Road Warrior

Today’s run: 9 miles in 1:21.

I was excited to get out the door. Probably because I wore fancy gloves.

Yes, it looks like I have a mini-penis. I assure you I do not.

Do not be jealous. You too could have these gloves for $.50 from Target. I don’t talk about Target a lot because as much as I love it, I try not to go there. Just walking in the door and I am $50 poorer. It never fails. Yet somehow going there, like going to Costco, puts me in a good mood.

Conversely, going to Wal-Mart puts me in a horrible mood and makes me think the world is going to shit. It is the ongoing Target vs. Wal-Mart debate and Target will always win out for me. Maybe it is because you see a lot of this sort of thing at Wal-Mart, and I don’t care for it:

I swear I never see crap like that at Target. I’m not being uppity, it just hasn’t happened. Yet. 

Back to the run. It was stinking freezing when I set out. 25 degrees. Slightly overcast. I was going into the wind on the way out and I thought my face might fall off. My snot froze to my flaring nostrils. I ran along this road towards the foothills.

I passed this grave.

I don’t know who Cinnamon is. Person? Dog? Doesn’t matter, this being was LOVED.  I used to have a guinea pig named Cinnamon but I don’t think she was buried here.

At the halfway mark I had some watermelon GU Chomps, stretched out my ass and headed for home. I passed a bunch of peacocks which was totally random. I think they are lost because they are a long way from their homeland of Sri Lanka or India. I wanted to tell them, but I don’t speak Sinhala.

It was  decent run. Not perfect in terms of pain (I had some stiffness in the last three miles), but leaps and bounds from where I was four weeks ago. Plus, my pace was about 30 seconds per mile faster than on my 8 miler last week, and that was without trying in the least. I came home and chugged some chocolate milk while rolling on the foam roller. Good to go!

I do think the active release work with Matt is really working. I have also been doing yoga at least twice per week. I like to do the sweaty crack aka Bikram yoga - I think that helps to keep my muscles loose and supple.

So, the Rock n Roll Vegas half (2 weeks from today) starts at 5:30 p.m This is not my normal run time and I never have run a race at night. If I was smart like some people I would be doing my long runs in the evenings to get ready. But, I’m not. I just don't want to. I figure I’ll wing it on that day and hope for the best.

My toughest challenge will be to watch what I eat that day I figure if I have a huge plate of Mexican food at about 3pm I’ll be golden. What’s a SUAR race without a porta potty or squat story?

I am getting excited for the race. For all of the times I’ve been to Vegas (way too many to count), I’ve never run the Strip at night. I’m also excited to be working with the Chocolate Milk campaign as a Team Refuel Road Warrior. SUAR the Warrior. Has a nice ring to it. Be very afraid.

For more info on the science behind why chocolate milk rules after a long workout, look HERE. Basically, you’re getting the perfect ratio of carbs to protein for recovery and helping to build leaner muscle mass. Hello! Who doesn’t want that?

Which do you prefer to shop at, Wal-Mart or Target?

Ever run an evening or night race? How do you recommend eating/fueling during the day of the race?

Do you do the sweaty crack version of yoga? I’ve been doing it for about two years now. Love it. Something about the sweat and the intense heat. Maybe I should move to the equator.

SUAR

PS: Check back tomorrow for the SUAR Christmas shopping extravaganza! There will be a long sleeve tech shirt (with a new design) and a couple other new stocking stuffer items.

Foot in Crotch

Running tip: Feeling tired on lots of your runs these days? You might be eating too few calories, not getting enough sleep, or overtraining. Rebecca Scritchfield (Sports Nutritionist) says your low energy may be related to lack of iron. People who experience fatigue, weakness, pale skin, headache, and irritability may have low iron levels. Others may have severe iron depletion called anemia or "tired blood." If your fatigue persists, get it checked out.

Ever have crap runs? Not in the turd sense, but in the actual running sense. You start the run and wish it were over. The miles trudge along. You consider just stopping, but that's for wimps, so you carry on. You know you will love the run when it is over. I rarely have runs like this, but I did today. And here is where I ran, so what was my problem?

At mile 4, I got the worst ever cramps. Those of you in Longmont at McIntosh Lake could have found me curled in a ball on the path. It wasn't pretty. I made it the six miles without a mess and promptly carreid on with my day. Damn time of the month that men don't get.

Many of you asked if the ice bath helped with my recovery from the 18 mile run. I have no idea, because I only made it in there about five minutes (talk about wimps). I'm not sure that was enough time to do what it's supposed to do. Thank you for all of your input as to why I was doing it wrong: I seriously never thought of adjusting to the water before putting the ice in. Maybe that just speaks to my all or nothing personality. If (and that's a big eff'ing if) I ever do that again, I'll start by gradually getting in, letting my body adjust to the cold water, then dumping in the ice. You have to admit, it wouldn't have made for a very exciting video if I did it the right way. I did it all for you and your enjoyment!

I will say, that what helped the most with the recovery was doing some hot yoga. Going in I was hurting a bit. Just tight. After 90 minutes in 105 degree heat and some really intense stretches - (this one in particular called the head to knee pose) - my legs got a new lease on life.
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Yes, that is me. I have become Asian and now wear blue underwear to yoga.

I love how the posture names are so literal (as in "head to knee"). I know they are translated from Sanskrit, but it the simplicity of the names in their unembroidered exactness (how you like that word choice? Mensa, here I come) crack me up. Or sometimes they are named after animals or farts (i.e., "wind relieving pose," my personal favorite).

Here I am again, only this time I have changed my underwear and my ethnicity.

If I were a yoga-pose-namer, I would call this one-foot-in-crotch-with-head-cut off -pose instead of Tree pose (do not look at my form. It is not good).

This one would be called I-have-to-pee-so-bad instead of Eagle pose. I also look nothing like an eagle with the exception of my pink and gray shirt, which I’m pretty sure eagles wear.

This one would be trying to create the letter T with your body or “Mrs. T” pose instead of Balancing Stick Pose (seriously, have you ever seen a stick that looks like this?)

And yes, before you ask, I LOVE to do yoga in my jeans. It allows for so much flexibility and I find that the denim breathes really well in the heat.

So, what was YOUR workout today?

PS: I usually don't link to giveways (so I have a better chance of winning), but this one by Anne Marie is awesome - some great Athleta running stuff. Check it out HERE.

Drinking: Nothing - headed for some tea

The Sweaty Crack (aka Bikram) Experience

Anytime I want to try something new, I do tons of research beforehand because I don't want to appear stupid or vulnerable. The ironic thing is despite any research I always look stupid and vulnerable.

I told you I was trying Bikram (hot) yoga this week. I did some research and took into account what you all told me about it. This is what I learned:

Preparation:

• Don't eat within two hours of starting class. So, I ate an energy bar five minutes before class. I like to push the envelope. What was the worst that could happen? Would my beads of sweat resemble energy bars? Would I poop myself? Would my sweat smell like an energy bar? Would I puke on my mat? Let's test it.
  
• Bring a towel to mop up the wet that continually drips off of our body. Check.
  
• Expect that you might get nauseous or dizzy. Sweet.
  
• Bring water. But don't drink it unless you are between postures (thanks for the tip, Ulyana) or you will be called a name and maybe kicked out
  
• Wear limited, tight fitting clothing. I wore my speedo. I mean my banana holder. Just kidding, I don't have a banana. What to wear was really on my mind. I didn't want to stand out as the new girl. So I googled pictures, hoping to see what the cool kids wear, and found this:

• This picture alone made me almost not go. What pose is this exactly? Scarymaninspeedoonwoman'sback-asana?
  

The actual experience:

On Tuesday I went to the Hot Flow class at Solar Yoga. This is supposedly a mixture of Bikram and Vinyasa yoga styles. 90 minutes. 100 degrees. It was fine. Everyone was very serious, so much so that I wanted to start laughing hysterically or let out a giant, juicy, sweat induced fart. I sweated a lot, but didn't feel I was quite at my edge. The instructor did this real cool chant thing at the beginning. Her voice was so earthy and smooth. It gave me goosebumps.

Today I went to the HOT class, which is the traditional Bikram yoga. 26 poses, each done twice. 90 minutes. The thermostat said 107.4 degrees.

Again, everyone was very serious. I had a few moments of feeling pushed to my edge, but never wanted to quit or lay down and cry. I did see stars once when we were in this pose, which was kind of cool:

(Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana - Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose)

My spell check does not know what to do with that posture name. Who makes this stuff up anyway?

Here is an observation:

The bathrooms are really nice at this place. Mouthwash, q-tips, tampons. I guess that is why it costs $16 a class. Ouch. I guess sweating your ass off is only for the rich.

You may be asking why would anyone do this kind of thing? First of all, does burning almost 800 calories in 90 minutes catch your attention? Here are some additional benefits from this site:

BENEFITS OF BIKRAM YOGA:
Reshapes your body
Restores flexibility
Tones, strengthens, and lengthens your muscles
Strengthens your spine
Improves circulation
Reduces risk of sports injury
Achieves relief from pain
Reduces your weight – lose pounds by balancing your metabolism
Raises energy level
Diminishes the effects of stress
Increases balance, coordination, focus and discipline
Clears your mind
Calms your soul
Ensures healthy and balanced functioning of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, digestive, elimination, respiratory, endocrine, and mental systems of the body

BENEFITS OF THE HEAT:
Warms the muscles for greater flexibility
Helps achieve a deeper stretch
Flushes toxins from the body
Improves efficiency of the immune system
Creates a cardiovascular workout
Burns calories
Builds endurance

Need I say more?

Overall, I'm all over this experience. I LOVE to push myself to my limits and I love to be well-rounded in the types of exercise I do. More than anything, I want to get old(er) being limber, cleansed and strong. So, I guess I'm going back.

When is the last time you tried something new or took a risk? I'd really like to hear from each of you. I think we can inspire each other to not be afraid.

Drinking: Vic's Coffee