Set on Running

Hello world! Hello spring!

sorun1 — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:06:11 +0000

On Blogger 2010-2012

So I just migrated the blog from Blogger to WordPress. It wasn’t so much of a hustle but then again there wasn’t so much to move. I believe there is more trouble to come ahead but for now the most significant problem is that I miss the old setup and can’t wait to find a skin that fits well as the old one did.

If things don’t work out, I can always go back, with my tail between my legs, to Blogger.

For now, it’s good night and to all allergy suffers, I feel you! Hopefully we’ll get some decent sleep tonight despite the pollen. I’m sad to say that spring is no longer my favourite season of the year.

Exercise and Cancer: The Benefits Will Surprise You

sorun1 — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:06:00 +0000

Guest Post By Liz Davies

Source of the picture

Have you ever found yourself reluctantly getting ready for a workout and wondering what happened to your joy for exercising? Well I have and by this time it has become the chore that I am happy to skip if I have a “valid” excuse. New outfits, the sea of exercising apps flooding my phone, new music, different workout venues, you name it. Nothing at this point will get my motivation going – at least not for a good while.

However, when motivation eludes you, remembering and focusing on the health benefits of exercising is very crucial; it will see you through the slump and get you back on track hopefully sooner than later. The health benefits are numerous as you will find out reading Liz’s article below. I find her point of departure very interesting and I hope it will inspire you the same way it inspired me. Thanks Liz for sharing here at Set on Running.

Exercise and Cancer: The Benefits Will Surprise You

A cancer diagnosis is not something people believe will ever happen to them; however, it does happen to hundreds of thousands of people every year. While cancer isn’t something a patient can cure on their own, making positive lifestyle changes is a way that cancer patients can help their treatment work more effectively and their overall health improve. Exercise is the most crucial and beneficial method of making lifestyle changes for cancer patients and it is important that all cancer patients incorporate physical activity into their daily routine.

Research from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people can greatly reduce the risk of getting certain cancers by exercising regularly and that those who already have cancer can increase their chances of survival by exercising regularly. Studies show that those who exercise regularly and increase the intensity and duration of their work outs on a regular basis can decrease the risk of colon cancer by as much as 40 percent! What this means is that a mere 30 to 60 minutes per day of moderate exercise – this includes walking – can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 40 percent.

Breast cancer is another common form of cancer that can be prevented through exercise. While colon cancer is the most widely researched cancer there is in terms of exercise and cancer, studies from the National Cancer Institute suggest that women who exercise regularly are less likely than inactive women to develop breast cancer. Exercise also reduces the risk of lung cancer by up to 20 percent.

In addition to its role in lowering the risk of cancer in those that exercise regularly, cancer patients that are diagnosed with cancer will benefit greatly from continuing to – or beginning to – exercise regularly. The overall quality of life that a patient has is determined by the amount of physical activity in that person’s life. Those that exercise during their cancer treatments are less likely to have a recurrence of cancer in the future. In addition, the positive effects of exercise improve mood, stamina and the immune system of cancer patients, which makes it easier to deal with their treatment successfully.

The effects of exercise for cancer patients are widely unfinished as yet; new studies are being done every day to determine the full effect of exercise and cancer. However, there is one positive and that is that exercise is always beneficial, no matter if a patient has cervical, lung, bladder or mesothelioma cancer.

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz also likes running, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April.

You can read more of Liz’s great articles at Musings of a Curious Mind.

A good Day To Be Inspired

sorun1 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Today was an unusually pleasant day. I had the pleasure of listening to publisher and founder of the Bromberg publishing house, Dorotea Bromberg who had a speaking engagement at the place where I spend my days. Early this morning I decided I didn’t have too much on my plate so I signed up at the last minute. 3 minutes to the deadline, to be precise and it was one of the best “moves” of the day.

“Allt Går Sönder”

Just last week I was talking about how I should read more books – it’s been a long while. When a colleague showed me a Swedish version of Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958). It brought back wonderful memories of literature classes in school and I couldn’t help but borrow it at the spot. It’s been over 20 years since I read the English version so I can’t wait to get reacquainted again – the Swedish way.

The opportunity to listen to a publisher showed up in good time to fuel the resurrection of my interest for reading books.

As I am currently on the prowl for interesting books, Dorotea’s oration was so relevant. Some of the mentioned were Roberto Saviano, Umberto Eco, Masha Gessen and Jonathan Franzen. So now that I am equipped with a bit more information, I only need to figure out who to start with.

I have to admit that Dorotea was inspiring in more ways than one. And she did it with a great sense of humour. Listening to the events that took place in the years leading to the opening of the publishing house, I couldn’t stop marveling at how strong we humans can be. At the same time, I couldn’t help wondering if I was really living up to my full potential.

Anyway, I was still very much inspired when I got home. As a result there was no trace of procrastinating in my home this evening. Busy until 22 hrs, the time that the gym closes, I decided I wasn’t too tired to squeeze in a home workout – my back-up workout. Yay for me!

Going to bed now, I am very certain that this was a good day to be inspired. Being a stress-free day as it was, it allowed me the opportunity and time to reflect and take to heart what I had just heard.

Oh, and it was just as nice to be reassured that the book wasn’t going to disappear any time soon.

To staying fit and healthy and to all dreams coming true throughout the Year

sorun1 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Start of December 2011 I thought, “Why wait for New Year’s Day to get back on track? Chances are I’ll be sleeping away the day after an extended evening of celebrating.” I got my gym bag packed and got with the program.

Until then too many workout sessions had been cancelled all through the autumn. To make matters worse I was sitting way too much during the days. It was about time to scrape the chair of my back and start working my butt of – literally. I had gained almost 5 kg since the summer so I needed to shed some of that extra weight.

Things were going my way until Christmas day when all hell broke loose. I was feverish all afternoon and my nose wouldn’t stop running. By the next day I was down with the flu. Three days later I visited the doctor to find out why I had difficulty breathing. It was because my asthma was being aggravated by the flu. Bummer! Still I was relieved to know I didn’t have pneumonia like I had initially feared.

New Year’s Eve came and I was still battling with my illness. While the neighborhood was blasting away in fireworks, I vowed to take better care of myself. A week later, during the second week of January, I made it to the gym twice. It was a struggle getting through those sessions, one of which was a spinning class but I got the motivation I needed to get back on track and so far so good.

Now I am aiming for Blogger Boot Camp 2012. I hope to do the spring 5k fun run for the third year in row and clock in under 36 minutes (I have done the same time -36′ – the past 2 years). A couple of 10k:s would be a dream come true and last but not least, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with my family and friends in good health.
I was “under the flu” during the holidays of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 as well. If memory serves me right, it was the same case at the same time during 2008/2009. I have had enough! This year, I want to tell a different holiday story.

So here is to staying fit and healthy! And to everyone who wants to tell a different story, here is to all dreams coming true during 2012 and beyond!

Doctor’s Orders after Premiärmilen,

sorun1 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:01:00 +0000

It’s almost 3 weeks now since Premiärmilen, my second attempt to run a 10k race.

Unlike the last race where the weather was extremely nice, this time it was around 5^oC and quickly plummeting – typical weather condition in March. After running a tenth of the race I decided it was better to limp one kilometer back to the start line than continue nine kilometers ahead.

Just 14 months after taking on this running gig
and I am wondering if I should hang up my running shoes
and take a bow (bad knee)

I found myself in a situation where my knee was painfully stiff and making it rather impossible for me to run. Even the walk back to the start line was excruciating.

This knee only acts up when I least need that kind of trouble. I had started to think it was all in my head when it swelled up a few days later so I went to get it checked up. After twisting, lifting and bending my leg, the doctor decided he couldn’t see anything wrong and recommended I use the ellipse machine instead of running.

I was far from satisfied with that response so I kept arguing, trying to convince him of how bad it was but my words were falling on deaf ears. When he offered to write a prescription for an over-the-counter pain-relieving gel, I understood he was looking to get rid of me.

A few weeks later I checked the pharmacy (just for the heck of it) and there was no such prescription for me to pick up so I think I was right; the good doctor was just trying to get rid of me. However, I wasn’t looking for drugs in the first place; I just wanted to get a diagnosis, to find out how to go about getting better and whether I should continue running or not.

I am over the incident now but the anger lingered on for a good while after that hospital visit.

Low Temperatures, Low Morale

sorun1 — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:00:00 +0000

With temperatures running as low as -16^oC, we decided to abandon our routines last evening.

My other half decided it was too cold to cook. So I got Chinese on the way home and barely made it home with my fingers intact, let alone my face. Consequently, I decided it was too cold to go out again thereby skipping the gym.

I wasn’t really keen on having take-away for dinner in the middle of the week but the restaurant has some gorgeous sautéed vegetables to die for. Besides, chinese take-away is the only way we get to eat white rice at home – except for those times we have hosted the Christmas gig. White rice is a treat for some so who am I to deny?

The vegetables were laced with too much oil though, but I can live with that every once in a blue moon. Looking forward to seeing what today brings.

Valentine’s Cupcakes

sorun1 — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:58:00 +0000

2 days after Valentine’s Day and all traces of the day are washed away from the kitchen. By traces I mean the baking utensils I used to make my disastrous cupcakes. We are not big on celebrating if the party is just for 2 but I decided to upgrade dinner by baking some muffins just for the occasion.

Valentine’s Malformed Cupcakes

I rarely fall flat on my face with my baking but lately that’s all I seem to do when I take on a baking project. A few weeks ago, for instance, I made some cinnamon buns and they turned out to be as hard as rocks. I went ahead and tossed them into the freezer anyway, in case someone gets the munchies and wants something to gnaw on.

Yes, the cupcakes. Well everything went wrong from the get go. For starters I put them in the wrong tin. Then they cooked over. To make matters worse, the tops got burnt after I put them back into the oven to get some color on the almond flakes I had sprinkled on. So then I had to scrape the tops off with the flakes to get rid the char. As the almond flakes had disappeared with muffin tops, I sprinkled some powdered coconut (not flaked) in their stead.

This was the good muffin.
I am too ashamed to display the rest of the batch

When my Valentine saw the cupcakes he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth in one. Their malformation was quite visible but he didn’t breath a word about it. There are many reasons I could attribute his censorship to but I’ll go with this one: not being so big on celebrating makes one appreciate every minor effort to sprinkle some special on a day like Valentine’s Day.

Excuses, Excuses! Is There Any Point Planning Weekend Workouts?

sorun1 — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:46:00 +0000

Looking back at the past weeks’ performance, I’m starting to wonder if there’s any point in scheduling workouts on weekends.

Until the next 10k is done, I have decided to stay off the wine so there’s no booze involved in this dilemma. Company, on the other hand, ahh… that’s a different story. I’ll sacrifice a 10-minute workout in a heartbeat for a Saturday outing with family or friends, knowing well that it will come back and bite me in the back. Isn’t that crazy? I mean a session takes just a small fraction of the day and in my case we are talking about walks – which are a longer than 10 minutes – but not exactly raw-throat-inducing sessions. So what’s the problem?

“Company” is obviously an excuse so that’s probably what the problem is; excuses.

If memory serves me right,
I didn’t have these issues last year )

Last week, for instance, I spent the whole weekend with my teenage sister watching typical teenage TV programs, tending to her homework and shopping for makeup. At some point I swear I turned adolescent myself.

We also talked about going to the gym but it was just talk and no action! However, we did spend a considerable amount of time on the couch going through the ~~whole~~ function repertoire of our respective mobile telephones, comparing and praising. We were very content just lazing around and basking together in the “greatness” of these electronic acquisitions of ours.

It’s called bonding but somewhere during that bonding weekend I know there was time to workout too. I also know that if I continue cutting workouts, I’ll be the one to pay the price on race day. I remember very well what happened last time and that’s one bed I don’t want to lie in, ever again.

This week I have to see to it that I get myself through the door and go get my weekend walks done. In the meantime I’ll be identifying my workout hinders and how to rise above them all.

Don’t know what was going on

sorun1 — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:59:00 +0000

Half way through my treadmill session I was so bushed I almost didn’t make it to the end. I needed to walk longer to recover for the next running interval. However, with the intervals pre-set with the gymboss, it is hard to cheat. Especially when there is no physical pain involved. So I carried on as planned.
The upper-body workout went exceptionally well. I rested less than last week between sets. It took me 15 minutes to do 5 exercises with 3 sets each. I could have easily done it all over again – I was that energized!

Such a difference between the two workouts. I have no idea what was going on.

What a pain!

sorun1 — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:57:00 +0000

Yoga! Many swear by it – they sing praises about how it has changed their life and how good they feel after every session. While all that is wonderful, my personal experience is quite different.

On a good day – I might pull it off but that remains to be seen

I find it very uncomfortable and while everyone else seems to go through the motions with ease, I stomp around like an elephant trying to do dog tricks. The transitions are ever so slow yet I am constantly struggling to catch up.

When it looks like I might just get it, everyone else has already moved on to the next posture. In the end all I’m left with are aching shoulders and wrists.

Lack of grace, balance or strength – whatever the reason, I make it a point to stay away from yoga but once in a blue moon I’ll sign up for a session and hope for the best.

I think it’s been 2 years since last. After my 60-minute cross training session of yesterday, I took the plunge once a gain – if only to get myself a good stretch of the limbs. Right from the start I understood that I had made a huge mistake. I mean, it wouldn’t have made a difference if it had been called “Yoga for Dummies”. My sore hamstrings weren’t having any of it, thanks to the leg routine of the day before. For that 10 minutes or so of yoga, I experienced nothing but pure torture so I called it quits.

Until next time, namaste.