For all of you who know it all

Can you believe she referred to us that way?  We are her class.  What just came out of her mouth?  She just called us Know-it-all's.  Was she talking to me?  Am I know-it-all-y? Why would she want to bring us down like that?  We get a Participation Award just for showing up. 

Who cares if she was right?  We are her Monday night class of All-That-And-A-Bag-of-Chips.  I can that see each of the men and women here in her Monday night class pride themselves on being limber or strong.  We know each of the poses before she can even ask us to come into them.  Monday night, hey this is the smarty-pants crowd.   Thing is, it wasn't until after she said, "For all you know-it-all's here..." that I now see the type of class we are.

Let's be clear - she encourages and promotes our knowing.  That's inherent in a good instructor.  I like this instructor in particular because she spends large portions of her class each week showing us and coaxing us into proper alignment with our yoga poses.  She spends a portion of her instruction time in allowing us to move into our asana (our pose) and feel how it is supposed to feel.

The Monday before last it was the plank pose.  I have always prided myself on how long I can hold a plank.  I have been holding it wrong.  While in plank I do not hurt, but going into the pose and coming out again, usually in a down-facing dog, my lower back would twinge.  Depending on how many times the instructor has the class going in and out of Downward Dog my lower back would change from twinge to soft pain.  I was hoping I was getting stronger.  According to my Monday Night Instructor I most likely am not getting stronger; I am just in pain.  Now my planks are at a different angle, not a let's-do-push-ups angle, and my Downward-Facing Dogs are easy in and easy out.

This week Monday Night Instructor decided our chair poses (Utkatasana) were very sad. Very sad. She walked between us and said, "For all you who know it all, let pretend you don't and start from the beginning." We were in our chair poses, varying states of sitz, feeling the burn, I'm sure. (Some yoga instructors have referred to the chair pose as the Uncomfortable pose. Maybe Uncomfortable and Utkatasana sound alike - I can't tell.  My Sanskrit is fuzzy.) I can only wonder how many others were feeling the burn from her words. Maybe it was only me.

breakingmuscle.com
"Butt-ology 101"

But it seems we all came to attention as we considered her requests to learn our anatomy and how to engage the gluteus medus rather than the gluteus maximus when standing. We considered where the neck meets the Thoracic spine - how to look up with out engaging the neck. Very interesting stuff.

We used our gluteus medus to stand - and what a change that is from using gluteus maximus. Our gluteus maximus engages our lower back.  Our gluteus medus engages our hips more than our back.  Monday Instructor trains us that as we stand again coming out of the Chair Pose we are to push our feet and knees outward - not that they move, feet stay on the ground and the knees stay over the toes - are engaging a different set of muscles to stand coming from the Chair Pose.  Totally cool stuff to feel a whole side of leg muscles instead of my back.

blissbodysoul.wordpress.com

While I have always "liked" the chair pose...this Monday I learned where all the angles are supposed to reside.  My upper body is to be at the same angle as my lower legs.   My arms are to be at the same angle as my upper body.  My head and gaze are to look up - but without engaging my neck - that was a great lesson as well.  It seems that with a little practice and mindfulness one can find the spot to tilt one's head back without  engaging the entire upper neck leading into the skull. Holding the pose just got easier.

Though I am not totally enamored of this particular yoga studio - I don't know that I will sign up for the long term here - that Monday Night Instructor is worth her weight in gold and I'm the Know-It-All to say it.

Flexibility & a Monkey Mind

As in all things in this lifetime flexibility is key to happiness.  This weeks lessons appear to be in flexibility and clearing the "Monkey Mind".

Thursday my mother went into the local Emergency Room with apparent stroke or heart issues.  And while it appears the stroke may have gotten her to seek care, it is the ekg and her heart that provided her a ride to a hospital forty minutes away to see a cardiologist.  Mom stabilized and returned home on Saturday.

(Staff Pose)

But Wednesday (one day previous) my daughter called me to let me know she is going to be a mom herself.  This is the one child that is not married.  Go figure.  All children are love children. (Child's pose and breathe)

The Sunday before that (yes, this is my week in reverse order) my married daughter called to discuss marriage and what it takes and to ask how long one has to stay in a marriage that is not up to her liking.

(Warrior 1 pose) 

My answer is, only as long as both partners are working to make it better. No babies are involved here.  I'm allowed to feel this way.

Yesterday (jump both hands forward and hold a forward bend) mother was back in the Emergency Room with severely elevated blood pressure (214/80).  This is truly scary.  The adrenaline rush of worrying about my mother half a continent away lasted several hours before I got the 'all clear' text.  This morning I booked a flight for an extended visit.

My bus was late yesterday.  The Link Light Rail System was delayed.  And finally the Sounder Commuter Train creeped along the tracks rather than clipped along as usual. It seems the universe is telling to assume a deep seated relaxation pose as the trip home was extended.  I arrived at my final commuter stop too late to join my usual yoga class.  I was glad for the out-of-class pose.  I am so used to clearing my Monkey Mind every night after work  that all this information has taken an entire week to catch up to me.

Three Weeks Non-Stop Yoga

Non-stop yoga...makes it sound as if I'm in some type of binge yoga challenge.  All I'm really saying is I've attended Yoga classes every day for three weeks (except Fridays - for those of us that are counting - and I am).
In the grand scheme of things I am only spending an hour a day - an hour and fifteen minutes a day - stretching and holding up my own weight.  Yoga is no sweat exercise.  Three weeks of consistent work is starting to pay off.  But I wonder, when is it going to get easier?

When I say paying off I mean that I have more energy throughout the day.  I mean that my clothes have a smoother line.  I mean that even though I haven't checked I know my back is getting all buff.  I can't wait to see my back and upper arms in a tank top or one of my summer dresses. But, it's not getting any easier.  Classes include difficult poses.  My arms and shoulders still aren't limber enough to have my hands meet in the middle of my back in prayer.  Not that that was my goal.  Somehow it seems to be now.  I still can't bring my one arm around my back, loop the other arm under my thigh and have the two clasp somewhere  under said thigh while I open my chest to the sky.  And Wednesday night the instructor wanted us to do that AND lift our leg into a balance pose.  I laughed out loud.  Every evening I come home with a new ache, a new tenderness somewhere on my body.

Are the poses getting harder?  Am I no longer getting more limber?  Have I reached a limit?

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I had thought week two was the most difficult.  I found it hard to go to classes.  I had to put myself on auto-pilot to go to the studio and suit up.  The work wasn't hard, it was the mental challenge of being there.  I didn't want to go.  Yoga had lost all it's "fun".  I wasn't impressed with any of the instructors.  The studio was boring.  I wasn't able to clear my head.  I was questioning if I really wanted to do this every day, e-v-e-r-y day for another four weeks, for gawd's sake.  And then....

And then Friday came, and I was sorry there was no class that evening.  My shoulders wanted attention.  Just knowing I had no class made me want to go to class.

Saturday I realized how much fun my sweetie and are having since I started this exercise kick.  Wink, wink, Nudge, nudge.  Exercise is good for everyone concerned.  My selfish challenge is making more than just me happy.  OH! and my sweetie has been in our home studio this week using the treadmill and the knock-off Bowflex weight machine.  My feeling good makes him want to feel good too.  "Lead by example" - it makes a difference.

It's been a tough week this third week into the challenge.  My legs don't seem to want to hold me up in any of the three warrior poses.  It used to be that my arms were on fire holding them at shoulder height.  Now it's my thighs that are burning up during a simple lunge. My ankles are quaking under every balance pose I attempt.  Oh yes, my ankles seem to be arguing over which tendons are in charge of balance.  The tendons are trading off  responsibility as fast as spokes turning on a bicycle wheel.   When I get home at night my core feels as if my whole rib cage - the whole barrel of a cage - is bruised,  Of course it's not.  I don't even know which poses are working my core this hard.


Yoga is deceptively difficult.  I breathe into these postures.  I only push myself as far as I feel good.  I only hold a posture, an asana, for a couple breathes.  But at the end of the hour...my muscles are jelly. The challenge is real.  We are in the middle of this one.

No Yoga Friday

There's no yoga classes tonight. My body seems to be at loose ends. Or rather it is tightening up with the knowledge that it won't be stretching out this evening. I can feel every muscle in my shoulders, the whole carriage, is solidifying into one massive tightened heavy board across my back. Wouldn't it be nice to indulge in a massage therapist tonight?

Oh wait! Drop my shoulders away from my ears. Aha! (sigh) Yes, I am learning...but that massage sounds positively delicious.

photo found at rootedhealthnw.com (used without permission)

The Cost of a Yoga Teacher Certificate

There may be hidden charges in getting a certificate to teach Yoga. There are a couple of obscure remarks on these websites that lead me to think this way. I'm thinking this one through.

A basic Yoga Teacher Training Certificate is a 200 hour course. That means 200 hours of training. The vernacular for this is RTY200 Yoga Certificate.

One local studio has a tuition of $3,300. They have a payment plan, of course. The nice surprise is that the price is the same whether I pay all at once or go on the payment program. They could have easily tacked on a "processing" fee. What they do tack on is a three class per week minimum requirement. I see elsewhere on the site that those students that are in teacher training get a discount for classes. As a "drop in" the cost is discounted from $16 to $10 per class. Overall that comes to $30 per week, on top of the $3,300 for tuition. I am sure there are additional discounts if I were to sign up for a six month unlimited pass. The point remains, $3,300 is just the start.

I'm still shopping. Another studio offering training for the RTY200 Yoga Certificate offers the training at $3,000 with discounts for paying in full prior to start of training ($500 off the total). This studio has pricing for required classes at $40 a month for students. In essence for a ten month program the studio would recoup the $500 I saved by paying early. This studio also has a ten weekend program...it's in the fall. Maybe I can get my yoga-ness up to that level by fall. Maybe by fall I will be ready to immerse myself every weekend from October through December. I'm thinking about it. Three months versus ten months sounds like an accelerated program.

The most exciting option comes from the studio that only offers training. This is not your classic studio. This woman runs her studio only to train future yogi. What makes her studio so exciting is of the 200 hours of training the last 80 hours -two weeks- are spent overseas. She's a travel agent for yogi's. She is offering courses at $1,900 plus about $2,000 for the travel. I know, I know it's the most expensive at $3,900 but it includes international travel. This year she has booked a retreat in Puerto Vallarta. Next year in July she is looking at Greece. I can see where international travel has its appeal and its drawbacks. Though Greece sounds divine, it concerns me with the refugee issues occurring in the Mediterranean this year, and the financial instability of Greece in particular before that. At one point her site suggested Thailand. Now that option to me is a no-brainer, absolutely-yes-sign-me-up yoga retreat. I could say I did my training in Thailand. My passport would back me up.

Photo from wikitravel.org (used without permission)

Gotta Do It

It seems that I just gotta do it. It's that mental monkey being let loose as action. Just gotta do it. Yoga. Yep, it's that simple. That's all I'm really talking about. I'm one of those people that needs to be doing something. Physical exertion is the sweetness of living. Or sweat-ness, depending on your point of view.

Yoga for me is exertion without sweat. I'm not a fan of hot yoga. I get light-headed too easy to add heat into the mix. I just like how good I feel after stretching every muscle available and massaging all the internal organs that get massaged during yoga.

I've been practicing yoga on and off since I was 19 years old. Last January, over a year ago, I made a personal promise to myself to get a yoga teacher certificate. Just for giggles. Just to say I did. Here I am fifteen months later, missed my own deadline, still thinking this is what I want to do. I want that satisfaction of having reached the goal of earning a piece of paper.

I am 6 days into a 30 day challenge I have imposed on myself to simply attend a yoga class every day. I have 21 days left of this 30 day challenge. It's a step in the right direction. What I have learned in the first week:

1. There are VERY few yoga studios that offer Friday evening yoga classes. This means attending a yoga session every day for 30 days is damn near impossible - Fridays are just not offered. I have adjusted my goal. Mostly because I signed up for a killer six week deal. The adjusted challenge is now to attend a yoga session everyday except Fridays for six weeks.

2. I learned that it's a good thing that I did not jump into 200 hour certificated training. This simpler challenge is a great tune up for me to be in enough shape to sign up for a teacher course. If I had signed up straight into certificated training like I thought I wanted to I would be wondering today if I was "good enough" for it. By challenging myself to just attend, just go to class, I think I have set myself up for success.

3. I hurt. I hurt different every day. It's that good hurt that lets me know my muscles are working. I don't know if I will hurt when I get to the fourth week still. I'll let you know.

4. Each class is completely different. Each instructor brings style with her. It is a good thing to be open. Be willing.

5. Hip flexures are a favorite theme for these instructors. After only two days of concentrating on hip flexure I find myself wondering if I will be sitting in full lotus in six weeks. Do I want to?

6. Shoulders and neck is also a favorite topic. My back is already starting to show definition. Okay, that's my imagination, never mind. My shoulders ache. It's a good ache.

7. I wanted to do two classes on Saturday to make up for not having the one Friday class. I learned that I may be a masochist and I need to just stand down.

Six weeks of classes is not exactly going to be a cake walk. I have a two hour commute every week day as it is. Classes are 75 minutes. I don't get home at night until 7:30 p.m.. When I get back from my son's wedding in May I will have to assess which teacher training site will fit my style best. This year - this year - this year.

Why Would I Do This?

Why would I do this? Why would I want to get certified as a yoga instructor? There's money involved, for goodness sake. And I'm a penny pincher (hear them screaming in pain?). There's time and effort involved. I would be pushing myself beyond my current capabilities. I don't know that I have time available with the way I live my life right now. Going to classes, studying, taking more classes and my own personal yoga practice is going to take over my life. What am I thinking?

I mean, I love yoga, but...

The idea started to form last fall during Football Season. I was telling my friends about how the yoga classes at work are free and how much I enjoy participating. Somehow and between cocktails they each agreed I should coach them through a couple of yoga sessions. They felt I could just use the same asanas, poses, we use at work. That Monday all three showed up at my door to be talked through an hour of yoga. Wow, it worked. We spent an hour talking about body alignment as we bent and straightened back up, and did it again. I was super gentle as two of my friends had never done yoga before. My third friend was, and is, ready to get to the next level. I was able to find ways to let her go deeper without changing the poses. The night was a real win-win situation.

We've gotten together several times since then. Not always all three of us, we seem to rotate. One thing that has emerged in time, as the girls get stronger and I try to stay a step ahead, is that we are all dealing with some sort of daily pain. One buddy has a new hip and she is afraid of irritating that area even while she is so pleased to be rediscovering her pliability. Another buddy has osteoarthritis - and her relief from these painful symptoms through yoga has sparked her whole life.

The point here is, none of us are young, nubile, athletic women. None of us are skinny. We hurt. Life is leaving footprints on us. Life wears combat boots apparently. I am finding that if I'm going to lead yoga sessions, I like leading sessions for an older adult. There is nothing to prove in older, mature people. We aren't necessarily worried about being the most limber one in the room. We are however hoping no one sees how red our face is when we do that slight back-bend at the top of the sun salutation.

At my job I am surrounded by people in various stages of decline. I work in a hospital. Four years ago the same patient that walked up to my intake window and flirted with me is the same patient that wheels himself to my now back office (he's kept track of me) to tell me what new medications he is on and how much harder it is to get around than it was just a few years ago. These are the people I think about. If he would join me in yoga, chair yoga, I would be so pleased to see him moving easier than he does now.

I will be retiring from this job in another ten to twenty years. What will I do with myself when I retire? If I'm going to volunteer somewhere I think I would like to volunteer helping the older adult keep and improve on whatever mobility that person still has. If I were a certified yoga instructor that certification would lend some credibility to my teaching ability. People want to be trained and instructed by someone with credibility. By the time I retire I would have ten to twenty years of credibility. I think that's pretty credible.

I see the young people, those in their twenties and early thirties, during yoga class as they go deeper into a pose. They are pushing themselves to be as limber as a yogi. I get that. I understand. I was one of them. I am not one of them any more. I am holding my own.

A little workout

A little workout fills my soul. Tennis lessons started this evening. I feel so much better for having batted around a ball for an hour. This is about as good as meditation gets. No need to focus on breathing, or calming the "monkey mind". Oh, hell no. Concentrate on getting that fuzzy yellow speeding ball back over the net.

For clarity and focus, there is no zen master that can clear one's mind as fast as a speeding yellow ball coming right at you. There is no mantra that would dare to compete with the focus necessary to smack that speeding ball back over the net. Everything else in the day falls away without willing it away. I should have been a professional athlete so I can live on the spiritual plane of non-thought. If I could just get the ball over the net I may just reconsider that.

7 Days

Tuesday I almost blew it. I asked to bum one. I didn't mean it. And nobody came up with anything to smoke, and I was glad for that. I did realize that the hardest time for me is when I am coming home from work. I breath funny during that time. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It helps get over any cravings.

April Fools Day tomorrow. I'd love to come up with a treat for myself. Just to celebrate April.

I got in touch with the coaches from the marathon last year to see if they want any help with the water stops. I will be helping out this Saturday and twice in May. It makes me want to run again. I should find a group that runs the mountains trails around here. I know people do. I should be looking for a group. I'll be signing up for tennis in the meantime. It's all good.

And I made it a week. not bad...

Packin' Ice

The hardest part about minor injuries for me is sitting still while ensconced in ice packs. It should be very nice and rather relaxing to sit with my feet up on the ottoman, towels wrapped around ziplock bags of ice and a couple of the blue refreezable pliant thingies put on the market just for injuries of this sort. But, I get thinking of all the things I would like to have nearby...a book, a notebook, a pen, a glass of water (or wine depending on how many times I've iced these things), I want the remotes for the TV and the DVD player, my phone, oh and the bluetooth (why do we put blueteeth into our ear - has anyone really addressed that? It's creepy...just so ya'know.). With all this stuff surrounding me, well it takes half an hour for me to get all situated for a simple twenty minute icing. If I were a cake...well then we would be talking about color and borders and piping in general, how many roses, will there be any writing on the cake. It would be more complicated and last all of about twenty minutes for that too.

Am I whining? No, not really. I am on ice though. I couldn't do it without a computer...duh.

Stumbling along the Way

The motivation for running this half-marathon was purely selfish. I had quit smoking in December. In January I saw the sign on the side of a city bus advertising training for the marathon in Seattle. It was synchronistic. It was a 'sign' that I could dust off a dream and run for it. So I am.

In the meantime (isn't there always an "in the meantime" to most stories?), this last month I broke my great record and had a smoke. So, yes, you've guessed it...another and another. While I am again struggling to get my feet back under me (because I am still running and farther and faster than ever before) and stop this horse-shit, I am struck with some new revelations that I didn't see coming.

When I go without cigarettes and my little occasional hacky cough goes away, and my complexion clears and my teeth respond to a little whitening I find myself opening to meeting new people and having more great experiences at a deeper level than I had before. The clearing was not just physical it was meta-physical as well. Life came to me, rather than me going toward life. I have become more outgoing in the last few years. I was rewarded here, since not smoking, by life coming to me. It has been the reward of clearing the space within me (clearing my lungs was just the physical reward) to allow the something out there to fill the space. I haven't just met people, I've made friends. I found that I felt more complete, more thankful, more insightful than previously.

Maybe it is all still internal. But, before I lose the headway I feel I've gained I again am setting a fresh determination to finish this year out without a cigarette. Not just a day or three as I have in the last month...but another 245 days or so left to my original goal. I have bigger things to achieve than kicking the butt of this measly problem. It appears though that kicking this butt is a major paving stone to the road I actually meant to be traveling. Having now been on that road for three and a half months I know the side street I've taken is not the road I meant to be on. That other road, the cleaner more direct path, is just up at this intersection...I've got a map now. My turn signal is on. - - - Side note: the easy route is never really that easy after all.

Motivation & the Good Run

This evening was a good run. I ran a full 50 minutes, made it to the library and back. Last time I did this route it took an hour. I'm motivated to be stronger, faster than so far. For starters, I ran the hill. The hill is early in the run from my house. Last time I speed-walked the hill. I'm supposed to warm up easy for the first 10 minutes or so. I did run it "easy" but I still ran. I was already at the top of this hill by the time my timer beeped 15 minutes of running. This is good. I walked the prescried two mintues and was ready to run when the timer beeped again. By then I was on flat land and was able to elongate my stride. Nowhere today was I running slow enough to carry a conversation. And getting air into my lungs seemed more labored than I had anticipated, but I kept at it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day. No running. I have tomorrow off work so my plan is to run in the morning and rest for the rest of the day. Saturday is the team run. It's only 90 minutes this week (130 minutes last week). I don't want to be left behind anymore. I understand that by pushing myself I get stronger. I was happy to just be running before. But after two team runs that left me feeling less than stellar I see it is important to push myself when I am not with the team as much as I push myself when I am with the team. The work needs to be done behind the scenes if I am going to be able to step up to the plate with the confidence I felt going into this. As much as working my body, I've got a mind game to work out too.

I had no idea what I was getting into. And still, I'm glad to be here.

Recovery

It's not the running that hurts, or takes an inordinate amount of time. It's the recovery that hurts and goes on seemingly all day.

Marathon Madness #13

It dawned on me today why the run on Saturday was so incredibly hard. I didn't eat well prior to the run, I didn't bring any water with me, and I had mentally prepared for a run about a third less than what was being called for.

Yesterday and today I've started in on a strength training program for my back and my legs. Poor posture really screws with a good run. Stronger legs just help for all the obvious reasons. I'm no athlete - although it was a funny comment from a friend - but I'm sure sounding pretty one track lately. Marathon is in 7 weeks or so. So, stick with me here for a bit. I don't know what the next chapter is yet. I'm totally ensconced in this one.

Marathon Madness #12

Really it is madness. I am not alone with the aches a pains that have surfaced since I've started running with the team. I know this because the newsletter had a lovely piece about how to go about taking an ice bath.

This is the stuff we get in our weekly "pep" talk online...

Here’s the deal: during those long training sessions you’re asking a lot from all the muscles in your legs. It’s true that direct icing in certain areas is beneficial, but full immersion has a much deeper and longer lasting effect. When you’re in the ice bath, the cold restricts the blood vessels and in turn reduces the swelling. It’s like a massage from the inside. Once you’re out of the bath and your muscles begin to warm up, the blood delivers fresh oxygen to your muscles aiding in a faster recovery.

The following steps can make the experience one that is less traumatic. First, don’t try to face down a bath full of ice water; it will make it nearly impossible for you to get in the tub. Next, prepare yourself. Leave your workout clothes on and get yourself a nice warm jacket and hat, a cup of something warm (like hot chocolate) to drink, and your favorite reading material. Then, get in without any water and then start filling the tub with cold water and gradually pour the ice (2-3 bags) over your legs. The level of the water should cover your legs and come up to your hips. Stay in the tub for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards make sure you let all your friends know how tough you have become.

Lucky for you your coaches have made this a much more sociable event. Most of the remaining Saturday practices are at locations where we can hop in the water after training. Don’t forget your towel and sandals!!

Your Coaches,

I am astounded at how this is definitely a social event. I am amazed that I run longer when I have someone to pace with. So, yup...here I am standing in the frigid waters of the Northwest...all I can say is, I'm not alone.
But I am waving!

Really it is madness.

At the Brewery

Every week the team runs from a new location. I am getting my sightseeing in at the same time as training for this marathon. This week we met at the Redhook Brewery. I find it interesting it is right next door to the St Michel Winery. Why couldn't we meet there?

Have I mentioned I like my coaches? I love my coaches. Here's some of our coaches reminding us this is an endurance run, not a speed event. They are probably taking about hydration or nutrition here. I appreciate the reminders. It's still cool out and I do forget to drink more water. If it were hot I would be hydrating without being reminded (I hope).

This week my legs have been feeling like Jello during the day. The runs have been great. I warm up slow, the second half is strong - and a little faster. But, during the day when I stand up it takes a moment for my legs to warm up under me. I mentioned this to Coach yesterday and she asked me if I am doing any strength training. My initial reaction was, "Well, yes. I'm running." But, nooooo. According to my coach I'm supposed to be doing strength training on top of all this running. When I'm done exercising I should be getting in some exercising. I'm still mulling on that one. Maybe I'll take that beer after all.

Here I was doing so good too. I ran 5 miles in 60 minutes. This is very good. This is grand. I'm working up to a 10 minute mile. This half marathon is still going to take me 2 hours. And the sight-seeing has been lovely.

Leg Bone's connected to the...

Yes, it's marathon madness again. Not so much the bones that are keeping me from doing the mile in under 6 minutes (dream on!) but the muscles.

According to the above picture and my coach - have I mentioned how much I love my coach? - the bicep femoris and semimembranosus as well as the vestus lateralis are extremely tight and need a deep tissue massage. Coach says to roll around on some frozen tennis balls to get the deep tissue massage I need. We're basically talking about my butt muscles becoming tight - but not in a good way - because of the workout the side and rear muscles are getting.

I don't know about the frozen tennis balls yet. They are still in the freezer. I've been stretching yoga style - the pidgeon pose among others. I find it interesting that I found my coach to ask about the stiffness in the muscles surrounding my knee and instead she says it's the muscles that reach up the side of my leg and are part of my hip and gluteus maximus. The more I stretch those muscles this evening the less my knee bothers me. Who am I to question?

Songs going through my head...Hip bone connected to the leg bone. The leg bone connected to the shin bone. Or better yet, let's get out some spoons and do the hambone.

Time management

There is a gentleman here at work that has run several marathons in his time. He doesn't run them anymore. A couple weeks ago (a month or two now) when I was asking him about running marathons I asked him why he doesn't run them anymore. He answered that he doesn't have the time. "There's a lot of preparation in getting ready for a marathon. I just don't have that kind of time these days." He shared that he used to take his lunch hour and jog - he had an entire hour and access to showers at work back then. He lived close enough to that job that he was able to run to work. And the final piece that seemed to make it all work for him was that his supervisor was also a runner, therefore taking the time to achieve his goals was more available then than now.

My coach was running along side me on Saturday morning as she does for a bit of each of our group training sessions - I love that she checks in on me. As we ran I was asking questions about the run, the course, we chatted about interval training, all that good stuff. I told my coach that I appreciate that she takes the time to slow down her own run to jog along with me and that's when she let me know that the coaches on the team do not run this event that we are training for. On the event day she and the others will be jogging along offering support and assistance just like they do now during training. Then she added that she was pleased to be running slow today; she had done her hard run the day before and has another big training run coming up the next day. So, she is running a marathon, just not this one? Iasked. Yep, she'll be running the Boston Marathon...she and her husband (whom she can barely keep up with - and here I thought I was the only slow one). This is what she does. She runs.

I am finding this training does take up time. The Tuesday night and Saturday morning training sessions, even though the run itself is only 40 to 50 minutes (and growing), it is a 3 hour chunk out of my day to go do this. This is not whining, this is pride. I actually can't think of anything I would rather be doing. I look forward to the time spent doing exactly what I'm doing. And now I can see what the man in my offices is talking about. The more I put into it, like anything, the more I get back out of it.

On a side note - Fundraising has been interesting too. If you'd like to help please go to Sarah Runs and help us fund cures for cancers - something we can all help with.

Goals and Aspirations

Three goals this year - they seem like big goals from this perspective. I think by the end of the year it will all be worth celebrating, but not seem such a big deal. The same three recurrent thoughts have been invading my brain: quitting smoking, that marathon thingy (Sarah Runs) and having all my debt paid in full. So, here I am signed on for the 1/2 marathon, I have challenged myself to quit smoking for 365 consecutive days (I'm on day 62 and doing fine), and I want to get my debt reduced by half (or more) for the new year. The first two ideas I've taken action on. This third one has me stumped. I don't see any lottery winnings in my future. I keep forgetting to buy a ticket.

I have found a website I enjoy poking around - www.budgetsaresexy.com. It's a great jumping off point to a lot of other blogs and random sites written by real people doing the incredible - paying off all their debt and keeping it that way (can you imagine purchasing a new car with cash? I'm rethinking my personal mindset with that one). The title certainly helps. I feel better about it already.

Summer Team Practise

Believe it or not, I'm in this photo. Proof that I actually make it to practise.

White shirt - blue sleeves

You can help us out here: Running to Cure Cancer - Sarah Runs