Yoga

Believe it or not, I've actually had a lot to say over the past couple of weeks, but just haven't had a chance to sit down and type it all out.  Looks like things are going to start picking up again pretty quick here...

I mentioned being interested, and I've done it once before, but I'm picking up hot yoga.  Living Social had a fabulous deal a little over a week ago.  For $20 you could attend 20 hot yoga classes at Blissful Spirits Hot Yoga.  Considering that this is about 90% off the price of a 20 class membership, I went ahead and jumped on that, even though I'd already decided to hold off on the hot yoga until I was in better shape.  Well, it turns out that my friend, T, had also bought the same deal and we immediately made plans to go two days later (last Thursday, 4/7).

Apparently, T and I were not the only ones who bought the Living Social deal.  In fact, 880+ others had joined in on purchasing that, and it almost seemed like every single one of them had decided to attend the same class we had.  I'll just say this....the 105 degrees that the room is heated to must have been well over that in reality.  50+ people showed up for that first class...we were squished together and everyone's body heat just increased the temperature in the room.  Within the first few minutes I knew I was in for a real workout.

And a workout it was.  Maybe it was the heat.  Maybe it was the fact that I was new and wasn't in my comfort zone.  Maybe it was the fact that I've been pretty stationary for the past three months.  Whatever it was, this class was rough.  I couldn't hold some of the poses and I couldn't drink enough water.  I started to get pretty down on myself and sunk into a foul mood...until the instructor reminded us to remember our dedications that we'd set at the beginning of class.  Mine was to gain clarity in a difficult situation I was facing and to find inner peace.  Just remembering that that was why I was there was enough to push through.

I left that first class with a red face, soaked clothes and drenched hair, but I also felt like I'd had the most amazing massage of my life.  I felt relaxed, happy and at ease.  Nothing bad mattered.  This feeling lasted for several days and all I could talk about was how fabulous the class was.  I couldn't wait to go back!

So my plan is to attend class every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Running/cycling/whatever can fit in around that.  Now that I have experienced this other side to "working out" (because to me working out is usually not fun), it's all I want to do.  I really think that I'll be able to see some real benefits in my life - not just physical side effects, but the mental and emotional clarity that I need.

99 Days

I have never denied the fact that I am a lazy person.  If I get an extra day off of work, you can bet that my only plan will be to sleep as much as possible.  There's not much that I love more than pulling on a pair of pajamas and sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and a book (or the computer).  But that's all over now.

After 99 days of either putting absolutely no weight on my foot, a lot of sitting on my ever-widening ass, or spinning away mindlessly on my trainer, I'm finally able to start running again!  And I did.  On the 100th day.  :)

I need to clarify though.  I'm using the word "running" very loosely here.  My goal was 30 minutes, distance didn't matter.  Pace didn't matter.  All I needed to do was move for 30 minutes.  I alternated 1 minute of running and 4 minutes of walking - just like I did over three years ago when I was first learning how to run.  It was an amazing experience.  I was a little sore and felt it in my foot and calf, but it wasn't painful.  I only covered a mile and a half (approximately.  I didn't want to measure it out) and who knows how much of that I actually ran, but it was awesome.

My new plan is to lay off the racing.  For a long time, when I first started running and up through my first marathon, being slow really didn't bother me.  I was out there, doing something that I enjoyed, and that's what mattered.  But somewhere along the way, I let it get to me.  And little by little, running lost it's glamour.  I couldn't find the enjoyment in it and it was such a chore.  I need to rediscover that and I think the way to do that is to just go out there, and run.  No watches, no training plans, no structure at all.  All I want now is to feel my body moving.