My first SV - The first attempt to prepare myself

WOW! Thanks for all the positive messages! The Brother feeling is huge! 😊

Unfortunately I have to start this story with the first excuse for not training. At this moment I am not able to book any progress, due to an insect bite I’m not even able to walk.. But I like to look at the bright side of life (the life of Vikings also wasn’t easy), not being able to walk gives me a lot of time to gather information and tips! And because I can’t use my left leg, my right leg is getting some extra training, right?

The first tip that anyone can use in their daily life: drink a lot! And no, not beer, water, lots of water! By drinking enough water in the weeks before the run, you won’t get thirsty during the run. Try to drink at least 2 litres of water every day and start NOW! It’s also important to eat enough, especially after a workout. I’m probably not the only women who is happy with some burned calories and who definitely does not want to consume new calories after a workout. But eating after working out has to be part of the plan! I am going to work on drinking more water and start eating after working out. Starting today I am carrying my bottle of water with me everywhere I go. If you need advice on what to eat before, during and after a run you should read this blog.

After a few days my ankle is recovering and starting to look like an ankle again, this means I am out of excuses and have to start preparing for the run. I’m very happy with all the received advice about training and preparation! I’m still member of a gym, not that I have been there in the last few months… But now I am gathering my stuff and get on my bike (which is already a better start than going by car right😊).

After a few days my ankle is recovering and starting to look like an ankle again, this means I am out of excuses and have to start preparing for the run. I’m very happy with all the received advice about training and preparation! I’m still member of a gym, not that I have been there in the last few months… But now I am gathering my stuff and get on my bike (which is already a better start than going by car right😊).

Being back at the gym feels a little uncomfortable. I feel a bit lost, sitting on a bike and not knowing where I should start. Luckily there are some enthusiastic sports instructors to whom I can’t say no. Before realizing I am in the middle of a group lesson. It is a circuit training which includes different exercises for strength and endurance. So it is perfect for my preparation and it is also exactly what I have read in the tips I have received. Squats, lunges, push ups, they were all mentioned and I am doing them now! After half an hour I have already sweat out all the water I drank today and my legs are literally shaking. The enthusiastic sports instructor hasn’t left, the next lesson on the program today is a core workout! Since I am already broken anyway and I remember tips about the importance of core stability, I pull myself together and I accept the offer to participate in this lessons. Given how thirsty I am, I should take the advice of drinking water more seriously. During a workout you can also choose to drink a sports drink, these stimulate the intake of water and have a positive effect on your endurance. I have a sports drink of Herbalife24. Herbalife24 is developed for athletes, I don’t consider myself an athlete, but I’m working on it. You will also get this drink at the first nutrition point during the run!

Now that I have trained my muscles, I should also start running some kilometres. With the absolute last bit of energy that I have left I step on a treadmill. I am not able to go fast anymore, but I decide that walking some kilometres also counts. Normally I would dive straight into my bed after a workout like this, but one important learning point for me was to eat after my run. Since I have no energy left to prepare myself something to eat, I just drink a recovery shake. This should stimulate preservation and growth of my muscles. For now it makes me happy, because it tastes like chocolate 😊. Now I can dive into my bed, I had almost forgotten, but after a hard workout you can really sleep like a baby.

Getting out of my bed the next morning is a little bit harder, all my muscles hurt. But with the Viking spirit and run in my mind, I motivate myself to ride my bike to the office. We are working on the last details of our Viking Lab (more information coming soon), it is going to be the best place to train for your Viking Run! I decide to go and try it out. Conclusion: HELP ME. I can’t even get to the next monkeybar. I received a lot of tips about training the power of your hands and arms, now I get why. In the tips I read to start with just hanging and keep hanging for one minute. You can do this in the gym, but also at a playground or where ever you find something you can practice hanging. From now on I am going to practice hanging everywhere I can think of. So you might see me hanging around somewhere 😉

Besides hanging I should also go for an outdoor run, at this moment all my muscles are hurting, so it is going to be a simple training. I am happy that I have read a lot of tips saying it is not necessary to train for the full 13 kilometres, but 7 kilometres should do the trick. I am going to try to achieve that tonight!


For all my fellow Vikings working toward their first run: Hang in there! Vikings never quit!

Kim

You can e-mail me with tips and questions: kim[@]strongviking.com