Wohoo

I promise I've been active. There haven't been a whole lot of pictures

I've had two interval runs. and I always walk away from the run saying I'll be at the gym more. But I've only made it twice in the past two weeks. I've done some walking with pokemon on my lunch. However, it's getting super hot. And I don't do heat well. I hate heat. And humidity. I also turn into a whiney little thing. 

New news is I've begun foam rolling. Once a week after my low aerial yoga class, I now get to teach a foam rolling class. It's a lot of fun. It hurts but it's fun and is good for me. You wouldn't think that something that looks like an oversized pool noodle could hurt so dang much but you would certainly be wrong. Being a new class and practice, I've been doing a lot of research both with websites and talking to other yoga teachers. Don't spend too long in an area. Avoid rolling the lower back but you can use the foam roller as a tool for bridge. Ditto for the neck. Using it 2-5xs a week is best and I'm not great at that. My roller sits in my trunk waiting for Wednesdays. It is sort of a full body workout too. There are body contortions you have to do, and planks. So far I've had class each week with a few students. I hope that it continues to be successful and maybe we can get a few people into low aerial after watching it while waiting for class. Peek some interest. 

The lyra is still a painful partner. Instagram is helping me find new interest in aerial yoga and aerial hammock (not the same). We do Friday Night Live as a studio during the summer. It's a street festival every Friday. I've run into old classmates and coworkers. It's so much fun and opens conversations. It helps I think that we are also all different body types. We aren't all the lithe yoga woman everyone conjures up when they think yogi. We are short, tall, skinny, curvy, young, not so young. I think, we embodied that yoga is for every body. There are as many types of classes and teachers as there are students who want to learn. 

Circus/Lyra hurts

There are a few things that I still need to get done. One is to run more. I feel better overall. Another is to get that legal name change then so I can officially take my hubbies name. I could also use to figure out how to avoid bees. Two bees found it necessary to sting me, once on Friday-so no FNL for me-and one on Sunday and my knee is still not happy. It's not an allergy necessarily but a small reaction combined with my overreactive immune system. When I woke up this morning, it still hurt. One more day of rest. 

And I've started selling some of my photography on Etsy. Printing is done by a local store. The audience is slowly building and then I can figure out what people are most interested in. I had my first sale. I even got a picture of where it was going to hang and the background as to why the buyer wanted that specific picture. This sort of connection makes the sale rather special. I hope other interactions are just as rewarding. So far people are looking at this one the most....

As for now, it's just photos, but maybe in the future I'll learn how to do scented Epson salts or resin jewelry and paperweights with the photos or dried flowers. I'm feeling crafty. Part of me wants to make clothing too. Women's clothing with real pockets that actually hold things. However, the intial investment and the slow return....It's a little prohibitive.

 Life is moving forward. I'm trying to work on the flow. And going with it. Finding the love of life and inhaling it with deep, nourishing breaths. 

Hello, Are you out there?

Well, hello again. I promise I haven’t abandoned you. As so often happens, life has gotten in the way. Between wedding and work, time has been at a premium.

Last Tuesday, I went for run before work. I’ve developed a plan to help increase my pace. It seems to be working and I can adjust it for the day’s need. I start with a regular five minute warm up and then start the work. Typically, I start at 5mph and each minute build up. And then build down. The first time around, I keep it slow, not building past 5.6mph. Second time, I build up to 6.7mph. And then back down again. How many times this is repeated is dependent on how long my run time is. It gives me an opportunity to work on pace and intervals at the same time. Even though it is an interval workout, it isn’t easy. I was dripping in sweat.

So here is the before picture

Wednesday, we had an airing aerial yoga class. The students and I had to let things go. We needed to air our frustrations out but not have any one try to fix it. Just say it and let it go. I would like to think we all felt a little lighter leaving class. In yoga, we talk about a mind body connection. Sometimes, where our minds go, our body follows. If our thoughts are kinda ugly, our bodies can go south too. In the beginning of class, we start with a seated meditation. Last Wednesday, we mentally swept our minds of all those things dragging us down. At the end of the class, we reminded ourselves that we are supported and safe and able to deal with whatever life was swinging at us.

I had the intent to run Thursday and Friday and Saturday, but it didn’t happen. I’ve been battling some exhaustion and a busy life.

We went to an Ani Difranco concert Friday night

So running on Monday happened. And I copied my workout plan but started at 5.2mph. I’m still slow. It’s ok. I remind myself that I just started running a year ago. I’ve been adding hills to my walking portions. A little birdie told me that my half marathon has some rather large hills. I don’t want to be surprised again like I was with the Great Pi Run.

Monday was rough. I felt like I couldn’t get going or catch my breath. Even before that, I had forgotten pants. No running pants. No running pants no run. Thankfully, my gym has clothes for sale and I got some shorts. They were super comfortable and unisex, so they weren’t short. They were long. I rolled them up so they weren’t knee length. It was an awfully sweaty run. But satisfactory.

Now this Wednesday, this Wednesday was fun. Last Wednesday, we did a little “foam rolling” with the fabrics. So I planned a whole aerial yoga rolling class. It was wonderful and painful all at once. In the past, I had a trigger point massage one day. The day of and the day after left me uncomfortable and sore. But the day after that, I felt so pain free. Foam rolling is of a similar concept. It is a popular way to work out sore muscles especially with runners. I’ve heard a lot of people with fibromyalgia use it as well.

I applied the concept to the low aerial yoga. It went really well. We used traditional yoga moves modified to let the fabric roll on certain muscle groups. The phrase “it hurts so good” surely applies here. Besides working out achy muscles and achieving myofascial release, it was great working on core, back, and arms. There was a lot of groaning after finding the spot. At the end of class, everyone expressed their happiness with the new class. I mentioned I might bring to a class I’ll be subbing for on the 22^nd and that sparked some interest as well. I think it was a successful class. Admittedly, I’m a little sore today but tomorrow will be better.

Studio was freezing this morning. Stayed in my coat for a bit.

Tomorrow, I plan on running. A few times, I’ve said I’m too tired to get up but I have found that I’m more tired and continue to get tired when I don’t get my butt up and run. Also, I don’t have to go to the gym to run either. I sometimes forget that I was a road runner first. When I run on the road, I don’t have the control that I get on a treadmill. The treadmill lets me fine tune what I want to do in a way that I cannot outside. They both have their benefits.

I love my active life. And it’s not as active as some and more active than others. At the same time, it’s really easy to fall into bad habits. I must be on guard. I’m looking forward to the half marathon. I just need to keep training and keep using my aerial yoga for recovery.

In the meantime, here is Karn sunbathing and straight up bathing

Also here are a few pets available at our local Hwy 100 at Petworld

It's Morning, Get up!

I feel great. Well, my body is a little stiff, but my mind is doing great. Between the yoga and running, I’m feeling content and very comfortable with life right now.

On Monday, I got to the gym. I packed my lunch the night before to get a few extra minutes. The first mile was hard. I felt out of practice. I had on long leggings and my Great Pi Race tech shirt. My trusty phone was distracting me with Daredevil Season 1. I’m not a hundred percent into the series but I like to stay up to date with the all the marvel universe stuff. The long leggings were maybe a bad choice. I got hot right away and starting sweating. Like serious sweat dripping from my brow. Sometimes, I get a little self-conscious because I know my face is tomato red and I sweat like a pig (Pigs don’t actually sweat do they?) My pace is slow.

PreRun Picture

But I am running. This in and of itself is a success as I never thought I would be running and especially not at 4:30am on a weekday. I like the idea of sweat is fat crying. I know it’s not true because if that was the case, I would be at my race weight, but still it sounds cool. The red face lets everyone know I’m working my butt off and maybe it inspires someone else to give a little extra. And my pace, my pace is slowly growing faster. I started running slow a 13:00 pace and now I’ve improved to 11:30 on my morning runs. It’s still slow but I’m continuing to improve.

At the end of my Monday run, I had gotten in 6.13 miles. It was nice to get that distance in. I’ve still got the half marathon and that’s 13 miles with hills. There is still a lot of work ahead of me but I did it in the past and I know I can do it again.

Wednesday night I had a full class. 3 regulars and 3 newbies. I made sure to make it fun and light. Sometimes, trying new things can be very intimidating. We worked on getting comfortable with the fabric. Lots of rolling from front to back and returning to the front. My mind got a little creative so that the regulars and new people were all on the same foot tackling new asanas. Plank and boat series made appearances. Hips and shoulders got worked out. One of my regulars had brought her daughter and after class we worked on coffin to help with tightness in her shoulder and neck.

Inversion Hair. Don't Care

This morning I went for another run. I got a little later start. A little extra sleep seemed good. Driving thru the icy rain this morning, my stomach rumbled with hunger. It probably wouldn’t hurt to put my Gu Chomps in my bag. I don’t mind fasted runs, but it might be nice to do a few runs with the chomps. Especially, when I start going longer. The little boost you get with these gum drops really does help you dig a little deeper.

I was smarter today and wore a tank top and capris. And my brooks. My Saucony trails have gotten a bit of a break. Though I might use them for my half marathon. The Wi-Fi was uncooperative this morning. I thought I might have to run with no music and no daredevil. I’m quite spoiled. I don’t want to hear my panting and pounding feet. Some people feel like it’s a good thing or comforting. I just find it distracting and making my effort more prevalent in my mind. It makes me want to quit because who wants to keep going when they are trying that hard.

It wasn’t an easy run. I ran five min intervals at a comfortable speed and then a much faster speed. If I thought I sweated hard on Monday-well, Monday had nothing on me today. I tried not to watch the clock but it was hard. Very hard. Thankfully, the episode of Daredevil was very engrossing. When I finished, I felt wiped. I wished I could go take a nap rather than hop in my car and go to work. I took a cold shower to halt the sweat and wake me up. And off to work I went.

On my drive, I was feeling accomplished. The sun was just starting to come up and I had already run nearly five miles. I am achy but it was a suck it up buttercup moment this morning when my alarm went off. I made a race commitment and a commitment to myself. I will run that half marathon and I will continue to lose weight and get healthier. 

Spring is on it's way

Hi, all.

It’s time I get going. I have to start running more for two reasons: the half marathon in May and my last fitting for my wedding dress is March 18^th and then I have to maintain my weight till my wedding day.

My weekend was the opposite of getting in shape. We had a tasting with the caterer and dinner with friends one day and brunch for a family member’s birthday. I stuffed my face. And it was delicious. I regret nothing. There was a blondie brownie sundae that had to be consumed.

While the gym was discussed over the weekend, it did not happen. Monday, again, it was discussed but a case of the Mondays lead to no trip. It was such a lovely day, I still had to go for a run. The dog stayed home. I need to socialize her a little bit a more as she still has issues on the leash and since the day was so lovely, I knew there would be too many issues. She sulked when I left and ignored me when I came home for a while. It was 60 some degrees and it was too nice too not get outside.

It was capri and tank top weather. I may have been able to go with shorts even. I don’t know how long this weather will last but I’m enjoying it. X-Ambassadors kept me company and moving. My goal was to hit up some hills. My soon to be sister in law told me the half marathon I signed up for has hills. The last thing I want to do is not be prepared for the elevation changes. The good news is my area is full of all sorts of hills, big hills, little hills, slow rise, and steep. As I ran, looked around at intersections to look for hills. I zigzagged thru the city. It was a hard run. I ended up quite sweaty. Many other runners and walkers strolled the sidewalks.

As Runkeeper notices came, I felt like the mileage came slowly. I pushed my discomfort. Running isn’t always comfortable. Well, it is rarely comfortable.

 Running is changing your body every second you do it and change is not comfortable. You are pushing and arguing with your mind. Your mind will be telling you to stop, or make excuses to not even start. That is why I listen to music so I can distract myself. When I do long runs, I find myself detaching from my legs but the first part of the run, I try to talk myself out of it.

In the end, I felt good. I hadn’t run in a while and I hadn’t run outside and even longer. I wish the dog could have come with me but I’ve got some work to do with her. It wasn’t easy. There may have been some swearing in my mind. Yet, there came a point when I just felt joyful and successful. I don’t know if it’s a runner’s high or it’s just being excited at my accomplishments.

I have a race on Saturday with the step daughter to be. One of my regulars and few others might join us. It will be interesting to see what the results would be since I didn’t run much in February.

Till next time J

Are You Breathing?

Are we ready for the weekend? I sure am.

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.