for the newbies

i recently convinced a friend of mine to join me at "HOT Yoga--- Bikram Yoga," and in the course of this first joint class, i realized that i should have given her a little more advice on what to expect.
i guess i forgot how much there is to learn in your first class.

1. Hydrate more than you think you need to. (As i typed this sentence, i ran to get some water because, folks, i really mean this. HYDRATE)

2. Wear minimal clothing. Girls- i even find a tank top too hot. Sports bra and biking shorts are the best. Extra fabric gets in the way. Guys- just shorts. and if you aren't too insecure in your manhood, you can wear spandex shorts too.

3. (learned this Monday) bring a FLAT yoga mat. there are some thicker (think 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch thick) yoga mats out there, but that's not good for hot yoga. just go for the thin kind that you can buy at your neighborhood Target.

4. For your first few classes, get there pretty early (like 25 min early) so that you can get a spot in the back row. If you don't set up shop in the back row, they will make you move back there.

5. After you "set up shop"-- i.e. set your mat down, spread out your towel, put your water bottle at the top right corner of your mat -- you should then rest in one of the poses: Savasana. This is the post where you are on your back, feet to the back of the room. heels together. palms facing up. RELAX. I use this time before class actually begins to take a mini power nap and get accustomed to the heat and smell. (side note- this pose is also called the corpse pose which WOULD freak me out if hadn't of been indulging in my new guilty pleasure - BONES the tv show-- which is all about bones/corpses. right. anyway)

6. Make sure you bring a Vitamin Water or Gatorade or something to replenish your electrolytes after class. My dad suggested pickles if you are not one for artificially flavored beverages.

7. Really though. I cannot even warn you for how much you sweat. What really gets me is when i am bending over and start to bring my head back up and a STREAM of sweat drips from my forehead. yummy.

8. Remember that there is no talking or whispering one you step inside the classroom. think of it as if you talk some crazy yoga lady will shoot evil yoga death rays from her eyes for disturbing her balance and meditation. Sometimes you can laugh, but only sometimes. And if you think you are going to be sick, you don't get to say anything- just rest on your mat. it will go away.

I think that's it for now. I had a terrible class monday- i felt like my skin was melting off. totally over heated. For a minute i thought i had stopped sweating, but that wasn't true. just one of my heat delusions. I am pretty sure this happened because i drank coffee that morning. No more of that for THIS girl.

Yoga tonight.... woo hoo!

Ultra love.

what does it all mean, basil?

so, i've been thinking. about this whole "yoga" thing.

sometimes, during class, when they talk about how yoga can help people manage addictions or release toxins or balance your life, i want to scream at them that they are spewing bullshit.

but then, the other night, i had a particularly stressful night, and all i wanted was to go to yoga class to sweat it out. to meditate for just a little over an hour and a half. to center myself and regain a little pep in my step..

where those thoughts came from, i dont know. maybe i AM buying into the whole schpeel after all. maybe i am on the verge to being addicted.

(side note- i couldnt actually go to the class i was craving because i got a terrible headache. headache plus heat = no thanks, boss)

BUT on MONDAY- i made more progress.

1. i got my other leg wrapped around. YES both of them. WOO HOO. party time- excellent!

2. i made progress in the head to knee pose- see below. i got this from some website. i think this picture is kinda creepy, but it was the only picture i could find to show you what "head to knee pose" means.

My progress? well for about half a second i got my knees locked. but i was so surprised that this happened that i promptly pulled them out. this sudden movement was a little painful so i didnt push them back down. but hey, they were locked. and that IS progress.

in bikram yoga, it really is the little things. you make slow incremental progress in your ability to do this poses. and i guess you make slow incremental progress to sanity or at least closer to some sense of stability. this yoga teaches patience and metal toughness. more like you are forced into those things because thats what it takes to make it through an hour and a half of heat and pain and fantastic stretching.

that's all folks.

ultra love

the secret to success

I have discovered the secret to bikram yoga.

Proper hydration.

Yes. Just drinking water.

I find that when i have been hydrating well all day, my classes are so much better. I can make it through all of the poses without sitting down or getting light headed or feeling like im going to vom. On Sunday night I had a full glass of water before bed. I had a glass with breakfast and then 5 more glasses throughout the day. Yoga on monday was my best class yet.

AND, i made progress. Yes, actual tangible progress. There is one standing pose called "the eagle"-- it has some fancy name in another language but i don't care about that. all i care about is that i made progress. Please, look at pictures of the pose below.

This first picture gives you a general idea of the pose, but her hands are actually supposed to be pulled so that the finger tips are beneath the nose. SO- look at the picture below, i know its small, but you get the idea.

And my progress? Well, you see how your leg is supposed to hook back around behind the other one? I couldn't hook my legs around at first. I basically just crossed one leg over the other and did everything else.

ON MONDAY I GOT MY LEFT LEG TO HOOK BACK AROUND! Some of you negative nancys may say- "what? just your left leg, not both?"

Well i say to you- for someone who cant even touch her toes, this is a BFD. big freakin deal. I almost exclaimed in excitement during class which is totally not allowed because you cant talk during class.

I am so proud of myself- i can't even explain to all my lovely readers. It makes me feel like the few classes of heat and sweat and smell have paid off. Before you crazy kids know it, i will be able to touch my toes. Watch out.

Ultra love.

dreaming...

so i am about 6 months ahead of schedule here, but i am dreaming of my next marathon.... in the happiest place on earth...

Can you tell what this is? Yes, friends, this is the Disney World Marathon!!! It would be dumb to register right now because i know that my foot and knee are not healed yet. But, just imagine, in 6 months, THIS (see below) could be me....

Probably not with that finishing time, but, hey, you get the sentiment.


Would you like to know one of the other great things about doing this marathon? I could SIMULTANEOUSLY make a journey to the greatest theme park in the whole world....

The new Harry Potter World Theme Park of Awesomeness and Wizardry.

I have been dreaming about this park for a while now. I can buy a wand, ride the hogwarts express, kill some death eaters, drink some butter beer or pumpkin juice, put a jelly leg jinx on my handsome and health conscious boyfriend....


and speaking of him--- remember how he wants to run a 5 k? well, there just happens to be a 5k during the Disney marathon weekend.... hmmmmm.... i think this is a win win situation.


ultra love

vacation musings

i am on vacation. it had been everything a vacation should be:

relaxing.

sunny.

filled with DELICIOUS food.

romantic (see: late night walks on the beach)

Here is a recap of things that are going on, that you should care about:

i have a fairly nice tan with a few splotches of burn (totally normal for my PALE skin)

my brother is being a jerk and demanded my dad fly him home ($700 plane ticket) because he has a FEVER BLISTER on his lip and is in SO MUCH pain he just CANT stay at the beach with the family where he has FREE meals, FREE home cookin, neverending TV, and uninhibited access to prescription meds. (please note, my dad did NOT fly him home, he has been moping on the couch the whole time, giving everyone the silent/grunt treatment) Oh and he is 21 years old...... my thoughts exactly.

my handsome and health conscious boyfriend, my dad, and I have gone to the gym every day we have been here. The ppl at Gold's Gym look at us like we are nuts for going to the gym on vacation. the first day we went, i just happened to show up at the right time for body pump. body pump is an hour class with a bar bell and weights. you work every major muscle group. it was hard core and really fun. myabe i should scratch hard core. there were definitely some ladies in the room who were pansies- TERRIBLE form, minimal weight. i dont have time for you people. ANYWAY- the lady teaching the class was a toothpick and had just had a baby 7 weeks prior. beastttttttt. love it!!!! it was a great class- i loved the squat song (you work every muscle group for a song- squats, lunges, power cleans, back, biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, abs) and i found out that my shoulders are pretty weak. the other days have been filled with cardio and minor weight lifting. yesterday i had to squat because there were some boys in there who thought they were all that and a bag of chips squatting with just one 45lb plate on each side AND they were on the machine where the bar is attached to the machine. so i went on the squat rack where REAL people squat and slapped on my 45 lb plates as they did abs behind me. HA- showed them.

we go on multiple hour long walks a day on the beach. makes me wish i could have brought luna....... this is good for "working out" and fun time to spend with my family. also, the beach house we rented is 3 stories and full of stairs. stairs= stairmaster.

my bf and i saw dolphins yesterday.

i fell down the stairs 2 nights ago. i only hurt my feet (thank goodness) but am feeling the aftermath of this after walking yesterday and going to the gym and going to the outlet malls. ouch.

my handsome and health conscious boyfriend has decided to run a 5k (and maybe a 10k someday). Since my man is not a runner and has vehemently refused to run with me any time i ask, this is a big effing deal. I cannot express how excited I am to be able to go out on a run someday with luna and nate at the same time! It is one of those running daydream fantasies i have always had......

there is more, but the beach is calling and my family is waking up finally.

to my friends at home reading this, i miss you and will see you tomorrow!!

ultra love

feelin hot, hot, hot!

hellooooo blog world.

sorry for being MIA lately. there has been a whole lot going on. I am about to blog about some of those goings-ons, so, please, let out the exclamation you have been holding in.

two weeks ago on wednesday, i started going to bikram yoga. for those of you uneducated folk, this is yoga in a 105 degree room. let me start by giving you a run down of my first day.

I did my research- hydrate, bring a towel, yoga mat, and water. wear tight fitting clothing. class starts at 6:30, doors open at 6 pm. i showed up a little before 6 and waited outside the door. i wanted plenty of time to get settled in because, well, i was flippin nervous. i have NEVER done official yoga before let lone willingly spent an hour and a half in a room that is heated higher than 72 degrees.

welcome to bikram yoga- is this your first class? well, yes, it is. okay, how about you sign this form that states that if you pass out or lose an eye ball, its your own damn fault for being looney enough to do this in the first place. sure- i'll sign that! no prob! okay cool- it's 20 bucks for a week of free yoga, and you should come every day. (yeah right, everyday, as if i have time for that). class is an hour and a half, once you get inside, there is no talking and you can't leave. (Dear sweet Lord, please help me. what am i doing? no escape!) if you start to feel dizzy or nauseated, just sit down, it's totally normal for your first class. okay, i think i can handle that. awesome! just go put your stuff in the locker room and take your shoes off- you can bring your towel, mat, and water into the room. okay, thanks for everything, dude.

i went to the girls locker room. I use the facilities one more time before class, put my stuff in a locker, took off my flip flops, and headed into the room.

HEADS UP PEOPLE. the one thing they DONT warn you about and you DONT sign a contract about is the smell of the room. it smells like a combination of the zoo (like the worst parts of the zoo- the poop and animalness) and body odor and sweat. oh and did i forget to mention---- IT IS HOT AS HELL IN THERE.

i managed to take a few shallow breaths of zoo air and humidity. I set my mat on the floor in the back row. and then i sat there. then i fidgeted. then i rolled over on my back. it ended up being a good thing that i had time to adjust to the smell and the heat. I think class would have been even more difficult had i not done this. I have gotten there early for all subsequent classes for the same purpose- extra time to suffer through that smell and the heat so that i dont notice it once class begins.

Class begins with this funny breathing exercise. Stand up. Feet together. Hands clasped under your chin- they dont move. Breathe in, bring your elbows up (hands/knuckles still on your chin). suck your belly in, you should see your rib cage. Exhale making a soft "ha" sound - elbows down slowly til they touch. head tilts back. do this a million times.

After this breathing exercise, there are 26 poses- the first half standing and the second half seated. In my first class, i had to sit down a few times. my head was swimming- i just knew i was going to throw up. somehow, i made it through all the poses. You finish with another breathing exercise, but i dont feel like describing it. go try bikram for yourself.

FACTS:

1. i have never sweat that much in my life

2. i definitely thought that i was crazy multiple times during this class (and all subsequent)

3. i thought my heart was going to explode at a few different points.

4. there are old people who can do this shit better than i can.

5. i had a tank top on, but after 5 minutes sitting in the room before class, i took it off. it is best to go to class in a sports bra and shorts.

6. did i mention that you sweat? every pore of your body sweats. when you bend over, a stream of sweat pours off your forehead.

7. sometimes you have to grab your feet or your legs but your body is too sweaty to get a good grip.

8. i have never felt so energized post workout- it's this strange fresh feeling.

I have gone to a few more classes. I haven't made a whole lot of progress other than being able to actually make it through the class without sitting down.

and i like it. i know, i really am nuts. however, i will say, that class would be a millions times better if the room smelled like honeysuckle.

ultra love.

Country Music Marathon- Running- the end.

..... AAAAAAAAAANNNNNDDDDD

i made it past the split. I was energized and could not stop thinking, "i am going to run a marathon. a whole freaking marathon." I had't eaten the Gu packet i had picked up about a mile or so earlier because i was saving it to when i could drink some water after i ate/drank/gummed/swallowed the Gu.

Please remember that Gu has the texture of snot, and it makes you a little thirsty. therefore i knew that i would need some water to wash the Gu-snot down. So i made it to the next water station, sucked down the Gu packet and drank a little water. i took a moment to stretch and moved on.

The truth is that i dont remember much over the next 3 mile stretch. I remember the weather starting to take a downward trend. I remember running through a weird path thing with pretty trees and flowers. There was a sweet old black lady with two dogs that made me happy. We came around a curve and were on some random road. There was a 14 mile marker. I remember starting to feel a little alone.

I wasn't really prepared for this part of the race. My middle aged man friend had told me that the part where the FULL people split off the the half is really peaceful. For me, it was like a shock. All of a sudden i was alone. This is the part of the race where i know now that it would have been nice to have a running buddy. As the lonely feeling crept in, i realized that my knee was really hurting. Yes, i meant to type the word KNEE. I am certain that all of you were expecting me to type FOOT. well, so was i, actually. but it was my right knee, not my left foot that was in pain. At mile 15, i stopped at the medical aid tent because my knee was exploding in pain. Every time i bent my knee- aka ALL THE TIME- shooting pain shot up the side of my leg.

Some dude wrapped my knee up. And when i say wrapped up my knee, i mean he wrapped my leg from mid calf to mid thigh. It was tight. Needless to say, this left my knee pretty much immobile. I hobbled on with this contraption on my leg for the next mile. Walking and then running- willing myself to go on. After 1 mile, i took that stupid crap off my leg. It was too damn irritating.

I was so mad at this point. With all of my running for the last 4 months, i had never had any knee problems. And all of a sudden, my knee geeks out on me. All i could think of was my blog post having to tell people i didnt finish or having to call my boyfriend after the race and saying i didn't finish. Or having to post on facebook that i didn't finish. Or JUST NOT FINISHING. i couldn't bear the thought. I wanted to finish this race so badly.

So for the next two miles i managed to figure out a way to pull my leg around that i didnt have to bend it. I hobbled along, walking at times and running at times. Other runners would offer encouraging words. It just pissed me off becaus my knee hurt. The rest of me was FINE. TOTALLY FINE. but my knee? no. stoopid doo doo dumb.

As i neared the 18 mile mark, the rain begain. When it rains it pours, i guess. And that's when my boyfriend's and ellen's and martha's and my dad's voices in my head said, "permanently hurting yourself is NOT worth it." I started getting cold and put my little jacket back on. Then i put my hat on so that the rain wouldn't get in my eyes. i realized that my foot was hurting now, mostly because i was putting more weight on my foot now that the knee on the opposite leg was failing. This was not good. Not good at all. And i decided to quit. I kept run/hobbling and looking for the next medical aid station. I asked a police officer where the next one was. He didn't know. It was still pouring down rain, and my knee was exploding.

Finally, there it was. I saw the tent. I could quit. It was mile 18. I walked up to the medical aid thent and said, " I'm done. I hurt my knee."

They gave me a bottle of water, a plastic poncho and some tylenol and said, well the shuttle is about 3 miles down the race course.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Yep, that meant that i had to walk 3 miles to the next shuttle. I was so miserable. My knee hurt and here i had to KEEP WALKING just so that i could quit. Why on earth i couldn't quit there, i have no idea.

So, i walked. More like limped. I walked and walked and walked. All i wanted to do was stop and put ice on my knee. But i walked. I got to the next water aid station and asked some chick where the next shuttle stop was, she had no idea. Then out path kinda met up with the half marathoners for a bit. As i kept walking, i could see LP stadium, and I thought, this is ridiculous. I could see the stadium, where the finish line was, but yet still had to walk to some dumb shuttle. And then, the most miraculous thing happened.

Right where the marathon and half marathoners were supposed to split again- THEY WERE REDIRECTING THE MARATHON COURSE. They were directing both the half and full runners into the stadium to finish the race. Of course, this was in the plans all along because of the bad weather. Thank goodness. I walked on it. Hobbled on it. Tried to run the last little bit across the finish line but was in pain and quit.

It was a fantastically anticlimactic finish to this race for which i had worked so hard. I "finished" at 22 miles, or so the announcers said.

When i finished the race, it was still pouring down rain. Quite appropriate. I walked past all the food and free stuff they give you, dying to find the gear check UPS trucks so i could just get the hell out of there and home. I got my gear, called caroline to see where she was (we had obviously gotten separated along the course because my time got super slow when i was run/walking and because of the weather) and get directions to her house. Then proceeded to my car.

My car.... hmmmmm where was my car? Not where i thought it was. Yes, even more icing on the cake of "ha, take this, elise" --- i had to hobble around the parking lot for about 10 minutes looking for my car. REMEMBER- it was STILL pouring down rain. I slipped at one point and that did not feel very nice.

Upon finding my glorious vehicle of rest, i climbed in the back seat. I took off my wet shirt and put on the clean dry one that I, so intelligently, packed in my gear bag. I pulled off my soaking wet shoes (the whole, "don't run in puddles" rule was thrown out the window once my injury depression set in. splashing through puddles was the only bright side of those last 7 miles). I crawled from the back seat to the front (this was difficult because i was sore and injured). Then i sat in the parking lot, listening to harry potter on tape, calling my handsome and health conscious boyfriend (who made me feel a zillion times better), and waiting for the traffic to move.

Caroline had sweetly collected lunch for me, and she and her sweet husband, jeff, offered my a comfy seat for lunch, a dry place to change clothes, and a friendly hour to relax (slash ice my knee) before hitting the road. Though my race may not have been a success, i will forever remember the love those two showed me during/after my race. Good friends are hard to come by, and these two are gems.

From their house, I hit the road back to memphis. The country music marathon was behind me.

As you can imagine, I am not satisfied by this race at all. I am unhappy, embarrassed, and irritated. I have, however, learned a few things.

1. My knee injury is my IT band. Which is good and bad. Good- because it doesn't need surjery or anything. Bad- because it can come back very easily.

2. I need to be more flexible and have stronger hip muscles to get rid of my IT band problem.

3. I need my training to last longer, and i need to build up slower.

4. I need my mileage to get up to 26 miles before i run the race because my body will not just add 6 miles on at the end.

To remedy this situation, i will be doing a few things in the weeks to come.

1. No running for 2 months. This is to heal my foot and my IT band. A little rest will be good and smart.

2. I will be going to Bikram Yoga 3 times a week. This is HOT yoga- as in yoga in a 105 degree room. I have already been to one class. Expect a blog post on this.

3. I will continue to go to spin class 3 times a week.

4. I will be doing a little more weight training, and particularly focus on my hip strength.

5. I will be wearing my Vibrams to increase my foot strength.

So, here goes folks. Let's see if we can't get it right eventually. It's all about doing what you love and loving what you do (and not hurting while you do it).

Ultra love.