Run-Estonia: Oandu-Ikla

Jolene Sirel • Jul 25, 2023

Run-Estonia: Time to Reflect

The dust has almost settled from Run-Estonia. Despite the tough aspect of running long distances with heavy packs, there is a simplicity to it. We eat, sleep, run and repeat. OK, so maybe the sleep bit was lacking for most of the week; light nights, rowdy campers, itchy mosquito bites, uncomfortable camping. You get the picture. But essentially that’s all we had to do. Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forwards.

I don’t think I was quite expecting the beauty of the natural landscapes to hit me quite in the way they did. There were immense forests, long and straight dirt roads (and I mean loooooong) and stunning bogs that expanded out with pockets of cool healing water, that given any chance I’d dive into. I couldn’t help myself. The days were hot and long. But it was something more than just the cooling off I craved. I’ve always found water extremely soothing. I think my body was needing these mini resets. To be held by the water and become slightly more part of the nature I moved through. It helped calm my nervous system, cool the body and lift the spirits. The water became a magnet to me.

Most days I found the first few hours the biggest challenge. More mentally than physically. Each day started with, what felt like, huge miles ahead. Almost too big to comprehend as one whole beast. I would struggle to find a rhythm, and the chatter that went through my mind was relentless at times. So I would break the day down into manageable chunks. The first was to reach “lunch time”. After that, I began to think that I’d probably be able to complete the rest of the day, usually broken into 10k or 5k sections in my head. But, for me, always getting to that first real stop and fuel break felt long and tedious. So much was my ability to think more clearly and have more positive thoughts after a full food stop, that I began to slide them in earlier and earlier. Towards the end of the week lunchtime came at around 10:30am! Cadi mostly felt the opposite, in that pre-lunch was her more positive time and post-lunch not so much. However, she graciously gave in to my needs without question. She possibly daren’t deal with the consequences of not doing so. If there’s one thing you should know about me, is that I love my food!

Many people have asked what I ate during our adventure. I would say I feel like I got all my fuelling pretty much right for what I needed. The lunch stops worked particularly well and I’ll definitely being using that strategy again. I had one Roam Bar and a Tailwind Recovery drink – coffee flavoured. The two worked so well together. I’m a moist food kinda gal, so the roam bars alone were quite dry for my palate, but provided me with the savoury flavour and protein I needed and the refuel drink helped wash it down, rehydrate with the electrolytes and provide the calories to replenish glycogen. The combo also sat well in my stomach and allowed me to move off again pretty swiftly post consumption and I suffered no stomach issues the whole time with this perfect duo. I genuinely looked forward to “lunch” every day. I would also have another Tailwind recovery chocolate drink in the evenings, either on finishing for the day or as a pudding.

The evening delicacies consisted of freeze dried meals by Summit to Eat, my favourite being the chicken tikka with rice. Amazingly tasty and filling. Breakfast was similar. For the in-between bits it was a mixture of Velo Forte energy bars (which are amazing), gels and chews and some kids jelly sweets. In addition, there was yet more Tailwind in the shape of their endurance fuel range which went nicely into filtered bog water and my pack reservoir to keep me hydrated and my energy on as much an even keel as possible. This stuff really does make a noticeable difference to my performance and despite the high temperatures most of the week, I never once felt any real effects of dehydration. It makes such a difference when you find products that suit your own unique physiology, that don’t leave you bloated or with stitch/cramps and can fuel you as best as possible. Completing this adventure as we did, is a fairly big insult on the body, but I have to say I felt as good as I could have hoped for and recovered well enough each night to enable me to get up and do it all again the next day and part of that is certainly down to food/nutrition choices.

The RMK Oandu-Ikla route we followed was a stunner. The landscapes, in the first 3 days in particular, were so varied. There were twists and turns through pine forests, filled with light and those delicate fragrances. Hitting our first bog was truly remarkable. Balancing our way across the boardwalks that seemed to stretch on for miles (the longest I believe was around 3.5km) was like stepping into a different zone. The peace and tranquillity they provided was a much needed match for my naturally quiet nature. The beginning of the route also had more elevation than I had imagined. There seemed to be relentless but small ups and downs, over miniature ridges and sharp descents into little ravines. As the days progressed the ground underfoot became increasingly more flat and the twists and turns stretched out into long hot roads as far as the eye could see. I went through a whole range of emotions on these sections. To begin with the roads gave some respite and allowed for a swifter navigation of the route. At other times, all I could do was to keep my head down otherwise the endless roads felt, well….endless. Then I learnt to embrace them again. Whilst hot and providing no shelter from the sun’s rays, I could gauge a landmark in the distance and use it to work towards my next sweet fuel or allow myself to glance at the watch to see how many miles we’d ticked off. Constantly tricking myself into reaching the next achievable target, until eventually we made our camp for the night.

There were times when I felt completely in sync with the passing miles and minutes. I easily guestimated how far we’d travelled and whilst the miles weren’t easy, there was a sense of flow to them. Then there were times when the miles and minutes felt completely alien. Like they had their own warped existence that felt totally separate from my own. It felt like the day would never end and I imagined crawling into camp late into the evening. On these occasions I was always surprised and relieved to arrive after a big miles day around 5 or 6pm, giving us sufficient recovery time ready for the following day.

A few times I felt completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge, the heat, the time away from my boys, the miles done and the miles still left to be covered. At times the thought of having to run another 1.5 miles at the end of a big day felt enormous and had me in tears. But I was acutely aware that these moments wouldn’t last forever and that ultimately I was enjoying the time in this simplistic form of just moving the body forwards. I was immersing myself in this country that held so much history for me and my family and a dear place in my heart; I’m part Estonian. I also got to meet my second cousin during the week. I was so touched by the huge effort she made to come and meet me. We used to be pen pals 30 odd years ago but our paths had never crossed up until that point. It was a moment I will always treasure.

This was by far the biggest challenge I’d ever completed. I’d prepared and trained as best I could as a novice in this field and I was immensely proud of myself. The days themselves were gruelling yet beautiful. Challenging yet had a certain serenity to them also. The support I received from my husband and two boys was incredible throughout all the planning, training and adventure itself. We had many well wishers and supporters as we blogged our way through the route and this made a big difference to our spirit. However, I could not have done this without my amazing adventure buddy, Cadi. Holidaying with friends can be a big test of friendship and we took that to a whole new level. We not only survived, but thrived as a mini team. We both had our moments of pain and suffering but also points of euphoria and pure joy. I couldn’t have wished for a better partner to push my limits and emerge successfully from this journey with. We were however, a little sad to not spot a bear, moose or wolf, but we did see their prints. I am forever grateful for this experience, shared with my dear friend.

We mostly camped in a small, lightweight, two-man tent and carried all the food we’d need for the week. The route itself didn’t pass through many towns so we went fully self supported from the outset. Our packs weighed around 14kg to start, but as the week went by and we ate more food that decreased to somewhere in the region of 9 or 10kg on the last day. I find there’s a certain magic to having everything you need on your back and it’s amazing how few things are actually needed; all packed within a 40l bag.

We mainly washed using the water from the lakes/rivers that we camped by. These bodies of water also provided our drinking water for the week. I took an Alpkit water filter which worked well and again, I never suffered with any stomach issues for the whole time, which is a miracle considering some of the sources we took water from at times; needs must. We did treat ourselves to a night in a cabin in the village of Lelle one night. We’d set off that morning with the intention of running around 28 miles to a campsite that had no water close by. It would mean another 1km walk to fetch water and back, only to repeat the same journey again the following morning. However, by 10am we were moving well and had already covered 12 miles so Cadi got online and booked us the cabin, which meant another 7-8 miles but we thought the bed, shower and access to water was well worth the extra effort. We made it into the village of Lelle around 5.30pm and at that moment I just hit the wall. I felt weak and dizzy. We headed straight for the local shop, well actually it was more of a wobbly line to the shop to be honest. I just stared at the shelves not really fully with it to know what to buy. I grabbed a sugary drink, a peach (which was the best peach in the world by that stage) and some nibbles, found some shade and slunk with my purchases to the ground and started eating. It’s amazing what a bit of food and sugar can do. The cabin was perfect. We had our own little sheltered seating area outside and a bed each. Just what we needed.

Reaching the sea on the last big day was immense. It signalled we’d pretty much made it. Again, the heat was relentless and Cadi was struggling more than me that day for a change. So we found a little bar and had our first and last beer in Estonia before tackling the final few miles along the coast to the last campsite we’d be staying in. Beer never tasted so good. We watched a beautiful sunset over the sea from the beach and headed to the tent to rest, ready for the final 5 miles to the borer the following morning.

I think there’s always mixed emotions when an adventure ends. There’s obviously the joy of having completed what you set out to achieve and the release of all the emotions that come with that. There’s also a sadness and a sense of “what now?”. So much time, energy and effort had gone into planning, training and completing Run-Estonia that it becomes all you really think about. There’s almost a period of lamentation. So quickly are the hard parts removed from the memory and all that remains is the amazing adventure and achievement. I am always in awe of what the body is capable of. I had pain and swelling, but weirdly by acknowledging and accepting that these pains were maybe related to the worry I had of letting us both down by not being able to complete the route, they soon eased. So much so by the last 2-3 days the hip pain I’d been really struggling with had all but left.

I have been asked so many times, since being home, if I’ve recovered OK. Myself, more than anyone, is amazed how quickly I was back to baseline. Other than the two days we had in Riga at the end of the trip where my feet would swell if I was on them too much, by the time I arrived home I felt no ill effects of the run. The body is a remarkable thing.

There are many that don’t quite understand why I would want to go do such a challenge. And it’s hard to articulate to someone who has never experienced anything similar. The roller-coaster of emotions, the pride and joy, the pain and suffering, the changing mindset and chatter, the sense of immense achievement felt. Ultimately, I do these things because I enjoy a challenge. I like to see what the body is capable of and I get so much from moving out in nature and wild places. But most of all it makes me happy and when I’m happy I’m much better to be around; I’m a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. I hope my boys watch me with pride and get a glimpse of what is possible as they grow older. That also, whilst my husband, two boys and I make an amazing solid unit of four, we can also have our own adventures and pockets of life outside of that unit, which only makes the unit stronger when we all come back together again.

Would I do it again? Yes in a heartbeat.

< Older Post

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Inspired

By Jolene Sirel • 22 Feb, 2022

Be inspired and inspirational

Cold Water, Nature and Me

By Jolene Sirel • 08 Feb, 2022

Taking a Deeper Dive into Why!

A Physical Reaction to an Emotional Response

By Jolene Sirel • 10 Sep, 2021

A Balance of the Passions is Essential for Physical Health - Galen (A.D. 131–201) We are physical, emotional and spiritual beings. Where one of these aspects ends and the other starts cannot be truly defined. Without our emotions we are not human. Without our physical body we are not human. Without our energetic or soul component we are not human. This, for me, was evidenced by witnessing the death of a loved one. I was lucky enough to be with my grandma as she passed. As she took her last breath the emotional and spiritual being, that had characterised her as the person she was, disappeared. All that was left was the physical body. I knew in that moment that the body lying in the bed, although looking like my grandma, was no longer the grandma I cherished. That was just the vessel she used to exist on this physical plain. Years ago I read the book “molecules of emotion” by the neuroscientist and molecular biologist, Candace Pert. A fascinating and insightful read. Certainly one I will read again and one I highly recommend others to read if they haven’t already. This book was one of the catalysts that inspired my curiosity into the emotional and spiritual aspects of being who we are. How we feel the way we feel and how our thoughts and emotions affect our health. Through study, personal experience of delving deeper into myself and discovering who I am and also being a keen observer of others (which my husband hates btw 😂), I have developed the opinion that our bodies, emotions and souls are not distinct from one another. They cannot be separate, otherwise we can no longer be who we appear to be in human form. Our thoughts, emotions and experiences can make us laugh, cry, sweat, shake etc. These are all observable physical reactions to the emotions that came prior. One example Candace gave in her book really struck me, partly because I suffered terribly with this when I was younger. And it went something like this: “it’s through the emotion-modulating peptides that an embarrassing thought can cause blood vessels to dilate and turn a face beet red” . Therefore, the thought and feeling of being embarrassed manifested into an observable physical reaction through the face flushing. In my case I would then be highly conscious of my hot face. Inevitably, someone would point out that I’d gone “so red” and that would perpetuate the emotions resulting in close to what can only be described as a burning beacon of a throbbing, red hot face. My worst nightmare. In fact, thinking back, subconsciously this also impacted how I dressed. I hated warm clothes. Thick jumpers, polo necks and coats were out. Anything that could raise my body temperature and lead to feeling flushed, I avoided. I believed that if I could exist on the slightly cool side, I could potentially reduce the number of times or at least the intensity of my embarrassed face and be less noticeable to those around me. I’m talking highly self conscious here to the point where someone saying “hello” could set off the cascade of chemical reactions resulting in my red face. I digress. There is a name for this kind of study: Psychoneuroimmunology. It is defined as the study of the interactions between behavioural, neural and endocrine, and immune processes. Different emotions have different effects on the physical body. For example it has been shown that laughter can increase immune response and stressful life experiences and emotional states such as depression have a suppressive effect on the immune system . Stress has more recently been recognised by the medical community as having an impact on our health. But what about other thoughts, feelings and emotions. If stress can produce a cascade of biological functions that impact our health, especially chronic (long term) stress , then what other effects are felt by the body when the full range of our emotions aren’t being fully processed? With this in mind, how can we then treat any illness purely from a physical perspective when science shows us that all is entwined? One cannot be impacted without the other. The relationship is bidirectional of course. If we’re ill or injured this can effect our emotional state. However, it is also the case that our emotions can produce ill effects on the body . There are pathways that have been studied, highlighting the effect of stress and other emotional factors on our physical health. Notably, the central immunological mechanism serving as access for a range of "age associated diseases and the dysregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production" (cell signalling). Cytokines impact our autonomic nervous system and can result in physical symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite and lethargy. As a result, negative emotions can produce early signs and symptoms of active disease states before more diagnostic signs appear. We are emotional beings. That is what being human is. We love, laugh and cry. We get angry and feel hurt. We laugh so hard our sides hurt and tears roll down our face. However, we seem to be growing daily in our need to suppress these emotions. We’re being told that feeling strong emotions shouldn’t be tolerated and therefore these feelings should be suppressed with medication. I’ve seen friends put on antidepressants for the break up of a marriage or the loss of a loved one. These life events are hugely challenging and certainly take their toll on us. But ultimately, don’t we need to process and fully grieve in order to begin to heal? It’s a perfectly natural human experience and one that should be fully supported not suppressed. We need to feel the whole spectrum of emotions and be able to fully lean into and process them. If we don’t, we potentially risk our long term health and vitality. We will ultimately have to deal with them at a later date as nothing can be held down forever. But by then the emotions and physical symptoms are usually dissociated from the life event that originally caused them. The two scenarios are separated by time and therefore the dots are not connected and we’re given a diagnoses of some medical label. The body keeps score, even if we don’t.

Energy Connection via the electromagnetic field of the heart

High Vibes of the Heart

By Jolene Sirel • 25 May, 2021

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt more energised or uplifted? Conversely, have you ever turned up to a friend’s house after they’ve had an argument and can sense a tense atmosphere even if they are acting as if everything is fine? This all relates to our connections via energy or field interaction. Energy is everywhere and it is the one thing that connects us all. In the early 19th century new physical phenomena were “discovered” which led to the concept of a field. A field being described as a condition in space which has the potential of producing a force. I put the word discovered in speech marks in the last paragraph to make a point. This wasn’t really discovered. It’s like saying Christopher Columbus discovered America. I find it hard to accept something can be “discovered” when there are quite clearly others that knew about it before. In the case of the Americas there were already many humans living there. In the instance of field discovery many traditions and cultures have understood, known of and worked with these energies for centuries. It’s just that scientific equipment is gradually becoming more precise at being able to record these invisible forces. Science was beginning to be able to show how individuals affect others at a distance through senses beyond speech and sight. I’ve always been sensitive to others energy and their imprints. I remember getting home one day from work and on entering the house alone, I had this real strong sense of someone else’s energy (other than my own) in the house that I wasn’t expecting. I went round the house checking all doors and windows, anticipating a break-in. Seeing no obvious signs, I went to make a cup of tea and noticed a tool case on a stool in the corner. It turns out my father in-law had let himself in to drop off the case earlier that day without my knowing and I had picked up his energy imprint left behind. On another occasion, I was out at a gig with a couple of friends. As the warm up act began I had this overwhelming sense that someone else I knew was going to be there. I had a glance around the room but it was full of hundreds of people and the lighting was low. There was no chance, unless this person came to sit next to me, that I would be able to see if they did in fact attend the same gig. In the interval before the main act, I had this energy hit my heart/heart chakra. I knew instantly that this person had just entered the room/building. The feeling was so strong. But again looking around the room I came to the conclusion that I would not be able to confirm this inner knowing with a visual sighting. It was too dark and there were too many people. As I waited for the main act to start, my eyes naturally rested looking down onto the seating below and into my line of vision walks the person I had “known” to have entered the building. They then went to get their seat out of sight of where I was sat. I’m still trying to process this and I don’t really know why or how I tapped into this person’s energy. I’m continually learning and widening my knowledge. However, as the saying goes “the more you know the more you realise you don’t know”. Without a doubt this was a field or energy connection. This ease of connecting with energy I have serves me well when it comes to Reiki healing. Whether through hands on (contact) or distance Reiki I am able to connect to a person via their energy and help balance the flow of this life force (also referred to in other traditions as ki, chi, qi, bio field or prana). Our energy field is linked to our physical body via chakras. There are 7 main chakras that align down the centre of the body. Each chakra feeds into different body parts and in turn are related to different emotional and physical states. Dis-ease in the body can occur when our energy becomes stagnant or blocked. The basic principles of energy healing is to bring a balance and alignment in our energetic body which in turn feeds our physical. According to the research by the heart math institute the heart sends more information to the brain (via the vagus nerve and electromagnetically and hormonally) than the brain sends to the heart. Fascinating right?!? It has been shown that the heart is involved in the processing and decoding of intuitive information. In my example above, it would seem I used my intuitive insights to connect to a field of information beyond my conscious awareness. On wanting to find out more about my experiences with the heart and/or heart chakra that I’d had, I did what I always do and started reading. I came across th is article and linked paper which really resonated with me and brought me closer to an understanding of what I had experienced personally. It is stated that the heart’s electromagnetic field extends several feet beyond the physical body. Some scientists state this could be much further but the lack of reliable equipment able to record this is the issue with really defining the true extent. Studies show that the heart is a sensory organ. It acts like an intelligent information centre enabling it to learn, remember and make functional decisions independent of the cerebral cortex. As a person who works with the energy systems of the body I wonder if these attributes go deeper than the physical heart itself and weave its way into the chakra system and obviously more precisely in this instance, the heart chakra. Food for thought. The heart chakra itself is the central chakra and connects our physical to our spiritual. Someone who is grounded and centred in their heart chakra follows their own path and purpose. Unconditional love is their centre. They are connected to the beauty of nature and look for the joy in themselves and in all things. They have compassion and empathy and are connected with their souls vision of the world embracing new adventures and a zest for life. When it comes to energy exchange between two people the eastern philosophies have long embraced these profound interactions. In many traditions the heart has been regarded as a conduit to a source of information and wisdom beyond our normal awareness. On going research seeks to show that intuition is a full body response based on the autonomic nervous system but ultimately incorporating all systems. Specifically it has been shown that the heart reacts to events several seconds prior to a stimulus being experienced. However, western medicine has discarded and actively seeks to re-direct awareness of these functions of the body through lack of detectable mechanisms explaining their exact nature. But numerous studies on energy healing have shown significant effects on wound healing rates, pain, haemoglobin levels, changes in DNA expressions and water structure as well as phycological states even if the exact mechanisms for this remain scientifically unproven. According to research by HeartMath the autonomic nervous system acts as an antennae which is tuned to respond to magnetic fields produced by the hearts of others. Studies show that it is possible for the magnetic signals radiated by the heart to influence the brain’s rhythm of another. However, this has not been studied at a distance of more than 5 feet. However, this does not mean that it can’t happen at greater distances. Like the gig I mentioned prior. There was well over 50ft involved and potentially a mile or more when I became aware of my initial instincts that this person may show up at the same place. It is stated that heart coherence between 2 individuals is very rare during normal waking states. Maybe my experience came about due to mutual respect and appreciation, a prior connection from another time. Who knows. I’m unlikely to ever find the true answer. But it has got me asking; “Is this purely about the entrainment of heart rhythms and their synchronicity? Or does it go beyond this and touch more metaphysical concepts?” One conclusion drawn from these papers states that if you’re a health practitioner, learning these heart coherence techniques can help build rapport and strong relationships between yourself and the client and enables the client to feel better heard and understood; A form of intuitive listening. I'll leave you with some poignant sayings regarding the heart: “ A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge ” Thomas Carlyle “Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes. ” Roy T. Bennett “Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye .” H. Jackson Brown “Let the rays of your heart shine on all who pass by. ” Terri Guillemets “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” Confucius “ Only from the heart can you touch the sky.” Rum i “The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of.” Charles H. Perkhurst “ When your heart speaks, take good notes .” Judith Campbell “Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.” Braveheart References: Mccraty, R., 2003. The Energetic Heart Bioelectromagnetic Interactions Within and Between People. [online] Institute of HeartMath. Available at: . Mccraty, R., Atkinson, M. and Bradley, R.T., 2004. The Surprising Role of the Heart. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10(1), pp.133–143. McCraty, R., Atkinson, M. and Bradley, R.T., 2004. Electrophysiological Evidence of Intuition : Part 2 . A System-Wide Process? The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10(2), pp.325–336.

Verbalising Reiki

By Jolene Sirel • 05 Mar, 2021

For me, Reiki has always been quite tangible and notable. I’ve been able to feel the energy working and have always noted emotional, physical or spiritual changes in myself or others, no matter how small. However, I’ve always struggled to translate that feeling and inner knowing verbally for others to understand. So I got reading and here is my attempt to describe as best I can what Reiki is.

Running 100 miles in 10 Days

By Jolene Sirel • 10 Jan, 2021

Cortisol has many functions in the body. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It helps regulate the use of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It helps control blood sugar, reduce inflammation and assists memory function and blood pressure. It also plays a role in circadian rhythms (sleep wake cycles). Cortisol should naturally be raised in the morning to get us up and running (pun intended) and reduces as we head towards bedtime, allowing other hormones to take over promoting rest and sleep. This amazing balance is all critical to our health.

Is it possible that women require more fat when it comes to endurance sports nutrition?

Are Men from Mars and Women from Venus when it comes to Endurance Sports Nutrition?

By Jolene Sirel • 23 Oct, 2020

It has been shown that women have a lower reliance on liver carbohydrate stores when it comes to endurance activities. Some studies indicate that women potentially use 25%-50% less muscle glycogen stores compared to men (depending on the phase of their menstrual cycle) indicating women rely more on fat as fuel. When it comes to lipid metabolism during endurance exercise, some studies argue that the more prolonged an endurance activity women rely more on free fatty acids as their energy source compared to men. This could be a result of women having greater intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) with a greater capacity to use this IMCL with increased exercise duration.

Nutrition, Training & the Menstrual Cycle

By Jolene Sirel • 06 Oct, 2020

Supporting your systems with sufficient quality fuel can be one reason behind irregular or missing periods (amenorrhoea). Associated factors with irregular menstrual cycles include low bone density and an increased risk of stress fractures followed by oesteoperosis if not addressed. Achieving sufficient nutrition and energy for both health and performance/energy with sport and exercise is the goal.

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