2 down, 20 left to go!

Yesterday was the end of week 2!! I completed yet another week of training! Although I skipped one day of running and only ran 13 miles instead of 16, I'm still proud of myself. The 4 and 5 mile runs are getting easier, the leg pain is lessening, and all in all, I feel great!

I'll recap my training from last week since my blogging left something to be desired..

Last Monday I went to a kick-ass yoga class. I love going to yoga more and more each time I go, if that's even possible. I always feel energized after class and I can definitely see an improvement from the first class that I went to.

This is the yoga mat that I use, btw. It's purdy. And green. And cushy. And kinda slippery. And purdy..



Tuesday I skipped running. I just wasn't feeling up to it. Wednesday I ran 4 miles and encountered some leg pain so I rested again on Thursday. Friday I ran another 4 miles.

Maybe I wouldn't have so much leg pain if I retired these puppies (disregard the cat..)



Even Jezebel disapproves of these shoes..



Saturday was YOGA again! It was a great class that focused on a lot of hip openers. The instructor heard that there were some runners in the class so he wanted help us out with poses that would stretch out our hips, hammies and legs. It felt awesome. Though, some of the poses HURT and I could barely get into position. I guess that means my muscles are tight and I need to do a lot more stretching on my own.

I was sad to hear that my favorite yoga instructor quit his job and is moving to San Diego to start a yoga studio! NOOOooooooooooo. I'm not sure if I'm more upset because he won't be around or because I'm jealous, haha. Hmmmm... Hey B, wanna quit our jobs and move to CA?

I can't even imagine doing something like that. I'm not spontaneous enough. Plus, Cleveland's got it all! Why move?? I <3 Cleveland.

Oh, almost forgot. I ran 5 miles on Sunday and I felt GREAT during the run! This week I will be running 16 miles, the same schedule as last week.

I'm jealous of her.. I wish I could nap in the window sill. Instead, I'm going to do some work! Have a great day!

End of Week 1!

Phew, I made it! I completed one week of training! After coming to a grinding halt after my 4 mile run on Wednesday, I recuperated with a lot of stretching and a yoga class on Saturday morning. I was able to run 3 miles on Friday and 5 on Sunday. WOOOO! Wow, 15 miles this week!

My legs are still somewhat sore, but I went to yoga tonight and it seems to have helped out. I can definitely tell that I am becoming more flexible and comfortable in the poses. AND I was able to do the wheel pose in class on Saturday! I tried to a few weeks ago and wasn't able to lift myself up off the ground, but now I can bwahaha. Ok, maybe it's not that exciting to you, but it is to me!

I used my new mat again today and still wasn't too pleased with it. I didn't slide around nearly as much as the first time when I did hot yoga, but it was still slippery. I'm thinking it will become stickier the more I use it. If not, it's going to be very frustrating! I'd rather not drop another $30 on a new mat.

SOOOOO B and I FINALLY built our raised garden bed that will house our veggie garden! I'm so excited! It's 12ft long, 4ft wide and 1ft high which is a pretty good sized garden. We're going to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, and I'm not sure what else. So many options! Lettuce? Carrots? Radishes? What kinds of veggies do you like to plant in your garden?

Last year we had 4 cherry tomato plants and 4 basil plants which were HUGE. We had so much basil we made salads out of it instead of using lettuce. Tasty! I can't wait to expand the garden this year.

In addition to the garden, I also planted a bunch of different herbs in small pots. They've been growing since Easter weekend and are finally showing some height! Let's see.. I planted tarragon, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, parsley and cilantro. YUM. I can't wait until I can cook with them! MMM I've been dreaming of fresh pesto, tomato-basil salads, and roasted chicken with freshly picked herbs. Delicious.

More pictures to come, but here's a sneak peak at what the herbs looked like 2 weeks ago. Sorry that they look washed out!

MMMM get in my belleh'! The oregano is taking over the pot!

And We Begin!

Yesterday marked 22 weeks before the Towpath Marathon. What does that mean? I officially start training! Yay! The training schedule called for some cross training on Monday, so I went to yoga. I finally bought my own mat! It's a Gaiam 5mm Premium yoga mat and to be honest, I wasn't that happy with it. The yoga class I went to was in the Hot studio, which is about 90 degrees. Needless to say, I was sweating a lot which made the mat very slippery. I had to continually adjust my poses as my hands and feet slid out of position. Maybe I can return it and no one will notice that it was used, haha. Despite the slipperiness, the mat was pretty comfy. It's really thick, but not thick enough to cause you to lose balance. I think it's a good mat if you're not working in a 90 degree room!

Today I ran 3 miles and the schedule for the rest of the week calls for 4 miles on Wednesday, 3 miles on Thursday with a break on Friday, cross training on Saturday, and 5 miles on Sunday. Phew! I'm tired already! My shins have been bothering me again. But not that bad. I'm still convinced that if I get my butt to the store and buy a new pair of shoes, I'll be ok. I think my shoes have around 300 miles on them.

I came up with a few new running routes as my old ones were getting pretty boring. I've had the same 3 mile route since last fall so I don't get too excited to run it these days. I did try to run it in reverse on Saturday which made it more interesting. I ran a longer route in reverse in the winter time, and I actually got lost! Whoops! I like to use gmap-pedometer.com to come up with my running routes. It's pretty cool, check it out!

I think switching routes makes the runs much more exciting, not only because of the view, but because of the terrain. If you keep running the same route, your body is going to eventually get used to it and you might not benefit as much. Maaaaaaaaybe. Don't take my word for that. When I run a new route, I feel like I got more of a workout. Placebo effect?

I'm still nervous to train for a marathon. I'm not convinced that I can stick with it, but I'm going to prove myself wrong! Let's see.. things in my life that I have tried and ultimately quit: basketball in 5th grade (quit before our first game), softball in 7th or 8th grade (quit after a couple practices because the coach, my best friend's dad "criticized" my swing. I guess I'll use whatever excuse I can come up with!), track in 11th grade (I actually completed a season but didn't sign up the following year), ice skating, swimming, etc. Ugh, I'm pathetic! Haha.

In other news, my mom said that my butt and legs look more toned from running and yoga. I guess that's another benefit from all of this exercise. Yeahhhhh, that's right. I'm bringing the sexy back! Wait, did I just say that? I apologize for that. No, I don't.

Yogalicious

I think I'm in love. Yep. And it's a good feeling. No, I'm not referring to B (though, I hope he doesn't consider this as cheating! :) I'm talking about YOGA!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.. Yoga is amazing! So far I have attended 3 classes. Each of them were unique, which is a good thing. I thought that because it was the basics class, each class would follow the same format, the same poses, and generally become very boring. That is definitely not the case. Each class introduced new poses, however most of the poses were the same, just in a different order, or speed, etc, so as to not become monotonous.

After 3 classes, it's getting a wee bit easier. Just a little. A lot of the time I have to readjust my poses, or pause because something cramped up, or just take a break because it's an intense workout especially in the heated rooms! And wow do you break out in a sweat. I always feel amazing afterwards. Very energized. And stinky. Sorry, I had to say it.

So yeah. I hope this begins my love affair with Yoga. (I just realized that I keep capitalizing "Yoga" .. ) Our trial week is over but I will be signing up for more classes and purchasing my very own mat! Speaking of mats, who knew there were SO many options?? Sticky mats, long mats, short mats, lightweight, heavyweight, thick, thin, AHH!

I'd like to leave you with this image.. Enjoy!

Hi There

So I had every intention of writing an entry yesterday.. and the day before.. the day before that.. etc. Buuuuuut I was busy, OK?? Haha.

At any rate, I looked up marathons and decided to train for the Towpath Marathon in October! I'm excited but also kind of nervous. I didn't sign up yet because I haven't even started to train officially. I've barely been running 10 miles per week!

On the website for the Towpath Marathon there was a training schedule that I will most likely follow. It said to allow 22 weeks for training, which would mean I need to start next Monday! The mileage for the first week is 15 miles, so I plan on running 12 this week. I hope that's not pushing too hard. It also devoted 2 days to cross training, which is perfect since I just started taking Yoga classes!

Yoga. Is. Amazing. I've only been to 2 classes so far, but I already love it. The class I went to was called Power Yoga Basics. I don't really know that much about yoga, but from what I DO know, I think power yoga is supposed to be more intense? Maybe I'm wrong. It was intense, though! Especially for a beginner. I struggled with some of the poses, and a few came easily to me. During the first class, I had to take a short break because my feet cramped up. A lot of the poses focused on the legs and lower half of your body, which was why it was a little difficult. When I run, I still feel a tightness in my calves. The second class was much easier though, so I think it may have actually be helping with my flexibility already! Yay! It's great because I've been going with David.

The weather has been GORGEOUS lately and perfect for running! It's so motivating when it's beautiful outside. I can't use the weather as an excuse not to run! (I hate running in the rain, ugh) The sunshine and breeze gets me excited and I just want to lace up my shoes and run!

Speaking of shoes.. I need new ones. Did I mention that already? Probably. I think mine are at the end of their lifespan. It's sad, really. Poor shoes. They've been through a lot! I'm excited to look for a new pair, though. Any suggestions on running shoes?? I've had my eye on the Nike Lunarglides+, but they have mixed reviews. I went to the store and took a look at them (ooooo, so pretty.. haha). They were REALLY light weight! Much lighter than my current Asics. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, though. I'm still a running newbie when it comes to running gear!

I recently started purchasing technical gear for my runs, specifically shirts. I have 2 UA fitted heat gear shirts that I am absolutely in love with. If you haven't run in technical gear, you must buy some! It's amazing! No more sweaty, sticky cotton shirts that you have to adjust throughout your run (or is that just an issue I have..??) I'm skepical to buy the compression shirts, though. I tried one on in the store and I felt like a sausage, haha.

According to my makeshift training schedule, I need to run 2 miles today. It looks like it's another beautiful day so I'm excited to get out there and go running!

Have a great day everyone!

Julie

PS: I love almond butter. The end.