Making trades

Sometimes I feel like I'm bargaining with myself the way someone would at a yard sale or bazaar: I'll take the box of books and the lamp for $10. Or, if you throw in some yams in exchange for the parsnips, then you have a deal.

My bargaining sounds like this: I'll downgrade my three mile run to two miles in exchange for 30 minutes in the gym. Or, if I do my short barefoot run today, than I can switch my long run to Thursday; that way I'll still have time to take the dog for a walk.

And that's pretty much what the day was like. I had a three mile run and 30 minutes in the gym on my calendar for today. But, after two hours at a morning appointment, to be followed by an afternoon meeting and the kids coming home early from school, Enjoli Mom was not going to have time to do it all today. Plus, the weekend was so busy that dog has been neglected and to show her displeasure, she recently went dumpster (trash can) diving and shoe shopping (chewing). So I'd hoped to add a walk to my schedule too.

So, instead of the three mile run, I decided to take the dog out for a round of Frisbee and a one-mile walk in my Vibrams to warm up my feet for a one-mile Vibram run, followed by a two-miler in the Kenvaras. But then, I might not have time to lift. Conundrum.

Running in the Vibrams felt so good that instead of one mile, I did two, and traded the Kenvara run for gym time. All-in-all, not so bad. Except . . . immediately after the run, the top of my left foot felt a little sore. Right in the same spot where I had the stress fracture in July.

Maybe not such a good trade after all. I'll consider myself warned . . .

High heels are the devil

I totally took the day off yesterday from all my usual habits--no exercise, no blogging, no healthy foods.

That's not to say I had the day off. It was the last day of soccer season for my three girls and they had games at 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM. The 1:30 game was followed by a team party. So, basically, we were on the soccer fields all day and food was the grab-and-go variety.

At 7 PM, we had a neighborhood party to attend. I wore a pair of cute heels--something I rarely do but thought I would fancy up a bit for the get-together.

Totally regret it!

My body was wrecked today and not from something fun or festive like jammin' on the dance floor or knocking back libations. Oh, no. My discomfort was caused by standing for three hours straight in 3" heels! So. not. worth. it!

Here I shall list my grievances: lower back pain, hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain and general foot and fascia pain. I have finally recovered enough from my running injuries that I'm back up to 15 pain-free miles a week. And, to think I flirted with a set back over wearing a pair of heels! What was I thinking?

Over the years, I have learned to embrace my flat shoes and the benefit of no shoes at all, so I will try to remember what I've learned the next time the frivolous footwear calls to me from the depths of my closet. High heels are the devil!

Running and lifting was on my schedule for today. Fortunately, the balmy temps and availability of a sitter were smiling upon me and, instead, my husband and I were able to enjoy a 30-mile ride together. Heaven! Plus, after spending half the morning in rag doll trying to ease my aches and pains, it was cycling that finally put my body right again.

Which leads to another bonus . . . I won't need to sweat it out at the spin class tomorrow. (Dreaded indoor spinning--a necessary off-season evil). Instead, I have rescheduled my run for tomorrow and will again enjoy the outdoors on another beautiful fall day.

I can fly

My workout almost ended up in Neverland today.

This morning, I spent two hours at a consignment shop selling bits of my childrens' babyhood--the double stroller, the saucer, the toy rocking horse, the cute little blue snowsuit . . . the act of "cleaning house" should have left me feeling lighter; instead, I felt heavy-hearted. The reserved and uppity owner of the store didn't help matters any, the way she pawed through the items that were so precious to me, declaring them "out of date" or "not what we're looking for" and "not clean enough," though everything had been freshly laundered and you would have needed a magnifying glass to find the small stain or tiny pull she detected. I understand the woman has a business to run but, sheesh, a little humanity please!

So, I drove home with a big case of the blues, not yet ready to face the formidable task of doing the grocery shopping, and detoured back to my house for lunch (leftover three mushroom risotto) and to organize my shopping list and coupons.

Two hours and two full shopping carts later, I was finally heading home for the second time. The temperature had climbed to 70 degrees--in November!--and the sun was shining in the bright blue sky. I had a car full of groceries and exactly one hour and counting before my kids got home from school. You have never seen a woman unload the groceries so quickly! (Effectively becoming my pre-run warm up.)

If it wouldn't spoil or melt, it was left on the kitchen counter to be dealt with later. After unloading in record time, I dashed upstairs, peeling off clothes as I went--the errand-running, grocery shopping, domestic mommy uniform of jeans, long-sleeve T, zip up fleece and Keens being swapped for the athletic mommy uniform of running shorts, wicking T, industrial strength sport top and trusty Kenvaras.

30 minutes left. I'd downgraded my run from the hoped for 4-5 miles today to a short 3-miler, and even that was pushing it. I had no choice--I'd have to sprint. The whole way. Or, for as much of it as I could. And for a slow-trodding, negative-split, endurance runner like myself, sprinting is about as appealing as liver and onions. Blech!

It was a miserable run, but I dug into it--channeling the sadness and frustration I'd felt at the consignment store and the domestic doldrums of the grocery store, and tried to convert that negative energy into positive output.

I rounded the corner into my neighborhood and onto my street at the same time as the school bus. My kids got a kick out of seeing me running alongside the bus and were smiling and waving to me from the windows.

Three miles. 26 minutes. At just over 8.5 minutes per mile that is lightening speed for me. And, boy did I ever hate and curse every one of those wind-sucking minutes. But I did it, and I'm proud of myself for getting it done even when it would have been so much easier to skip it today.

The small lift I got from that run was short-lived as I walked back in to the house to face the wreckage I'd left in my wake--food and grocery bags covering every surface of my kitchen, now embellished with my kids' backpacks and lunchboxes and school papers.

What's a girl to do?

Ignore it, of course, and head down to the gym to put in those 2o minutes of strength training I'd also hoped for. So I can say I did it all today. I'm the Enjoli woman. "I can bring home the groceries, run as fast as I can . . . destroy the kitchen and put weights in my hands. . . "

Okay. Clearly, I am starting to lose it now so I will wind it up with this: After my gym time I was once again staring down a one-hour window. In that hour I shoved the still-bagged groceries aside and made homemade pizzas, took a quick shower, fed the fam and had us all out the door in time to see the school play we had tickets for.

It was Peter Pan and he could fly. Peter Pan's got nothing on me.

Hit me baby one more time

Every post-Savage bike ride I've had I think will be my last, so I'm thrilled that it's mid-November and I'm still able to get out there and crank out a 50-mile ride once every two weeks. Today was sunny and 58 degrees with light winds and the availability of a primo pit stop--doesn't get much better than that, especially this time of year!

Though, I must admit, it gets a little harder each time. It's one thing to pull 50+ miles when I'm riding regularly, but gritting one out every 14 days or so is a bigger challenge. My first 25-mile leg was strong, but on the return trip my quads were crying out around mile 15. With seven miles left to go, my back, neck and shoulders joined the party. But, I welcome it as a sign of a good effort and an effective workout, the "hurts so good" kind of hurt. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right?

I wonder, though: will this be my last ride of the year?

Well, I'm too tired to write much more today (which is actually already tomorrow) so I will close with a big thank you to our military men and women for their service to our great country--a country where I am free to go out and ride by myself, anywhere I want to go, anytime, wearing shorts even! (imagine!) and I don't fear for my safety; I am not breaking any laws. I don't take it for granted that there are many women in this world who do not have this freedom. I hope that someday any woman, anywhere in this world, can hop on a bike at will, choose her own path and just ride.

Let it flow

Let it flow, let yourself go, slow and low that is the tempo--Beastie Boys

This is the song that is playing in my head when I reflect on today's workout: one hour of yoga and 30 minutes of walking.

I used to be a cardio junkie. If it wasn't heart-pumping, music-thumping, sweat running, then it wasn't a workout.

Eight years ago I used to teach step aerobics and kickboxing classes at a health club. My class was followed by a yoga class and curiosity got the best of me. I was pregnant with my second daughter and thought it might be good for me to give yoga a try--relaxing, calming, stretching--all good things for a pregnant gal, right?

Well, as much as I hate to admit this, the only word that can describe how I felt about that first yoga class is: B-o-r-i-n-g!

Flash forward eight years and I am a certified advanced yoga instructor and have been teaching (I prefer to use the word "guiding") yoga classes (practices) for six years. I can't imagine not having yoga in my life.

Aside from "boring," there are several other things I experienced in that first class: sore wrists, mild headache, and a few dangerous moments where I flirted with inappropriate laughter. People respond in different ways when they are out of their comfort zone. I either blush to a shade of deep scarlet or suppress the urge (often unsuccessfully) to laugh. Even now, when I attend Bikram yoga, I'm startled by the loud breathing that kicks off the class. It is a group setting I'm still so unfamiliar with that my first impulse, before settling in, is to giggle.

But, despite my feelings after that first yoga class, I stuck with it. My wrists adapted, my head got used to the pressure experienced when inverted, and I started to enjoy yoga and appreciate what it had to offer in the way of strength, endurance, balance, flexibility, concentration and mind-body connection. I was hooked. After a full year of practicing, I knew that yoga would forever be a part of my life and I wanted to share the practice with others, so I became a student of yoga, and then a teacher.

One yoga instructor I practiced with said that, in addition to wholesome and balanced nutrition, the only thing you need in life to stay healthy and fit is yoga and five miles of walking each day. And I believe it.

But there is still a part of me that craves a good, long run or a challenging bike ride. For me, I find balance in having both the extroverted cardio experience and the introverted yoga experience. Taking my dog for daily walks is one of the best things I can do for her, and for myself, but losing myself to endless laps in the pool, conquering steep hills on my bike or sprinting that last mile of a run is an endorphin cocktail that I can't live without.

So, I've learned to find balance in my fitness life. And, though I will always crave the heart-pumping, music thumping, sweat running cardio workouts, I also value days like today when I can just let it flow, let myself go, slow and low that is the tempo.

Namaste.

Git R Done

Though I hate to admit it, I thrive on stress.

The less time I have, the more I get done. The more time I have, the more I procrastinate--and I am an excellent procrastinator!

Unlike yesterday, when a flexible schedule allowed me to keep putting off my workout, which was only 30 mins of strength training (what I call "gym time") for goodness sake, today's schedule gave me no choice but to get up and get to it.

On days like today, I put my workout clothes on the floor next to my bed so the minute the alarm goes off I can hop into those clothes and be ready to go.

As soon as the kids were on the bus, I was off and running--five miles, to be exact. Though it might have been nice to wait until it warmed up a bit (read: procrastinate), or until I'd had a chance to eat breakfast or pump a little caffeine into my veins, it was nice knowing that I was out there getting it done.

The run was followed by a 1-mile walk to cool down and give my dog a chance to catch up on the day's news. 9:45 AM and I'd already pounded six miles of pavement. Nice!

Gitn' R Done is a great way to start the day!

Put one foot in front of the other

This is one of those days where I keep procrastinating, even though today's workout is not terribly involved or time consuming. Maybe that is the problem. Changing my clothes and dragging myself into the gym for a 30-minute session between checking my kids' homework and making dinner is not very inspiring.

Today is the day I want to curl up on the couch, read a book, sip my chai and not do much of anything else.

Today was a beautiful day. So after a morning of errands and appointments, I decided to skip the grocery store in favor of going home and taking my dog for a walk.

Though my cupboards are bare and I had to settle for All Bran cereal and almonds for lunch, and have no idea what I'll make for dinner, I do not regret skipping the store in favor of that walk.

Likewise, I will not regret getting those 30 minutes of lifting. I just have to decide what I will skip (another load of laundry? 15 more minutes online?) to get myself moving toward those hand weights. Left foot, right foot . . .

Doing crunches and squats and bicep curls is the easy part. It's the steps that come before that--putting one foot in front of the other--that is the challenge.