One More Breath

My yoga instructor has a great philosophy.

"All you need is one more breath", he tells us. "This is practice for what we do in the real world. Dealing with the frustrations and tensions on the mat is going to help us when we're faced with challenges in our lives. Being calm and learning how to relax in Warrior II is going to help you remain centered and calm when faced with stressful situations at work and at home and in the rest of our lives."

As we come down from Standing Split, he says, "Clasp your elbows, bend your knees, relax your neck and just breathe."

Just breathe. Because all we need is one more breath.

One more breath.

Just one more breath.

Yoga For Runners

I went to a workshop today, at YAS.

YAS stands for Yoga and Spinning, and is the yoga studio that I go to occasionally. It's a bit out of the way for me, in Venice, but I like the atmosphere and the workout is a good one.

The workshop was about Yoga for Runners, and things that runners can do to improve their training techniques. There was a physical therapist who spoke about stretches that are good for common running injuries and a physical therapist from Phase IV, where you can get VO2 tests and running gait tests done. So that was interesting. If I had the money I guess I'd have a couple of those tests done to see where I'm at.

Stressed

I've been really stressed lately. I wish I had the opportunity to go to yoga or run every day. . .

OK, maybe not running just yet. I need to start training again. Big half marathon that I'm going to end up walking on Sunday.

Sometimes I'll meet a friend at YAS and do yoga for an hour. It's really an amazing experience. They're starting to open up more studios, one of which is on the way home for me. That would be nice. Not sure when that franchise is opening.

In the meantime I guess I'll have to buy the DVD and be satisfied with that. The studio in video clip is their actual studio in Venice. I go in the evening so it's not flooded with light except from the streetlamps. It's kept fairly warm and feels good to be in.

Powerbar For Dinner

It's not really a powerbar. It's a Kashi GoLean! Protein and Fiber bar.

I went hiking in Tustin this morning. I saw the derelict hangers where my dad used to maintain helicopters (2nd link). They really should renovate those structures and turn them into an Air and Space museum or something. It was way too hot to be out hiking and myself and my two companions complained a lot.

Afterwards we went to Denny's and had breakfast. Then I went home and showered, slept for 7 hours.

I was hungry when I woke up and after I put my laundry in the washer I had my protein bar for dinner. I really wanted to make pasta or something but it's way too hot to touch the stove.

Crazy

I made the receptionist at my chiropractor's office laugh today when I said that if I didn't get enough exercise I "go a little crazy."

Maybe he wasn't used to women admitting that they're a little nutty.

At any rate, I highly believe that people without healthy coping mechanisms for stress go a little batty.

Floating on Cloud Nine

This is a narcissistic post. You've been warned.

I was at the gym yesterday and noticed something when I got on the treadmill to do my run/walk.

I don't have time to go to the gym every day so I do a combined lift-and-run on Mondays and Wednesdays, and then usually do a combined workout on Saturday and a run only on Sunday. I've only been following this schedule for a couple weeks.

Anyway, I was wearing a slim-cut t-shirt yesterday at the gym - it's made out of cotton and not one of the sweat-wicking fabrics, so I took it off because it wouldn't have been comfortable to run in. So I'm running in a sports bra and shorts.

At the gym I go to there's a wall of mirrors in front of the cardio machines (in front of probably 80% of the equipment there, actually). While I was running I noticed that the muscles in my shoulders and upper arms looked really defined, and that made me feel good about myself. I noticed that about my legs, too, but to a lesser extent.

I was with a fellow recently and he mentioned he really liked my tummy, which is, in my opinion, the part of me that needs the most work. It's where my body likes to store fat (as opposed to the hips/thighs like for most women), and I think it's the body part that makes me most self-conscious. That made me feel really good, because this guy is saying, "not only I accept what you consider to be your biggest physical flaw, but I dig it!"

At any rate, it does good things for the ego.

I've been doing a lot of good things for myself, taking care of myself better. I think it's showing. I'm really leading a full life and I have this little sweet thing going on with a fellow; it's like that perfect cup of coffee and tidbit of dessert after a fantastic meal - he just really makes my day. Everything is in it's place and I'm starting to get concerned it might stagnate there. Maybe that won't be a bad thing - who knows?

New Running Duds

It's been quite a while since I've bought new running gear. I usually run in the same promotional USMC t-shirt (I feel 'empowered' when I wear it) and black shorts. The black shorts are getting kind of ratty and I'm starting to feel it's time to put away the USMC shirt. Its' purpose in my life is nearing its' end. Two years is long enough to mourn of what-could-have-been, yes? Especially when what-is turned out to be so much sweeter.

New Balance makes skirts to run in (and play tennis in). I've been wanting one of these since I read about them in Runner's World (the article is old, second page, second selection). I splurged on myself and ordered a Bonita Run Skirt last week.

Basically, it's a pair of compression shorts underneath a skirt made of the same material. It's definitely flirty and feminine. The skirt's v-cut at the waist definitely makes it more comfortable than a pair of shorts, but it also shifts while running and I think it needs a more secure waistband. (Or maybe I'm funny shaped - I tend to be between sizes) I like the ventilating aspects of its design, although the compression shorts don't wick moisture away as quickly as I'd like.

I also purchased one of those new 'performance tops'. The one I bought wicks moisture away fairly well, but the material is thin and you can see lines from my sports bra (I'm sure even not even the UnderArmor sports bra I have will remedy that). The fit is comfy, too, although I felt it has a tendancy to swish to the sides during a run.

I did get a new pair of shorts (they were on sale, and green). I haven't tried running in them yet, although I suspect they will be very similar to the shorts I already have. The advertisement "stuff" attached to the price tag expounded the virtues of a "rolldown" waistband (the shorts have a cute pattern on the lining). I've never understood the idea behind rolling a waistband down. They don't become more secure, and they flip up more often than not. If you wanted a low-cut pair of shorts, I'm fairly certain they make them.

Running Goals

What is it they say about goals? That they're more likely to happen if you write them down? My goal is to finish the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. next year.

I'm currently training for the Seal Beach 5K, at the end of this month. I've been using the beginner's schedule in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running. I like that schedule more than the one in Runner's World Complete Book of Running. Both books cover similar information, but I can't imagine keeping one book in favor of the other. There are some things that are covered better in the Complete Idiot's Guide than in the Runner's World book, and vice versa. Runner's World also published their Complete Book of Women's Running. I don't think I'll get that one, although it probably would be more relevant to me than the other two books.

I've been training on the treadmill, but once I can run a 5K I'm going to start hitting the roads and trails. It's hard to run continually outside when you don't have much of a base to start with.

I think that forcing myself to compete in "fun runs" will help me meet other runners, and will help me make small, short-term running goals that will in turn help me accomplish the big one.

I think it will, in the long run, encourage me to eat better and take better care of myself. Not to mention lose a few extra pounds and gain some muscle definition!

"Grignak" Climbing

(For those of you who don't know what a grignak is, it's a reference from Galaxy Quest)

So this is me doing my best to rock climb at Rockreation in West L.A. last week. It was supposed to be a work-related "team building" event, but only three of us (plus the big boss, and my manager) showed up. The particular climb that I'm working on in the photo was the most difficult we tried; only the big boss could make it up. The guys (I was the only female to participate in our team building - the other girl in the photo works for Rockreation and was helping us out) let me go first on all the climbs, so either they wanted tips on how to do it (if I succeeded), or they wanted to avoid what I did wrong (if I failed)! Just kidding, they were just being gentlemen (I hope!).

I think rock climbing would be a great hobby to get into - it has a mental component as well as the obvious physical aspect, and the knot-tying and rock-climbing are essential "cool" skills to have (like piloting small aircraft). The unfortunate part is that, like all cool hobbies, rock climbing can get very expensive, and to do it safely it would be best to have a partner you can trust. Self-belaying is possible, but I'd like to think it is an "advanced" technique that I'm not quite ready to conquer just yet.

Spinning Against Glass

Today, I decided to take the advice of my physician from last November and get serious about losing a few pounds. Actually, according to the personal trainer I spoke with yesterday, 20 pounds is not an unrealistic goal for me. (And I thought I was so svelte)

So I decided to take a spinning class, since the hip hop class I wanted to take last night was cancelled. Spinning, for those who don't know, involves a variable resistance stationary bike. The instructor tells the class to raise or lower the resistance to simulate hills. Some say you can burn upwards of 900 calories (which in my limited research is almost a pound of fat - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Not a bad way to drop the weight. Not to mention biking is a complementary exercise to running; it helps balance the leg muscles out.

Let's say intense is a mild word for the exercise.

About half-way through, my head kicked in with the mental games I'm so used to getting when I run (which is why I haven't been able to complete - or compete - in a 5k yet).

"This is too hard"

"I can't do this"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Stop! Please stop! I'll feel better if you do!"

Et cetera.

Since the instructor was yelling at me (at the entire class, really, but it feels personal) to get up off my seat and turn the resistance up, I decided I was more afraid of the instructor than of falling off the bike.

And then the (simple) realization hit me in that darkened room when lactic acid coursed through my muscles: of all the things I've done, of all the things I've completed, of the glass ceilings I've broken, the biggest glass ceiling of all was the one in my own head.

Hopefully, today I chipped at that ceiling in a big way.

Sweat It Out

I forgot how out of shape I am. I went down to the HPER (Tech's gym, for those unfamiliar with the lingo) today to work out, expecting to start running again, and ended up going for a 10 minute walk on the treadmill and a 20 minute session on the new elliptical machine. And that was enough for me. For today at least. Maybe I'll be able to run for 30 minutes straight in October at the rate I'm going.

For those who haven't experienced the new elliptical machines, they appear to be a cross between a stair-stepper and an elliptical machine. It's a very weird motion to get used to.

Had my Literature of Decadence class today. That class is going to be a lot of fun. Mein prof. is so entertaining, he can spew a lecture worth two pages of notes (front and back) in an hour and a half. Most profs. are lucky to get half the front page in a 50 minute time period. That, and there's so much interesting stuff to be said about totally wacked characters who only seem capable of focusing on sex, food, pleasure, and themselves, for the most part. The challenge is to see how far we can get before passing judgement on these people.

Anyway, in terms of my relative unenthusiasm for school, Lit. of Decadence is the most exciting thing since Coffee AND Chocolate in ice cream.

I'm supposed to write about my accomplishments for my Writing 2 class tomorrow. And I honestly can't think of an accomplishment worth mentioning. I managed to graduate high school near the top of my class, with honors, but then I thought most of the people I graduated with were dolts. I'll be Tech's first female Software Engineer, but it'll take me 5 years to escape with my degree. I was Tech's chapter of the ACM's president for a year, but I was so mentally out of it that I wasn't a very good leader. I used to be a Marine Officer Candidate, but I managed to wash out because I couldn't pass the initial PFT(Even though I blame my still-healing ankle and the sinus infection I had 3 weeks before shipping, in reality I think I'm just weak). I totalled two vehicles in under six months. I managed to find myself someone crazy enough to marry me in college, but he was a passive-aggressive emotional abuser. Are these accomplishments that I should be proud of? I think not. So what do I put as "accomplishments"?

Nothing I have has been bought with my own sweat and blood. I have nothing to show for my 4+ years of college education, except that I don't want to be a software engineer. I have no job experience for the dream job I've picked out, no job experience whatsoever unless I want to be a barista for Starbucks or handle chicken at KFC.