New year and new races...

...is now on!

I really do love to run. I can not deny that! Well, it is not only the run, in itself, but also everything around it I guess. The nature, all those social meetings, new people and beautiful places you might see.
As you might imagine is running for me so much more than just the left, right, left..

From one of my runs.
See, the sunset is almost there.. 14:36!

Where I live, the sun is almost never up there in winter. Just a few hours then it goes down and everything gets dark.
As you may now understand it's the inverse relationship in the summer. When the sun almost never goes down! :-)

Well, I'm not a fan but their snowmobile trails are great to run in!

 I have a lot of woods to run in around here and I just.. LOVE IT! It is so peaceful. Almost like balm for the soul. Sometimes I see moose, deer, reindeer, foxes, eagles. And, if your lucky, lynx or bear.
Guess they have seen me more often than I have seen them ;-)

The great forrest. Well, some places have no trees though but it's nice views.

Below a clip from the gym where I use to do some exercises. I rather run outside but warmup is ok.

Never forget to do warmup before do running or exercise. Otherwise you might get hurt. Easy, Light and Smooth even here!

Also remember elite distance runners do warm up. I just read the kenyans do about 90% of the running in a very slow pace.. #ELS ;-)

Ok, friends! That's all from me and Sweden. Always say Hello! and smile! Try it, like it!

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

Christmas done and..

..waiting for New Year to come.

Well, there´s nothing we can do about it. The time it goes no matter what we think and try to do about it. Only thing we can do is to fill it in the very best way we can!

Trying to be happy and make everyone else happy. People like animals! Being able to greet everyone and smile and inspire can be some of the greatest gifts you can have. And the easiest!

Most of you will be aware that I compete very little nowadays. I find more satisfaction in just running and sometimes help other runners to reach their specific goals. Or just giving a bit of inspiration and joy. I shudder when I see the happiness of those who reach their goals. It gives me, also, the same euphoria. Perhaps I have found a whole new level of running. To constantly find myself in the so-called "runners high" :-)

Yesterday, I went and my two daughters, Ingrid and Juliet, at the health club. Ingrid got to be the PT and Julia took care of pep talk. We started by warming up with running on the treadmill for 15 minutes.
After that we drove five strength exercises that would be repeated three times. Actually, it was now time for stretching but instead I gave myself a challenge to the gym had. 100 "burpies"! Among the hardest thing to do and you get tired after about 20 pieces. I fixed them on 6 min 31 sec. Totally sick hassle!

Julia on the treadmill warming up.
She has a nice stride!

 

Me doing those burpies...

Well, not THAT bad for a 53 old runner ;-

Me, Julia and Ingrid at the gym MÅVA.

Some nice winer-pictures from where I live.

Well, today there was a lot of people out there when I was running. I think they all waved, smiled and said hello to me. Yes, I did smile back! :-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

Second Sunday of Advent..

.. and  I've been running both Saturday and Sunday. It felt rather ok I'll say! Little cold left but ok.

Of course, I'm sad sometimes but rarely!

This Friday there came a package to me. I will try a new brand of shoes. Ultrafriends told me to try Hoka. They really was great I must say. First time I ran in them it felt good but after 6 mile I felt something in my left foot.  A tendon seams! Well, full of experience I just change the insole to one fit my feet and it was just perfect ;-)

As you all probably noticed, I am quite positive and full of expectation and longing for the fall of 2014. That's when I should run, not only in 42h, but in 6 more hours!
It is an ultra festival in my hometown where I was eight years old and started running :-)

I'll let You all now about it! Endurance, strength, rest, and energy intake are the four cornerstones of my strategy. The hardest is to take in energy I think.

Hoka One One Rapa Nui 2.
A very nice shoe which I got in LOVE with after 5 min.

Elton and me in town.
To much people so we went down to the lake
watch the birds instead..

Well, at MÅVA, I lift weights twice a week from now on, to build more muscle volume. Some wonder then if I do not "get more lag on" then. The reason is primarily to increase the ability to store the amount of glycogen in the muscles and thus increasing energy stores more.

So I'm sure it will be a fantastic, exciting and a little mixed emotions this coming year of 2015 ;-)

Ok, friends. A snail!
Guess what's the meaning of that is?

Easy, Light and Smooth!

Never forget to say Hello! and smile. It's much easier than you could ever believe:-)

Easy, Light and Smooth!

/Flexirun

Not running...

...doesn't mean I'm not a runner! I'm only got a bad cold which force me to take it a little easy.
Not a very big trouble either! My body just want to rest for a while and it's fine with me.

See, You still can "exercise" even if You can't run. I'll exercise my patience with chocolate, coffee and writing in the blog.

Well, I also trains to keep my endorphins in check!

Elton and me out for a walk.

Instead of running I just rest, walk with Elton and work a little. There's not much to do about it but wait. When not sick anymore I will run again. I will start running towards my big goal in 2015.

A 48-hour race in the very track I started my running when 8 years old!

It will be so exciting to run with service every 400 meters! Not normal for me when out running. I wear or buy what I need for the road. If I'm in the woods or in the mountains basically what I need in nature, which is handy. Here you can drink the water when you're outside. It's good water!

Old running shoes can be given away to those more needy instead of just throwing them away!
I have given away seven pairs of shoes to refugees around here.

Here where I live, we have a refugee camp (Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, etc.) and I run a turn with them every Wednesday evening. It's so fun to be able to help in this very simple way because I'll be running anyway.

They are extremely excited and they see absolutely no obstacles. Keep in mind that they ran in sandals in the snow at the beginning.

Well, now I've given away almost all my running shoes and it feels so good!

Elton waiting to taste.
"Just a little master! Please.."

Some people tend to ask me what type of food I eat because I run so much, or burn a lot of energy if you like.

Well, I probably eat most things, but maybe it's a little overweight ate vegetables, but protein is needed of course and then meat perhaps is the simplest way. However, I eat less meat than before and not solely for my own sake but also for the environment.

My wife and I celebrated the so-called Silver Wedding December 1st.
25 years of marriage! :-)

Our Christmas tree seen through an icy car windows. Cool!

Well, take it easy my friends and try a Hello! and a smile out there! You will be surprised what can happen!

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

Autumn and soon snow..

.. here in Sweden. But still it's a little warmer than usual I think.

Sometimes I think about climate change .. Yes, you do not really know what to believe. Sure there are natural changes but I suspect that even humans are involved any way.

Today's running between 15: 45-16: 20 ;-)

Well, I've been running as usual even if I've got a little cold. Running without a pulse has been the trick ;-)

Just saw I've been running 1232 miles (1983 km) this year.. so far. The length of Sweden 977 miles (1572 km). Normally I run back and forth in a season ;-)

The great tower where I live!
It's called "The Castella" which is latin
and means "defence-tower".
From 1172..

 The area/county where I live is called Brunflo (follow link) and there has been people here from at least 450 A.C. Probably longer..
There are plenty of roads and forest to run in if You like. Which I do :-)

Well, me and some runners on one of our Saturday-runs.
It's fun to run together!

Every Saturday at 9 AM those who can are running together. We do run in a pace so that everyone can follow. We both give and receive inspiration from each other and it's so fun.
Try it!

I will keep on running and increase very slow. For now I run at least 37 miles every week. Just rolling on. Once a week I do run back and forth to my job which gives me about 17 of those miles. In March I will increase from one to two runs like that. So 34 miles in two days means I've got 5 days left for exercise/runs. Well, guess I need 2 days rest so 3 more days of running perhaps.

Take care, say Hello! and smile!

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

"Running away"..

.. is a great song by Bob Marley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfoPA1Esr4). Yes, I do like listen to music while running. Well, sometimes I like to run in silence to. Especially when I'm up in the mountains.

A place that is close to my heart.
Are in Jamtland, Sweden :-)

 Have a little cold right now but it is ok to run. Hold down the heart rate as much as I can so it feels ok. But remember that if you have a fever and/or sore throat so do not run!

Elton and me on a run.
Happiness!

As I said in other posts, I will run a 48h race in the fall of 2015. It is with mixed emotions I crave.
A pretty big reason that I want to run this race is that it was on this particular path, when I was eight years old, started my career.
I obviously can not stop running but somehow it feels like a circle closes.

My very good friend, Patrik Norberg, will run for 24 hours
and then try to help me on my 48h run.
Going to be so fun!

Ok, friends! Never, I say never stop say Hello! and smile to the one You meet when out there.

Easy, Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun

48 hours..

I've done it before so it's nothing new to me. I know what it's about and just like a crocodile with his reptilian brain, I begin, slowly but surely, to set me in the fall 2015.

How are you actually tossing if you think that this kind of running is fun. Well, funny one can discuss. Actually, the question of something you just have to do.
There are some strange driving force, long in there, in which almost forces me to conduct races. Short and long.

The really strange thing is that for me is about positive feelings, which is very important! One can almost equate this to life spiral DNA. An upward spiral as well.

Just a few days before the snow arrived..

A kiss from Elton :-)

The second lodge up in the mountains.
A great place for recreation and running.

Well, I've been having a cold for about a month. But no worries! I still can run but not with a very high pulse though. It feels much better every day so..

In the picture above You can see me and a very good friend. It's Thursday and my running-day. I run 9 miles to my work in the morning and the 9 more miles home again. This is on my way home and it snowed 0,5 feet during the day. Well, almost nothing stop me from running I think ;-)

Me and some happy runners one Saturday-morning.
Mostly we run about 1 hour.

Me doing hills!
Quite fun.. after about 3 times..
I did 7 this time :-)

Ok, it feels GREAT having a project again and a 48-hour run again will be nice.. or?
As BB King sings: "The Thrill Is Gone" really doesn't fit me I think. The thrill is not gone, it's on!

Remember to say Hello! and do smile to the one You meet my friends! ;-)

Easy, Light and Smooth! #ELS
/Claes

Flexirun in his right element.
In the mountains!