#AthletaEmbrace and Instagram

September 19, 2012 by 6 Comments

I’ve been wearing Athleta clothing almost as long as I’ve been practicing yoga. My first pair of Athleta shorts saw me through my first pregnancy, over 10 years ago, and since then I’ve added to my workout wardrobe with a range of cute and functional Athleta gear.

Sure, you can wear anything – as long as it moves and breathes – to practice yoga, but I find that wearing Athleta clothing makes me more comfortable both physically and mentally, enabling me to focus fully on the practice.

Athleta is running an Embrace the Yoga Challenge Instagram contest in conjunction with Satya Jewelry; six winners will receive a $200 Athleta gift card and an Ariel necklace by Satya! And all you have to do is submit a photo of yourself doing one of the poses they demonstrate in their tutorials!

Please visit my Instagram picture of my half moon pose and like it to help me win! Thank you!

 

Do you use Instagram? I LOVE Instagram. I post daily and enjoy looking at pictures from others. But there are a few things I don’t care so much to look at. In no particular order:
1. Half-eaten food. Don’t get me wrong, love food pics, just don’t want to see a half-eaten sandwich with teeth marks in it. Unappetizing!
2. Feet. Even pretty ones. Especially gross when a foot picture follows a food picture.
3. Cats. Sorry, there are just too many cats on Instagram. We need Catgram.
And, just to balance things out, a list of things I love to look at:
1. Nature.
2. Animals. Except cats. ;)
3. Happy people. :)
What are your Instagram likes/dislikes?
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Too Much Personal Attention

July 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I feel like one of those black and white cookies. After spending hours face down in the outdoor pool and hunched over in aero on the bike, my back is way more tanned than my front. I don’t sit out in the sun so the only tan I get is while exercising outdoors . So I have the swimsuit tan on the back and the biker short tan on the front. It’s an attractive look. Hence the lack of photos in this post.

After a 20 mile bike ride in 93 degrees this morning, during which I drank all my water (50oz!) by 17 miles, I was looking forward to stretching out in yoga class.

I’ve tried many forms of yoga and like them all (except kundalini…being told to exhale through the bowels really didn’t work for me…), but right now I do power yoga because it moves fast so I don’t have to hold poses for an eternity. It’s a grueling workout, however, and my arms usually hurt after doing 3000 or so chaturangas.

Today I was the only student in class. So I got extra special attention. Lucky me. Jen corrected my crooked poses and stood over me like a hawk so I didn’t slack off like I usually do. Something tells me she knows I take little breaks when she’s not looking. After an hour I was sweating like crazy and ready for that final shavasana.

Of course, that wasn’t nearly as bad as on Tuesday when I was the only person to show for strength training. Thanks, teammates! There I was, standing on a bosu with 15lb weights in each hand, sweat running into my eyes, and no-one to distract the coach so I could grab a towel real quick. Mind you, my constant need for form correction confirms that I could never strength train on my own. My muscles would probably shrink.

This one-on-one training is definitely not for slackers.

 

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I Want it All…

May 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This morning my yoga instructor came bounding into the room full of energy from her weekend at the Yoga Journal Yoga Retreat with (gasp!) Rodney Yee. I immediately thought, I want to go on a yoga retreat (with Rodney Yee, of course)! There are so many things I want to do that I don’t have the time/energy/resources to do them all, but I have such a hard time admitting to this.

I made a difficult decision last week. After getting sick yet again after a race, I decided I really need to dial things back and not enter so many races. So I threw out the triathlon I was planning to do June 5th, which would have been the day after the Wine Country Half Marathon that I’m running June 4th (double weekend, not a good idea!) and just a few days before the Twilight Four Miler I’m committed to on June 11th. I also finally admitted to myself that I can’t enter my home town triathlon (South Riding) because that’s on August 28th and I already have races planned August 14th and 21st and September 11th. I did sign up for Army Ten Miler, but that’s not until October 9th and is part of my commitment to Potomac River Running…at least that’s my excuse. 

This afternoon I was discussing finances with the treasurer of my running club (I’m president of South Riding Running Club) and he asked me, “So are you an Ultrarunner or a Triathlete now?” I replied, “Well, I’m trying to be both. In the Spring I’m a marathoner and ultrarunner and in the Summer I’m a triathlete and shorter distance runner…” As I said it I realized what a stretch it sounds.

I know I have to pick and choose. There are so many races I want to compete in and I can only do so many. But a little part of me wants it all. And I’m still thinking about the yoga conference…for next year.

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Cross Train = Less Strain

February 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The marathon training plan I’m following right now is the FIRST plan, developed by the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training. I used the FIRST half marathon plan for my last half and PR’d by 6 minutes. FIRST training involves running only 3 days a week, replacing what would be easy/recovery runs with cross-training. The 3 weekly runs are: speed (track) workout, tempo, and a long run. The plans and all the pacing information are provided in the book Run Less, Run Faster. Who could resist a title like that?!

As a triathlete, this works for me, because I have to fit in swimming and biking twice a week anyway. However, I think it’s a great plan even for non-triathletes, especially those who, like me, have suffered from injuries during marathon training. I’m not saying running is bad for you, but replacing some of that pounding with an activity that puts less stress on your joints, while at the same time strengthening your muscles, is a great way to train smart.

In addition to swimming and biking I take a yoga class once or twice a week. Yoga is great for runners – and bikers – because it stretches you out, lengthening your muscles and increasing your flexibility. If you’ve tried yoga and didn’t like it, I recommend trying a different instructor. There are numerous different types of yoga and many different ways of teaching it. If you don’t like the slow pace, try power yoga. This moves much faster than most yoga classes, and is a great workout. If you’re looking for a yoga DVD I recommend Rodney Yee’s Power Yoga. He is one flexible dude!

I also do strength and core work once a week. I should probably increase that to twice a week but, you know, life gets in the way sometimes. Since I started doing strength/core work on a regular basis 16 months ago, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my posture, stamina, and overall strength. Since a strong core is key in pretty much any athletic activity, I’ve really found this to be a benefit. And I have to admit, I like my new arms! If you don’t do any core work currently, I recommend starting with some planks, increasing the amount of time you hold the plank until you can do it for two minutes. I don’t like standard crunches but like to do them on a stability ball or on a bosu moving side-to-side to get the obliques. Or, if you’re into yoga, a fast flowing down dog/plank/chaturanga/cobra sequence is great.

How do you cross train?

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