Tag: Exercise

ParkRun 5K

Last week, Hermione convinced me to go run a 5K with her at a local park. The 5K is part of an organization called ParkRun, which works to establish weekly runs in neighborhoods all over the world. The group has started races paths in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and many other countries.

We woke up on Saturday morning, avoided eating breakfast, and biked the few miles over to the park at about 9:30 AM. We rode our bikes straight past the starting point because only two people were gathered and we assumed the group must meet further down the gravel path. When we started seeing cattle we decided to turn back and ask the two men we had passed earlier where we should go. When we got back to the clearing it looked completely different. There were maybe thirty people standing around. They ranged in age from approximately five years old to maybe sixty-five.

When the race began, a couple of the youngest kids rode their bikes, but everyone else took off on foot. I was decently confident going into the race. I never thought I would be one of the fastest runners by far, but I thought I could finish pretty easily at least. I run a mile at least every other day and I work out everyday at the gym. There were two flaws in my confidence: first, I actually thought a five kilometer run was approximately two miles not three, second, I stayed on the treadmill too long the day before and started the race with already sore muscles.

Fortunately, Hermione is a wonderful running partner and she kept me motivated enough to finish the run within a reasonable amount of time, even if we did cross the line after some of the senior citizens. In our defense, they were incredibly fit! One of them even received a t-shirt for completing her 250th 5K, which was given to her prior to the start of the run. There was some fanfare and photos were taken of the accomplished runner.

The Danes were all very kind and supportive of everyone participating, so Hermione was not the only person cheering us on. Many onlookers stood on the sidelines near the starting point and clapped and called out encouragement as we jogged by them. One man passed us at one point, waved for us to join him, and said, “let’s finish strong.” At least, that’s what we decided he probably said to us. Overall, the run was a fun experience and I’m glad Hermione was able to convince me to accompany her. The photo below shows both my happiness from doing something different and my relief that I wouldn’t have to run any more that day.

Oh, the places you’ll go

The turbines at Amager Strandpark

The last time I was in Copenhagen, I stayed in the main touristy areas surrounding Tivoli and Strøget. While the old town is a beautiful area, there is so much more to the city that I missed. Armed with more time and a bike, I was determined not to make the mistake.

Running a Saturday morning 5k with parkun at Amager Fælled, clearing my head at Østedsparken and an impromptu stop at the Botanical Gardens before visiting the Geology Museum have taken me to a few of the different parks and green spaces. Although each park is somewhat different, they usually share similar characteristics. Most parks will have lots of green space, a lake, lots of ducks/birds/geese/swans and trails for running or walking. The parks are not usually very big in size – nothing on the scale of Central Park in New York City. However, they are dispersed throughout the city, meaning that everyone can find a park within biking, if not walking, distance.

One of my favorite places is the Amager Strandpark. It is slightly further out, about a 20 to 25-minute bike ride from DanHostel, but absolutely worth it! The area is a park, but it is also a beach. There’s a trail along the beach for those who want to roller blade, bike or walk. On a sunny day, the water is clear and probably a good place for a swim (when it is warm). The geographic location of Amager Strandpark provides for interesting sights: you can see planes taking off and land at the airport, wind turbines, Malmö and the Øresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Copenhagen.

Aside from the parks, which I have used as a place to relax and people watch, there are other interesting areas in Copenhagen. The most famous is Christiania, which is know for its green-light district and the fact that it is a proclaimed autonomous neighborhood in the middle of downtown Copenhagen. Another unique area is called Nokken. It is near the park Amager Fælled and is an area of miniature houses. The area is protected and therefore cannot be used in city planning. The place stands out among the new, modern buildings in the area not only because of the difference architecture, but also due to the lack of maintenance. Years ago, Nokken was probably a charming place with little houses and garden. Now, the charm is diluted by some houses that look like they need repairs and the gardens that are overgrown. However, I did enjoy walking around Nokken. It is an area of Copenhagen that I had never been to before and certainly a very unique place.

One of the most famous parks that I have yet to been is Fælledparken, which is on my ‘to see’ list. With just over a week remaining in Copenhagen, I am excited to see what other places I discover.

And I will walk 500 miles

Exercise trends seem come and go every few years. From Jazzercise, to at home fitness workouts, these programs tend to stick around for a little bit before they slowly fade away- but recently, one trend has seemed to stick: walking.

Now this may seem silly- isn’t walking always “in”? And yes people have always used walking as exercise, but what I mean more specifically by this is the trend of counting your steps. Just look around the next time your outside and try to count the number of Fitbits or IWatchs people use while they try to reach that magical number of 10,000 steps a day.

At Washington and Lee, I found it a little difficult to reach 10,000 steps a day. My average walk to campus was under 10 minutes and once there, I spent the majority of my day sitting in class or in the library. According to the fitness app on my phone, my average step count per day was around 6-7,000 (keep in mind I spent 2-3 hours every day in the pool).

Step count from May 8, 2017- note how flat the city is though that I only climbed 9 flights of stairs all day

While preparing for Copenhagen, I knew I would be walking more, but I completely underestimated how much more. On any given day here, I walk anywhere from 10-30,000 steps- an average of 5-13 miles a day!! Just yesterday I reached a new record person record of 31,311 steps, or 13.7 miles, after wandering the city all day as we showed the first-years around.

I think what surprises me the most about this huge uptake in distance walked per day, is that it doesn’t feel any different from days where I only walked 1 or 2 miles. I would have guessed that walking a half marathon in one day would leave me tired with very sore feet. Instead, I feel no different- if anything I love walking more. I look forward to my 15 minute walk to DIS or the 25 minute walk to Paper Island for food. Just last night, Kathryn and I left the hostel at 9 p.m. to walk 15 minutes out of our way to get waffles and ice cream.

While I expect to take many things away from this trip such as a new cultural experience and a more independent nature, I really hope I also keep up this love of walking! I know it is going to be difficult to find this much time to walk around and explore Lexington when I have class everyday but I think that even finding the time to walk around for 20 minutes will be a positive addition to my daily routine.

Exercise Options Abound

Through the various incarnations of #wlucsr, our students have maintained their preferred exercise routine or found a new one. In the course of a typical day, students spend much more time on foot and/or on bike than I think they do when on campus. Such is life in Copenhagen.

Scandi Six: Copenhagen Running Routes

Beyond that, some find a gym. Many maintain their usual morning or afternoon run. For the latter group (or for those looking to start a new jogging routine), here are some possible routes, most of them easily accessible from Danhostel.