Hey Kids! Hope everyone is having a great week. Quick update: After my post yesterday where I touch on Robin Williams, I followed through with what I wrote about revisiting his various productions. I sat the 5 year old boy down to watch Mork & Mindy. He found it as funny as I did at his age. Good stuff!
Anyway, I’m continuing my workouts per uge. The past few days I’ve gone to yoga, had a weight room session, and gone on trail, road, and track runs. Boom.
Did I hear something or see something? You make the call!
Gotta another couple runs and a lifting session to go until the weekend. Doin work son!
OH, and some exciting news!!! I got some new running socks! Haha, when I was a kid I haaated getting clothes for gifts, but now I am pumped. We had a tax-free weekend and a local running store was offering a deal – buy three Features, and get one free. Aaaand I had a $10 off coupon! I got four pairs of Features for like $20. I always wear them on my long runs since I discovered them last year – no more blisters for me!
How bout you? Good week so far? Varied workouts? Aren’t you excited about my new socks!
When I trained for and ran first marathon back in 2007/2008, I didn’t really know what I was doing. This is evident by the horrible IT Band issues I suffered. As a result, come race day my feet were left bloodied as I limped across the finish line.
My shoes and socks after the race. Try not to barf.
Since then I have learned a ton about how to stay healthy when running all these miles. Today I will share one – Yoga. Yoga is excellent for runners, in my experience.
At a recent practice at Lululemon. Cat, cow, whatever.
Strength – Runners need to cross-train so they can exercise muscles other than the ones they use when running. You don’t want to create any imbalances and luckily Yoga works out all the muscles. From toes to brain. In particular, it works the core, which you need to do everything from grabbing a jar from the cupboard, to running a marathon.
Flexibility (Letting go) – Most of us could use some more flexibility. Our muscles get tight, not only from running, but also from life. This can lead to injury. Yoga helps stretch us out. As one instructor put it, “We are not creating flexibility, we are letting go of tension.” Good way to think of it.
Breathing – Yoga is all about your breath. As one instructor told me, “Breath is life, without it there is no life.” Besides different breathing techniques, I’ve learned how important my breath is in yoga, and how many different parts of the breath there are. I apply it to my running – when things get tough, I try to calm my breath.
Endurance – Runners are supposed to have endurance, but I’m reminded each practice that we could always gain more. Tell me to run 5 miles, fine. Tell me to hold an up-on-toes chair pose for 45 seconds, we may have issues.
Mental – Runners are mentally tough, but yoga helps our wills get stronger. At a recent practice we were in a difficult pose and everyone was shaking and falling out of it. The instructor said, “When you lose your concentration, that’s when you fall.” This totally applies to running. Focus, Danielson!
In the Moment – To me, this is the hardest part. In yoga you’re supposed to stay in the moment. You’re not supposed to be thinking about what you’re going to do after class, your grocery list, etc. This helps me in running, when things get hard, I remember to take it one step at a time. You don’t want to be thinking how much further you have to go!
I’ve done yoga at different studios, gyms, living rooms, sporting goods stores, and even one time in a train station. I mentioned earlier how I’ve been going to Lululemon yoga sessions – well the other day I saw this written on the store window…
Yes, yes it is.
So there you have it, a quick overview of one of the ways I stay healthy for running – Yoga.
How bout you? Do you do yoga? For yourself or for running (or both)? Did my shoes/socks make you barf?
Over the weekend I got to run again! I had taken 8 days off to let my knee heal more, and on Turkey Day I gave it another go. I ended up going an easy 4 miles. Progress! If you missed what happened the rest of that day, you can see it here.
Anyway, it was stiff and not quite right, but much better than it had been last time. So come Saturday, I decided to give it another go. My RockTape came in the mail (which was exciting for me) so I taped up the leg, and met with my peeps at Project Run 214.
Some of the group!
Many of them are preparing for the Dallas Half and Full Marathon this coming weekend. This was their last big training run. I was supposed to go 12 miles, but told myself I’d take it easy breezy lemon squeezy. I’d be very happy if I even made it to double digits.
Well, a funny thing happened. I ended up running in the front with a gal who will be doing her first half come Sunday. I hadn’t seen the training course, and of course, we got off track. I didn’t want to cut out early and leave her, so we just kept going. Ended up finishing over 13 miles on our make-shift route. I was thrilled for her going that far for the first time, and happy that my knee held up!
The real test came the rest of the day, I didn’t want the knee to hurt me like it had after my earlier runs. I’m glad to say that it didn’t the rest of the day! I think the Arnica, rest, cross training, and other stuff I’m doing is helping!
My kind of PED’s.
When I woke the next day, it did hurt some, but not as bad as before. I went to yoga, and that seemed to really help it. It’s still not right, but it’s getting better. Hopefully I can continue to run while it heals completely.
Anyway, it was also a big shopping weekend here in the States as companies roll out specials. I was in luck because a new store in the RunOn chain opened near my house. Besides the weekend specials, they also had grand opening deals. Besides that they also gave gift cards if you brought in old pairs of shoes to recycle. Besides that I had earned some cash in their rewards program. All combined, I was able to score a pair of my Brooks Pure Flow 2 for a really really really good price (and they threw in a pair of Feetures socks, double score)! Aaaand, they had free beer and snacks. Triple score!
My butt sweat where I sat shows that I heart Brooks shoes.
Also this weekend, since Thanksgiving is now over, we set up the fake Christmas tree.
All our ornaments on the bottom half of the tree.
Another highlight came when the boy and I had our own brunch date at one of our fav Tex Mex joints. Like me, he also likes to ham it up for the camera…
I wonder where he gets it from?
So pretty good times.
How bout you? Get any good gear deals? Is your crib decorated for the holidays? How was you weekend?
This weekend I am about to headbutt my third marathon in it’s face’s mouth. I’ve been training for months, and I feel that I will have my best ever showing at 26.2 miles. All three marathons have been the Disney World one. I figure that if I’m going to go through the pain of a full marathon, I may as well do it someplace somewhat somescenic. It doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty flat and they have pretty decent weather in Central Florida either. But my theory is that that miles go by faster if you have pretty stuff to look at – and since Hawaiian Tropic Calendar Girls Marathon doesn’t exist to my knowledge, then a magical place like Disney will have to do!
Feeling like a princess coming out of Cinderella’s Castle with my sis in 2012.
I’ve always been a runner – I was a 4-year letter winner and honorable mention All-Conferance track athlete in high school – and ever since then I’ve run around three times per week and countless 5k’s.
Smokin’ fools in the 400 in high school.
However, I never felt the urge to run longer distances. That was until I ran my first marathon. It got addicting, kind of like golf, as you keep learning and thinking that your next outing will be better than your last. And let me tell you, ANY race after my first marathon would have no choice but to be better. You see, I didn’t know what I was doing. I printed some training schedule off the internet and just went for it. I didn’t know how to stretch right, eat right, cross train right, or even what to wear. I ended up getting horrible IT Band Syndrome, which relegated my training to the elliptical machine. And since I wasn’t used to the pounding of concrete, my feet bled like a hemophiliac for most of the race. It wasn’t pretty. I had to walk most of the way cause it hurt so bad to run.
I think the looks on our faces capture the feels of our bodies in 2008.
My shoes and socks after the race. Try not to barf.
But then I got smarter. I took four months off to rest my IT Band. I added yoga to my multiple weekly workouts. I started building the miles back up slowly. I listened to my body. I got support from friends and family. I got better running equipment. I read tons of articles on running. I took the right supplements. I started going to a chiropractor. I wore out one foam roller and got a new torturous one. I kept and keep learning. So much of this lead me to give Disney another go – four years later. It went much better.
Disney 2012 – much better, but I should’ve photoshopped out the photobomber.
It was better, but I can do better. I didn’t time my training right and peaked a month too early. I also started getting the old IT Band issue back toward the end of my training. That said, I was able to run this race, which was goal #1. Though I hit the wall starting at mile 18 and had to take walk breaks the rest of the way. Plus the IT Band flared up some – not so much that I had to quit, but it was noticeable and affected my run. But like I said, I was able to get it done!
Despite my finger I didn’t actually finish in first place.
Here’s a quick video of me during the 2012 race – I felt like was going much faster than I look.
Which leads me to 2013. I’m taking on the Mouse once again. I couldn’t help myself. Besides wanting to run the whole way strong and reach my goal time, they also suckered me in with this year’s race plan. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Disney Marathon and they’re pulling out all the stops, and the go’s too for that matter. They redesigned the course, and I like the changes a lot. New this year we don’t have to run a lap around Epcot to start the race, we get to run on their auto racing track, we get to run through the sports complex (spring training baseball fields, etc.), and they have a special celebration planned all along mile 20.
If you watched that video, you saw a glimpse of the medal. That is always a draw for me, and this year’s looks to be baddbutt! Two spinning elements? Yes please!
The 20th anniversary medal is 20% more awesomer.
In addition, this race is cool because all along the course they have characters, props, entertainers, volunteer cheerers, etc. so that you never get bored. And if you’re not in it for a PR, then you can stop and have your picture taken with the characters by an official race photographer. There’s also some celebs set to run this race. Joey Fatone, Sean Astin, Drew Carey, etc. I also found out that I have some friends running it, so it will be fun to see them! Not to mention I’ll be running with my sister again!
One cool thing is that this will also be the first time that I actually get to watch a race – the day before the marathon they have a half marathon, which my moms and other peeps are running. I can’t wait to see what it’s like from the spectators perspective, and I especially can’t wait to make some funny signs!!!
Anykitandkaboodle, I probably won’t be posting any blogs the next week or so as I’ll be enjoying sunny Florida after the race. But as soon as I get back I’ll write up a full recap of the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend!
Piratebobcat 