Trying to get in touch with my inner 5-year-old in preparation for tonight’s run…
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Running Solo
16 Oct
Photo Credit
Last night I tossed and turned well passed midnight, so when my alarm went off at 4:30 AM for my morning run I made a sleepy, but sound, decision: I would sleep in and run on my own after work.
This decision won me three much-needed extra hours of sleep and nine hours to talk myself out of running after work. As the day wore on, my legs got more and more sore from yesterday’s early AM Yoga Meltdown session and I started to tell myself that maybe just stretching after work would be good enough. My sister asked me to hang out and I came so close to saying yes. And I almost scratched the run to go to the grocery store and make a home cooked meal.
Instead, I came straight home, changed into my running spandex and walked right out my front door without even stopping to look at my sweet, fat pugs (whom I’m sure were giving me the stink eye for not walking them first). I walked down my driveway, took a deep breath and set out for three miles … all by myself.
Almost immediately I passed two neighbors who were combining several activities: drinking wine, walking and weight lifting. You see, they were walking with a dumbbell in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. When they saw me they started laughing and told me that I was doing it the right way. I laughed back and told them that I thought their way looked like a lot more fun. I ran on with a smile on my face. I think I might try this workout tomorrow. 😉
My sore legs were heavy and my run was slow but it was a gorgeous night and being alone with my thoughts was splendid. Sometimes running solo isn’t such a bad thing… That is, when you can manage to not talk yourself out of it.
What do you do to avoid talking yourself out of a planned workout?
Running Therapy
10 OctCombined with a very busy month and pains in my left heel that I think are the makings of plantar fasciitis, I hadn’t run in almost two weeks.
For a girl in the midst of a new job, planning a wedding and still getting adjusted in a new home, not running was becoming torturous. You see, I need running to deal with my stress. I need the pounding of the pavement to drown out my worries. And I most certainly need my running ladies to talk me off the bridal ledge. I need running.
So yesterday, me and my plantar fasciitis went for a 5:30 AM run with the ladies. We took an easy pace and ran four miles. At first I struggled to keep up. I frowned thinking how out of shape I was with a half marathon just around the corner.
But then we began to talk about my recent woes, and suddenly my pace picked up. With every word I said, my feet landed with more determination. When I got angry, I got faster. And when I let a tear slip down my face with the sweat, the weight of the world seemed to melt off my shoulders.
Then the ladies gave me sweaty hugs. These are best accepted when you yourself are sweaty as well (which I was).
Let’s just hope my friends don’t start charging me by the hour. 🙂
As for my heel pain, I’ve been stretching my foot and calf daily to help relieve the pain in my heel and I’ve got my foot rolling on a frozen water bottle as I type. I need to run and I’m hoping my foot can get on board with me on this one.
If you’re wondering why I’m not doing the yoga (as I like to now call it), we can blame the new job for the late hours. I’m hoping that things will settle down soon and I’ll actually leave the office and make it to class when I say I’m going to. In the meantime, I just ordered the AM and PM Yoga dvd with Rodney Yee and I plan to put it into good use when it arrives this weekend.
How do you relieve stress?
Running Date
5 SepI’m a big fan of running dates. It allows you to catch up with a friend while burning calories and is typically much more economical than meeting your friends for dinner or happy hour drinks. And if you do decide to have a little indulgence afterwards, you can do so knowing you just worked for it!
On Saturday I met up with a friend I hadn’t seem in a while. We strategically parked our cars in between a French bakery and a coffee shop and said we would decide on where to get our post-run coffee afterwards. We like to have our options. 🙂
We ran just over three miles and there wasn’t a quiet moment in there. I guess you can say we had a lot to catch up on. When we got back to our cars, we decided on the French Bakery, Les Petits Pleasures.
I was super excited to try this place out. I’ve run by it several times on solo runs and it always looks yummy. Plus my foodie friend Rachelle has vouched for their “mmmm” factor.
We had so many options to choose from (fruit tarts, chocolate mousse, eclairs and more) but when I saw they had almond croissants, my mind was made up! My friend and I each got cappuccinos and settled down to split our almond croissant:
Almond croissant from Les Petits Pleasures… So. Good.
I’ve only recently discovered the joy that is the almond croissant and this one was absolutely amazing. And their cappuccino was perfectly made. I can’t wait to go back have another running date!
Afterwards we set off our separate ways, not feeling the least bit guilty about our indulgence and happy to have just spent some good ol’ sweaty time together.
Do you ever schedule running dates? Where are your favorite places to meet up?
Never Let a Roll of the Dice Decide Your Fate
4 SepMagic eight.
Eight is the number that was rolled last Thursday morning as we sat at the foot of a small Florida hill (technically some might call it an “incline”). To my chagrin, we did not roll a snake eyes.
What were we doing with a pair of dice on one of our morning runs? We certainly weren’t playing any board games.
It seems that I cannot miss any morning runs, because when I do, I come back to hear preposterous ideas like “Hey, let’s let the roll of the dice decide how many hill repeats we should do on Thursday mornings!”
And then something even more preposterous happens like an eight is rolled. Magic eight. *Sigh*
So eight times up, and eight times down we went.
Here’s how the experience looked in my head:
- Hill Repeat #1: Alright let’s do this.
- Hill Repeat #2: Good God! We’re only on the second repeat? There’s no way I can do this!
- Hill Repeat #3: Hey, whose idea was this?
- Hill Repeat #4: Seriously, whose ideas was this??
- Hill Repeat #5: That was only halfway?
- Hill Repeat #6: Wait, what repeat are we on?
- Hill Repeat #7: (cursing starts) @#%#$!
- Hill Repeat #8: You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.
Here’s how the experience looked via my friend’s tracking device:
Count the peaks and weep with me: 8
Needless to say, I’m very sorry that I’m going to be on vacation this week and unable to join this Thursday’s AM run…
Do you ever play games to get you through your runs?
Run, Yoga, Run, Run, Paint
27 AugThis last week was super sweaty and busy and I spent so much time feeling thankful for the laughs along the way.
Here were my workouts:
- Tues: Ran 4 miles
- Wed: Hatha 1 Yoga
- Thu: Ran 4 miles
- Fri: Stretched
- Sat: Ran
67 miles - Sun: Paint Party
Some of the thoughts I had along the way:
“I did not miss waking up at this ungodly hour.” – Waking up at 4:45 AM for my Tuesday and Thursday runs
“I missed this so much!” – After those same Tuesday and Thursday runs
“Oh, this is just what I needed.” – When I realized that my Hatha yoga class was focusing on hip openers
“Oh… ow… oh… oooh…” – During my stretch session Friday
“Hmm… this was supposed to be a six-mile run, but my Garmin says seven miles.” – Checking my watch after a special new 6-mile loop… that really is closer to seven 🙂
“Glad this yoga has my back and shoulders strong.” – two hours into the paint party at my little sister’s new place
I met up with an old friend yesterday that called me “the healthiest person she knows.” While laughing I tried to explain that working out was a social event for me. Running with my ladies gives me a chance to catch up on their lives, tell shark stories and drink coffee, and it’s much healthier for us than a Happy Hour. Though the coffee I ordered after Saturday’s six seven miles would beg to differ:
The big gulp of iced coffees …
I didn’t get as far on the iced coffee as I thought I would so I stuck it in the frig for later. I may or may not be sipping on it as I type.
Tropical Storm Isaac will likely complicate my runs this week.
Granted, Isaac will be skirting by the (not-so) Sunshine State, but we’ll be getting remnant rain from it regardless. I dislike this, but I am thankful we’ll be safe. In the meantime I will continue to drag my dogs outside in the rain for their potty breaks. Hmm… I should count that as another workout.
If the rain curtails my running this week (I don’t do treadmills), I will just improvise with extra yoga and strength training where I can.
How/will Tropical Storm Isaac curtail your workouts this week?
Moving Large Furniture Makes for a Great Workout
20 AugLast week I started my week eager to get back into the swing of things. And boy did I ever end up getting my sweat on:
- MON: 30-minute Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown DVD sesh (thought I much prefer calling it a Yoga Melt) in the AM
- TUE: 3-mile run in the evening
- WED: 1.5-hour walk (no clue how far we went… I was Garmin free) in the AM
- THU: 3-mile run in the evening followed by furniture strength training
Yes, that’s right. I said ‘furniture strength training.’ It’s the new thing… everyone is doing it. At least Rox, Donnie and I were!
It all started when Rox and I both got held up working late on Thursday and had to miss my favorite yoga class. Instead we decided to go for a run in the new neighborhood (which really isn’t that new to us since it’s the neighborhood we both started to run in together). While we were running I asked Rox if she would mind following Donnie and I to a co-worker’s house after our run just in case we needed any help moving the armoire I had purchased. It was an IKEA piece, so I assumed that it would be made of lightweight particle board (as most IKEA pieces are), but was asking Rox as a precautionary measure. Rox, being the wonderful friend she is, agreed. A friend later declared that this was the classic old “bait and switch” though that wasn’t my intention. I really didn’t think we’d need her! After our run, we set off for what would become our second workout of the night.
When we got to the house and saw the armoire, Donnie walked right up to it and gave it a little shove to measure it’s weight. The armoire didn’t move… it was solid. Doubting the strength that Rox and I possess, he said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to manage this.”
Insulted by this comment (does Donnie not realize how strong chaturangas have made us??) we immediately jumped in and said we could do it. However, in the back of my mind I was thinking, “Oh crap. How are we going to do this??”
We set up with Donnie on one end and Rox and I on the other and proceeded to move through a series of lifts and turns. We soon started to erase all doubt from Donnie’s mind. With only the occasional help of a 4th person (helping steady us so we didn’t scratch up the walls) we got the piece out to my car.
We encountered a major obstacle when we tipped the armoire to slide it into my car and it wouldn’t fit. Until last Thursday, my Honda Element (nicknamed “Ele”) had never met a piece of furniture that wouldn’t fit. All we needed was one more inch!
We set the armoire down and stared at each other. The reality that we would have to move this back into the house and do this whole thing again another day was starting to set in and sending me into full panic mode when Rox spoke up. She knew who we could call.
I love Rox for many reasons, one being that she’s strong (mentally and physically) and two being that she thinks quick on her feet. While Donnie sat outside guarding our armoire, Rox and I set out to borrow an Expedition from incredibly graceful folks.
We came back with the Expedition and managed to slide the armoire right in. Perfect fit!
Back at the house we slid the armoire out and decided on a game plan: We would carry the piece straight into the house and to it’s new home without resting or stopping.
Donnie: Can you handle it?
Rox: Yes.
Me: Um. Yeah… I think so. Maybe. I mean, I don’t know. How far is it again? Do you think maybe that’s too far…
Before I could finish my verbal self-doubt, Rox and Donnie started lifting. I had no choice. And in no time at all, the armoire was in it’s new place:
Our new armoire, which is not made of thin particle board.
Rox high-tailed it out of there before we could ask her to mow our yard. Ha! If you’re reading this, thanks lady! You’re the strongest woman I know. Well, behind Killer T, of course. But who can compete with her? 🙂
After Thursday night’s excursion, I decided I would take it easy the next few days. My back was in full agreement.
Have you tried furniture strength training lately?
The 30-Day Yoga Challenge :: Day 4
4 JunTonight marked day four of the 30-Day Yoga Challenge: Ashtanga Basics.
I went into class with a splitting headache. I took three Advil before I left the house and hoped that either yoga or the Advil would take away my pain. Twenty minutes into the practice, my headache was gone, and my head pain had been replaced with new pains (whatever muscle was currently being pulled and stretched at the moment).
This was a slightly shorter and slightly easier version of Saturday’s Ashtanga 1 practice and certainly passed my A.D.D. test. I’m okay with holding poses as long as it’s not anything longer than ten breathes.
Have I mentioned that all of the classes have been full lately? I think it’s because of the challenge. I was 15 minutes early today and had to set up mat at the very front of the class. Um… if I’m at the front of the class, who am I supposed to copy? Lucky for me, with all this yoga I’m actually starting to get the hang of some of these moves. I only had to do some not-so-subtle looking around a couple of times.
All this yoga has my body feeling great, but I have a confession: I miss running terribly. I miss the air in my lungs. I miss my ladies. And I miss our coffee breaks afterwards.
Speaking of running, today’s running haiku posted on runninghaiku.wordpress.com really got me giggling. Moving forward, I shall now refer to all porta-potties as “Honey Bucket.”
What’s your favorite nickname for porta-potties?
Badges of Honor
30 MayRunners tend to look like normal people. (Gasp! Say it isn’t so!) On the outside they can appear like just another barrista or bank clerk or mom or teacher or pilot or clown or … well, you get the point. But every once in a while, something will slip through that will allow you to recognize someone as a fellow runner.
For instance, the other day I wore a shirt to work that has a large scoop neck. I forgot about my most recent badge of honor, a farmer’s tan on my back courtesy of having the sun beat down on me for seven hours as I ran walked crawled my way through the Flying Pig Marathon. This became fodder for my co-workers, one of them even snapping up this photo to send to her friends so they could laugh at me behind my back:
My marathon badge of honor: a farmer’s tan.
This, my friends, is the farmer’s tan from hell. After posting this photo to Instagram, I received comments like these:
I thought you had another shirt on.
Looks like you are wearing a tie on your backside.
This severe tan is not just limited to my back. You’ll find similar markings around my ankles and around my knees where my capris ended. This past weekend I tried, rather unsuccessfully I must say, to undo my badges of honor by laying by the pool for way too long.
My other badge of honor from Flying Pig was much more visible: a pimp pirate peg-leg walk. Thankfully this finally resided after a week of shuffling around, though the stairs remained a challenge for at least another week or two.
Lucky for me, I am yet to suffer from one of the most popular badges of honor a runner will get: black toenails. Thank goodness! It is sandal season, after all!
What runner’s badge of honor have you had?
Speaking of badges of honor, I also have a badge of shame, which I blame on all of the cupcakes I’ve been enjoying during my recovery (cupcakes make my IT band feel better). Last week I blogged about a BBQ with my besties here and mentioned that one of my friends likely had an incriminating photo of me when the zipper on my very tight jeans decided that it could no longer bear to hang on? Well, I was right. Boothe posted this picture of Kelly trying to help me get my zipper up in the bathroom. I was on the lookout to make sure no one was coming.
This looks bad.
Seeing this made me happy I got up early this AM and did squats and leg raises and planks and lunges (oh my). I can’t afford to have any more jeans quit on me.
I Sweat Pretty 