Dumbo Double Dare Training Week 9 & Dopey Challange Training Week 1

Week 1 of Dopey training is in the books, and I'm well on my way for the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge!

The Real Deal.

Monday started off strong with a lovely evening of hot yoga.  It feels good to get back in the studio and sweat it out.  It was a quick turn around between getting home from work (late), changed and then off to 6pm class - but it was worth it.

Nothing like a bottle of water to hydrate after class (while pumping gas)!

There are 2 great things to enjoy after class...water and a shower! ;)

Tuesday, was a great 3.1 mile run in the evening.  The hope was to try and get it in before work, but ultimately we decided to sleep.  This made for a hot evening run, but I got it done.

Thursday, we actually DID get up early before work to get our run in.  I was almost turned off to the idea upon waking up and finding RAIN, but the hubs kept me to it.  While it was unexpected and unwanted, it only ended up lasting a few minutes into the 3 mile run...so I stuck with it.  

A gloomy, cool summer morning run...

I am not a big fan of track running, but the hubby likes it for his knees.  I don't know if we will make this our go to morning running spot, but it work...it's just boring.  It is helpful for pacing, and walking breaks, but it.is.boring. haha  I did see lots of bunnies, including this guy who actually crossed my path.

Saturday, I had to decide what I wanted to do for my long run.  Dopey called for 3 miles and DDD called for 4.  Ultimately, I went for the 4.  I will probably stick with the longer mileages over the next 2 months as the plans overlap - luckily they're fairly similar.  It was HOT though, basically 90.  We ended up running around mid-day on our favorite trail, and we did not prep properly, so the heat definitely worse that it could've been due to our lack of liquids.  Nothing like learning the hard way...lol  Luckily, some water was waiting for us back in the car, and a ice cold Gatorade was waiting for me once we got back home.

All and all it, was a great 4th weekend of relaxing to cap off a great week of running.  We went out Friday night and saw some lovely fireworks (I LOVE fireworks!) and then spent Saturday afternoon relaxing after our run and staying cool from the heat with Toby.

Sparks Fly

How was your 4th?  Did you do any fun 4th of July runs?

Dumbo Double Dare Training -Week 1

Well, runDisney finally posted the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge training schedule on Tuesday - which also happened to be the first day OF training.  So gee, thanks for that...

RunDisney seems to be behind on things...not only were the training plans late (in my opinion - as an example, the WDW Half plan was posted the day we signed up last year.  Considering I registered for this in February, I'd say this was LATE.)

Another instance of this...I was SO EXCITED for the Tinkerbell Half Weekend, for the main purpose of our Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend medals being shown.  Again, as past history would show, medals have typically been released at the race prior's expo.  Guess what - NO MEDALS.  I was all over social media waiting to see someone post them, and was incredible disappointed.  Based on the training plans, people think the weekend theme will be Snow White, which makes sense, but come on runDisney...the suspense is killing me!!

ANYHOW - thus began week 1 of DDD training.  Given the last minuteness of things, along with a crazy work week, I did not do as well as I would've hoped for my first week...but I have many more weeks to improve on this.

I put in some longer hours at work this week (woo OT!) due to us administering finals.  Knowing this, I did double up on hot yoga last weekend going both Saturday and Sunday since I knew I wasn't going to make it Monday evening as I have been doing.  The good thing about work right now though, is I'm definitely getting up and moving so much more running around to start various finals, so at least I have that in my favor.

When the training plan came out on Tuesday, I was already leaving work later than expected and it didn't come out until later afternoon anyway, so I was so not prepared to be running that evening.  Instead, I chatted with my running BFF about the program finally being out and the journey we were about to go on again! 

Wednesday I did manage to make it to evening Hot Yoga - while I was fairly wiped from work, I knew I needed to go and get it done, and since it was only an hour class, I knew it was doable.

Thursday.  Oh Thursday.  Thursday we had a gun threat on campus.  That was an experience.  It was also reported in a building quite close to ours.  Long story short, nothing was found but it did cause us not only to go on a lock down for over an hour, but we also had to stop students in the middle of their finals and they had to deal with that while in the middle of an important exam.  As if law school wasn't stressful enough. haha  Again, we were glad it was nothing - it's rumored to perhaps have been a case of 'swatting' - but it was just the biggest hassle for us and the students to then have to go get them all reset and going with their exams.  I was at work late unexpected because of this, and did not get my DDD run in.

Weather is such a factor for me.  In a very unColorado like way, it was raining and miserable all week.  While I knew I had a 3 mile run on the calendar for the weekend, the weather made me want to just have couch cuddles.  And ultimately that's how things turn out.

We also got about 7ish inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday night - um hello May!? - so that was just like ugh.  Ultimately, I ran just under 3 miles on Sunday, 2.71 to be exact, due to the puddles and unmelted snow I encountered when I finally went out Sunday afternoon.

Here's hoping Week 2 will go better - luckily we have sun in the forecast all week (yay!) and finals are over on Wednesday, so my day flow will slow down quite a bit at work.   We also leave for our belated Anniversary trip next Sunday, and with some much need R&R on the horizon, I cannot be more excited!  We're both excited to train on the beach though, so that will be a part of the vacay plan!

Are you currently training for any races?

Week In Review

So, this has been gone for a few weeks.  A big part of that, was I got sick and for a solid week was truly out of commission in terms of working out.  I missed 2 days of work (which should of been 3...I was told to go home after an epic coughing attack), and a whole week of hot yoga (after I just freakin' resigned my membership!)  The days at the end of a cold are almost worse than when you're in the thick of it.  You don't feel like total crap BUT you're still not 100% and the constant snot running from your nose can take quite a toll on you.  

My best friend and running BFF surprised me for my birthday, and wanted to experience running at an elevation, so I decided to give running a try.  It wasn't pretty, but we made it happen - and she got to experience Colorado running.  Since then, I've eased back into hot yoga, and running as best I can.

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling like myself again, and trying to get back in the groove.  With the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge coming up in September, and Dopey coming my way in January, I have got to get these feet moving!


Training Schedule (4.27.15 - 5.3.15)  
 
4.27.15// I went to after work hot yoga.  I tried this the week prior to getting sick, and actually quite enjoyed it.  It helps that I don't eat a ton during the day (one reason I prefer the morning classes...) and it feels good to have that release after a day of work.


4.28.15 // Rest day.

4.29.15 // After work hot yoga.  In all honesty, I had signed up for the 5:30am class, and when my alarm went off at 5, I just couldn't do it.  haha Therefore, I promised myself to commit to the evening class...and I followed through!  I also helped put on an event for all the Staff for lunch, and had a really fun times decorating and giving out prizes.  Woo for spreading cheer!

4.30.15 // Rest day.  It was actually a crazy day of running around at work.  My office administers finals, and this was the first day of finals.  This semester I'm helping my boss start all of the classroom exams, and between just walking/running around classrooms and using the stairs as much as possible - my Fit Bit was happy! haha

5.1.15 // Rest day aka FRIIIIDAY!  It was actually a quiet day in office since there were no day finals, but I was still on my feet quite a bit getting things prepped for this week.

5.2.15 // 1 hour 20 minute hot yoga class.  It was quite comical when I arrived because my 5:30am teacher teaches the 8am on the weekends and was leaving as I was showing up for the 10am class - she wanted to know where I had been and why I wasn't at the 8am class.  Whoopsie!  She requested my presences at the 8am class on Sunday, but unfortunately I told her I couldn't since I was running at 10k.  The other comical part came when the fire alarm went off during the last 10 minutes or so of class.  While there was no fire (since they're in a strip mall type situation, I can only assume all of the stores get alerted as a precaution) my instructor joked the worst that could happen is 12 hot firemen would show up.  When leaving class there actually WERE hot firemen there (out side on the sidewalk) so it all worked out. ;)

5.3.15 //  Ran a 10k with the hubs for the Race for Open Space trail run!



I liked the cause of the race (saving land!) and we got to run through a really pretty area in which we were helping to preserve.  It was also perfect running weather, and I hope this means the cold is behind us!  I'll have more deets about this later this week, but for my husband's first 10k, he did amaaazing! =D  So proud.  I also technically PRed on my 10k time - this is only ever my 2nd 10k haha - so while it's not where I wanted to be given the recent set back of lack of training from being sick, I will still take it. haha

Since I was already sweaty and gross, I said 'why not' and went to noon hot yoga.  It was only an hour class, and since I know I won't get there today due to a crazy day of finals, it all worked out.  I have to say I was a bit of a hot mess at the beginning of class for a variety of reasons, I was glad I went.

How is the weather in your part of the woods?  We had a really nice weekend here, but have a chance of rain/storms for the rest of the week.  Summer is almost here!

Week In Review

Training Schedule (4.6.15 - 4.12.15)  
 
4.6.15// Today was the day I decided to return to Hot Yoga!  You may recall my lovely ode to hot yoga from last fall, when I devoted a whole post to the lovely Sumits Yoga studio I started attending last summer.  However, while I kept with it, once it turned cold...getting up at 5am became harder and harder.  Now that we're full steam into spring, I'm getting back at it...and boy did it feel good (in that hurts so good it's good hurt). haha

I actually went to a 6:30pm class (after work, a first!) and before I left, I did a quick 1 mile run, just get a run in. ;)  Busted it out in 10:01.

4.7.15 // Rest day. 

4.8.15 // 5:30am hot yoga.  Since I've been gone, they now have all their 5:30am classes at an hour (vs the normal 80 minutes) and I'd never attended one of these before.  They took out a few poses (obvi!) and the abs section, but overall it was still a great way to start the day.  I actually felt pretty good all things considered (but still hurt the good hurt.) haha

4.9.15 //Rest day.  Wasn't feeling too hot, but sipped tea all day at work, and made it work!

4.10.15 // I actually stayed home sick from work today.  I think it was more preventative as I've felt much worse this weekend (haha) but my throat was killing me, so I wanted to rest up since I figured something was coming.  I did take Toby on a 2.5 mile walk, as it was a lovely day and I wanted to get out for a bit.  I also watched Cinderella and Pocahontas which I had saved on DVR a few weeks ago - thanks ABC Family! =)

4.11.15 //  At this point, I was full on sick.  And by that I just mean a hardcore runny nose, throat hurt, and congestion.  I spent most of day relaxing but did end up going on a nice 4 mile trail walk with the hubs - again it was just too nice out (and my fitbit made feel lazy, even with being sick) so I figured why not.  I took it easy, and if anything I hit my steps for the day soooo...win?

4.12.15 //  I did nothing today.  I watched a variety of TV shows, Sleeping Beauty (also DVRed a few weeks ago) and just relaxed.  I wasn't going to push my luck with going out and walking again, so I really did very little activity - except blow my nose, a lot.  

Hoping to get well soon so I can get back into the hot yoga routine and, obviously, running.

What do you do with your training when you're sick?

H is for Hot Yoga

Yesterday I talked about how I practice Hot Yoga as my "cross training" piece of training for my Half Marathon in January.  I thought that I would write a little more about it, as not everyone is familiar with the practice.

Back in July, I picked up taking hot yoga classes.  This is something that I did very sporadically a few years ago with a studio located in Lambertville, NJ, called RiverFlow Yoga.  It was about a half an hour drive from my house, but was really the only place to practice this very cool, erm hot, yoga.  I began on a Groupon, and found that I really liked it, but couldn't get over there as often as I would've liked to really get the benefits of the practice.

Sweaty to the core!

It's important to note that I've never practiced "regular" yoga and I hate sweating.  Yes, HATE.  Hot yoga, however, is a different type of sweating, so I don't mind it so much.  I joke that the best part of class is the shower afterwards. haha

In regards to just HOW hot the room is, it is meant to be kept above body temperature.  Depending on what style you practice, (ie Bikram Yoga - perhaps the most well known "brand") the height of the heat my vary, but a a range of anywhere between 90 degrees to 105 degrees is a good guess...all while practice yoga moves and breathing.  The great thing about Hot Yoga, is that every session is going to be same set of postures.  So, the more you go, the more you know what to expect!

In moving to Colorado, my running buddy began talking about cross training.  So, instead of the regular weight training, I thought going back to hot yoga might be a good mix for training since I'm not much of a stretcher.  I again looked to a Groupon and found a new studio which was a much quicker (5 minute) drive from our home so it seemed like a perfect fit.  It was a month of unlimited yoga, and given I wasn't working full time at the time of purchase, thought it would be a great thing to keep me busy.  Sumits Yoga has been a wonderful, wonderful treat over the last few months, and I love, love, love the teachers. 

I love the feel of my studio - they did a great job designing it,a and it just opened in June.

Over the summer I was typically practicing four times a week, in addition to running (clearly I continued after my Groupon expired...).  At the time, since I wasn't in the thick of my running training yet, I was only running a mile or two, it was a great variation to my day.  Sumits offers either 60 or 80 minute classes, so depending on if I was running or not sometimes helped me pick which length to attend.  The ladies at Sumits are awesome and I love their studio and yoga flow!  While some of the moves are the same from my previous studio, Sumits is it's own flow, so it had some variations.  You can read more about Sumit Banerjee here, and how he created his studio flow.  The class begins with a breathing exercise, followed by a warm up, then into standing postures, the 4 flows that are the apex of class, after that comes a bit of ab work (this is the one part of class that can vary, which I appreciate), and then you're on the mat for your cool down to finish off class.

I started working full time the beginning of September, so I try my best to still get in three times a week, but sometimes I just can't get my butt out of bed.  Given my work schedule, I have to take the 5:30am class - which honestly is a great way to start the work day! - but on some mornings (ahem, yesterday) I just want to stay snuggled up in bed.

Some tips if you're new to hot yoga and decided to give it a shot:

• Bring water!  Hydration is important, both before, during and after class.  Most studios have 1 group "water break" during class but you can always drink as you need to during.
• Bring a smaller towel.  Luckily, Sumits has a stash of washcloths to grab before class - given my hatred of sweat, I love having the option of wiping my face during class. 
• The floor is your friend.  If you're feeling overheated, don't leave the room - just lay down on your back or go into child's pose.  It's much better to stay within the heat, though it's much cooler on the ground.  Everyday is different, so just because you make it through one class without needing a break, doesn't mean you won't need one tomorrow!
• Focus on you.  Trust me when I say, no one is paying attention to you but you in class (well maybe the teacher, but that's their job!)  Keep your eyes locked on you and what you're doing to stay present and don't judge yourself.  Everyone had to start out somewhere!  In the beginning you may need to look around to check your pose, and that's ok!, but once you get down the postures, it is all about you!
• Less is more.  Seriously.  While I still wear crops and a tank top, the more your skin is exposed, the better!  Guys can ditch their shirts, and girls can come in their sports bra and short shorts.  Remember - we're talking over 100 degrees and humidity here!  Regardless, between running and hot yoga, I have added to my workout gear (and created a small obsession with lululemon, must to my husband's dismay - though I only  shop their "sale" page).
• The standards - you'll need a yoga mat and yoga towel each class.  Many studios allow the option of renting if you're just trying it out before you make the investment, which is great since these items can be pricy depending on the brand.  The company that makes my yoga mat is no longer in business, but any yoga mat will really do.  I use a Manduka yoga towel, but my studio is a big advocate for Yogitoes yoga towels - which I'm hoping to invest in a 2nd one soon (I have to do a lot of towel laundry since I only have 1 towel...haha).
• Music!  The class has music through out - which is especially fun during the 4 main flows of each class, and of course abs, to keep you moving and high energy.  You can expect 'zen' music at the start and end of class as well, and every class will give you something new to groove to, which is very fun.

Standing Bow Pose - while tough, it's one of my favorite poses, because I can fall out and know that I am trying my best!  (Though I do not look this put together in class lol where is their sweat!?)

I highly recommend giving hot yoga a chance, check out Groupon or LivingSocial, and see what your area has to offer.  If you can stick with it, you will certainly see the benefits, and I think it is definitely a help to my running (both stretching wise, and breathing wise).

Have you tried hot yoga?  What are your thoughts?

Week In Review

I tend to have a pretty good routine with running and a "cross training" schedule.  Cross training being hot yoga.  I'll speak more about that tomorrow (it's a wonderful thing!). 

The beginning of September began the "Official" Disney Half Marathon Training, as supplied by Disney.  This is based upon two 30 minute work outs during the week (Tuesday/Thursday) which I typically run on a treadmill after work and then a long run on the weekends.  My long runs are just really gearing up - as my posted yesterday alluded to, I had 8 miles for my long run this past week, yikes! haha

Training Schedule (10.20.14 - 10.26.14)

10.20.14 // 5:30am Hot Yoga at Sumits Yoga (80 minute class)

10.21.14 // 30 minute Disney training session.  I ran 2.20 miles on the treadmill, which MapMyRun counts as a 13:34 pace.

10.22.14 //  5:30am Hot Yoga at Sumits Yoga (80 minute class)

10.23.14 // 30 minute Disney training session.  I ran 2.20 miles on the treadmill, which MapMyRun counts as a 13:38 pace.

10.24.14 // Rest day.  I was contemplating running after work, but was worried about running out of daylight given my 8 mile goal.  The flip side is, if I complete these miles on Friday afternoon, it frees up my weekend for more fun times with the hubs and pup!

10.25.14 // 8 mile Disney training session.  This was a learning running for me.  The week prior, I ran 6 miles and felt GREAT about it (and completed it on a Friday after work!).  Going into this run, however, I suppose I didn't leave enough time between my late lunch and hitting the road (which I was nervous about again since I ran in the afternoon and chasing the daylight!) so I knew I couldn't hold off starting any longer, heading out around 4:30pm.  I started off strong, but then it was all down hill from there - I felt like I had a brick in my stomach.  It was painful, and it showed on my splits.  I actually didn't even look at my splits until Sunday because I knew they were going to depress me, given how successful I had previously been.  While the pain did eventually subside, the damage was done.  There were MULTIPLE times I almost just threw in the towel, but decided regardless of the times, to finish it.  Though I feel you can just see my deterioration throughout.  

Not my best effort. =(

I know from here, it can only get better (and as my husband pointed out, I was below the 16 minute mile requirement for Disney...gee, thanks!) but it was still a bit of a downer given how well I have been doing based up my 10K a few weeks ago, and my 6 mile run last week.  We can't all have perfect runs all the time, and it was a learning lesson given the late lunch I had (Wendy's!) and not giving myself enough time to digest and run properly.

I guess that's just part of being a novice runner, some things you just have to learn the hard way!

10.26.14 // 1.06 mile walk around the 'hood with Toby and my Husband.  A Toby mile walk typically take about half an hour due to his avid sniffing.  This one clocked in at 29:31 minutes. 


Any tips for me as I get into longer runs?