The SUSTYM

Before I start, perhaps a disclaimer is in order.
In the process of explaining what SUSTYM is all about, I have included photos of myself.
Photos that some readers may find offensive due to the fact they contain uncensored nipples.
You have been warned.

Based on the original ancient Japanese method of Susatybi (Soo-sa-tie-bee), the Sustym (Suss-tim) is the inevitable new westernised mutation of the process that has dramatically changed my life following its development from that small Japanese coastal village of Poe-Sing many years ago.

I shall first show you the dramatic results produced over a short period in January 2015 alone…

It is my personal opinion that SUSTYM and SUSATYBI are used far more widely in sports/fitness circles than is currently admitted. I can only guess this is because some people are almost embarrassed by its sheer effectiveness.

It uses processes highly recommended by modern physiotherapists but also contains the wisdom of our elders, fusing them in an easy to apply format that produces the instant results that makes it such a popular method in today’s media culture.

It is applied most effectively (although as mentioned, sometimes tacitly) by nearly all fitness models, but is a method that can also be employed effectively by Joe Public, as can be seen from my photos above.

The easy to follow steps for the original SUSATYBI are as follows:

Stand
Up
Straight
And
Tuck
Your
Belly
In

And more recently for SUSTYM:

Stand
Up
Straight
Tense
Your
Muscles

In case it wasn’t already obvious, the above photos were taken over an elapsed period of approximately 2 minutes just this morning.

Unfortunately, these methods didn’t help me to a parkrun PB, but I blame this on the fact that I arrived at my parkrun venue only to find out it had (quite rightly) been cancelled due to ice so I sped drove safely within the speed limit to the next closest one (ten minutes away) relying on the fact that lots of people were due to receive T-shirts this week. They rarely start bang on 9 o’clock anyway.

I parked up and then had to run half a mile to the start, just in time to join everyone on the first corner of what was a very muddy, occasionally icy, but certainly totally slippy course.

It wasn’t a PB.

I’m sorry for leading you all on, yesterday 😦
But I really was planning on making it so.

Janathon (day 31) and therefore JANATHON – involving no PBs (but at least a parkrun when one might not have happened) and a great SUSTYM for slimming down – DONE!

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That bit before the end…

When I did the Nottingham half marathon in September, I think it was (probably wrong….too lazy to check), there’s this bit at the end that goes along the river Trent, then doubles back on itself before entering the finishing area with all the spectators and stands. What is, I believe rather grandly referred to these days as ‘the race village’.
Anyway, feeling pretty rubbish doing the river Trent doubling-back bit (to cut a long story short, I had somewhat overestimated my own base fitness level / underestimated the event -click to read the report), I decided to conserve some energy with a bit of a walk before running strong into the ‘race village’.

I am at a similar point with my Janathon blogging. I am hoping for a strong finish (though I don’t know yet what my blogging-sprint-finish is like).

Today, I played tennis for an hour and a half, ran for 4 miles, then this evening ran to the pool, swam for half an hour and ran home.
91 miles covered in January so far but not sure where I’ll fit a run in tomorrow so 100 miles is far (well 9 miles away) from a done deal.

Janathon (day 29) – involving tennis, running, a bit more running, some swimming, and a last bit of more running – done.

Recovery run

Just a short one…

…what exactly, is supposed to recover during a recovery run?

Exercising my excuses

Given that Janathon is supposed to be ‘a festival of activity and excuses‘, I feel that I have so far tipped the scales towards the ‘activity’ side and have somewhat neglected to provide many excuses.
For that, I apologise and now aim to correct that oversight.

Yesterday, I played football, basketball, and hide & seek with the kids after school. I just couldn’t be bothered to blog about it and was asleep at 21:30 which is super-early for me.

Today, I’m just about bothered enough to blog, but not to do anything else.
I am however exercising my excuses. I haven’t let them out much recently and they could do with stretching their legs.

Janathon (days 22 + 23) – involving exercising but not blogging, and blogging but not exercising (which in my book, evens it all out) – Done.

Reverting to type [+edit]

For a change, I thought today I’d add no pictures, make no jokes, put the sarcasm on hold….and just type.

I went for my run this morning.  I had intended for it to be a long one, as I knew I was due to give blood this afternoon and although I’m usually fine afterwards, I didn’t know how I’d be feeling this evening or tomorrow.  In the end, I wimped out a bit and just did a five-miler (although, against medical advice after I took my son to Cubs, I ran home, running back again later to pick him up  –  so add another 2 miles to that for my day’s total).

I actually just wrote a really long post… I needed to write it…but it made no sense… so I deleted it.

It has served its purpose.

[Edit … the following was written at 09:30 the following morning… when a bit more awake…]

I have concluded that last night I was feeling a bit drained. Literally.

I had given blood at 2pm and probably shouldn’t have gone for a little run in the evening.

I was feeling lethargic in body and in mind.

I didn’t save what I wrote last night, but it included thoughts about why I run, and the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to do it, and it all got a bit negative.  But because I know that I do enjoy it really, it was clear that this very acute slump was a little out of character and therefore – nonsense.

I had written stuff about how running as an activity is quite different from how I am as a person.  How as a child, I would watch, learn and understand something before I’d do it.  Not particularly one to jump in and learn from my mess-ups.  I’d like to do things that I could feel accomplished in, that I could say (at least to myself) “I am good at that”.  Running was not (and still –  is not) one of those things. 

So, this morning, thinking a little more clearly, I have concluded maybe that is precisely why I do (normally) quite like it.  Because I don’t put that pressure on myself to be brilliant at it. I (normally) just go out and do it.

But not right now.

Janathon (day 21) – involving running (and typing) when I shouldn’t – Done

The time has come…

It has taken me until the 20th day, but there comes a time for every janathoner when they must take a look at themselves, at their day, at their lack of activity thus far, and say with honesty and dignity…

“I’ve got nothing. It’s 11:30pm and I’m gonna have to do one”

So I did a…

I managed 2 minutes and 13 seconds.

I hope I don’t have to resort to it again.

Mud

I haven’t managed to get out for a long run at all this week, so if today’s run was going to be a short one too, I was going to make it a fun one…

I needed to check on one of my geocaches that hasn’t been found for a while, to make sure it was still there. But it isn’t the easiest to get to on a wet winter’s day. And that makes it fun.

Janathon (day 18) – incorporating at least two miles of mud – Done.

I would like…

I would like to tell you how much I was looking forward to a speedy parkrun today, how my recent weight loss and speed sessions have finally paid dividends!

I would also like to tell you that today I played league tennis for the first time in ages and despite my lack of recent play I was awesome, my shoulder was fine and we recorded an emphatic victory over our closest rivals.

And I would like to tell you that I revived an old press up challenge and so totally nailed it.

Unfortunately... although I would indeed like to tell you those things, only some elements of the above are true…

I was really looking forward to running a hard parkrun today. I was all set, packed up and ready to go, car defrosted, barcode in pocket… but it was also my daughter’s first dance lesson today and too much faffing from the kids (…hmmmm….I wonder who they get that from…) meant things were getting a bit close timewise and I decided, in the interest of family relations that I would forego the parkrun today and make sure that breakfasts were eaten and children were clothed.

I ended up cleaning out the rabbits instead.

I did actually play tennis. But my shoulder wasn’t great, and my playing was even worse. I won’t labour on this. We lost.

When I was putting my son to bed this evening I got him to do some press ups. He managed 7. He was quite proud of himself and I told him how I used to be able to do over 60 in a minute.

I then tried to do over 60 in a minute.

I managed 59 and then collapsed in a heap, much to my son’s amusement.

He then had to read to me first because I was too out of breath to manage it myself.

Janathon (day whatever… 17, I think) – involving rubbish tennis playing, no parkrun and a failed press up challenge – Done.

The swim that nearly wasn’t

I have written ‘rules’ or ‘guidance’ for completing a Janathon before…

10 tips to help you survive Janathon (or something like that)
This was genuinely one off my better posts so if if you haven’t seen it before and especially if you are new to blogging, it’s worth a quick peek.

One of my own (and until now – unwritten) rules of blogging during Janathon is that if you’re going to write a naff post, then quickly follow it up with a better one and maybe nobody will notice. That is my plan, anyway.

Today (Jan 15th 2015), I was off school with my poorly girl so I could only fit my run in, late.
After much faffing, I eventually left the house with goggles and trunks tucked into my running belt and headed for the local pool.
There was a chance I wouldn’t make it in time to make a swim worthwhile but 15 minutes (3km) later I was there and managed a 30 minute swim (it’s been a while – it was hard work!) before a soggy 3k run home again (I hadn’t bothered with a towel – didn’t see the point).

So, there it is. No blogging inspiration for today but actually feeling well motivated on the running front at the moment.

Liking that.

Janathon (day 15) – involving sick, running, swimming, and running again, but no blog inspiration – Done.

Seriously

A funny thing happened to me on my run this evening….

…absolutely nothing. And that’s very unusual.

I didn’t punch any lampposts,

I didn’t have to call in the air ambulance

and I didn’t witness any night ninjas correcting any signs with wayward grammar.

I just ran.

10k in the rain.

And it was lovely*.

🙂

.

.

.

*…when I stopped

Janathon (day 12) – involving nothing of any note whatsoever – Done.