Suunto is proud to offer a new selection of training tips – made for women, by women. Kirsi Valasti, an Olympic runner, accomplished triathlete, mother of two, business woman, occupational therapist and psychotherapist, will provide handy tips to help you make each run more productive than the last. And considering that she’s been a competitive runner for the past 25 years, take our word for it – she knows what she’s talking about.

For more tips, check out Kirsi’s recently published running book for women, currently available in Finnish, called “Naisen Juoksukirja”.

Check out Kirsi’s newest tips on what active women should eat and drink as well as on what to do when you don’t have time to run at the end of this page.

Why is running so popular among women?

For many women the reason to run originates from a desire to lose weight and tone their bodies. Running is indeed one of the most effective ways to burn calories in relation to the time used. It is a very intensive health exercise, since it strengthens at the same time the lung and heart as well as the blood vascular system and skeletal structure of a runner. The most common reason for the popularity of running is simply the fact that you can go running whenever and wherever you want to either alone or with some company. You only need some running clothes and a pair of sneakers. Time is not wasted in packing or travelling to some faraway exercise spot. Running has even a great meditative effect on many women. While running after a hectic work day, your mind can rest and your creativity is given free rein. At least for me the best ideas pop up during running.

How to get started, when you want to be able to run 10 kilometres one day?

With running there’s no shortcut to happiness and patience is a clear asset, too. Unlike e.g. walking, swimming or cross country skiing, you first need to reach a certain fitness level to be able to run. This is why you have to start with a combination of running and walking by turns. To begin with, you warm up with 10 to 15 minutes of brisk walking. Then you run a couple of minutes at relaxed pace ensuring a nice run. After each dash you walk twice as far as you ran. You should have 2 to 4 of these combined running and walking exercises in a week, and each exercise should last 30 minutes. Once a week for instance during the weekend you should take a longer walk with or without walking poles. Gradually you start running more and walking less so that in the end you are able to run for 30 minutes uninterrupted. Even after this achievement it is probably a good idea to run only during every other training session continuously. You should not run through all exercises, until several weeks have passed. Now and then it is also useful to strengthen the musculature of your middle body, since these muscles keep your running stance correct. It is a common mistake to start running with too much speed and too long distances, which make running seem dull and then you easily give it up altogether.

The most important equipment for distance runners:

Good running shoes that fit well, walking shoes, gym shoes or hiking boots are not suitable for running. Remember that the most supported shoe on the market is not necessarily the best shoe for you. If you have a petite foot then you need neutral shoes. It is also recommended to invest in good running apparel, because lightweight and comfortable apparel will remove moisture from the skin. The so-called ‘technical fabric’ sportswear makes running more enjoyable. Running tights or shorts, a technical t-shirt, a long-sleeved top, seamless socks and a supportive sports bra should all be part of a runner’s basic sports equipment. Of course in wintertime you will need a warm set of underwear, a cap and gloves will protect from the wind, leg warmers to cover your ankles and Achilles tendon and wind blocker trousers with NO cotton lining, as a cotton lining will prevent the leg from lifting freely, and cotton does not breathe well.

What are the advantages of using a heart rate monitor?

Most of us will find several advantages when using a heart rate monitor. It is easier to monitor your training, to see whether it is base running or whether your heart rate goes up to make the exercise effect moderate. This way training will be rhythmic and you are not running too fast. A heart rate monitor will also help you measure progress, e.g. your resting heart rate.

How can you take advantage of the Foot POD?

Many women are afraid of technology – at least I am. We women often just want to enjoy running, and not compete with our neighbour who had the harder run. With help of the Foot POD you can easily see your progress. You may for instance notice that you can run at the same heart rate level and take a longer run than before. It is easy to use when you are travelling and you want to know how far you have run and what your pace is. However it is good to remember that when running uphill the speed will drop. You should not check your speed and distance too often, but have a look at it every 5-10 minutes. If you keep staring at your heart rate monitor or other monitors all the time, it will take the fun out of running.

NEW! – What should an active runner woman eat and drink?

Even if you want to lose weight, you must eat regularly and sufficiently. Often women forego a warm dinner in favour of eating light sandwiches. Eating only sandwiches will not keep the hunger at bay and you will end up eating too much bad fat and unnecessary calories. Often women eat too little and too few proteins, such as fish, chicken, meat or soy.

For a healthy and balanced diet you need meals every 3-4 hours. Snacks are also desirable. Eating only green salad will not take you far and your training will not progress. Fish oil either in fish or as a capsule is important to get enough omega3 fatty acid. Extra vitamin D and calcium is necessary if you do not use milk products. I use extra vitamin D and calcium throughout the year, even though I also consume low-fat milk products.

During a busy working day many of us forget to drink enough water, and in the afternoon you feel tired and stale. We need 2 litres of water every day plus one litre for every hour you have been exercising. Part of the water can be consumed in sports drinks or juice.

NEW! – What can you do when you have no time?

Because you can run whenever you like, it is too easy to skip if you are tired or busy. It is not worth spending time pondering whether to go for a run or not, you should just go! Of course if you are sick or stressed, you cannot run. For some of us it helps if we set a goal, but the goal does not need to be running a marathon. It can also be 10km, a half marathon or a regular jog 2-3 times a week for the next six months. After that you can see what to do next. You should also mark the training times in your calendar, so that you can hold on to it as e.g. to a tennis lesson. You should also tell your friends that you have decided to run to get support from them. For women running can be a social event, a way to keep in touch with friends. What could be better than getting your friends to join you for a run?

for more info, log onto Suunto.com

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Usain Bolt wants you to wear these for when he wins. Puma
is making them. Nice punt for one of the great partners who make Urban Ninja possible.

They tie to your back, so you can focus your arms on drinking a Jack Black whilst checking your heart rate on your Suunto , wearing your Rockets Compressox, with your Orca hoodie on for cold winter, and shooting a Whasp Green Mamba.

How was that for an associate punt? See – all my brands are what we in the biz like to call “complimentary services”.

Now go enjoy your weekend. I am going to use all my products this weekend. And next week…. I can announce that I have a new TITLE sponsor. I am very excited about this, but all I can say is that the trend of Urban Ninja having brands associated that are based on animal names continues… puma, whasp, orca…

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so the weekend looms just ahead of us now. in merely a few hours time, you will in all likelihood have around 50 hours to what you want, and how you want to do it.

I am running leg 1 in the Houtbay Trail Challenge tomorrow for team Mens Health, hoping to defend a record they set last year. I hope to not let them down and hope to follow some top guys on the first leg. Puma have come to the party with some magic Usain Bolt gear for us too. That’s about 20seconds right there. I am looking forward to powering up the hill at a conservative effort. Thank goodness for a Suunto HRM and a Suunto Footpod to help make the journey that much easier and easier to judge on effort as well. I am so lucky when it comes to sponsors.

Then in the afternoon, I am going to veg out on the couch and watch the tour guys go up this climb…

for Capetonians, relatively speaking, its from the waterfront, to the top of Table Mountain, only twice as HIGH, in 22km.

for the Jozi folks, its Jozi to Midrand, and roughly as high as the clouds. Not the smog, the clouds. Yes, look a little higher. well done.

for Durbanites…. never mind.

If you want to see why the guys go so fast up the climb, apparently they let a rabbit loose up the climb about 30min before they get there. it looks like this (NOTE: This picture is not safe for work, or kids). K – enough of that.

Seriously though, 1700m odd climbing in 22km is a seriaaaaaas effort. there is so much to be decided on there.

After this excitement, where a few Jack Black Beers will undoubtedly flow, we are off to the land of the white loafer for The Housemate’s birthday. Copious amounts of Kleinhoekkloof Wines will be consumed, in honor of him being such a legend.

I do aim to ride on Sunday morning, as the weather will be great, I just know it. Seriously – how power has this weather been in Slaapstad lately? best kept secret of Cape Town is winter. Now that I am training for our Epic Challenge, I need to get the long rides in, sooner than later. Gotta loose some weight, gain some power, and rock the house.

If you haven’t got a challenge in your life right now, get one. Take the leap. Employ yourself and make sure you are reaching beyond what you think you can do, so that you can learn that there are no limits.

and remember to smile, while you are at it.

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click the map for a biiiiiiig view.

20/07/2009

Suunto is a proud partner of the Red Bull X-Alps 2009, which is the non-stop hiking and paragliding race. The race kicked off this past Sunday, July 19, from Salzburg and will go on day and night until the first participant reaches the Mediterranean Sea in Monte Carlo. See the route on map.

The intensity, the danger, the competition all add up to make this one of the most unique and inspiring adventures yet seen.

Pierre Carter is South Africa’s sole entrant, and seconded by James Braid is currently lying 18th out of 30 teams. Let’s give him some support and drop a line or two on his Guestbook on the site. Details below

Follow the race on www.redbullxalps.com as well as check out the Live Tracking and RSS feeds from the Red Bull X-Alps on the Outdoor World.

If you want to know more about Red Bull X-Alps, go to www.suunto.com/xalps and watch the Red Bull X-Alps trailer on Suunto TV.

Go saffa!

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hello guys and girls. another cracking weekend in Cape Town saw the first From Monday workshop go down, as well as my first weekend of structured training.

why structured training I hear?

well, I have accepted a major challenge, and its for the greater good as well as for a bit of mental extremity. In an effort to grow and accept and take what comes, I have gained entry to some incredible races early next year, and aim to race 4 extreme races in the space of 4 months. they are:

1. Totalsports Challenge

2. sani2c

3. Cape Epic

4. Ironman South Africa

Just the entry for Epic is amazing, as the worlds toughest stage race, and a waiting queue of about 1000 people to get in, the fact that I got an entry is amazing.

BUT, there is more. In order to raise R100 000 for street girls…. YES, you heard me right. I want to raise R100 000 for a wonderful home in Cape Town called Ons Plek, which takes girls off the street, rehabs them, returns them to a life of meaning, and does this process over and over again.

I can only do this by racing all these races, as I am going in with a “sponsor 1km of my journey” campaign launching in about 8 weeks. I have entries, but here is where you come in.

I need sponsors to help cover the expenses to do the 4 races. The expenses are considerable. I believe not only does this website offer a worthy channel to advertise on, which all sponsors will receive, but I believe that with my partner for the MTB challenges, Brett Chilcott, that we can get some good TV time, and break the R100 000 barrier in funds.

Would you sponsor me? Do you know of anyone who wants to be involved with over 8000 people on a regular basis. This month, I have had over 52 000 unique visitors to this website. That is more than Runners World, Bicycling, Triathlete Magazine, Go-Multi and MSM magazine together.

I am asking for very little in real terms, if you look at those numbers. I am not asking you to support someone random. You read this blog, you get value from it, and you know that I offer a service of integrity, honesty, and a real return.

Dont believe me? Look at the list of people in my sidebar who already believe in this concept.

my proposal is attached ons-plek_urban-ninja-2009-2010-proposal here to have a look through at who is already involved, and to see what I am offering.

Any help will be hugely appreciated.

This blog has gone from zero to 2nd best Sports blog in South Africa. 3rd best Original Writing blog in South Africa, in the space of 12 months. Zero to 52 000 readers in 12 months.

This is the next phase in this incredible journey.

Can you help me?

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So, today is the 1st of July – you know that means we are 6 months into the year!

Yowzer.

Suunto put out a monthly desktop calendar for you all, so surf across to Suunto to download the right size for your personal use.

This month, the picture is awesome. This, from Suunto …

In July we go at the top of Tajakopf, which rises 2450 meters above the sea level. This summit is located in the Austrian Alps. This spectacular location is a perfect place to try out the rather “un-conventional triathlon” that consists of biking, hiking and climbing instead of the conventional sports.

With this month’s desktop calendar you better not be scared of heights. This desktop image, for staring at when work is just not giving you inspiration, will make you feel like you are right there supporting the team in its attempts to summit!

Here’s that pic…

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I can see it already…

Friday night, some fresh cold Draft Beer from Jack Black at HQ. I’ve heard we might be doing something after, but I am most likely to retire earlier as tomorrow morning is trail run time.

Gotta pack in…

Suunto Red Arrow…

Puma Trail Fox…

and one of these…

Ok.. maybe more than 1.

Then back home for the rugger. The fridge will be looking something like this…

the weekend, in one pure word… bliss!

To all my partners, who make my weekends that much easier… thank you!

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Now, if you have been paying any attention at all, you would have noticed I am a big fan of the Suunto brand, and they in turn, seem to like my vibe.

Cyclingnews, the worlds top cycling website for all news, tech, pro reviews, etc have put a review up of my favortite Suunto watch, namely the T6c, here

Have a read through. They key sentence, however is this…

Overall the t6c is an excellent training tool for those that just aren’t totally ready to make the jump into the power meter pool. It’s markedly less expensive than any direct power meter currently on the market yet still provides usable guidelines for the quality of a workout and the effectiveness of recovery time, while also doubling as a wristwatch, too. All in all a very solid unit worth considering.

Kif. If you need anything more Suunto orientated, let me know – we can do a Urban Ninja special for you if you are in the coaching program.

In other Suunto news, I am due one of these puppies sooner than later… (hint hint Steve).

Its called “The Red ARROW”

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This past weekend I went to Xterra with limited hope of a great run, as I am still definitely in the build phase of my speed back to being a good athlete. I had also been with mates the night before, which meant a few beers and a tequila (just one) but I managed to get good sleep in.

I ran a total PB and smoked just about everyone on the day. To look back and say it was all me is total rubbish. I am lucky enough to have the best equipment at my disposal to make the journey as easy as possible. This weekend was no exception. So when I came across this picture on the Xterra website, I thought to point out to you what the secrets are:

1. Whasp Green Gel. If you haven’t discovered the secret to instant speed, this is it. 100mg caffeine, Gaba, Green Tea, its all in there. It kicks like a mule and with a duelling 10km run up and down a mountain, I made sure to pop one ten minutes before my run started, as well as 20min into the run. I was just starting to fade when it kicked in and I ran the downhill in a blur.

2. Suunto T6c. The heart rate was not one to report back on, and I opted to leave the footpod at home, but it was amazing to keep the heart rate virtually at max for 41 odd minutes and I couldn’t do it without my trusty Suunto. From Ironman intensities to these kind of run till you vomit efforts, Suunto is the way forward. When I was slowing down I could see it on the watch and just kept on going on, especially on the downhill. I am proof that your heart rate can be higher on a downhill than on an uphill. You might not walk the next day, but its possible.

3. Orca is my wetsuit and tri race apparel sponsor. They make the best, no doubt. Another magic product they do are these running shorts. They are the perfect length, the perfect material, and they are so light you might forget you have them on. If you don’t own a set already, make sure you do. Perfect for trail running, perfect for the sidewalk, or even to chill in post 7 hour Ironman training ride.

4. Puma and I have come a long way, and their shoes have come on in leaps and bounds. The new Speed Racer is an incredible shoe. Tough enough for the slopes of Grabouw, and durable enough for me to run 21.1km in, I LOVE these. The weight saved over a regular trail shoe is huge, especially when its your 12459th step up the mountain. 180 steps a minute x 41 minutes x 50g saving per shoe = 369kg less carried by my legs over the run the other day. That’s a lot of weight less I had to lift with my legs over that short amount of time.

So, PB’s are available, if you are kitted out right, and you are willing to have the same look as I have there, which would be to run like a 200kg angry, slightly injured werewolf is chasing you.

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If you made it all the way here, I may as well direct you into the right direction from here…

1. Seth Godin discusses if marketing is evil.

2. Gordo is all about realities lately it seems.

3. Viljoensdrift Wines have a new BUBBLY! Hooray!

4. WebUrbanist has some great time lapse photography going on.

5. Alan Couzens has some vital information for the Ironman Athletes out there who should all be maxing out on recovery time between work outs right about now.

Have a great day people. If you want to see some quality product…

Kleinhoekkloof Wines
Puma
Orca
Jack Black Beer
Rockets Compression
Whaspgel
Suunto
Café Sociale

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