens you need to make it to your pal’s pre-birthday party tonight. You stop at a corner shop and get a pack of Lucky Strikes - you never know how the night will develop.

10.   Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying - Belle and Sebastian

Your alternative ending track. You don’t even know how you’ve ended up here, at the edge of the park. Exhausted, sweaty and embarrassed - the girl has just passed you by and caught you panting. You want to know how to disappear completely. You turn on Radiohead, sit down on a bench and wait till it gets dark to go home. You cry.

***

– by Ola, a reformed hipster*

(with a little help from my friend)

*I  lied. My pants were never tight enough.

Running is probably the most accessible and the cheapest sport you can do. It’s recommended for weight loss and for improving your mental state as well. You don’t have to take lessons to run or go to a special place - you can run pretty much everywhere.

Kids don’t think about running - they just run. Unfortunately we, adults, have been conditioned to think that you need fancy gear and a fancy body to run, and some fancy place too, like a gym or a big park. I don’t have fancy gear or a fancy body and I don’t run in a gym or in a big park. And, somehow, I run!

From a Sitter to a Runner (Geek)

Since I started to run regularly over 5 weeks ago, I am a changed woman. I’ve turned into a running geek who browses running blogs, running books and basically everything about running, daily. But more importantly - I run! I run further and further each week. I can run 10 miles and feel better than I used to feel 5 weeks ago after running only 3 miles.

I don’t have a rigid running schedule; I have started running regularly so recently that I want to make it fun and not a chore until my body gets used to it. The bottom line for me is to run 6 days a week and never rest for more than one day. If I do rest for two days, it’s more difficult to get back to running. I don’t run long distances every day so that my body has time to recover, but even a shorter run helps to create a habit of running daily.

Last week I realized I have reached the point when I crave running. I just need to run! I actually prefer covering longer distances than just running for under an hour. 5 weeks ago I couldn’t run longer than 40 or 45 minutes and now I just can’t get enough (as long as it’s under 3 hours… I’m not perfect, you know)! It is an incredible feeling and I’m still baffled by what’s happened with me. I’m also more and more intrigued by running ultra distances (longer than a marathon). There’s just this amazing feeling of running for a long time - my mind just fills up with wonderful ideas. But that’s a story for another post.

Simply Run!

Running is… running. You just need to go outside and start running! Simple, right? To illustrate better how simple it is, here’s a list of things you don’t need to start running:

• Fancy Running Shoes

If you’re a newbie runner, the running shoes you already have will do. For the first few weeks you won’t be running long distances so you just need comfortable shoes - forget about cushioning, weight or breathability. There’s a big community of runners who relearn to run barefoot. So don’t stress that you don’t have the latest model - put your sneakers on and run!

• Fancy Watch

If you need to know how long you’ve run, just wear a regular watch to check time. To know how far you’ve run, use Google Maps to map your route and measure the distance. Once you get comfortable with running and you’d like to venture out on longer runs in the wild, you can get a fancy watch which shows your coordinates and measures your exact time and distance, and shows you your pulse. Until then, once your heart starts beating like crazy and you start to feel like you’re going to die… you should stop running.

• Fancy Clothes

There’s a huge choice of running clothes out there - they’re all very high-tech and… intimidating. I don’t know about you, but I’d feel a bit uncomfortable wearing leggings on my runs right now. But you don’t need those - you can just wear some shorts and a T-shirt, or sweatpants and a sweatshirt on colder days, or whatever you feel is comfortable and doesn’t make you self-conscious.

• Fancy Body

You don’t need to look like an athlete to run. You don’t need to be skinny, fit or even healthy - running will get you there! Put on a good attitude and just start running and forget about people you pass. If they judge you, they just show their own insecurities. It doesn’t matter that your thighs jiggle or your belly can’t fit into your shorts - you’re having fun!

• Fancy Place

You can run anywhere as long as it’s safe and not too crowded. You probably shouldn’t run on a highway or in a mall, but there are many places good for running apart from huge parks or treadmills. If you live in a city far away from a big green space, you can still run around your neighborhood. It’s obviously nicer to run surrounded by nature, but it’s not necessary to just start running.

• Fancy Gear

You can put your mp3 player in your pocket, leave your water bottle at home and let your family know you’re going out so they could let you in when you’re back. You don’t need special kits for keys, mp3 players or bottles. When you start running you probably won’t get dehydrated during a 20-minute run, so you can drink water when you’re back. You also don’t need to strap your mp3 player to your arm - having it in your pocket won’t affect your performance. If you prefer running without music (I don’t, I’m a music geek after all) - that’s even better!

Stop thinking about all the things you need to take with you and focus on the only one important: running. If you need some inspiration, watch children play - they run effortlessly and don’t care if they’re wearing their Sunday clothes or if they’re in their PJs. They just run when they want and wherever they want. Do the same and you’ll be a great runner!

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Please follow me on Twitter or email me with any questions and comments or if you simply want to say hi!

I’d love to hear from you!

– Ola

“Fitter, happier, more productive”

People who get up early are considered to be more productive, more hard-working and more successful. That’s how it usually is around the blogosphere and in my family too. When I visit my grandparents my grandma always tells me what time she got up that day and how much she’s done since then. Then she asks me what time I got up. Uhm…

People who get up early are said to use their time more efficiently than late risers. When I say I got up at 9 am my grandma sighs, “Ah, by 9 I had already gone shopping, done laundry and made dinner for grandpa”. And I barely managed to pour myself a glass of water.

(This photo was taken around 7 am on my birthday this year on a boat from Santarém to Belém in the Brazilian Amazon.)

Natural rhythm

In the past you had to get up early if you wanted to have food on the table. My grandparents on my mom’s side and on my dad’s side where raised on a farm, so was the majority of Polish people before World War II (and elsewhere around the world I would imagine). If you lived on a farm, you had to get up before dawn to take care of the animals and then to tend to crops later in the day. Everything you did was aligned with the rhythm of the Earth.

There was no work to be done after dark unless you lived in a city (well, a town in those days). The animals were asleep and you couldn’t see a thing on your field at night, but there was plenty of activity during the day, from the crack of dawn until the sun set on your farm. If you let yourself sleep in it meant being late with your daily tasks and basically never being able to catch up. Your cows weren’t fed on time and as a result they gave less milk that day and you had less milk to sell or to feed your family with.

Only the aristocracy had a privilege to rise later than cows.

If your job starts at 7 am, then you do need to learn to be an early riser (or quit). If you have little kids, you need to wake up early too (unless your spouse lets you sleep in). But if you get up early only because others say it’s more productive even though you’re having a hard time forming coherent thoughts so early in the morning, why don’t you stop?

If something works for others, it doesn’t have to work for you

Sometimes my grandma asks me what time I went to bed the night before. I usually say, late. How late? Sometimes it’s midnight, sometimes it’s 1, 2 or 3 am, or later. If I get up at 10 am and go to bed at 2 am then I have 16 hours of awake time. If my grandma gets up at 6 am and goes to bed at 10 pm, she also has 16 hours of awake time.

Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against my grandma getting up at 6 am or my mom getting up before 5 am so she could be at work by 6 am. They have been doing it longer than I’ve been alive and it obviously works for them. But what works for them doesn’t have to work for me.

Late is not a synonym for lazy

There’s a lot of guides online on how to train yourself to wake up early. I’ve read many of them and used some of the methods (like setting your alarm clock half an hour earlier every week or setting your alarm for the desired time and promptly jumping out of bed, zombie or not). I know I can train myself to get up early. As long as I get my 7 or 8 hours of sleep, I can get up at 5 am or earlier and maintain my level of sanity.

The problem with me is not getting up early – it’s going to bed early. See, for me mornings are for errands, exercise, news, emails, cleaning etc. What mornings are not for me is creativity. I happen to have the best ideas after dark and working on them also goes the best after the lights go out. The night helps me to retreat into my own world where I can work on my ventures – and only on them.

At night time seems to vanish and people vanish too. No one (usually) bothers me at night (as long as I turn off my email) and I can just focus on what I’m doing. I can work until I’m tired and can no longer make sense. But if my eyes are weary and my mind’s a bit blurry, it’s even better. The night is also when reality mixes with dreams and what better time to create than when your mind’s with one leg in the other world?

Sometimes when I go to bed too early I usually lie awake for several minutes until I jump out of bed and start writing down what has just come to me. Maybe it’s the peacefulness around me and the lack of daily noise (unless you live in downtown Las Vegas or London) that allow me to hear my ‘inner voice’ which is pushed aside during the day.

Tune into your own rhythm

If you use your time best when you get up early, get up early. If you use your time best at night, work at night and don’t get up early the next day – unless you want to be cranky after 3 hours of sleep and buckets of coffee. Don’t do what works for others – do what works for you.

Getting up early might be praised because it works for many people, many successful people. But if you try it and it’s a miss, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean you can’t be successful because you get up at 9 am when the guy you admire has already run 10 miles, made breakfast for his kids and took them to school on his way to a squash session at 8 am when you were still asleep.

Do what works for you and you’ll succeed. Find your rhythm and stick to it. Don’t look at others – use their knowledge as advice only, not a template how to live your own live.

Be a late riser and an early riser

I have to confess – I lied that my mornings are only for errands. I’m usually the most creative at night, but I’ve also discovered that I can be creative in the early morning provided that everyone else is still asleep.

When I wake up before 5 am it feels like late at night (well, it is late at night for some people, not early in the morning!) – everything is still, the sun might be just coming up or it might be dark outside, people are in bed and the traffic outside hasn’t picked up yet.

I’m naturally a night owl but I happen to be an early bird on some days too. Sometimes I just really feel a lot better if I start my day at the crack of dawn and I’m exhausted by 10 pm. I’m not sure if it has something to do with the alignment of the planets, the seasons or something else, but I know that when it gets warmer and when the days are longer, I tend to wake up earlier.

I’m also an early riser when I’m out in the nature. When I was in Brazil this winter I would naturally wake up at 6 or 7 am without an alarm clock when we were sleeping outside in hammocks or even under a roof but in the jungle. Perhaps I was more in tune with the rhythm of the Earth then, without the artificial light and the outside noise (unless you count in howler monkeys).

Find your own rhythm. Really listen to yourself. Sometimes you can be an exception to your own rule. Create your own template and don’t be afraid to ignore it. Be flexible and tune into what you are in the given moment.

Be a late riser if you are a late riser

Be an early riser if you are an early riser

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Please follow me on Twitter or email me with any questions and comments or if you simply want to say hi!

I’d love to hear from you!

– Ola