Ett stort kuvert från Sverige

On 26 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, Tävlingar/races, Träning/trainingLeave a comment

Idag fick jag ett stort kuvert i brevlådan. Adresserat till mig, Charlotte i Amerika. Japp, så var det skrivet på framsidan. Det var från Kenneth, min stora skrivande idol och redaktör på Runner’s world Sverige. Och hur glad blev jag. Väldigt! Jätteglad. Glad i kvadrat. Det var en lång artikel om Ö till Ö och hur Kenneth och hans vän Totte klev över mållinjen efter en lång dag i skärgården. Det kändes som om jag var där själv när jag läste det, så bra var artikeln. Men vänta, jag var ju där och fick till och med skaka hand med författaren. Finfin artikel. Läs om ni har möjlighet. Kenneth är kul och skriver otroligt bra, alltid. Sa jag att han är min idol.

Det stod mycket annat fint i tidningen. Det är lyx att få läsa en tidning på svenska, löpning ur ett svenskt perspektiv. Det är lättläst. Och lite annorlunda. Svenskarna har tagit löparboomen på allvar. Det springs i cirklar runt varje stuga och elljusspår. Det verkar också som om svenskarna gillar tekniska prylar, löpband och övervägande många gillar millopp framför maror och halvor. Då verkar det som om jag är väldigt osvensk. Jag gillar långa lopp mer, jag trasslar till det otroligt mycket om jag har för mycket tekniskt i fickan. En klocka på armen räcker så jag vet hur mycket tid jag har tillgodo innan jag måste vända hem. Löpband gillar jag inte så mycket men tränar på att springa intervaller inne. Det känns alltid som om jag ska snubbla och skrapa hakan om jag inte koncentrerar mig vilket gör att huvudet blir tröttare än kroppen. Jag tror att också måste börja posta selfies, det är också stort bland svenska löpare. Eller vad säger ni? Har tidningen rätt eller är det löparboomen som spökar. Jag gissar på boomen.

Idag har jag ägnat mig åt alternativ träning. Terrängcykling, styrketräning och racquetball. Fingrarna blev något lila eftersom solen hade bestämt sig för att inte värma upp Redmond idag. Dimman låg tung och löven var hala. Jag gled runt lite här och där lite orolig att jag skulle vurpa i skogen eftersom jag brukar göra det när jag inte håller tungan rätt i munnen. Styrketräningen var svettig, tre minuters stationer som brände. Bänkpress och tunga slädar. Jag blev tilldelad manssläden med 180 lbs och fick slita hårt. Och så har vi då sista timmen med racquetball. Spännande fyrkantigt, vitt rum med en glasvägg, väldigt studsig boll och en motspelare som legat på USAs topplista över proffsiga spelare. Vad kan jag säga. Jag var svettig, han såg nästan ut att frysa. Jag sprang hit och dit som ett skållat troll. Jag måste säga att jag blev förvånad själv hur snabba fötter jag har. Annars är jag ganska talanglös. Det här med bollar och racketar, nja. Lite för långt från hjärnan för att det ska fungera för mig. Men lite mer träning så blir det nog bättre.

Reflective spray

On 21 November, 201321 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

Let me tell you about the coolest thing since sliced bread. Reflective spray – in a can.
I read about this phenomenon on a Swedish blog about a month ago and felt that this was something I just wanted to try. So I ordered two cans to my parents’ house and Brjann picked up the package. And he came back from Europe in the beginning of the week and I sprayed on the same night. It works. You spray it straight on your clothes and get out into the darkness and then you are visible. You can’t see that you sprayed something on your clothes, it’s invisible. After a few days you might need to spray some more since it fades and it disappears when you wash your clothes. Absolutely fantastic.

Frost

On 20 November, 201320 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

First day of winter, or is it still fall. Frost. Ice cold. Car windows needs to be defrosted, we need to find gloves and hats. No, not here. First of all, the cars are safe in the garage, I just start the seat heating and back out. But secondly, we live in Seattle. Winter is around the corner but there’s no need to dress like it is cold, right. I drove the kids to school this morning, freezing. When I stopped the car by the drop off letting the kids out I turn my head and see the one in the back seat getting out of the car. Big sweater, short jeans and flip flops. Yup, we live in Seattle. And that is proper winter shoes. And I took a deep breath…

And this is how we do it here… always singing and driving

Och så blev det söndag

On 17 November, 201317 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixedLeave a comment

Så blev det söndag kväll efter en evighetslång vecka. Det känns som om veckan började i mitten av oktober och har kommit ifatt nu den 17 november. Synd bara att söndagkvällen kom så hastigt. Jag hade behövt en dag till undr helgen för att komma ifatt med det mesta. Och jag svär att det har varit minst 5 måndagar på raken. Det är mörkt och tyst. Lampan i garaget har slutat fungera så det är mörkare än mörkast på den sidan av huset. Det är så man drar sig för att hämta en bulle i frysboxen. Då är det illa. Jag har tänkt att jag ska byta ut den men det har varit kolsvart varje dag när jag kommit hem och det har varit lite svårarbetat i mörkret. Man vet inte riktigt vad som kryper runt därute. Ibland när man backar ut bilen vid femsnåret kan man se ögon blänka i mörkret. Imorgon börjar vi om, måndag hela dagen och Brjann flyger hem från Europa. Det är träningar för barnen som vanlig och vi laddar inför try outs till club säsongen med att spela lite andra sporter på klubben. Imorgon ska vi övningsköra har jag lovat. Det är regnigt och mörkt på kvällarna så övningsperioden hade kunnat fått en bättre början.

Idag var det skola och jobb för hela slanten. Stor grupp, litet rum och värmen på max. Det blev lite svettigt när det var dags att avsluta dagen med en lek. Vi tränar för våra två luciaframträdanden. Hela Seattles luciafirande hänger på våra skolbarns axlar och vi sjunger och skrider fram när vi övar. Min grupp med 4-5 åringar tar det med ro. De känner nog att kommer att göra succe hur det än går. Vi körde tillbaka till vår sida av bron, trollade fram lite lunch sent på eftermiddagen och sedan la jag mig och blundade i några minuter. När jag tittade igen var det kolsvart ute och det var dags att packa in ungdomarna i bilen och gå på eftermiddagsbio. Spännande och långt var det. Det var nästan så att jag var tvungen att blunda en stund igen. Tors hammare slungades på stora skärmen och de elaka förlorade. Tur att inte världen gick under den här gången heller. Till och med Captain America gästspelade i några minuter och jag hörde att det gick ett litet sus i den ungdomliga publiken. Sen var det dags för en sen middag och vi enades om att göra kyckling med curry. Vi enades och jag lagade. Och så tog dagen slut efter att två laddningar har tvättats och diskmaskinen plockats ur. Simningen som planerats minutiöst hanns inte med, inte heller löprundan i dagsljus. Men det är ju mitt eget fel, det var då jag blundade en stund på eftermiddagen och blev lurad att gå på bio.

Be visible

On 17 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn In EnglishLeave a comment

I might sound like an old lady but… make sure you are visible. I usually run early in the morning with a headlight and a blinking red light fasten on my backpack. I ran a bit late today, got out around 4. An hour and a half in my run it was dark and I had no lights, nothing reflective and black clothes (except from my tights that was pink). I turned around and started to run back home, felt kind of stupid that I didn’t think of that it was getting dark early. It is your responsibility that the cars can see you. And open your eyes and unplug. It is always more safe if you can hear the traffic around you. How bad can it be to run without music in your ears?

I grew up in northern Europe. In the winter it gets dark early in the afternoon. When you walk or bike to work it is dark and when you go back home after a long day, its dark again. When we get the first snow it is like it was sent from heaven, it instantly gets lighter and brighter.

My mom always carried around reflective pieces (reflexer) shaped like stars and hearts, she still does. I don’t even know what to call them since it is impossible to find something like this here. I fastened those little pieces on every little outerwear my kids owned. In every store you can think of they sell those reflective things. They are in every shape you can imagine, cartoons, hearts, cars, animals… They are usually placed on the counter so it is easy to grab one before you pay for your other stuff. It is fastened to a little string so when you get it out from your pocket it dangles and shines when a car pass you. Really efficient.

It is your responsibility that you are visible when you run or walk outside. Wear reflective gear. And open your eyes and run against traffic. And wear clothes with colors.

A broken phone

On 16 November, 201316 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In EnglishLeave a comment

Woke up 2 minutes before the alarm went off, 5.59. Had a strange dream about eating pizza and choking. My one near death experience that happened last spring I think. I had lunch with a couple of friends and a piece of prosciutto pizza got stuck in my throat. It felt like 5 minutes passed but it was probably only 15 seconds. And then life continued. Had a sore throat for a few days, that’s all. And a light version happened this summer with a tiny piece of feta and a proper Heimlich was performed and I had sore ribs for two months. And now I had a dream about it, analyze that all you psychologists out there. Scary stuff. I am probably messed up for life. Well, I turned off my alarm and slept for a few more hours. No running for me in the dark. I am saving that run for this afternoon and I will hopefully absorb some vitamin D and inhale some sunny air. And maybe I can bribe one of the kids to come along.

Do you know that it’s Christmas time? I know, I thought it was time for Thanksgiving soon but I must be wrong. We had a little emergency with one of our brand new phones yesterday and rushed in to Bellevue last night. We stopped at a red light and there it we had it… Christmas. Lights everywhere. I still get very confused this time of year. Pumpkins, scare crows and Christmas lights at the same time. We still have a couple of tomatoes outside that might turn red. I am waiting for the smell of glögg in the air, snow to cover the ground, cold, red noses. I guess we will have to hang at Costco to get the Christmas spirit. No really. Why not do one thing at the time? Let’s finish fall first. I am sure people will shop like crazy anyway, even if they have to wait a couple of weeks for Christmas music and lights. And that’s another thing. Shopping on Thanksgiving… you should be ashamed of yourselves.

One of my favorit Christmas tunes

But let’s back up a little, to the emergency with the phone. I dropped off at school at 8am and got a call from a phone number I didn’t recognize 10 minutes later. One of my kids borrowed a phone and called to say that she dropped her new phone and the screen broke into hundred pieces. Nothing like this happens, they are usually really careful with their stuff, never expect us to buy new things for them and they don’t use their phones for stupid things. But, she called and I heard that she almost cried. Her friends thought I would get angry and say that she had to save up to a new etc. My response ”shit happens, don’t worry about it”, yup you heard me right. Those exact words. And I felt happy that she called me. It’s a phone, that’s why you pay for insurance. Did she drop it on purpose? Of course not. I dropped my phone in the toilet a few months ago. Not fun and I really didn’t like spending that money to get a new one. But, focus on the important stuff. So you parents out there, do you get angry for a thing like this? A broken phone? I am just happy as long as we don’t break any bones or hearts. Focus on the important things in life.

Where can I buy a car helmet?

On 14 November, 201314 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Barnen/kids, In English, Utflykter/outingsLeave a comment

1/5 of the family is in Europe for a while. Home away from home, working and meeting family. A good combination. 4/5, all the ladies are home. Waiting for the weekend to come. We get more and more tired every day. This week is going slow, we don’t seem to get enough sleep even if some of us go to bed early. We better start taking some Vitamin D. I spent the evening in front of the computer trying to clear my mailbox. One of those things you wait too long to do, until it’s an overload. I found a lot of interesting stuff in there. Went through my junk folder and found a lot of stuff. Lots of groupon deals, low interest rates for house owners, different Brazilian offers (steak and wax) and custom Christmas tree ornaments. The most interesting one was Have you found the Body for you? Well, I am not sure? Can I trade it? Get something younger and leaner, and a nice tanned one would be awesome. My hair turned into a darker grey shade when the kitchen computer decided to go mute yesterday. A kitchen without Spotify is a very dull and grey kitchen. And the support crew is working in a different time zone in Amsterdam/Stockholm.

We made a spontaneous outing last night. We took a trip to the University of Washington and watched the volleyball ladies play against UCLA. UW won, 3-0. We can’t get enough of volleyball around here. The driving permit holder suggested she could drive over the bridge in rush hour. I don’t know if my heart can take three young drivers in the family. I don’t know how my parents did it? And I thought learning how to ride a bike, swim and ski were big steps in our kids life’s. Considering car helmets for all the kids.

That would make me even more popular at home. I was in such a good mood this morning, singing out loud in the car so the kids asked what the **** was wrong with me. I think it is an outlet for all the anxiety that builds up when you have teenager drivers. And a non-working Spotify account.

And how about a song on a Thursday?

Eating habits

On 11 November, 201311 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Allergier/allergies, Barnen/kids, Blandat/mixed, In English, Utflykter/outingsLeave a comment

When you get the chance to live in different parts of the world, you also get the opportunity to learn more about people and their habits. I read a post the other day on a blog written by a Swede living abroad who wrote about her eating habits and how these have changed since she moved. Man tar seden dit man kommer. I am happy to say that we have kept our breakfast habits. Cinnamon buns and doughnuts still feel like afternoon “fika” to us.

Food is an incredibly big part of our daily lives, not only as fuel but also as enjoyment. It is a great joy that brings people together and can give a lot of pleasure. It is relaxing to cook and eat. And I am aware that food and eating can be extremely negative and problematic for many. I enjoy cooking, not every day but when I have time and imagination. It is easy to get a bit stuck. But I am happy to see that the kids spontaneously bake and cook when they have time, without being asked.

At our house it is extremely important that we as a family eat together. To grab something on the run, instead of sitting down eating dinner is nothing that is ok to do. Food also affects the level of stress in children. And as we all know, stress affects the whole body, even the brain. We usually eat late since the kids all have evening practices. But better late and together than all five on different times.

You have a responsibility as an adult, kid’s watch you eat. If you set a good example and keep an open mind they notice that. If you are picky they get picky. And there is nothing that you fix in a day, it takes time. And I am by no means perfect, the opposite. But I like food and I actually think that I’ve managed to pass it on the kids. I am really proud of them making good choices and very rarely complaining about their food allergies.

Eating together as a family, regardless how your family is composed, is so much more than just eating. The conversation and the behavior is as important. Think about it when you have small children. I have never been a supporter of separate children’s tables, and I know my kids don’t like that either. Or how about when you feed the kids and then set the table and eat when the kids are asleep. Not very good.
Many restaurants here have children’s menus which is great for your wallet. (It also usually occupy the kids a little bit before the food arrives.) What is negative with all these children’s menus are that the food they offer is often French fries, fried chicken tenders and pizza without toppings? No wonder that many kids are a little fussy when they are not used to be served real food.

One of my absolute favorite foods are Moules Marinière, mussels cooked in white wine, garlic, parsley and onion. I think I ate that one or two days per week when I lived in Brussels 20 years ago. With herbed fries and mayo. This Saturday we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle and I hear one of my kids order this dish in French, eating the whole thing and smiling. Awesomeness!

ProPulse

On 9 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn In English, Utflykter/outings2 Comments

So I thought is was going to be a little short thing way back in PROPULS and I ended up on the cover. Au naturel. Interesting. And apparently I am world’s toughest racer?? Oh, now I have a lot to live up to.

I must say that the Pro Club is filled with nice people. Lots of high fives and nice words from strangers. Thank you!

But, life goes on. Still lots of back pain and not sure it’s because of my broken tailbone or if I am getting old. 10 visits at the chiropractor the past two weeks, a few visits at the Physical Therapist, massage and lots of hours in the whirlpool and sauna. Surrounded by great people. But got tired of the whole thing and decided to cure myself. 60 minutes VersaClimber didn’t make it worse but I bet the hour playing racquet ball did. And I realized that I don’t even know how to play. Now we’ve got something to work on until volleyball club season starts in a few weeks.

Moule mariniere with a view on the wish list today. It is really hard to say no when the kids ask for a thing like that. Sounds like lunch in the city.

Storm

On 2 November, 20132 November, 2013 By lillahjarnanIn Blandat/mixed, In English, Träning/trainingLeave a comment

Pitch black and cold. Rain and fall weather. I spent a big part of the night finishing a book that I started reading few days ago. (Me before you by Jojo Moyes) A sad story that I felt I had to finish before I switched off the lights. I wiped my tears and went to bed around 1.30. A nice, warm story but so sad. Heartbreaking.

My alarm went off around 5.30 and I considered ignoring it until I felt a punch in my left side. I usually wake up before the alarm, not today. I slowly walked towards the closet and got dressed. As always I got my clothes ready last night. One of my few good habits. Trying to find the right clothes early in the morning will usually end up in disaster. I would probably end up wearing a purple cocktail dress and trail shoes. My closet is extremely unorganized. Stuff disappears in there and it’s always crowded. It is overflowing with dry fit, polyester, race t-shirts and dresses. I even changed batteries in my good headlight last night. I could barely see a thing when I ran the other morning and I thought it was something wrong with my eyes.

It’s been a long week and it felt like I just fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times during the night because I heard the rain but remember thinking it will probably pass until the morning. I checked the news online had a cup of coffee and breakfast and drove to the first meeting spot. I also checked the weather but realized later that I must have missed the most important part. It said 90% chance of rain, it could be worse. I didn’t see anything about wind. Alone in a dark parking lot, no cars and no traffic. I packed up some extra clothes, a banana, and water and waited for my ride.

A familiar car shows up and we take off. It’s always a little bit quiet the first minutes, we are both tired I guess. I remember the first times we met, it feels like years ago. My friends’ dog always got a bit anxious when I got into the car. She is all quiet now, she looks up and blinks at me. We follow the road on the side of the lake and it is still dark. When we get closer to the mountain it feels like it gets even darker and it starts raining again.

The parking lot is dark and it always feels a bit uncomfortable or uneasy this early in the morning. It’s another car there and that person turns off its lights when we park. It is so dark we can see small squirrel eyes out there. We stay in the car for couple of minutes, waiting for our other friend. The lonely mountain is dark and covered with high trees that has been there for hundreds of years. Big pine trees, ferns, leaves, rocks, creeks and almost quiet animals. The only sign of humans is the warning signs. Black and white signs about bears and cougars. Comforting.

We snapped our headlights on and tiptoed away on narrow paths. A little up and down, mostly up. The super dog knew the way and stayed up front leading the way as usual. The trails were covered with yellow leaves hiding the rocks and roots. It was difficult to see today, the wet leaves covered up everything. Every step felt like a surprise and my ankles got a good work out from twisting around in the mud. My shoes were filled with water and mud after a few minutes. We run by very fresh animal droppings, large and steaming.

About 45 minutes into our run we heard something we thought were gunshots. We all looked around trying to figure out the direction of the sound. It happens quite often when we are out running early mornings that we hear shots far away and it always feels uncomfortable. I am happy I wore bright pink, very visible.

The wind picks up in just a few minutes. The trees makes noises and we hear cracks around us. And then suddenly, about 25 yards ahead of us a few trees start to fall. Big trees, crazy wind, dark sky and we all froze for two seconds. J screams for the dog that is right by the trees and the super dog stays by our side. I suddenly felt my heart beating so fast I could feel it in my ears. We started to look around, trees are moving and cracking everywhere. We decide to go for it, sprint back. I don’t think we have ever run this fast our eyes pointed up. We don’t trust the trees. We flew up and down the trail for 30 minutes. And we got to the car and listened again. We heard strange noises around us, a loud rumble from the mountains. And we started to talk. We always have our death talks when we run in the dark. We talk about horrible accidents, deaths and crazy things. So this is how it feels when the world ends, the Armageddon. And someone starts talking about earthquake insurance.

We almost made it back to my car in Redmond when a big branch fell from the sky and hit the car roof. And the heart jumps again. We look out over the lake and see double rainbows and the water looks yellow like a hurricane is about to hit.

I get into my car and drive home. After taking a shower, eating and napping I realize what is going on around us. The bridge is closed, there are trees down everywhere and lots of houses don’t have power. It is not the end of the word but a huge storm.

Photos: Johanna Brekkan