Saturday I had a great run. I went 7 miles and I was
literally dripping sweat. It was wonderful.
I did it on a treadmill finishing Jessica Jones and starting
up Daredevil. The first few miles, as usual, were hard. My internal dialogue
was urging me to stop. It takes time for me to settle into a run, time for my
brain to disconnect from my legs. Running is a mental game. While it is
technically natural, if you aren’t used it to it, it’s hard. And uncomfortable.
It’s normal to want to stop. Then, comes the time when you accept the feelings
and your breathing comes easier. Your body stops fighting and sinks into the
run. That’s what I wait for. That’s when the run becomes enjoyable.
People ran next to me and moved on to the next thing. They all
ran faster than me. There were a couple of ladies who ran at 8.5 miles per
hour. They ran for about twenty minutes. Another guy ran at a steady 7 mph. Runkeeper
said I ran an average or 5.26 mph. I played with my pace, varying from a speedy
walk to 7 mph. The faster paces are becoming easier.
Looking back at this month, it appears I’ve had a little burn
out. I asked runners on MyFitnessPal what to do. Because I do really love
running, but I’ve only had a few runs. They suggested sign up for a race. One
of my yoga students mentioned that she was doing a 5k in Door County. I looked
at the website and realized they also have a half marathon. Could this be my
race? Could I convince my other half that we should take a weekend trip just so
I can run? The answer to both questions is Yes! After I post this blog I’ll be
registering and reserving a room. Come March, I’ll be in training to run 13.1
miles thru Penninsula State Park.
Tuesday, I made the sloppy joes from the Runners Cookbook. They were delicious. The recipe called from some interesting ingredients like maple syrup and apple juice. It was easy to make and I would definitely make them again. My fiance agrees that this should be part of our list of recipes to try again.
Wednesday, we had yoga. I had an awesome new student who
didn’t even complain once about the fabric. The regulars and I had a regular
class and the new student kept up with us. We stretched and massaged our
mid-sections per a request. We chatted about our lives and leave it all behind.
I’m so grateful to have found yoga and running. It lets me
get into my head and work thru it all and come thru the other side so much more
at peace. The hamster wheel in my head slows down.
Yoga tonight. Bridesmaids get fitted for their dresses
tomorrow. I get fitted for my wedding band tomorrow. Seems like a good weekend.
So we are starting with Tuesday. I got up early and went for
a run at the gym. I had a virtual 10k I wanted to get done. It’s thru a company
called Will Run for Bling and you get a shirt, medal, and racing bib. This
particular race benefited the ASPCA. I hauled thru it, getting thru another
episode of Jessica Jones. I have to be close to the end which someone spoiled
for me. Grrr. But still I need to see the story to the end. I only let myself
watch it at the gym. It gives me one more reason to get there. In the morning, I
find myself the most motivated too. I have no urge to go anywhere after work.
The run itself wasn’t bad. I wore my race shirt which is
adorable. The WiFi at the gym worked pretty well. It only stalled out a few
times. I kept pushing up my pace little by little. I’m sure my face matched my
shirt. My hair was wet from sweat but I got it done before work. 6.22 miles in
1:13:20 with a pace of 11:47. It’s not my best pace but I’m happy with it. My Brooks
shoes are really awesome. They have great cushion without losing stability or
feeling like you are slogging thru sand.
Tuesday night I made the lentil and black bean stew from the
Runner’s World cookbook. I made some changes though. I added more lentils, used
leeks instead of a yellow onion, and added some smoked turkey sausage. It added
more protein and a milder onion taste. It was delicious and filling. Judging
from how fast it disappeared from the fridge, I think, the fiancé liked it as
well.
Wednesday, at yoga, we focused on breathing. It’s one thing I
haven’t put much emphasis on before but is an important part of yoga. It helps
engage the body and core and also brings one more in touch with their physical
self and mind. It helps a person relax into a pose and let go of tension being
held in a particular muscle group or joint. This way we can fully express the
asana and get the most out of it. I felt very chill leaving the studio.
The next day I had hoped to go to the gym in the morning,
but life got in the way. Ice chunk versus rental car’s bumper led to me needing
to go in the insurance center and make yet another claim. I do love my
insurance company. They make me feel important and comfortable explaining
everything and giving me time to read all the paper work. In the past, they
have been very generous with a car that got totaled due to a deer.
From Tuesday to today, I’ve been suffering from extreme
exhaustion. I’m not sure from what, it could be a flare of some sort. It could
be my body recovering from doing an 8k on Saturday and a 10k on Tuesday. I have
a few other indications it might be autoimmune related. While I have time to
run or workout this evening, I think I’ll give my body more time to recover. We
will be going to the gym tomorrow morning as a family.
I’ve been thinking about breathing. Breathing is life
giving. No breath no life. I think, we are all familiar with that concept, but
what else does breath do. It helps us relax into the situation we find
ourselves in. It could be an asana, a hard run, or the second accident in a
roughly a week. It helps us find connection to where we stand in life. It
brings us back to our body and mind, to the now. And now is all we have.
Life has been quite busy and my time to type has been
limited. Hope all is well in your world.
So Tuesday, I tried going to the gym. I was running a little
behind but nothing major, I would still have an hour to run. But then there was
a detour, a left hand turn, bad driving conditions, a patch of ice hidden under
unplowed streets, and an inconveniently placed Jeep. New used car is now
getting babied at the mechanics. So no run Tuesday.
Wednesday, we focused on surrender in yoga. Surrendering to
the pose. Surrendering to the discomfort of some of the stretches or tightness
of fabric. Sinking into the fabric and accepting the effects of gravity in each
pose. In a way, it was surrendering to life and all it entails. Some parts of
life are not particularly wonderful and some are unbelievably wonderful.
Accepting it all as molding who we are now and our futures. In yoga, I like
exploring the mind and body connection. I think, aerial yoga emphasizes that
even more because of we see the action and reaction of our poses, like when we
push off the ground and “fly.” We see it in when we don’t quite get a pose but
something wonderful comes out of our mistakes. And then there are the days that
the fabric is just uncooperative for whatever reason. And you can fight it but
you really just need to slow down and move with intention. I have to say after
class I felt a bit more at peace in my mind. I hope my students felt the same
way.
Thursday and Friday, I essentially slept. I slept in, went
to work, ate dinner, and then fell asleep. I still feel tired but not nearly as
bad as those days.
Then, it was Saturday. Race day. Another 8k, this time to
support research to cure heart disease. I argued with myself about even showing
up. There is this heavy blanket of exhaustion that is laying over me. It was 1F
with a bit of a wind. It seemed like a super crazy thing to do. Yet, I still
put on layers of leggings. The top half is always more problematic for me. I
don’t mind warm or cold legs, but I don’t like being hot on top. I decided to
go with the race tech shirt and jacket. I thought about the shoes too. I could
use my trail shoes or my Brooks. Since the run was on the road, I went with the
Brooks. Wool socks, buffs, headbands, gloves, and Spibelt came along as well.
The race was close to my house and had ample parking at a
nearby college with a shuttle for the runners. There was coffee waiting for the
runners, a silent auction and other items for sale to raise money for the
cause. I didn’t see anyone I knew. There were lots of groups of people and not
very many of us singletons. While I was waiting, my jacket drew people to me.
It was the sponsoring running clubs anniversary jacket. It was warm and
breathable with great pocket and zipper designs. This gave me a chance to talk
to people and compare race plans and goals. I got a lot of congratulations for
this being my third race and choosing this particular race.
The start was late and it was very cold. I hung near the
back between the 8k runners and the 2 mile walkers determined the change from
running tights to denim. About the time we started moving, I realized I forgot
my phone back in the car. No splits for me. I did start my vivosmart. The
people I had been talking to started at a faster pace than I. It took a while
to get warm and start sweating. I used the buff over my face for about a mile
and half. My hands grew warm and my gloves got tucked away around mile three. About
mile 4, I truly considered taking off my jacket, I was so warm.
My brain was whiny. I was not floating with things. The out
and backs down the same roads sorta made me feel like I was getting nowhere and
that the turnabout cones were placed generously too far apart. I was hearing in
my head to stop and walk, or go back to the start and wait for the shuttle.
Each step was heavy but I am a stubborn person and willed my feet to keep
moving forward. Those first three miles were rough. There was some chatting
with others while paces matched. I had been passing people. I knew I was still
on the back end of the racing group but I was improving my standing. And around
mile four, I found some peace with the race and course. It was rolling and
passed thru some very nice scenery. I was still willing myself forward. My stomach
started to revolt a bit as turned in for the last half mile. But I kept telling
myself that I just needed to put one foot in front of the other and breathe in
and breathe out. It wasn’t really complicated. It was natural and I was capable.
Turning in to the last half mile with cheers from well
bundled volunteers, I saw the hill. The race route was a big loop. It started
downhill. I took a deep breath and dug deep. My legs moved on their own, sure
and strong on the incline as others fell back into a walk. I passed people I had
been chasing for most of the race. My final sprint wasn’t that much faster than
the pace I had already been going. I was running on fumes. Volunteers cheered
us up the hill. Focusing on the Finish sign, I surrendered to the discomfort
and came in with a 53:37 time. A personal best (PB).
I paced around near the finish line, waiting for my gut to
settle down. Bananas and chili and more coffee waiting for us back at the
building but food was the last thing on my mind. Not barfing was key.
Eventually, the nausea passed and I climbed back onto the shuttle knowing I ran
a great race. My race selfie is me in the car. It would have been nice to get pictures of the race. Despite the late start, it was a well organized race.
Again yoga and running ran parallel. I had to surrender to
the asanas and to the course. Discomfort happens with both and it is temporary.
Accepting it and continuing to move forward can lead to some pretty rewarding
experiences.
Here is a video of a guy who ran the race. You can catch a
glimpse of me on the bus.
I got my shirt from our running group on My Fitness Pal (MFP). So excited. It fits great and looks good, at least I think so.
And here are some pictures of the reptiles in my life because why not?
Life has been rather interesting lately. Aerial yoga took a
back seat to a visit with my rheumatologist. They only took two vials of blood
this time. But I have to go back for one test still.
Thursday, on the way to the gym, fiancé and I took my car to
a friend to get a sound looked at. It sounded like a loose belt. No big deal.
Well, it wasn’t the belt. It was the transmission, and it was cracked. So gym
time and yoga time turned into hunt for new car time. Even when we had a few
spare hours, I just couldn’t bring myself to get to the gym. I was anxious.
Some of my cars haven’t been the greatest. I might have, in fact, felt better
if I went, but I didn’t.
Long story short, I found a car. And life got back to
normal.
I went for a treadmill run on Sunday. It was about 55 min
and 4.75 miles. I seemed rather slow but I added some hills. I also added 1-2
minutes of ten minute mile sprints. And I was stuck in my head. And it was
rough. The hills were awful. The wi-fi wouldn’t stay connected, so I couldn’t
distract myself with Jessica Jones. But around mile 4, things got a little
better, and then worse. I have never wanted to puke after a run but I did after
this run. I looked like a hot mess after the run. So here is a picture from before I started running. No one wants to see this "after" picture.
This would definitely qualify as a bad a run. Still, I got
thru it. Because I could. Because I decided that a bad run was just a bad run
and stopping wouldn’t make it better. It would just make it shorter and I would
have given up on something that deep down, I knew I could do.
I don’t have a lot to report. That’s really it. So thank you
for joining me. We did go to the pet store for crickets and I took a few
pictures of the reptiles. I also took some pictures of the dog and dragon in
house.
Welcome to a new week. We have new opportunities. Let’s take
advantage of them.
So what have I been up to?
Tuesday evening I had a birthday dinner with friends. There
was twenty of us chatting, laughing and enjoying good food and drinks. It is my
favorite restaurant and our waiter was blast. He knew how to handle a bunch of
rowdy yogis and friends with humor and ribbing. Seriously, though, I’ve not had
a bad dish there and look forward to my next meal there.
Wednesday, I woke up remembering why I don’t drink often or
much. I had an appointment with a new doctor. We discussed where I was with my
depression and anxiety and made a few adjustments. Then, I had lunch with my fiancé
who then joined me for a shopping trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods. Got to pick up
some new running clothes. I can feel all spiffy now. While we were there, the fiancé
noticed a picture they had on their wall.
Aerial yoga went well. It was rather low key as I was still
feeling my birthday drinks. I made sure that we stretched our necks and backs
as it seemed we were all carrying some stress there. We chatted about life and
what we had all been up to. I am happy that we have a free space to express our
feelings as well as express ourselves thru asanas. I think it helps with the
mind body connection.
I didn’t run on Thursday. New medicine made me a bit wobbly, but will help with both the autoimmune and depression. So sucking it up till the side effects past, but moving at a fast pace seemed like a bad idea.
Friday, I went to aerial yoga with SDTB. She really enjoys
it. It’s always nice to see someone have such joy in the fabrics. Class
stretched us out and challenged us. The leg series we do to warm up, I think,
might be the hardest part of the class. I learned a new move called infinity
and accidently found a way into a wrapped swing seat. Another fun part of
aerial yoga is finding cool “mistakes.”
Saturday I was up for a run. I went to the gym early to get
a head start on my fiancé and SDTB. It felt so good to run. I didn’t go for any
records but tried to keep a steady pace. I averaged out at 12:34. There were a
few sprints. I wore some of my new birthday running clothes. I know now where
the Bodyglide is needed. I find each piece of clothing has different hot spots.
Bodyglide is a runner’s best friend. It is better than Vaseline because it won’t
stain clothes.
Did I learn anything over these past few days? I learned it’s
ok to take it easy sometimes. I learned to be adaptable. I learned that I don’t
have to break records every run. I learned that mistakes can lead to some fun
discovery.
