3/24/11
7 miles easy
10:00 pace
7 miles on the boring treadmill while watching Teen Mom. It’s freezing here and doing the rain/snow thing. I kept the pace real easy since I have an 18-miler on schedule for tomorrow.
Moving on to more important stuff…welcome new readers! To say I’m overwhelmed by being yesterday’s featured cat lady would be an understatement! I’m still in the process of reading all of your comments (thank you!) and plan on responding to each and every one of them (all while stalking your blogs). To bring you up to speed, I figured I’d include some running fun facts in this post.
- I’m training for my 8th marathon, the NJ Marathon, on May 1. I’m thinking of sporting a Snooki-esque bumpit and faux tan for the marathon….to, ya know, blend in. I kid, I kid…my parents live at the Jersey Shore.
- You can read about my training plan here.
- I’m obsessed with the Boston Marathon (trying to qualify, that is). I don’t plan on qualifying on May 1 (I hope to run a 3:50); just hoping to get one step closer.
- I LOVE long runs – especially 18-20 milers.
- I LOATHE speed work but do it each week.
- I incorporated yoga into my training cycle this time around and it has made a huge difference in my flexibility. I didn’t realize how tight my hips and hamstrings were from running until I went to a class.
Speaking of yoga, last night I went to RYAH for a 75-min vinyasa class. Maura was the instructor; I’ve taken her Wake Up Yoga class before and really like her. Her class last night was kinda intense (holding poses for a long time) and kinda relaxing (letting us stay in child’s pose for just a wee bit longer). The only problem? The music! Didn’t help that I was right next to the speaker either. I know I tend to fixate on things while practicing yoga but this was like a techno song that never ended (but it was chanting…nonstop). During savasana all I could concentrate on was “om shanti om shanti om shanti shanti om”. Over and over. Eek! I’m still singing chanting it!
Is it just me or do you fixate on certain things during a yoga class? Or while running? Sometimes during races, if I’m iPodless, the sound of feet smacking the pavement gets to me after awhile!
Sometimes the chant-songs can be a bit much in yoga class. One class, the instructor played Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” during savasana and it was sublime… pardon the pun, but like a little piece of heaven.
i would enjoy that. they have a hip, hot yoga class on the 1st and 3rd fridays…i need to check that out. apparently the last one was michael jackson. i would have to restrain myself from doing thriller.
Hi! new follower…saw you featured on SR yesterday and I already LOVE your blog!! SO awesome that you are training for your eighth marathon!!! way to go! and your progress/times sound amazing 🙂
I am training for my first marathon…I got sidetracked for the past 3 weeks with an injury but am hoping to get back into it this weekend…we will see how it goes. But we sound a lot of like! I LOVE distance and try to avoid speedwork at all costs. Just before I got injured I was coming around to speed but yeah…definitely do not prefer it. haha! Since I have been hurt I have totally realized the benefits of yoga, stretching and strength training…I hope that I will keep them all up even after I am running again!
I definitely can get fixated on things pretty easily. I hate repetitive noises and if I hear one…it immediately gets stuck in my mind and drives me crazy….eeeek!!!
have a good day!!!
Hi Julia – sorry to hear that you are injured. Boo! What marathon are you training for?
I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you’re back to training soon.
I used to fixate on things when doing yoga, but I learned to let the thought breeze through. I have no natural rhythm, so I focus intensely on any rhythmic sounds while I’m running or working out in the gym to try and keep myself at a good pace. I think because I am trying to use it, it’s less annoying to me. It’s also more difficult for me to keep a pace doing anything; I get distracted and annoyed by the discordant things going on around me.
I’m new to running ( I consider myself to be in the jogging/walking interval phase), so I’m working to understand stride, pacing, footfall, turnover…all those terms. I’ve been doing yoga for much longer, and I’m much more used to hip openers and twists than tight calves and twinges in my knee. I enjoy reading your blog; it inspires me. 🙂
Thank you! Good luck with your running and keep up with that yoga….it helps so much.
Found you on SkinnyRunner! Always love finding new inspirational blogs 🙂
My favorite yoga class I ever took the instructor played Dave Matthews type music the whole time. It was perfect! 🙂
Thanks! I love the name of your blog!
I’m SO SICK of the rain/snow thing. When will it EVER stop??
Yes. I fixate all the time. Especially in yoga. Or if someone is chomping their food loudly at a restaurant, THAT IS ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT!
I stopped reading SR awhile back but congrats on all the new readers!
Yes, that’s another one that irks me — loud chewers! Gross.
I try to really focus on my form. Both during yoga and running. I actually ran my first half this last weekend and ran the whole thing minus my Ipod. First ever Ipodless run! Weird huh?
Congrats on your 1st half! I often run without my iPod, mostly for safety reasons, since I run in the morning.
I have a hard time not staring at other people’s feet in class. My yoga studio CRAMS people into a class, so usually someone’s feet are close to me face. So I stare and think about feet. Who ever said yoga was relaxing? 🙂
This made me laugh! Next time I go to yoga, I’ll be staring at feet now!