This is weird.

I walked across the stage and shook a lot of hands. I picked up my diploma, and thought about all of the classes I took to get it.

I packed up my room, and looked back at an empty space.

I drove out of town, and realized I don’t know when I’ll be back.

*On a very different blog, in a very different life.

Three years ago today, I was in the throws of Dietetic Intern life. I was undoubtedly counting down the days until June, when we would finally be “RD-Eligible”. I was definitely counting the days until a paycheck landed in my hand.

I had just met Ivan in the Union Station Metro stop (yep), along with a few other running friends; I had put all my energy towards shorter races, surviving humidity & planning for a move. I had just crossed my first Finish Line in DC; more importantly, I had my very first post-race mimosa.

Sweet. Bubbly. OJ.

Two years ago today, Kate & I were in the very early stages of our morning run routine. We realized that the 90* summer heat would defeat us if we didn’t battle with strategy. 5:20 AM wake-up call? I’m lookin’ at you.

I also had a little car-mishap. Whoops.

One year ago today, our life was barely recognizable (by comparison). My words, exactly:

Suddenly, it’s been almost 6 weeks at the new job. And I still love every day.

Suddenly, we’ve been in Denver for TEN months. I still say “we just moved from DC…”. I suppose “just” could be dropped from that sentence.

Suddenly, one of my best friends has a baby girl, and two other couples are engaged! Life is moving fast here.

Suddenly, I’m two weeks out from another half-marathon. My running is going as well as it can given all of the above, and I’m embracing the challenge.

Suddenly, it’s approaching the end of May and we’re making Summer plans. Sunshine, come back!

I had just visited Minneapolis for the first time, and was waiting anxiously for the Denver “spring” to pass so that those sunshine-filled days could actually translate to warm mountain adventures.

Today, I’m happy to head into an office where we work hard to help people live a healthier life. We also work hard to stay fit, healthy & happy ourselves. Scenes from the All-Team meeting this week (and a quick hike up the street to Great Falls):

At the end of the day, I’ll be off to play tour-guide with my Mom for the weekend!

Life moves fast, but damn it’s good.

——

Having flashbacks? What, where, when & why – one year ago for you?

Behold, the real blooming onion:

These  little beauties came to my kitchen via the CSA our office has with Good Life Farm. This local haven is less than 30 minutes from our desks, and delivers our shares in a Farmers Market-style Friday afternoon set-up. Last week, we were greeted with mustard & collard greens, cute-purple-flowered onions, onion chives, large leaf spinach and huge (by our grocery-store-standard) leaf kale.

Fresh greens were aplenty in our kitchen this week! They starred in many meals.

Left: another favorite from our first share, baby radishes & spinach.

D & I purchased a “half” share, splitting with my coworker, Leah. This gives us enough fresh-from-the-farm veggies to feed two people for the week, until at least October. After only the second round,  I now know my cells will be bursting with pride (ahem, nutrients) until late into the Fall season.

We’ve heard tales of corn by the box, strawberries by the pint, eggs if we choose, and an open invitation to visit the farm – to pick our own veggies & fruits! – at any time. My 10-year-old self can’t believe I’m counting the days til fresh tomatoes land in those salads and atop summer sandwiches.

If there’s any way to learn what fruits & veggies are in season and when, this is it. We’ll be spoiled with the best of the best.

This is the good life.

——

Are you part of a CSA?

What’s coming in your shares these mid-Spring days (or, from your grocery basket)?

The Buddha B teacher’s demo made it seem too simple, as usual, but she was quick to remind us of one constant cycle that keeps our minds in the {yoga} game – “Our egos are obliterated, and then in turn, empowered.” We can’t quite grasp the muscle action + mindful instruction to master one pose, but may be completely surprised as we smoothly move into something else.

My ego was silenced and exhausted by more than one suggested pose that night. It happens. Obliterated.

—–

Sunday night I put all preconceived grudges aside and joined Shauna for a hot yoga class at Studio DC. Ryan’s sessions never disappoint; my legs were tired and tight, and ending the weekend with 75 minutes of sweating it out enticed me.

With a mat-towel, face towel and water bottle full of ice, I was all set to survive the grueling minutes of “90-100*” heat. Our muscles were stretched, twisted and challenged in every way, and the time elapsed way too quickly. Who is this ego, enjoying sweat-dripping muscle-shaking hot yoga? I like you…

Eventually we got some inversion “play-time” on the wall (my fave!), and I went straight for the usual – kick-up into hand-stands. The first attempt let out a thud as my heels hit the wall – grace hadn’t joined the party yet. Subsequently, I engaged every muscle I could connect to and took it slowly. Eventually, I kicked and didn’t hit the wall, but found myself balancing in the air.

Ego: Yes, this is all you. Hold on tightly! Balance.

With that dose of empowerment, I attempted forearm headstand for the 101st time. I can hold a tri-pod headstand with no issue, but the former version constantly defeats me. The wall behind me held promise; if nothing else, I’ll rest my legs against that and just try to figure this out, muscle by muscle.

All set in the awkward (to me) form, I slowly kicked up…and held it. No wall support, or heel-hitting – my core immediately reacted, engaged, and held everything in place. Hello! This works!

That feeling of a challenge grasped, and victory achieved? That’s bliss.

Savansana has never felt so sweet. Ego: empowered.

——

This is DC Yoga Week, and a great opportunity to gauge which studios are worth your ego’s investment. The list of participating studios is long, but surprisingly not all-encompassing. We all workout on a budget, and things like this make it possible for people to branch out and see if this is something they’re ready to buy into. Check out the list of FREE & $5 classes – try something new!

The streets around the neighborhood that we still call “home” are familiar with my Mom’s running shoes. She never trained for a 10K or a marathon, instead running off of her own self-motivation (and likely a need for pure escape from 3 young children!). From what I can remember, she ran almost every day, solo. Sometimes my Dad would join her for a walk, and on a blue moon we’d join her on a bike for a little while. Either way, she got her run on.

As Sports Psychology chapters argued nature vs. nurture, I had to give my votes to the latter. Suburban New Mexico was safe enough, and we had plenty of sandstone to climb for ‘backyard’ adventures; the “Outdoorsy” types are aplenty, but sports aren’t competitive and a true “natural” runner wouldn’t bloom out of pure luck.

The three of us grew up playing a variety of sports; I stuck to dance, soccer and tennis, strictly avoiding anything that revolved solely around running (ugh, how exhausting). My siblings’ stories are similar -we played what we wanted to (Soccer is the one common thread), our parents supported us in every way possible and encouragement was dished out generously.

{Insert an embarrassingly cute old-school photo of the three of us, decked out in our respectively ill-fitting jerseys, large socks and cleats.}

We never thought about not doing anything; of course our time should be spent on a team, running around, exerting our energy with some sort of direction and purpose. We may not have realized it then, but the examples had been set; every day involves physical activity, whether that’s coached, in the backyard or around the neighborhood.

I like to think of it this way – my Mom ran before it was “cool”, in her cotton t-shirts, aging shorts and whatever shoes happened to be by the front door. There were no local “5Ks” or Turkey Trots or group runs to meet up with. She ran to stay healthy, in shape, and sane. I don’t remember ever asking her why she did this; really, I don’t remember questioning it at all. Of course she ran, and of course I would, too.

All three of us have maintained a level of physical activity, in every year of our lives. My brother & sister played intramural sports in college, went on hikes outside of their southern desert campus and live for the first snowfall of the season so they can dust off the snowboards. Now, we all run, too.

Mom, we did all of these things because you (and Dad!) set the example. You showed us it was okay to sweat, take 30 minutes of the day for yourself, and spend a few extra dollars on running/soccer shoes, ski gear, hiking boots, and eventually a race fee. You keep yourself healthy, and we never questioned why someone would make an effort to do so. You do something for you, and we’re better for it.

Happy {early} Mother’s Day, to my favorite Mother Runner!
Love you, Mom.

—–

Luckily, these days, there are quite a few Mother Runners! Thanks to Dimity McDowell & Sarah Bowen Shea, a community has formed and these mother runners are encouraged and supported by each other every day. Kudos to you all, and happy Mother’s day to you, too! Enjoy the miles.

Tuesday morning happened to be the day I returned to the morning routine –

~20+ – “real” push-ups (until it hurts)
~20 – drop to the knees and continue
60 second plank holds, x 3

Tuesday evening happened to be the night that Chris, of CrossFit Dupont, joined us for a run, and threw in a surprise workout when we got to Lincoln! What did he have in mind for us? Push-ups. And stair-repeats.

Full-pushups: do as many as you can before needing to rest
When you rest, run the stairs (i.e. keep moving!)
Do more push-ups
Run the stairs again

This sequence repeats until you’ve done 50 full push-ups. Stacy & Chris got ambitious on us, and went for a different kind of arm-tester:

Want to join us for a workout-date with Lincoln?
Updates comin’ at ya, right here!

—-

As luck would have it, Wednesday’s office Tabata session happened to be push-ups. We do 20 seconds on, 10 seconds “off” (x 8). For that 10 second rest we pushed back into Down-dog. My arms were shaking after that 4 minute attack.

As last night’s Buddha B class would have it, chatarangas were handed out in spades. Holding up the umbrella to ward off the rain after class didn’t seem like a priority.

—-

It may only be Thursday, but I’m calling “time-out!” today. My currently dysfunctional arms have earned their break, and my rested running legs could use some attention! Balance, I’m looking at you.

—–

What muscles have you (over)worked lately?

The brain counts, too, if you’re in the countdown-to-weekend mode!

Yep, these crops have a lot to say! So do the lululemon cheer groups; they’re some kick-ass sign-makers.

When I arrived to our {new Tuesday night!} run club last night, these crops were handed to me for a “test run”. I hesitantly changed out of my shorts, thinking about how the 70* humid night would feel as I ran in crops. I should’ve known better; lulu can be so tricky…

Run: A Marathon Crop

These are easily the lightest weight crops I’ve ever pulled onto my legs. You can barely feel the fabric; the fit is perfect (and I don’t use that word lightly in reference to running clothes!). The bottom angled-cut caps your knee, not coming down too low (most lulu crops hit me mid-shin), and have a small elastic hem on the inside that prevents them from going anywhere.

You can read about the other “key features” here, but know this – this pair of crops has SEVEN pockets. Count em’! Four waistband pockets (fit keys, gus / shot bloks – whichever way you swing – and/or cards, etc.), two pockets along the legs (see where the reflective strip starts? Scan down to the top of the knee – those pockets are deep* ), and one zipper pocket in the back (which fits an iPhone, credit cards, etc.).

Seriously. Seven pockets. What else do you need?

*Stacy actually ran with her phone in this pocket, and it didn’t move! Fancy.

We ran a 3.5 mile loop with a surprise! mini strength workout thrown in the middle. The Lincoln Memorial tourists got a little show last night, you’re welcome. Next time, you tourists are free to join us!

In other news, these bags can now be found at a lululemon store near you:

I walked home with my Speed shorts and sweaty hat inside of this, while I enjoyed a cool-down in my new crops – a look I accessorized with a stupid grin because really? This bag is awesome.

——-

If you splurge on a piece of running / athletic clothing, what are the key features for you?

If you could ask your exercise attire for a little motivation, what script would you give them?

I’ve been so spoiled by lululemon things that now I love having pockets! I always carry an ID, metro card and debit card, plus a house-key and occasionally my bike-share key. Pockets = essential. Obviously the fit, fabric and feel are important, too! But, with most (not all) lululemon things, that’s covered.

If they tell me something, it better just be to keep movin’.

The plus side: Kate & Epod are both from the area, so we had homes to stay in!

Obviously we got ourselves to the Starting line, but it took much more planning than usual. Heads up for anyone thinking about this race: arrive early. We had about 75 minutes to kill once we got there, but that proved to be a smart decision. Minimal traffic, no issues getting on the Septa, 30 minute train ride, and minimal bathroom lines = massive race arrival success!

Kate & I warmed up by running laps around a school, partially in the grass, for about 10 minutes. Kinks out and muscles lightly stretched, we made our way to the Purple corral (speedy-K was in Red, but she hung back one wave, with me). The countdown was on; the race began right on time – kudos! Things are off to a good start…

Running straight down one road for 10 miles is about as exciting as it sounds. The key here to is embrace and enjoy the simplicity of the course; net downhill, great spectators and absolutely nothing to think about! Just keep moving forward, don’t make a single turn, and use all of the above to your advantage.

I had no doubt this would be my 10-mile PR for the season. I was trained well, rested and ready to race; I had taken it easy during Cherry Blossom to save the effort for this, and noting the course details, all odds are in the runner’s favor!

The virtual running-buddy (VRB; Garmin lingo) was set at 7:30, and all I looked at was how far ahead of her I could get. The mile markers throughout the race were spot on with my splits (go, G!) and there was no need to look at time. As I gained seconds and tenths of miles on the VRB, I had all the knowledge I needed.

The legs gave me a positive balance by the end of mile 1 (meaning we’re ahead of that VRB already), and things looked good from there!

Along the course you pass spirited spectators, church singers on their front steps (gorgeous sounds), bands (pump-you-up sounds!), Temple students, radio station tents, and frequent water stations. The road is wide enough that you can forget you’re surrounded by enough runners to fill a small city, but at the same time you’re never alone. The road just keeps going, and the view ahead is a sea of runners, stoplights & miles to go.

7:28 – 7:21 – 7:23 – 7:21 – 7:13 – 7:02 – 7:15

At mile 7 I was bored enough that I needed to do math and/or sing in my head; I took to counting down each stoplight/block (10,9,8,7….) after each mile marker. By the time I got to 1, it was time for a new mile (thank you for consistency, grid systems!). By the time it was a new mile, we had one less to run!

I was almost two minutes ahead of schedule, feelin’ just fine.

Entering the Navy Yard means you have 0.25 miles to go; I had my eye on a handful of gals the whole time, I had passed all but one, and the motivation to get ahead of her sped me through those last 400 yards…

7:14 – 7:13 – 7:02 – cross that Finish Line!

There’s nothing quite like that PR-high – 5 minutes knocked off my personal best, and there was still some juice in these legs. There may be new expectations for MCM in my head, but that’s another mind-game for another day.

 
The race crew, together outside of the District! PR smiles can’t hide.

Official Results  –  1:12:52, avg. pace 7:17

Overall: 1942 / 33891
Gender: 361 /18988
Division: 125 / 5081

——–

Who else tested a physical limit this weekend? Link it up, let’s hear it!

Logic told me to join Ivan, Epod & Kate in their Broad Street 10-miler registration – a mid-Spring mid-distance race in a new-to-me race city? Count me IN.

…it’s one of the largest 10-milers in the country? Huh?

This was news to me, which only proves I don’t do a lot of (any?) research before clicking “Sign me up!”.

Word around the blog world is that this race is flat and PR-friendly, so there’s a huge plus. It also seems to be very popular among the locals, the site crashed on registration day, and I got in via the “overflow” lottery. So, there’s something appealing here! I’ll find out what it is, soak it up, and get back to you on that.

It’s been a long time since we’ve traveled for a race; I’m looking forward to running unfamiliar streets, being surrounded by speedy strangers and checking the new-10-mile PR box!

Who else is racing this weekend? I know there’s a big marathon happening across the border, and a much smaller one happening in our backyard!

Good luck to all of you tackling the endurance side of things this weekend – run strong, and stay hydrated!

Decide what your priorities are and how much time you’ll spend on them. If you don’t, someone else will. –Harvey MacKay

The proverbial “they” tell us to look at our bank accounts – what do we spend money on? That list shows what’s important to you, things you deem worth your dollar. I would argue that some of these expenditures are necessities vs. priorities – I would much prefer to spend $0 per week at the gas station, instead of $50 – but you get the idea.

Before you swipe your card, think about where you’d place that purchase on your list of priorities. Worth the splurge or expenditure? Go for it.

Or, just another nagging “need” that you could go without? Put that $5-10 toward something more important. There’s your opportunity to save it.

It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, ‘What are we busy about?’ – Henry David Thoreau

Our time is spent differently every day, and no one keeps track of it on a nice list that screams “where did all my minutes go?!” (the cell phone companies have mastered that, though). But what if you were to keep a “Time Log”, with the same accuracy that some of us track mileage, calories, minutes spent exercising or dollars spent splurging? You would likely think of the daily 1440 minute budget differently.

I talk a lot about balance, and fitting things in (mostly some form of exercise that doesn’t involve running shoes), and how it all happens in a “busy” schedule. We’re all busy by our own definitions; we’re all on some sort of budget. It does no good to compare my schedule to that of a CEO’s who goes for a run every morning, or my budget to that of a millionaire spending on world-travel (oh, the life…). In the same breath, my priorities and allotted “free” time/money do not compare to anyone else’s. I just have to figure out how to use what I have, most efficiently and wherein I get the most satisfaction.

In my world, I talk to a lot of people about health and balance. I hear a lot of excuses, restrictions and reasons for not doing things. I understand most of them, and always try to relate on some level. Sometimes, I have to look in the mirror and try to do as I say; it’s not always easy, for anyone.

But, the bottom line is that being active and healthy is not too expensive – it’s a budget choice. It’s not too time consuming, it fits in when we choose for it to. If I want time to relax, I’ll find a way to fit that in, too.

Honey badger wouldn’t accept any excuses. He’s crazy.

If you’re not yet convinced that we can all figure out a time and money budget for personal wants (whether that’s fitness, travel, buying a house, etc.), here are some resources that come with stamps of approval:

Mint.com – Monitor your spending, manage your money.
Eternity Time Log – Yup, there’s an app for that.

MeetUp.com – Search your city, there is a group for you. Whether you’re looking for a walk/run-buddy, a sports team, a Mom/Dad-group, fellow trapeze artists or yogis, there is someone wants you to join their meet-up. These are usually free.

{YourCity}.com/org – Each city has a website (don’t expect much), and community centers have free events. Look up a calendar, you might be surprised to find free yoga, concerts, fairs, etc.

lululemon.com/community – A store near you has free classes, EVERY week.

This list could go on for a while, but I’ll let you add to that.

—–

What tactics to you use to budget your time and/or money? What excuses have popped into your head lately, that need to be silenced?

We all have our days, and there’s no doubt that there’s a place for indulging, relaxing on the couch and enjoying that monetary splurge every now & then. We all have things that keep us sane, and behaviors that can keep us on track to achieve what’s really important to us. The trick is balancing all of the above.

In my experience, the litmus test for a great yoga studio is a bad website. Clicking the link above will show you the schedule and what’s coming up – it certainly won’t wow you with graphics, papyrus font or fancy design. No offense at all, Buddha B – it just means you spend your resources elsewhere. I get it, and I like it.

Digression aside, the studio was spacious, not too crowded, the teacher was great and the class wiped out my energy stores.

“If you say you don’t have time for something, you’re just saying it isn’t a priority.”

Simple words that can change the way you tackle every task of every day. Do I have time to run? Always. I can go straight from my front door, and go out as long or short as I want. Do I have time to do yoga? When I decide to, yes.

Kate and I took advantage of some Sunday morning sunshine by running, then biking, then yoga-ing. The free lululemon Georgetown class always appeals to me, until other Sunday “chores” get added to the agenda. This weekend, priorities were rearranged and put back in their place – another hour of yoga, a few easy miles on the bike and new shade of pink on the cheeks to match the season!

Ah, sweet time-management victory.

—-

I’ve put my rainy miles in for today, so tonight I’ll be back on the mat. Thanks to LivingSocial, I have 13 more classes to spend with the Buddha peeps.