This morning marked my very last training run before Sunday's half marathon. I ran five miles around the neighborhood - to LaGuardia airport and back, then on to Astoria Park with its amazing view of the Manhattan skyline.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about the coming race. I'm unbelievably excited, first and foremost. I can't wait to get on that plane to Myrtle Beach, to see my sister for the first time since her wedding last month, to actually run the 13.1 miles, and to eat all the glorious food that will fuel us up before and after. Also she said something about a hot tub and an indoor pool at the hotel, so there's that...
I feel really prepared, which isn't necessarily something I anticipated feeling. I think part of me really thought the training was going to kill me! I still can't really believe that I've run as much as I have these last months.
Amidst all the excitement and pride, I'm also feeling both sad and relieved. I don't have a desire to run a full marathon (sorry, Megan!) and this is the "last first time" I'll train for a half. The discovery of my ability to just plain do it has been really rewarding and special, and it's an experience I want to savor before life blazes forward like it does. Training for this race has been one of the best ways to appreciate the gorgeous transition into fall. Being outside more, being in the most nature-heavy parts of this city, and watching the leaves turn even more beautiful today than they were yesterday has been so wonderful. The runs where I don't have any music or any podcast have been incredible ways to think through problems, zone out and daydream, visualize the race, and meditate.
Despite my reluctance to let this moment in time go, there is certainly a part of me that will greatly appreciate the space this will open up in my life. As much as I have loved Sunday morning runs in Central Park - especially when Marc comes with me and joins me for a fabulous post run brunch - it will be nice to have a day during the week where I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock. I can turn my attention to my best autumn friend - my Crock Pot! I'll have a little more space for yoga, and a little more space to plan that little wedding that's happening in a little over five months. I'm also expecting Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Kitchen cookbook in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to get experimenting with new healthy recipes!
I'll also have more space to reread (yep, reread) an absolutely wonderful book that I just devoured: the sequel to Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project that I was so insanely obsessed with last fall, Happier at Home. It's very similar to her first book, she just delves more deeply and tackles some different resolutions. It's fun, fascinating, and as compulsively readable as a novel (or maybe a novel in blog-style). It completely appeals to me, as a resolution-making, goal-setting, chart-loving, self-improvement and organization freak.
So in two days I'll be off to beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC, and I'm sure the following week's blog will be a recap of the amazing weekend. Soon, though - back to book reports, non-running ponderings, and oh yeah - yoga!
Happy Thursday, Internets!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The Non-Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
This past weekend threw a (delightful) wrench into my usual training schedule - Marc's lovely cousin Dan married his lovely longtime love Amanda and we went up north to join in the festivities. It was a great time, and I absolutely love Marc's family. I even got to spend time with his Grandpa and with his brother and sister-in-law who are visiting from London for the occasion.
Normally I go for my long runs on Sundays, with shorter runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Between being sick last weekend and having to skip my scheduled 9 mile run, and this past weekend pushing my Sunday run to very early Monday morning, before my full day of teaching and working, I was a little worried about how that run (10 miles) would turn out. It was my first long run since doing 8 over two weeks ago, I was running on a barely healed blister on my right instep, and most importantly, I would be running all 10 miles completely by myself. No Marc, no Megan, no running buddy whatsoever.
"Gulp" was my major reaction when I thought about this run.
Although I was a little worried about how I would do physically, between the loss of training, the blister, and the decadent eating and drinking that always occurs when I'm with the LeVasseurs (and at a wedding no less!), I was much more concerned about how I would survive the alone part. With no Marc to talk to to make the first 5 or 6 miles fly by, how would I possibly be mentally able to stay in it for the long haul? Even for the race I'm not going to be alone - Megan and I are going to stick together as long as we can until our paces start to differ.
Despite my reservations, sleepiness, and the chill in the air, I got myself up, cued up my GPS, and went for it. For part of it I listened to podcasts (the remainder of a Jillian Michaels Show and most of a Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me) but for a good two and a half miles in the middle there I went without anything but my little ol' brain. I was continually surprised throughout the whole run - or really, once I woke up after mile 2 - at how easy it seemed. Not that it wasn't challenging, because obviously I was running, but I'd think at any given time at how many I had run so far and how many I had to go and I always knew I could do it. Given how doubtful I felt, and despite the violent reappearance of my blister at mile 5, it's amazing that once I was out there doing it, it seemed like no big deal. After the halfway point, my trusty Nike GPS man said "4 miles to go" instead of "6 miles completed," and I immediately thought - "4 miles? That's nothing!"
After the run, I still have a very long day ahead of me and I was quite worried that I'd burn out and just be completely physically exhausted and mentally fried by the end of the day, but I was truly in such a fantastic mood the whole rest of the day. I had good food and some time to stretch and put my legs up the wall for 10 minutes or so, and I was good to go.
I'm still a little sore from it, and the short, easy runs since then have felt even harder than the 10 miler. But I'm 10 days out from the race and very much looking forward to tapering down the mileage. I'll be running 7 miles on Sunday, and then the following Sunday...the big 13.1.
Luckily I'm taking a yoga class later with my best friend to help heal from this crazy new mileage and to help reset my brain with the reminder that worry is truly futile. I didn't feel lonely or scared on that run, and I know that I can do this race now with no problem. It's pretty awesome.
Normally I go for my long runs on Sundays, with shorter runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Between being sick last weekend and having to skip my scheduled 9 mile run, and this past weekend pushing my Sunday run to very early Monday morning, before my full day of teaching and working, I was a little worried about how that run (10 miles) would turn out. It was my first long run since doing 8 over two weeks ago, I was running on a barely healed blister on my right instep, and most importantly, I would be running all 10 miles completely by myself. No Marc, no Megan, no running buddy whatsoever.
"Gulp" was my major reaction when I thought about this run.
Although I was a little worried about how I would do physically, between the loss of training, the blister, and the decadent eating and drinking that always occurs when I'm with the LeVasseurs (and at a wedding no less!), I was much more concerned about how I would survive the alone part. With no Marc to talk to to make the first 5 or 6 miles fly by, how would I possibly be mentally able to stay in it for the long haul? Even for the race I'm not going to be alone - Megan and I are going to stick together as long as we can until our paces start to differ.
Despite my reservations, sleepiness, and the chill in the air, I got myself up, cued up my GPS, and went for it. For part of it I listened to podcasts (the remainder of a Jillian Michaels Show and most of a Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me) but for a good two and a half miles in the middle there I went without anything but my little ol' brain. I was continually surprised throughout the whole run - or really, once I woke up after mile 2 - at how easy it seemed. Not that it wasn't challenging, because obviously I was running, but I'd think at any given time at how many I had run so far and how many I had to go and I always knew I could do it. Given how doubtful I felt, and despite the violent reappearance of my blister at mile 5, it's amazing that once I was out there doing it, it seemed like no big deal. After the halfway point, my trusty Nike GPS man said "4 miles to go" instead of "6 miles completed," and I immediately thought - "4 miles? That's nothing!"
After the run, I still have a very long day ahead of me and I was quite worried that I'd burn out and just be completely physically exhausted and mentally fried by the end of the day, but I was truly in such a fantastic mood the whole rest of the day. I had good food and some time to stretch and put my legs up the wall for 10 minutes or so, and I was good to go.
I'm still a little sore from it, and the short, easy runs since then have felt even harder than the 10 miler. But I'm 10 days out from the race and very much looking forward to tapering down the mileage. I'll be running 7 miles on Sunday, and then the following Sunday...the big 13.1.
Luckily I'm taking a yoga class later with my best friend to help heal from this crazy new mileage and to help reset my brain with the reminder that worry is truly futile. I didn't feel lonely or scared on that run, and I know that I can do this race now with no problem. It's pretty awesome.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Drive by post, sponsored by Athleta!
Holy moly, what an insane week it's been. Super long, busy days, the craziest zombie party ever, a massive head cold, the return of my best friend from upstate, and now heading out of town for my fiance's cousin's wedding. Yet somehow, I'm posting a blog this week.
I could pontificate on being forced to surrender to my cold on Sunday instead of running the 9 miles that were on my training schedule, or how that first run yesterday to cement my conquering of the cold felt, or plenty of other things that happened this week, but I'm going to instead write about my favorite clothing company, Athleta!
I stopped by Athleta on my way to a private yesterday to return a pair of pants - my very favorite pants ever, the Java Capris - for a new pair because I've literally worn a hole in them, and wound up with some other goodies.
I was also generously gifted with some awesome hi-res images of some of their upcoming running gear for winter. My half marathon will end just before temperatures get really chilly (especially since the race itself is going to be in balmy Myrtle Beach) but my love for running is at an all time high and I want to be able to get out the door no matter how cold or snowy or icy or whatever it may be outside.
Enjoy the pretty pictures, check out athleta.com, and enjoy your weekend!
I could pontificate on being forced to surrender to my cold on Sunday instead of running the 9 miles that were on my training schedule, or how that first run yesterday to cement my conquering of the cold felt, or plenty of other things that happened this week, but I'm going to instead write about my favorite clothing company, Athleta!
I stopped by Athleta on my way to a private yesterday to return a pair of pants - my very favorite pants ever, the Java Capris - for a new pair because I've literally worn a hole in them, and wound up with some other goodies.
I was also generously gifted with some awesome hi-res images of some of their upcoming running gear for winter. My half marathon will end just before temperatures get really chilly (especially since the race itself is going to be in balmy Myrtle Beach) but my love for running is at an all time high and I want to be able to get out the door no matter how cold or snowy or icy or whatever it may be outside.
Enjoy the pretty pictures, check out athleta.com, and enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Fourth Constant
Everyone has heard the expression that the only two constants in life are death and taxes. They're the only two things you can always, always, always be sure to count on. The older you get, the more you also hear the little pearl of wisdom that change is the only constant in life. People usually tell you this when you feel you're at the 'end of an era,' like the end of college or a relationship.
Those three things are pretty well embedded into our consciousness, I think, so much so that they're cliche. I think there's one more constant (at least - anyone else think of any?) that often gets overlooked.
You always have yourself.
It's so unbelievably simple (and potentially hokey sounding) so it makes sense that we take it for granted.
I have so many friends and family right now that are going through huge life changes - getting married, getting engaged, breaking up, moving in, having babies, having parents divorce and remarry, losing family members - every single friend of mine that I can think of is going through or has gone through one of these staggering life changes over the last year or so. Change is such an unbelievable constant in our lives that it's easy to get swept up in those external changes in circumstance and forget about the other side of the coin. No matter what happens in your life, you're alone in the beginning, you're alone in the end, and you always have yourself through the crazy middle.
A lot of people might find it morbid or depressing - the total aloneness of birth and death - but it can (and I think should) be comforting and empowering. It doesn't mean that you don't open yourself up to love or that you don't ever get married, but it just means you should never take yourself for granted as a source of comfort, strength, and love.
This is one of the main reasons why a mediation practice is so powerful. I don't even mean a seated-in-lotus meditation necessarily - any kind of communal time with yourself is so important and powerful. Any activity where you're alone and you're in that space that's somewhere between zoning out and finding that elusive quiet, present, focused mind, whether it be yoga, running, knitting, swimming, journaling, even walking to the subway or doing the dishes. However lofty or mundane, those moments of quiet and self communion are so precious because whether we realize it or not, we're connecting more deeply with ourself.
I'm about to experience this on a very small scale. For the last three Sundays, Marc has been my faithful running partner. With his help, 7 and 8 miles felt like a normal day's run, and this past Sunday's 10K felt like a breeze. It was the farthest he had ever run before, and I shattered my previous 10K record from 2008 by 15 minutes. Running with Marc, we pace each other, talk to each other, encourage each other, inspire each other, and basically make running easy and enjoyable.
This coming Sunday, however, he'll be working when I tackle my longest distance yet - 9 miles. I'll be going it totally alone, and I'm extremely nervous that I won't be able to do it. I tried to help encourage myself this morning by running my 4 miles without a podcast or music (or Marc, who was working). It went really well and I found myself thinking about all of this (running is the best blogging brainstorm) and how I so often doubt that I'll be okay on my own at something where I've decided I need a security blanket or someone to hold my hand. We disempower ourselves so quickly and so easily, and it's amazing how quickly we declare ourselves to be dependent on someone or something outside of ourselves.
It's all an illusion. I can run 9 miles by myself. People survive breakups. Young parents survive new parenthood. We live on after our loved ones pass away. Meditation in any form makes it so much easier to always know you can count on yourself as your ultimate rock and support.
There's a quote from a book I've talked about a lot in this blog, The Joy of Living, that sums up much more eloquently and succinctly the point I'm trying to make:
Those three things are pretty well embedded into our consciousness, I think, so much so that they're cliche. I think there's one more constant (at least - anyone else think of any?) that often gets overlooked.
You always have yourself.
It's so unbelievably simple (and potentially hokey sounding) so it makes sense that we take it for granted.
I have so many friends and family right now that are going through huge life changes - getting married, getting engaged, breaking up, moving in, having babies, having parents divorce and remarry, losing family members - every single friend of mine that I can think of is going through or has gone through one of these staggering life changes over the last year or so. Change is such an unbelievable constant in our lives that it's easy to get swept up in those external changes in circumstance and forget about the other side of the coin. No matter what happens in your life, you're alone in the beginning, you're alone in the end, and you always have yourself through the crazy middle.
A lot of people might find it morbid or depressing - the total aloneness of birth and death - but it can (and I think should) be comforting and empowering. It doesn't mean that you don't open yourself up to love or that you don't ever get married, but it just means you should never take yourself for granted as a source of comfort, strength, and love.
This is one of the main reasons why a mediation practice is so powerful. I don't even mean a seated-in-lotus meditation necessarily - any kind of communal time with yourself is so important and powerful. Any activity where you're alone and you're in that space that's somewhere between zoning out and finding that elusive quiet, present, focused mind, whether it be yoga, running, knitting, swimming, journaling, even walking to the subway or doing the dishes. However lofty or mundane, those moments of quiet and self communion are so precious because whether we realize it or not, we're connecting more deeply with ourself.
I'm about to experience this on a very small scale. For the last three Sundays, Marc has been my faithful running partner. With his help, 7 and 8 miles felt like a normal day's run, and this past Sunday's 10K felt like a breeze. It was the farthest he had ever run before, and I shattered my previous 10K record from 2008 by 15 minutes. Running with Marc, we pace each other, talk to each other, encourage each other, inspire each other, and basically make running easy and enjoyable.
This coming Sunday, however, he'll be working when I tackle my longest distance yet - 9 miles. I'll be going it totally alone, and I'm extremely nervous that I won't be able to do it. I tried to help encourage myself this morning by running my 4 miles without a podcast or music (or Marc, who was working). It went really well and I found myself thinking about all of this (running is the best blogging brainstorm) and how I so often doubt that I'll be okay on my own at something where I've decided I need a security blanket or someone to hold my hand. We disempower ourselves so quickly and so easily, and it's amazing how quickly we declare ourselves to be dependent on someone or something outside of ourselves.
It's all an illusion. I can run 9 miles by myself. People survive breakups. Young parents survive new parenthood. We live on after our loved ones pass away. Meditation in any form makes it so much easier to always know you can count on yourself as your ultimate rock and support.
There's a quote from a book I've talked about a lot in this blog, The Joy of Living, that sums up much more eloquently and succinctly the point I'm trying to make:
"The only difference between meditation and social interaction is that the friend you're gradually coming to know is yourself."
Saturday, September 22, 2012
World Peace Day
Good Saturday morning! I'm squeezing this week's post in just under the wire...
Yesterday was the International Day of Peace, an annual observance by the UN every September 21st.
I taught a Tween (10-12 yrs) and Teen class at Karma Kids, and Shari reminded me it was world peace day (because I of course had no idea!) and to mention it in my classes.
I'm still building my new voice as a tween/teen yoga teacher after my amazing training this summer, and it was really exciting to be gifted a theme to plan a class around. I'm still not a huge planner - I always ask the kids if there's anything special they feel like doing and I try to accomodate as much as I can. But I did throw plenty of "peace" into the class, starting from our opening chant, and at the end of class as they lay in relaxation, I read a peace meditation that I adapted from a few google searches that I'd like to share with you today, readers:
Close your eyes. Relax your body. Try to let go of all outside thoughts and just for a moment watch your breath. Feel the air flowing in and out of your body.
Then start to imagine imagine that it is not air that you are breathing in but peace. Think about a time when you have felt very peaceful and very strong and try and breathe in that feeling. Breathe it in and feel the peace flowing throughout your entire body. Feel that the peace is flowing into your heart and then down to your toes and up through your arms and to the top of your head. Imagine that peace as a white light that is full of strength and calm, and it is filling you with that light. Now as you breathe out try imagining that you are breathing out of yourself any fear or anger that you might have. Breathe in and out like this for a few minutes and when you start to feel full of peace and strength, you can release the breathing out of anger and instead imagine that you are breathing peace into the world. You are creating peace for others to feel. You are helping the whole world to feel more peace.
When you are ready, let that practice go. Keep your eyes closed. Just for a few moments think about how you can be more peaceful in your life. Perhaps the next time you are about to get angry over something very small, remember that anger causes unhappiness not just for you, but for those around you. Remember the strength that comes from peace.
And I concluded with a quote that I love:
Yesterday was the International Day of Peace, an annual observance by the UN every September 21st.
I taught a Tween (10-12 yrs) and Teen class at Karma Kids, and Shari reminded me it was world peace day (because I of course had no idea!) and to mention it in my classes.
I'm still building my new voice as a tween/teen yoga teacher after my amazing training this summer, and it was really exciting to be gifted a theme to plan a class around. I'm still not a huge planner - I always ask the kids if there's anything special they feel like doing and I try to accomodate as much as I can. But I did throw plenty of "peace" into the class, starting from our opening chant, and at the end of class as they lay in relaxation, I read a peace meditation that I adapted from a few google searches that I'd like to share with you today, readers:
Close your eyes. Relax your body. Try to let go of all outside thoughts and just for a moment watch your breath. Feel the air flowing in and out of your body.
Then start to imagine imagine that it is not air that you are breathing in but peace. Think about a time when you have felt very peaceful and very strong and try and breathe in that feeling. Breathe it in and feel the peace flowing throughout your entire body. Feel that the peace is flowing into your heart and then down to your toes and up through your arms and to the top of your head. Imagine that peace as a white light that is full of strength and calm, and it is filling you with that light. Now as you breathe out try imagining that you are breathing out of yourself any fear or anger that you might have. Breathe in and out like this for a few minutes and when you start to feel full of peace and strength, you can release the breathing out of anger and instead imagine that you are breathing peace into the world. You are creating peace for others to feel. You are helping the whole world to feel more peace.
When you are ready, let that practice go. Keep your eyes closed. Just for a few moments think about how you can be more peaceful in your life. Perhaps the next time you are about to get angry over something very small, remember that anger causes unhappiness not just for you, but for those around you. Remember the strength that comes from peace.
And I concluded with a quote that I love:
Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Teen class turned out to be much larger than normal, which I was thrilled about. Unfortunately I was pressed for time at the end and we didn't have much time for discussion after class about how the meditation went for them and how it made them feel. Next time we do this or a similar exercise, I really look forward to getting feedback from them. Try this practice yourself sometime - I think it's one that we all sorely need.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A gateway to being present: Slow Down
I'm sitting down to write this blog and to be honest, 47 million other things on my to do list are scattering around in my brain, plus the temptation to just mess around on facebook for an hour. I have to be out the door at a certain time and I always, always, always have more to do than time to do it in.
On Sunday, I went for my longest run ever - so far. Compared to the 13.1 I'll be running (ack!) in little over a month, 7 isn't such a huge number, but it's a mile farther than I'd ever run before. Luckily, I had Marc with me for almost the whole time, which was such a huge help in so many ways. One of the biggest benefits to having him with me was how often he told me, "Slow down." The long runs are supposed to be at a slow, conversation, and dare I say leisurely pace. There's no rush to get to the finish, the point is just to do it and get those miles in your body. Conserving energy is essential, and you don't want to put anymore stress on your body by going fast than you already are by upping your mileage.
When I went out again on Tuesday morning and then again this morning, I was alone, but every so often his voice would pop up in my head: "Slow down." What's the rush, after all? It's not like I'm an elite athlete trying to set records - I just want to make it to the finish in one piece!
I'm feeling a similar sense of rushing - and thus feeling overwhelmed - when I look ahead to my schedule for the next few months. I'm very excited and very fortunate to be teaching some new classes - I'm continuing to learn and explore Prenatal Pilates, I'll have a regular Circus Yoga class, and I'm teaching tween and teen classes for the first time since my amazing Karma Kids Yoga Teen Teacher Training blew my mind. I also have my very first regular Mom & Baby Yoga class on Friday mornings at The Giving Tree Yoga Studio. I took the training last October and have subbed here and there, but I've never had a chance to teach a regular class and build the skills and confidence that comes from consistent teaching.
All of these great new opportunities make me want to spend every waking moment rereading my manuals, planning out classes, and practice teaching - but I'm also working 6 days a week, planning a wedding, training for this race, and attempting to keep my apartment clean (and hang out with my fiance!). When I get overwhelmed - or just plain exhausted from all this crazy overstimulation of my brain and long days after a month of vacationing - I've started to tell myself this week - Slow Down. Take things a class at a time, a day at a time, and I know that eventually I'll get to where I want to be as a teacher. I talk all the time about my discomfort with being a "beginner" - I want to be good at what I do, and confident in my abilities.
If these past two years at Karma Kids Yoga has taught me anything, it's that I just have to put in the time and keep teaching and I'll get to where I want to be. Sure, if I were only focusing on one of these new things I'd get way better at it way faster, but ultimately I'm going to have an even more widely diverse skill set than I already do - and the most important thing is, there's no finish line to it! To deeply overuse a cliche...it's a (half) marathon, not a sprint. More importantly, it's life, and not a race.
Slow down. It keeps you present, keeps you sane, and keeps challenges manageable.
On Sunday, I went for my longest run ever - so far. Compared to the 13.1 I'll be running (ack!) in little over a month, 7 isn't such a huge number, but it's a mile farther than I'd ever run before. Luckily, I had Marc with me for almost the whole time, which was such a huge help in so many ways. One of the biggest benefits to having him with me was how often he told me, "Slow down." The long runs are supposed to be at a slow, conversation, and dare I say leisurely pace. There's no rush to get to the finish, the point is just to do it and get those miles in your body. Conserving energy is essential, and you don't want to put anymore stress on your body by going fast than you already are by upping your mileage.
When I went out again on Tuesday morning and then again this morning, I was alone, but every so often his voice would pop up in my head: "Slow down." What's the rush, after all? It's not like I'm an elite athlete trying to set records - I just want to make it to the finish in one piece!
I'm feeling a similar sense of rushing - and thus feeling overwhelmed - when I look ahead to my schedule for the next few months. I'm very excited and very fortunate to be teaching some new classes - I'm continuing to learn and explore Prenatal Pilates, I'll have a regular Circus Yoga class, and I'm teaching tween and teen classes for the first time since my amazing Karma Kids Yoga Teen Teacher Training blew my mind. I also have my very first regular Mom & Baby Yoga class on Friday mornings at The Giving Tree Yoga Studio. I took the training last October and have subbed here and there, but I've never had a chance to teach a regular class and build the skills and confidence that comes from consistent teaching.
All of these great new opportunities make me want to spend every waking moment rereading my manuals, planning out classes, and practice teaching - but I'm also working 6 days a week, planning a wedding, training for this race, and attempting to keep my apartment clean (and hang out with my fiance!). When I get overwhelmed - or just plain exhausted from all this crazy overstimulation of my brain and long days after a month of vacationing - I've started to tell myself this week - Slow Down. Take things a class at a time, a day at a time, and I know that eventually I'll get to where I want to be as a teacher. I talk all the time about my discomfort with being a "beginner" - I want to be good at what I do, and confident in my abilities.
If these past two years at Karma Kids Yoga has taught me anything, it's that I just have to put in the time and keep teaching and I'll get to where I want to be. Sure, if I were only focusing on one of these new things I'd get way better at it way faster, but ultimately I'm going to have an even more widely diverse skill set than I already do - and the most important thing is, there's no finish line to it! To deeply overuse a cliche...it's a (half) marathon, not a sprint. More importantly, it's life, and not a race.
Slow down. It keeps you present, keeps you sane, and keeps challenges manageable.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Big excitement!
(If you've ever seen Drop Dead Gorgeous...that was the inspiration for this post's title. I was sitting here all happy and excited and trying so hard to think of a cute and clever title, and that moment from the movie just shot into my brain!)
I probably write this every single year, whether in this blog or my own journal, but I love fall. I can't possibly overstate how much I absolutely love this season. I love spring too, and summer is always a blast and it's sad to say goodbye to the beach, but I think fall is my favorite because, without fail, it always gives me a boundless sense of enthusiasm, energy, optimism, and desire to be productive and awesome. (And it apparently inspires even more run on sentences than usual. Sheesh.) A few years ago, while journaling, I referred to September as "my second January." That about sums it up!
As a result of all this excited energy, I have about 80 billion things I want to write about, and don't really feel up to writing about any one particular thing in depth. Hence - hodgepodge blog!
The most important thing to mention is that I gained an amazing new family member - my big sister married Jeremy Arel, her love of nearly three years. I loved Jeremy from the first time I met him and felt he and my sister were a perfect match. Their wedding was beautiful, the vows were heartfelt (I think every single picture I'm in of the ceremony I'll be crying my eyes out), and they had the most amazing after party ever. You can't top bowling and karaoke! I'm still waiting for that video of the group doing Bohemian Rhapsody to show up on Facebook...
And as a quick plug - if you live in the Charlotte, NC area or near Ft. Mill, SC or are every there for any reason, you should definitely check out their amazing school for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Great Grappling. Jeremy is the professor (he earned his black belt in Brazil a couple of years back) and Megan runs the show. The space is beautiful and they even have a room for the kiddies to play while the grown-ups grapple! I'm so insanely proud of this awesome burgeoning business they've worked so hard to build.
Megan's wedding was the last event I had to travel for after a seriously travel-heavy summer. Although I've been mostly able to keep to my half marathon training plan, some aches, pains, hard runs in the heat, and too much homemade moonshine at the wedding's afterparty knocked me slightly off-kilter. This week has been about getting back to a comfortable place in my running (I run the longest I've ever run in my life on Sunday - 7 miles! Ack!) and more importantly, reconnecting with my own yoga practice. This year I've been teaching and working so much that I really stopped prioritizing fitting in my own yoga practice and taking yoga classes just for me, and I definitely prioritized running over yoga while traveling in August.
Thankfully, with Karma Kids opening for kids classes on Monday, I've had some open spots in my schedule this week and just got back from my third yoga class in five days. This is a huge deal for me these days and I can't express how amazing I feel. It's obviously important for me to incorporate yoga into my life to help balance out all the running, but the most important thing is how yoga helps me to cope with everything life throws at me, good and bad. It helps me let go of resentments I've been hanging onto, helps me keep a cheerful disposition, and it reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for. It's hard to whine and complain after a great yoga class!
Finally, I wanted to share a little something. One of my friends at Athleta emailed me the image below and asked me to please share it with my readers. Check out their website to learn more!
Happy September, everyone!
I probably write this every single year, whether in this blog or my own journal, but I love fall. I can't possibly overstate how much I absolutely love this season. I love spring too, and summer is always a blast and it's sad to say goodbye to the beach, but I think fall is my favorite because, without fail, it always gives me a boundless sense of enthusiasm, energy, optimism, and desire to be productive and awesome. (And it apparently inspires even more run on sentences than usual. Sheesh.) A few years ago, while journaling, I referred to September as "my second January." That about sums it up!
As a result of all this excited energy, I have about 80 billion things I want to write about, and don't really feel up to writing about any one particular thing in depth. Hence - hodgepodge blog!
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| They were married in a rose garden by their good friend Red |
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| Husband and Wife! |
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| Tears of joy! |
Thankfully, with Karma Kids opening for kids classes on Monday, I've had some open spots in my schedule this week and just got back from my third yoga class in five days. This is a huge deal for me these days and I can't express how amazing I feel. It's obviously important for me to incorporate yoga into my life to help balance out all the running, but the most important thing is how yoga helps me to cope with everything life throws at me, good and bad. It helps me let go of resentments I've been hanging onto, helps me keep a cheerful disposition, and it reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for. It's hard to whine and complain after a great yoga class!
Finally, I wanted to share a little something. One of my friends at Athleta emailed me the image below and asked me to please share it with my readers. Check out their website to learn more!
Happy September, everyone!
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