It dropped by 33 degrees here overnight so I’m very thankful I was able to get out and go for a run after work yesterday. I think everyone in the city had the same idea, because I’m pretty sure everyone was at the local Greenway enjoying the 80 degree weather.
During the run, I went by a small pond that had a duck food machine and a very insistent guy wanting food from the machine.
I looked him up after I got home because I thought he was just so cute! Turns out this guy is a Muscovy duck and they come in all colors- even a lavender! Apparently, this duck is easy to identify because of the red bumpy skin around the face.
I also enjoyed running around our local WWII monument.
The weather was just beautiful and I’m hoping it warms up a little this weekend.
So today I am going to be talking about what I do to cross train. Currently, since I have been cleared by my doctor to only do limited exercises, I am doing an Ashtanga Yoga class every Tuesday night.
Crow Pose
Simply- Ashtanga is a series of poses that you do every class. You move with your breath, and hold each pose for 5 breaths. During the class you are building an internal “fire” and boy- do I feel it! I am a sweaty mess after every 75 min class.
I have enjoyed my weekly Ashtanga class over the past 2 years because of the growth I’ve been able to see in my practice. I started the class not able to bind during any of the poses or even grab my feet during a forward fold. Recently, I was able to even touch my fingers during Marichyasana C (see below)
Obviously not me- I didn’t get a picture because I was concentrating so hard on not letting go over my fingers!
I have really enjoyed this yoga practice and I encourage everyone to try a yoga class and see if it is right for you. My local studio offers a week long, unlimited number of classes pass and that is a great way to try all different kinds of yoga classes and find which one is right for you.
This weekend Paul and I kept it pretty low-key- we didn’t go out much other than some errands and I fed my friend’s kitties.
Tabitha, a sassy 22 year old calico
Cita, a potato who loves pets
Friday we ordered pizza (something we don’t get very often but the local Children’s hospital got 20% of the order and we can’t say no to pizza AND sick kids!) and Paul played on the Xbox while I started my new Pokemon game. Wild Friday night!
Saturday morning I went out for my 2nd run. This time I did 5 min of walking as a warm up, then 13 min of jog/walk (30/30 sec) and then 5 min cool down. The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was hard to stop but, doctor’s orders! I really enjoyed the intervals this time and I will definitely stick to those for a while. I may even up it to a 45/30 and see if I am huffing and puffing at the end.
Paul and I went to a local restaurant for lunch where they were doing a Vietnamese food buffet in honor of the Vietnamese New Year. I had lemongrass tofu that they had seared until it was almost black and OMGOSH so yummy! Paul had a little of everything and we were both very full- but not full enough to turn down Tamarind Cheesecake for dessert 🙂
Saturday afternoon we made a quick trip to Costco and then stayed in the rest of the night. Sunday, we stayed in other than a quick run to the grocery store for Super Bowl food! We spent the evening grilling, eating and watching a *very* boring game (mostly for the commercials). At least my veggie “wings” were delicious!
Today I am planning on doing my first run of the week, as long as the rain holds out. This will be my first “long” run of my new training cycle. (Since I can’t do more then 2 runs a week, I couldn’t do a normal Sunday long run.) The rest of the week should be pretty low-key and I’m looking forward to having a regular schedule for a little while!
I went home after work yesterday and I didn’t want to run. I had a million reasons it wasn’t a good day to start…
My back was twinge-y.
It was too cold.
I needed a nap.
But I put on my clothes and did it. I walked 5 minutes, then I did 10 minutes of intervals and then I did a 5 minute cool down walk. It wasn’t a lot. I didn’t break any records…but I RAN
Hello and welcome to my one billionth try at being a blogger.
I’m Kristi- a 30-something full time office worker in Tennessee. I have a husband (Paul) and 2 kitties (Louis and Artemis). I love running, reading, knitting, Harry Potter and all things Disney!
On my most recent trip to Disney, I noticed there are signs where they are doing construction that say “Pardon our Pixie Dust”. I LOVE that. I am constantly working on my life; whether it is my fitness goals, hobbies or general happiness. So this is going to be a blog about my “life in progress”. You’re welcome to come along with me on this journey but please…Pardon my Pixie Dust.
As you can probably tell from the pictures I have loaded so far, I love runDisney.
runDisney Expo – Princess Weekend 2018
I love Disney and I loved running.
Loved?
Last February, Paul and I were on the way to meet some friends for dinner and trivia at a local restaurant. We were excited because it was a new year, we had a fun Disney vacation coming up in a few weeks and everything seemed to be going well.
We were stopped at a red light when someone hit us from behind, pushing us into the car in front of us. Paul’s Charger had frame damage in the front and back and I got a free ride to the local ER.
I ended up with a herniated disc in my lower back and a LOT of pain. My year was now filled with lots of trips to doctors, physical therapists, etc
A couple months after the accident I got the word from my doctor- no more running.
What? Like, ever?
He didn’t know. But he did know I was making my pain worse by running 3-4 days a week. So My running stopped, my yoga stopped and it felt like my life stopped. I had built my community or friends around running and I no longer had that. On top of losing my community, I was in daily pain that left me lying on the couch most weekends. My depression came back and I gained weight.
Things weren’t looking good until October; I had an experimental procedure called Lipogems. You can read about it in the link, but basically they took stem cells from my fat and injected them into my herniated disc. A couple weeks later, less pain. A few months later and I would estimate my pain at being around 30% of what it was. Like, WOAH science and medicine! Thanks!
Recently my doctor has given me the green light to start jogging for a small distance a couple times a week. But here’s the thing- I’m scared.
What if I don’t love running anymore? What if it hurts? What if??
Leave me a comment and tell me how to get going again… or maybe how you conquered your fears…or just why you love running! I could use the inspiration and support
Pardon My Pixie Dust 