We are traveling again, this time to Sweden for some winter holiday and to meet family and friends and also for the christening of Ludvig.
Kind of weird going to Sweden in February one might say, but I actually miss running outdoors in the cold, hear the "sand" underneath my feet – which is a lot different from the sand that I am used to. It is nice to use the WindStopper, the lightweight Montane jacket, which could be my favourite piece of clothing.
The problem here at this time of year is and will be the cycling, if you don’t have a winter bike, which I obviously don’t have.
I was glad though to manage to get in five good sessions in the three days this week before I left; two on Monday, one on Tuesday and two yesterday, the day we left. It is a great feeling to be able to do something physical on the day of traveling, to both get to run and swim was a bliss.
I have moved on to bigger paddles in the swim training, which for some reason makes me feel more like a proper swimmer. It feels like I am moving faster and stronger through the water, I sometimes make a bigger splash when I put my hands through the surface and I think that makes me feel more like a tri-swimmer. They keep telling us not to swim like a pool-swimmer. Which is fine by me.
So I enjoy the swimming even more, one thing about swimming that probably makes it more interesting and enjoyable to me right now:
When you swim there is not much else you can do.
I sometimes wish there were more things in my life like that. I try to be more present, to do one thing at a time, and do it efficiently. In a world where multitasking is rewarded, it is not easy. Swimming is nice. Cykling in Thailand and Bangkok, means that you have to be aware and to be present a lot of the time – but not always.
Running is a different story.
Since starting training in Bangkok I have come to use my iPod a lot, especially those sessions on the treadmill. So running means iPod. Music or Audiobook, depending on my mood.
These past weeks I’ve listened mainly to music, but also three audiobooks. "The Appeal" by John Grisham, "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Becket and last but not least "The Power of Less" by Leo Babauta.
This book is about, decluttering your life, doing one thing at a time, get more things done, and get them done better. Extreme at times, but I liked it, the general idea of it at least. I have been reading Leo’s blog for a couple of years, and it felt natural to have a closer look at the book.
I had already started decluttering my life, fewer things planned in a day, fewer blogs to read and so on also trying to be more goal oriented in a broader way for my life.
So this puzzles me, I am running on the treadmill and even in the park, listen to a book that talks about doing one thing at a time – while running.
Does that count?
I try to only eat when I eat for instance, not read magazines or books, and that is difficult for me. Now running in Bangkok without the iPod or cycling on the trainer without it, will be difficult. I don’t know if I am even going to try.
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