Run baby run!

I’m not athletic. I sometimes have shorts bursts of wanting to be sporty. Like people who play sports. But then I remember that I don’t really like sports. Sports require a lot of coordination. Also, if you play on a team, people usually want to win whatever game from whatever sport you’re playing. I don’t care about winning a sports game/match/whatever, because I don’t like sports.

It’s a good thing I have yoga.

Not liking sports doesn’t mean I don’t like to exercise. I used to go to the gym. I liked it, until I got bored. Also, I used to run. I love running. I still consider myself a runner, even though it’s been a while and I’ve never run more than a 5k.

In the past year, I’ve only been running a handful of times. I was busy. Yoga makes me happy, so I do yoga all the time and I don’t run. But running makes me happy too. Humm, this is a problem that does not require great intelligence to fix (not that I don’t have great intelligence. I’m super duper smart. Just ask my mom.)

I was talking to my friend Suzanne about this a few weeks ago. She just had a baby, and she’s never run before, but she said she wanted to start. Since I’ve been on hiatus for so long, we decided to start together and do a couch to 5k.

If you’ve never heard of this program before, look it up, it’s great! It’s a program designed to get you to run a 5k in 8 weeks.

Today was our first day and it was absolutely fantastic! We had such a great time! I’ve always run by myself before, so this was a treat. Also, it helped that we went to Starbucks when we were done. But mostly, it was the running that was so freakin’ fabulous.

We didn’t coordinate our outfits on purpose. But it is totally something we would do.

We’ve decided to run together once a week, and do the other two runs on our own. It’s a pretty gentle start, with the first week being a 25 minute run/walk interval sequence. I have big plans for running and yoga tomorrow, so I’m pretty excited!

This next part has nothing to do with running, but everything to do with helping me become a yoga teacher! Please click on the link to watch my video and help make my dream come true! If you’ve watched it before, please watch it again, every view counts! Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FymAS1je9o0

Run for the cure

This morning I participated in a 5k run for “Run for the cure” to help in the fight agains breast cancer. Ok, it was actually a 5k walk, not a run! I haven’t been running lately. Participating in a 30-day yoga challenge meant I had to chose, I couldn’t do it all. It was still lots of fun and we had a big team, called Pink Power. It started off cloudy and I was hoping the rain would hold off, but as soon as we started out, it started to drizzle. Not pouring or anything, so it could have been worse! It was like being at Niagara Falls, where there’s a mist everywhere. There were 10 000 people there, all wearing pink!

Now I’m off to the final class of my yoga challenge. Lots of people from the challenge are going to be there, so it’s going to be one big yoga party! I can’t wait!

Positive motivation, from me to you!

Yesterday I came across some very disturbing pictures and messages online. I’d heard of thinspo, short for thinspiration, but I had no idea how awful it really was. Girls are posting and liking pictures of emaciated young women as their inspiration. This is what they aim to look like. I refuse to post any of the pictures I saw, but some of them had messages like “I only feel beautiful when I’m hungry”, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” and “Your stomach is not growling, it’s applauding”.

When I started this blog, I decided it would be my happy place. I could go on about how horrible and dangerous these thinspo photos are, and how damaging they are to young and not so young girls everywhere, but I won’t. Instead of adding to the negativity, I decided to create my own form of inspiration. Let’s call it Blisspo. I know that word makes no sense. That’s not the point.

What is the point? I think it’s about balance. I try to eat right and excercise, but I also like brownies and watching tv. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be a little slimmer, usually when I wear a bathing suit, but I work out to be healthy, not to be skinny.

So here is the first ever collection of Blisspo photos I created just for you. Enjoy and don’t take it too seriously!

Just add water

It’s been really hot the past few days. I live on the third floor, so there’s no escaping the heat. I’m not complaining, partly because I know this is just a taste of what’s to come!

Yesterday, I was supposed to spend the day with a friend, but she drank too much wine at a wedding the night before, tsk, tsk! It was such a beautiful day that I couldn’t just stay in. It might have been a good idea, since the end of the school year is close and that means lots of papers to grade and report cards to fill in. Yuck. I decided to go running along the canal instead.

It’s very pretty but it can also be quite smelly. The water’s not stagnant, but it doesn’t move much either. I saw a guy doing stand up paddling. I really want to try that. Maybe not on the canal thought. I’m pretty sure I would fall in the water several times and canal water is yucky.

I hope he didn’t think I was a stalker.

Going running along the canal was also number 23 on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I put it on the list because it’s one of those things I always said I would do, but never actually did.

Today was another hot day. Since it was Monday, I had to work, but Julie and I decided to go have lunch at the marina. It was much cooler there and we had a nice breeze. Lots of ducks, too.

I forgot my camera (I know, strange!) so Julie took some pictures with her phone. She took one of me eating my lunch. My skirt is kind of blowing up, but I’m still decent.

After work, I wanted to test something out. If it’s 40 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside the yoga studio, is is still hot yoga? Or is it just yoga? I wondered if I was crazy going to hot yoga on a day like today, but I was going to be hot no matter what I did, I figured it might as well be something fun.

Turns out, hot yoga is hot yoga, no matter what the temperature is outside. It was a great class. It wasn’t as hot as usual (31 degrees) and the fans were on, but I still got plenty sweaty. It was a fearless flow class, where the ultimate goal is an inversion. We worked on handstands. That stuff is hard! My hands and arms were so sore! I can still only lift one leg at a time, but I kind of hop around and pretend I’m a cirque du soleil performer. It helps with the motivation.

When I got home, it was still pretty hot, so I decided to have dinner at the beach. I grabbed a few things and put on my swimsuit. Now, I don’t know about you, but for me, the first time I put on a bathing suit in the summer is a slightly traumatic experience. I didn’t think I would go swimming, but I wanted to be prepared in case I got the urge to fling myself into the lake.

I ate, I read a little and dipped my toes in the water. It was windy and perfect.

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so I guess I’ll be getting more water!

Walk, don’t run!

I have a nasty cold. So bad, that I just spent all weekend complaining. It was a really nice day out on Saturday, but I spent most of it on the couch. At one point, I opened the door, stepped out onto the porch to confirm that, yes, in fact, it was a beautiful day. Then I went back to bed. Yesterday was a little better and I spent the afternoon with family, sitting on my grandma’s porch.

Today, I decided I was sick of being sick. It was another amazing day and I could not spend one more minute inside. Well, after work, anyways. I stopped at the park on my way home, because the word for my photo a day challenge was grass. Since I live in an appartment, I don’t have any grass. I sat around, took some pictures and enjoyed the sun. This is my picture of the day.

Then I decided that what I really wanted wasn’t just to sit outside, but to run. I went home and started getting ready. That’s when the inner dialogue started.

Sick me: – You know, you’re still sick.

Sick of being sick me: – Whatever, I need to move!

– I’m just saying, walk, don’t run.

– We’ll see. I really want to run.

– I know, but you keep having coughing fits.

– I can stop running to cough, it’s all good.

– Ok, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Obviously, 5 minutes in, I started to run. I felt amazing, free, like I was a gazelle….and my lungs were on fire. Actually, I started coughing so I slowed down, and that’s when my lungs felt like they were about to explode. So much for running while being sick. I did run for longer than I thought I would though (a total of about 5 minutes).

Since I couldn’t run, I decided to go back to the park. There were beautiful lilac bushes. Some kids gave me some lilacs today. It was very sweet, even if the flowers were a little (a lot) wilted from being held in grubby little hands for who knows how long during recess. I decided I wanted to pick some. Trouble is, the ones I could reach were on the street side and I didn’t want anyone to see me. I don’t think picking flowers is allowed in parks, but there’s no sign or anything. Anyways I went to the other side and jumped around and grabbed at the branches untill I had a few flowers. I sent all kinds of tree bits and leaves and maybe a bug down the front of my shirt, but it was worth it. I also picked some blue flowers.

I like to take before and after pictures. This is before and after my run/walk/flower picking expedition. I still have dark circles under my eyes, but I think I look happier after playing outside.

So this is what I learned today: when you’re sick, walk, don’t run. Or even better, pick flowers!

Why I run

Today is a cloudy, almost rainy day. Instead of going for a run, I figured I would just blog about running. That’s kind of the same thing, right?

Sometimes, I feel like I’m cheating by calling myself a runner. Runners are athletic people. They run marathons. They eat (or drink?) those little gel packet things. They have weird running shoes with toes. A 5k run is a breeze.

I have to train to run a 5k. But, I’m guessing even the runners had to start somewhere. They must have trained for a 5k at some point. What I wonder is, what motivates someone to run a marathon? Those things can kill you. My reasons for running seem to be very different from other people. Then again, I’ve never asked anyone why they run.

This is why I run:

– To run away from a bad day.

– Because I can.

– I like the sound my feet make on the pavement.

– I enjoy the adrenaline rush.

– Runners are cool.

– Because I love it. I can’t explain it, it’s just fun.

– It’s more exciting than going for a walk.

– Sometimes, because I over did it on the brownies.

– When I’m running, nothing else matters.

– After a run, I feel like I’ve accomplished something amazing.

Actually, those seem like pretty good reasons to run, now that I’ve written them down. I think I’ve actually managed to motivate myself to go running. Yay me!

What are your reasons for running?

How to go for a run

The awesome weather we’ve been having is motivating me to go running. This is great, because I usually start enjoying my run when I’m at least 10 minutes in. The actual getting out the door and getting started is not my favorite part. I know I’ll feel good about it later, but I usually have to bribe myself with something like this.

My getting ready goes something like this:

Check the weather.

Look for blue t-shirt.

Find only green t-shirt.

Keep looking.

Find blue t-shirt in gym bag.

Sniff for freshness.

Put on blue t-shirt.

Put on pink hoodie that completely covers blue t-shirt.

Check the weather.

Drink some water.

Find ipod.

Wonder if earbuds fall out of everyone’s ears.

Stretch.

Find keys.

Check the weather.

Go outside.

Lock door.

Go back in for sunglasses.

5 minute warm-up walk.

Ok, 10 minutes.

Find good song to start running to.

Think about getting some new music.

Start running.

Huff, puff.

Think about sore knees.

Think about bad ankle.

Stop thinking.

Run.

Run.

Run.

Breathe.

Enjoy.

Come home.

Eat a cookie.

Last fall I ran a 5k with one of my students. There was no way I was letting a 7 year old be tougher than me. How’s that for motivation? I wonder if she’ll do a 10k with me?

What’s your motivation?