Mom and Dad

My parents are awesome and I'm super grateful for their support. They got me this sticker in October when I ran the Staten Island Half Marathon!

Yoga and Leg Work aka Yay! And Ugh!

Whoops, that was a yoga class. But I'm grateful for it anyway! Our teacher ay the Prospect Park YMCA,  Leslie, is one of the most calming people ever with a great approach to breath, posture, the morning and challenging yourself. This morning was all about twisting the spine, opening the back and a little leg work.

Now leg work. Leg work, in no way, makes me feel om or shanti. Just like I like to avoid uncomfortable things like feelings, vulnerability and more feelings,  I am almost equally uncomfortable with my legs. That's just how it has always been. I prefer upper body and core.strength training becase these tools give me the back/stomach/shoulders I have wanted and then... I avoid lower body. Let me look ok in a tank top but to hell with shorts!

So back to yoga... we did some lunges, some warriors of many kinds and then we did this one exercise where we squatted and stood, with our legs & knees splayed, moving up and down really fast thirty times in a row. This was to heat the body and work the legs. Mission accomplished!

So part of this Marathon training for me is to 1) just DO a Marathon and another part is to continue to challenge my body, even when I don't want to, even when it is my least favorite exercise. Running one mile, ten miles, fifteen and twenty-six... it all rewires Mega leg strength. I don't want these babies to give out when I'm not ready so... leg work it is.

Bring it on, Marathon!

P.s if anyone has ideas on how to make lunges, etc. actually FUN, please let me know. Fin on he Run, suggestions welcome.

Run 4, Week 1 - aka This One was a Toughie aka End of Week One

I woke up feeling really sore today.

For one thing, last night I felt super sick, canceled my plans, turned around and went home. I was asleep and curled up in the "I'm sick" fetal position by 9:30pm. Nevermind that I had slept off-and-on the day before and I slept as much as I could on Saturday while home. It's basically felt like one long cat nap at home over this Thanksgiving weekend. I know I have trouble sleeping during "normal times" but geez, could it feel any more extreme right now? I have felt like I've been walking through goo, like my arms are made of trees and like my body just... can't... get... there. I have preferred being horizontal more in the past 72 hours since I don't know when. Oh wait, I remember - this reminds me of the time that I went to the beach in Connecticut with my Beloved and my friend, Slanks, and I am not sure if I had one full conversation the entire weekend, as I was asleep in the cottage, asleep on the beach, probably asleep at dinner, asleep in the shower, etc. I understand that I work myself pretty hard and it's on weekends like these when I'm playing catch-up so desperately that I remember that maybe, just maybe, I could use to add a little more balanace into my life.

So anyway, I woke up feeling really sore today. Not from all of the sleep but because yesterday I wanted to get another sesson of cross-training in for the week (goal: run the 4 runs per my training guide and cross-train on two other days). Because I didn't exercise on Thanksgiving (Up at 3am, semi-conscious the rest of the day, you know how it goes) and the next day was post-Thanksgiving justgiveyourselfabreak, I felt that on Saturday I could do my third run and a cross-training session. And so I did. 3 mile run (on the treadmill at the YMCA... it felt like it took forever) and then a Pilates class.

Oooooh dang, Pilates, I love you. I know that core strength is where it's at - for posture, for pants-wearing, etc. and Pilates just makes me feel good. We moved beyond core to legs (if I could just get some strong adductors that would be so nice) to arms/shoulders and to back. Oh wow, I forgot how nice it is to work out the back. After the hour-long session I felt like I was standing up super straight and I could carry anything. Granted, today my arms are asking me, "Why!? Oh, why!?" but in that really good way, you know?

And thus, today, I am sore. And walking feels like walking through goo. And my arms feel like trees. But I'm not complaining, world, nay, I am not complaining! I am happy to feel this, my body feels alive and I feel like I'm accomplishing something. So it's all good :) (do people use emoticons on blogs?)

Starting this marathon training is... an interesting experience. I kind of feel how I did when I first started my Spirit Boxing training (and re-entry into the exercise world) in January of 2009.* I am curious, I am excited, I am scared as hell and I am motivated. I am embarassed to want to do this so badly but I am determined as hell to go out there and show myself I can do it. Nothing can get in my way, I have to say that I will do this marathon. You know, the whole "dream it, believe it, achieve it" poster on the walls of my high school.**

So what did today's workout look like? It was supposed to be 5 miles in my "long run." Instead, it was 1 mile, ten minute break, then the loop of Prospect Park with several stops to walk with my friend, then more walking instead of hte running I meant to do. All in all, I think I did three miles total that first segment, so after my meeting I went back to the Y, hopped on the treamdill and dashed off two more miles. I guess for this week or, rather, just for today, getting the total weekly miles in (15) was more important than getting all five done at the same time. I'm grateful that I can say "dashed off two more miles" - catch me just three years ago and I never would have dreamed that'd be possible.***

Ok so that was week one! Four runs, one yoga class and a Pilates class. Now I'm hungry and dreaming about dinner. What else is new!?

xo


*more on Spirit Boxing in posts to come
**Hi, A! This is also a reference to you
***More on my history with exercise later

I just need to say that...

I WILL run 3 miles today and, if I'm feeling fancy, I will throw a Pilates class in there, too. Stay tuned!

What April 22, 2012 Looks Like to Me

I'm going to run a marathon.
April 22, 2012 - that's the plan.

This is where I'll talk about training and all that goes with it. I think this is a way to hold myself accountable, too.
I'm in Week 1 of training, today was Day 3. So far it's been:
Monday: day 1: run 3 miles
Tuesday: day 2: yoga, one hour
Wednesday: day 3: run 4 miles

What's Coming Up:
Thursday: Thanksgiving
Friday: 3 mile run
Saturday: yoga?
Sunday: 5 mile run

Sounds like a good week to me! Let's see what happens.