Running trails

Hallå !!!

Running trails - yes this something what I really envy the most :-)

OK, what is big deal about some trails if they are also some for nordic walking in my city so no problem to use it for running.

But here they have some extra advantages as:

• you can mix different versions - this is not one single trail, it's few and it is easy to mix them, so no way to be bored wit running all the time the same route
• signing is perfect, no way to lost yourself in forest :-)
• signs are not destroyed !!
• this is not just a path in forrest, it is a little paved, quite even and wide 
• and the biggest surprise: they are illuminated !!! in forest :-) every 30 meter there is a lamp :-) on 5 km trail maybe only two was broken !!!

so infrastructure is just great, brilliant - it's heaven for runners :-)

in Sweden you can't say that you don't have conditions for running :-)

... but do Swedes use it? or maybe they are too lazy? was I only one who used it during dark evening or in cold weather?? do you want to know it? come back in few days :-))

so if no running on sport stadium, so where?

Hej !! :-)

In last post I described situation with big sport infrastructure, important from runners point of view.

But in fact this what made me impress is let's call it a small sport infrastructure :-)

So if no running on sport stadium, so where?.. ha, almost everywhere else !!!

If you prefer to run on asphalt:
Almost next to all roads are made bike/pedestrian path, they are in really good condition, well signed and when they are crossing with roads, the magic is starting :-) If you are going to go through road on pedestrian or bike crossing... cars are stopping !!! For me it's huge surprise :-) no matter if it is small car, bus or truck - if driver see that I'm heading to cross the road he starts to break and let me cross without stopping or changing the pace. It's so cool, it makes the life much easier and much, much more safer - culture of driving is really high, is almost a role model for other countries.

Belive me it is so nice to run here :-) First of all a huge number of pedestrian / bike paths on which you can run. The second thing: unbelievable culture of driving and stopping car when pedestrian or even bike wants to cross the road !!!


In Poland I often have to run on the edge of road, pedestrian paths sometimes are too narrow, too uneven or just don't exists about bike paths maybe I wouldn't be writing because it is literally almost nothing too add ;-) the same about culture of driving.

Running on asphalt made me impress so much that I was not prepare that something can me impress even more :-) what is that? I will write next time :-)

Pictures on which you can spot a pedestrian/bike path:

Sweden - Hell or Heaven for runners? Part 2

Hej allihopa !! :-)

So now a little about sport infrastructure important for runners.

I consider that athletic stadium with professional tartan running tracks is very desired object, it's perfect when everyone can use it, no matter if it's summer or winter, day or night.
So, now let's look if we can find in polish city (in which I live) with around 40 000 inhabitants such facility and compare to two times smaller city in Sweden with around 20 000 residents.

Polish city has one - just new built athletic stadium on which was taken place events like: National Polish Championships in distance 10 000 km, so it's really nice just look:



Swedish city has even two athletics stadiums !! It's really surprising, but... yes there is "but" - on the first there is not running tracks (there was as I heard, but was removed), on the second are :-) and its option with six lanes. In polish city on curves are 4 tracks, on straight line 6 tracks.

So it looks that Sweden won again... but ;-) there is on entrance for everyone on swedish stadium ! It's closed, when there is no sport event and you can't train there - it's sad, because it looks really encouraging for running there.

In polish city stadium is open for everyone :-) even during winter, what's more snow from tracks is removed !! In night lights are on, so you can run even when it's dark !!! :-)

In this comparison in numbers Swedish city looks better: it's smaller but more sport facilities but in Polish city everyone can use it, so in my opinion one point goes to Poland :-)

Hmm, but is athletic stadium really  the best for runners if we want to just take care of your health and form? When you run for fun, for pleasure - running all around is really boring so it's nice to run in forest, parks, inside city centre or on running paths and here Sweden makes absolutely knock-out in first round....

So next time I will write about possibility of running for everyone in Sweden just for fun :-)

Sweden - Hell or Heaven for runners?

Hello,

Hur mår du? How are you? :-)

Today I would like answer for a question: Is Sweden Hell or Heaven for runners?

Before I visited Sweden for the first time I never heard about Swedish runners, I knew some names of cross-country skiers, I remembered ski jumper Jan Boklöv, hockey or handball team was also known as one of the best in world, I saw as Swedes plays curling... and of course Zlatan !!!

My imagination about Sweden was full of images of small towns, burrowed in deep snow, windy and plunged in darkness, lightened by small lights in windows. Maybe good for winter activities but for running, so it was rather runners Hell in my head ;-)

Being on place in southern Sweden it's turned out that winters here are usually much warmer then in Poland !!! How it is possible? Scania  has shape of peninsula so from three sides is surrounded by sea which in winter has temperature below zero, so it heat up the air plus warm Gulf Stream cause very nice climate in summer and also during winter.

Here is nice a chart which shows that summers in south Sweden are not so hot and winters are warmer then in Poland !! This second fact was for me a small shock :-)

Ok, so temperature and climate are more comfortably for runners then in Poland. But is it enough to be called runners' Heaven?

About another factors like culture, popularity, access to sport infrastructure, awareness of a health lifestyle, sports events and so on I will write soon :-) So welcome back here again in a day or two :-)

Vi ses snart !!! See you soon !!!

Never say never

Hejsan !!!

For today I planned to write a general post about Sweden, what surprised me here the most, but I changed my mind :-) and will write about my evening training.

Why, because I am proud of myself !!! If someone would told me one year ago that in 365 days from that point I will be able to run over 5 km without stopping, that I will be running in cold (-4 C, I consider as cold :-)), windy weather, that I will be running in winter  season, in deep snow, in dark forest and in Sweden…. I would tell him:

“Man, you are crazy, it’s impossible, it will never happen!!” So, never say never – it happened today :-) It’s great feeling, when human breaking some new barriers, and this sensation of fulfillment something special that I pushed myself outside from warm room is just priceless :D.

Some pictures and very shaking and too long video ;-) I will add for you in few hours or tomorrow morning, so come back later :-).

edit: I manage to upload photos, have some problems with video, but won't surrender and will keep trying.

Hej då

Live and Run in Sweden - Welcome to my blog !! :-)

Hi, Hej, Cześć :-)

Welcome to my blog, I will be publishing here everything connected with living in Sweden from foreigner perspective. What is similar and what is completely different in comparison to my country. I hope that it will be interesting either to Swedes and the rest of the world :-)

My goal is to put main focus on sport and especially on running, why? because running is my hobby and it's fun to compare how the same things looks different depending on country in which they have place.

Ok, few words about my self:
I'm from Poland and from time to time I have opportunity to spend from few days to few weeks in Sweden, to be precise, on the very south of Sweden in Scania region.
I love sport activities, now running is my favourite, earlier it was also cycling and football.

Why I want to have blog?
First of all to share my experience about Sweden, second thing is to keep my memories in one place :-), and if just one person will find here something interesting, it means that it was worth to create this blog.

So please comment what you find useful, what is unnecessary, and what should be described.

For the very beginning that's all or maybe not - I will share with you photo from today training, remember winter is a good season for running :-)