three things thursday: i’m still alive!

February 2, 2012 2 Comments

Things that suck: being a running blogger and getting injured. I’ve had nothing to blog about and those things are that are big in my life right now, I don’t really want to blog about for anyone to read. So I’ve had no content really. I’ve had little to tweet about and I’ve pretty much been on social media burnout with all of the weather related posts and posts related to recent happenings in the news…

I’ve been able to keep myself busy though… working, yoga-ing, trying to shop for a Valentine’s Day gift for the LT (every time I tried to shop, I bought myself something. Like the lululemon yoga pants.)

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

1. I’ve spent a lot of time on the mat.

Excuse iPhone’s quality photography. And I swear I don’t wear a scarf and do yoga. I just put it back on when I was done this morning then took the photo…

I went to hot yoga classes Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at Cleveland Yoga all from different instructors and Tuesday and today, I just did the 20 minute week one practice from 40 Days. I like actually going to class a lot more than doing it alone, but I’m (trying to be) cheap. Plus I think hot yoga every single day where all I’m thinking about is how I don’t have enough lululemon on and how much I’m sweating will get old fast. In all seriousness though, I went to a 90-minute class Monday night and wow… hardest class of my life. But even in a few short weeks, I feel my body getting stronger and I’ve been able to get through some poses without struggling as much or do poses I couldn’t do before (like getting into wheel without falling!)

2. Last night, I was able to run three miles (inside, unfortunately) before hitting the spin bike for an hour class. I had to get to the gym super early to get a bike — I was one of the last people to sign up and class wasn’t starting for 50 minutes when I signed in. So I had some time to kill and I ran on the track with only some mild discomfort in the knee. Yay!

3. I spent most of my day doing this:

Definitely won’t win any susie homemaker awards. I’m just hoping everything makes it there without getting completely ruined. The crappiest thing about Valentine’s Day isn’t being single and not having a Valentine — you can always just ignore it, treat it like any other day and not bring attention to it. The crappy part is being in a relationship and not being able to be with your significant other. This is two years in a row now. But I’m not the first girl to deal with this kinda crap and I’m not the last, so there’s not much I can do but smile and take each day as it comes.

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so I need to cross train…

January 30, 2012 9 Comments

I don’t know what it is about winter that leaves me feeling down, unmotivated, up a few pounds and usually injured.

This year has been no different.

It’s always been in my nature to ask a lot of questions — why am I feeling this way? How can I make such and such work? What should I do with my life? Why am I not getting faster? Why can’t I lose weight? Why can’t I get into crow?

(those last two questions may be related. Or I’m just scared of balancing poses and can’t let go of the fear of falling.)

Running is usually the answer to any questions I have, but lately, it’s been leaving me with more questions than answers. I’m not at the greatest point in my life (or the worst, life’s not so bad. I’m grateful for what I have), and the one thing that I can always count on to make me feel better, more in the moment and like everything’s going to be OK was starting to leave me feeling overwhelmed, stressed and injured. And not only that, other areas of my life have been full of stress and fatigue and running wasn’t giving me the same stress relief that it used to — a sign of burn out.

Since the trauma to my knee at Regis, jumping right into Mohican training had to take a step back and I’ve been looking more toward my (new) yoga mat to help me get more of what I look for out of exercise and fitness. (I know what’s wrong with the knee, it simply needs some rest, reduced mileage and fewer downhills. Only one race on my calendar is questionable, but other than that, I don’t really want to talk about it or dwell on it).

Last Monday, I went to a late afternoon hot yoga class at Cleveland Yoga with Terri. I haven’t been doing much yoga before recently, but my legs and hips are in desperate need of some stretching and strengthening and I’m a complete idiot for not taking my last injury as a sign I should slow down and keep stretching and doing other activities. While I was there, I noticed a poster advertising the “40 Days to Personal Revolution” program, based on the book by Baron Baptiste. According to the studio’s website, this is a basic rundown of what the program includes:

Daily yoga practice; Ways to cleanse your body; Daily meditation practice; Journaling questions to root out limiting beliefs and patterns.

Sounds awesome, right? I thought about it the entire class. The only hangup for me is the price tag. Though I’d be able to meet with the group and practice unlimited yoga for the entire 40 days, I’m still sticking to my commitment towards saving money this year (so ignore those lululemon pants I bought yesterday…)

After class that Monday, I joined Alicia and a few other Cleveland Marathon bloggers for dinner in Independence. Alicia blogged about it today, so check it out. Since Alicia is starting YTT soon at Nishkama Yoga, I told her about the program and asked for her thoughts. She suggested just buying the book myself and doing it alone. Sure I’d be losing out on the experience of the group, but I can use that few hundred bucks for more yoga (and not limit myself to one studio either) and the lululemon jacket I had to talk myself out of buying yesterday… and new brakes for my car… And if I need someone to talk to what I’m learning/experiencing, I have Alicia (ha, sorry for not asking first) as well as plenty of other friends who may listen to me and well, this blog that I can pretty much post whatever I want.

So I went home that night and bought the book on iTunes and read everything up to the first week in two days.

I started today.

I don’t plan on blogging all about it, just pieces here and there that I think will be beneficial or interesting to you.

I’m still running, though not as much and focusing more on getting healthy and making it to the start (and finish!) line of Mohican (while not wearing a shirt). We’ll see how it all shows on my chip times. But the point is for me to learn and grow as a person. To evaluate my life, and to “unlearn.” I have my whole life to run a fast marathon and a ton of ultras. I’m doing what I can right now.

“There are no riches greater than a sound body.”

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run-less monday.

January 23, 2012 9 Comments

Long time no blog….

Not much has happened in the past week other than I’ve been doing things like working my butt off, yoga-ing and not running as much as I should be. I took two days off after Regis, went to hot yoga Wednesday morning and then did my first run (5.65 miles) with running club that night.

Oh and in between, I picked up this and had lunch downtown with my dad:

Yup, two years in a row I was at the top of my AG in the Hermes Cleveland Road Race Series. This year was considerably tougher. In 2010, I crushed everyone (sorry for the lack of humbleness), but this year there were more runners in my AG who participated in more races and I took two months off from the series because of plantar fasciitis. But anyway, I missed the awards brunch to run Regis, so I went down to the Hermes office to pick it up. And sad to say, but I will not be participating again this year because of all of my crazy trail races… that and I moved up an age group now and I like Jessica too much to kick her butt ;) (or fail miserably trying to beat her…)

So, back to the run… Running club was great. I felt awesome, fast and held on to the faster group the entire time (though a few guys were missing, but those are minor details). Nothing hurt. I ran a quick 4 on Thursday and had some soreness and a little bit of knee pain going downhill, but nothing to really bother me.

But Saturday, I headed out on another trail run/adventure. I started the run cold and frustrated (it had snowed all night) and very pissed off because I noticed this when I was putting my shoes on:

Yep. Nice big rip/hole in my Brooks trail shoes. I bought them in late October and don’t remember doing anything to my shoe last week that could have caused it (that foot didn’t get caught in either fall during the race). I was planning on replacing them in February, but I guess I get to now.

Around mile 6, my knee was hurting. By mile 9.5, I had enough and took the roads back to my car, only finishing 12.35 and the rest of the group did 15.5.

I was (and still am) pissed. I’m supposed to be training for Mohican. And Fool’s. And Cap City, the Pig and Cleveland.

I went to yoga in the afternoon to see my friends (Jess, Jen and Julie) at a class at the Yoga Room, led by Becca, who is going through YTT and is going to be super awesome! And with some assistance, I did something I never thought I’d do: a headstand.

Part of me wishes I had a photo to prove it, but that’d be obnoxious. Anyway, I’ve been to so many yoga classes before and never ever even attempted a headstand. The closest to an inversion I was always comfortable with was shoulder stand (and plow, but I don’t know if that counts.) I’ve always thought was too fat or too inexperienced to do it.

I guess all I needed was some help. And to be surrounded with people I actually know.

I’m off for more hot yoga. Fingers crossed I’ll be running again later this week!

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