Category Archives: DC

by Heather | May 17, 2013

One Thing a Day: Teaching Yoga

If I had to pick one quote that has completely transformed the way I think, approach situations and make decisions, it would undoubtedly be this:

Eleanor & Chip are onto something…

If it doesn’t scare you, it doesn’t change you. If it’s not challenging, you’re not growing. If you’re never willing to step out of your comfort zone, you’ll never know what you’re missing!

Am I certified to teach yoga? Not yet. But when the door opens…

Thanks to a few Twitter interactions, Alana got in touch with me last week in regards to leading her & a crew of “Socialites” for a 5k morning run this week. All 20 Socialites were traveling to DC for two full days of training, so why not start the day off with some movement*? I’ve done things like this before for conferences downtown, and of course I was in!

I mapped out our route, ran it once with Kate before we started (yep, all roads are clear and sidewalks are safe: check!). Starting at 7am, we ran with an impressively energetic crew of 11.

Thanks to Kate & Elyse (far right) for joining!

Alana also thought it would be great to do a yoga class Thursday morning. I reached out to some local yoga teachers with no luck (short-notice, early morning, Pentagon City, etc.). We did have a yoga-mat donation from lululemon Georgetown, so there was that.

Would I be willing to teach it? Well, YES, but, um, I’m not certified…I have no formal training to do so…again, I am not certified to teach yoga!

But, could/would I?

Absolutely!

With my fresh mats from lululemon (Georgetown store, I heart you!), a beginner-friendly sequence typed up straight from my head and a successful practice class done (thanks to my roommates!), it was all-systems-GO.

I wasn’t nervous, and everything about it felt like I had done it before. Come to a comfortable seat at the top of your mat, place your palms open on top of your knees and close your eyes. Relax. And enjoy the next 45 minutes!

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I know there is a “formal training” in my near future – once my budget agrees with it – but in the meantime, this box is checked and waiting for more! I would teach anytime, anywhere, for anyone. I would actually really love to teach something advanced – to challenge people and bring them out of those boxes – but beginners are refreshing. We were all on the same page!

Thanks to the DT-Socialites for practicing with me!

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*If you’re going to a conference or training, request some sponsored workouts! Get moving before your day starts & rope in your crew – it’s a great way to meet people there with you and a great way to see the city you’re in. I’m taking on more opportunities to do this in DC & find it to be right in line with our WCS healthy-on-the-job mission.

5 Comments

Filed under challenges, DC, Goals, Lululemon, new things!, running, Yoga

Tagged as DC, Teaching, yoga

by Heather | April 11, 2013

Strawberry Spring Salad

A week ago I was running with ear warmers, gloves & my fleece-lined lululemon pants (i.e. the best piece of running gear I’ve ever purchased. Hands down.). This morning, Kate & I headed out at 6 am in shorts & tees, taking pictures like this:

Swoon.

Spring has arrived! This means a lot of things – my favorite season is finally here, for one – and the grocery store shelves are reflecting the shift. Thanks to our CSA last year, I know all too well that strawberries must be purchased in season or not at all. Once you taste them fresh off the vine, first thing in the morning at the office, you’ll never go back.

Before this week’s 90* days hit, I hoped I could passive aggressively force spring into action by taking advantage of a fruit sale at TJ’s. On sale? Organic? In April?! PLEASE TASTE GOOD & bring warm weather with you.

If you bring a tasty salad to the menu, too, that’d be great.

Strawberry Spring Salad
Makes 2 servings

5 medium strawberries, sliced & chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cucumber, halved & sliced
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinaigrette
2-4 cups organic mixed greens
Optional: chickpeas (or lean protein of choice ), squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Grab a fork, sit on a deck/porch, in a park or right near a window as the sun shines in, and enjoy!

8 Comments

Filed under DC, lunches, recipes, vegetarian

Tagged as Lunch, meatless, Recipe

by Heather | March 21, 2013

Race DC: Spring Shorts!

The “Snowmageddon” of 2010 taught me a thing or two about trying to train for anything long through the winter. (Lesson learned: Stop it.) Boston will probably be the only spring marathon I ever put on my agenda again (2014), and I’ll leave every other year up to the short n’ sweet adventures.

That said, here a few coming up in the DC area! Check ‘em out & join us…

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Run for Humans’ Rights | March 30 | Falls Church, VA
Saturday, 8:00 AM

“Join Amnesty International at the inaugural Run for Rights 5K! It’s a must for your bragging rights in the local running and human rights community!
Bluemont Park in Arlington, VA. Parking is available at Bluemont Park at N. 4th St & Manchester St. Race begins at 8:00 AM, on-site registration & packet pick up at 7:00 AM.”

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Crystal City Friday 5Ks | April 5 – 26 | Arlington, VA
Fridays, 6:30 PM

What better way to kick off your weekend than a quick run and a run-party afterward? I recommend arriving at least 30 minutes early to pick up your race-bib, as the lines get long, but that just means you know you’re in the right place! A good crowd treks down to Arlington every Friday to take advantage of these weekly evening runs.

I’ll be stopping in for at least one of these, hoping to kick a few more seconds off that 5k PR.

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Race to Stop the Silence 8K | April 14 | Freedom Plaza
Sunday – 9 AM

“Good Food, Good Exercise and a Good Cause….

Can you beat the Army and the Redskins? Find out at the 10th annual
Race (and walk) to Stop the Silence 8K off Freedom Plaza, in partnership with the Washington Redskins Alumni Association.”

For information and registration see: www.dcrace.org. Special discount code for DOTR readers - Plug in CODE “DOTR30″. For additional discounts for others or questions, contact Pamela Pine at ppine@stopcsa.org.

I’ll also be at this one, toeing the 8K starting line for the first time in a while.

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What short races are calling your running shoes this spring?

6 Comments

Filed under DC, Races, running

Tagged as DC, running

by Heather | March 14, 2013

Ex2 Adventure’s Backyard Burn: Trail Racing in Wakefield Park

When we signed up for this race it just flat out did not occur to me to consider the difference between 10 miles on the road vs. the trail. If I have an option of running a 5-mile vs 10-mile race and no “good” reason to not do the latter? I choose 10!

We totally lucked out with what was deemed the “flattest” course of this Backyard Burn Trail Race Series (5 total). It also seems to have been the least technical, only including “a few shallow stream crossings” and a lot of twisty, windy, up-and-down sections. But, nothing so steep that we had to walk and nothing so deep we had to sacrifice our non-trail running shoes. Win!

We arrived expecting a 60-degree day, but were greeted by a 28-degree morning. Layers = on! It was very well organized; our race-brief began promptly at 8:50 in the parking lot, and we promptly started by lining up in the street and…going!

Photo credit: Anne @ Fannetastic Food

The first mile had a few paved parts and a lot of wide spaces – plenty of time and room to make some passes, settle into a pace and get your feet ready to dodge, weave and stream-hop!

Photo credit: Anne @ Fannetastic Food

Kate, Jill & I took it pretty easy and settled into a line. The course was a 1 mile start followed by a 4.5 mile loop that us 10-milers would do twice:

Round 1 was a lot of head-down, don’t-fall, conserve-some-energy running! When we closed in on the Finish Line and were directed toward Round 2, it was go-time.

I settled into the front of our line and took advantage of the space ahead. Knowing what to expect on a trail makes a big difference! It had warmed up enough that I shed a layer, and we had sped up enough that our second loop was an average 1-min/mile faster than the first.

There was one steep up-hill section within the last 1.5 miles that stole any energy I might have held onto. Lesson learned: don’t sprint up those. The last 0.5 mile was flat, open, leave-it-all-out-there terrain. I chased Kate across the Finish line….

1: 25: 55 – 10 trail miles – 8:35 min/mile

…immediately thought I might vomit, and then thought I am definitely doing another one of those.

Aside from dirt, climbs, streams and rock-hopping, the main difference between a road vs. trail race is this:

Food swag!

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Color us muddy & impressed – we had a great time! It was a small group of 400 runners that very graciously spent some time in close quarters on the trails of Wakefield Park, VA. I’ll definitely be back for another run in the woods!

9 Comments

Filed under DC, Goals, new things!, race report, running

Tagged as DC, running, Trail Running

by Heather | March 8, 2013

Friday Four: New Eats (Larabar & Chobani), Step Feats & Trails

I tried to come up with a synonym for running, racing or hiking that rhymed with “eat”: mission impossible.

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With a handful of new-to-me things in this corner of the world, it’s time to group a few of them together & share with you. Because it’s Friday. Welcome to the end of the week, where brains function at 50% and {our trail-racing} minds are looking at the “63*, Sunny” forecast ahead, internally singing repetitive rejoices!

Let’s start by grabbing a bar & a spoon:

1) NEW: LARABAR – ALT (Protein bar)

I’ve heard talks of this bar but had yet to see it on the shelves! I am a huge fan of the regular ol’ LB – and even worked with them for a while back in 2010 – but a lot of bar-eating clients seem to focus on that comparatively-low protein content.

C’mon, they taste great and they’re only made from nuts, fruit and spices and in theory you could make your own in your kitchen!

While I think added-protein is a bonus but not a necessity, it seems I’m an outlier. These bars use plant-based protein powders to up the ante and join the ranks of companies that cater to vegan/vegetarian-friendly high-protein food options. Nicely done, LB!

2) NEW: Chobani Bits & Bites

More on this Chobani love to come;this team has clearly been hard at work to bring out some new options for greek yogurt-lovers! You know I’m not much of a dairy eater these days, but I still admire these CHOlks and am pretty impressed by the all the creativity here. Flips, bites, champions and new flavors? They’re changing the yogurt game, here.

Specifically, they’re wooing us with CHOcolate, and I’m intrigued:

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3) STEP it UP: Wellness Corporate Solutions’ Fitbit Challenge

We’re 5 weeks into our steps challenge at work (WCS) and it’s getting competitive. I battle these two gals every week, usually having to accept that no matter how many times I walk or run in circles around NW DC, they will beat me.

Then, I had this moment:

One down, one to go! (JP is probably relentlessly stepping all around NYC as I type this.)

An update on this steps-challenge to come, but trust me when I say that we’ve all done some crazy things to get “more steps!” in. Incentives and friendly competition go a long way with corporate fitness.

4) Backyard Burn: Trail Racing, Round 1

Photo credit: flickr user Swim Bike Run Photography.

The race-season has officially kicked off, but for this round we’re ready to switch gears! At the recommendation of my friend/fellow local-race-junkie Rebecca, a carful of runners have agreed to join me in the hills of Virginia on Sunday.

I signed on for the 10-mile option. There might be an ounce of in-over-our-heads and a dose of humility to come with this – all in the name of good, muddy running adventures!

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What’s new to you this Friday?

7 Comments

Filed under DC, food, new things!, random, running, running hills

Category Archives: DC

One Thing a Day: Teaching Yoga

Strawberry Spring Salad

Race DC: Spring Shorts!

Ex2 Adventure’s Backyard Burn: Trail Racing in Wakefield Park

Friday Four: New Eats (Larabar & Chobani), Step Feats & Trails

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