Absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder...

Good Monday Morning!!! Today was day one of back-to-reality boot camp class. I took last week off since I was out of town and it showed today in class. I was some what faithful to my promise of scissor kicks on the hotel room floor...although nothing can compare to the agony of the class. Today was a hard class....I lost count at 80 sets of scissor kicks! We did a plyometric series that literally made me want to cry. I keep telling myself that eventually I will be stronger as a result of this torture. The teacher says its time for a set and reminds us that we "can" do it. And I am grateful that even though it's really hard, I CAN do it. I'm not constricted to a bed or suffering from a major illness. I am NOT lazy and I got my tired self out of bed, so I might as well not waste my time in class. What I do love about the class is the mile run at the end. Today was my first day running in about 2 weeks. I felt strong in my run and my foot was ok. I need to get back to my routine of healthy eating and lots of water this week. I've been surrendering to my sweet tooth a little more than I should lately. So I am setting an intention for the week to be filled with energy, focus, and will power! Have a great week!

No news isn't always good news...

I may be starting a 2 week trend of posting on the blog...I know you have been waiting for updates with bated breath. The truth is, I have been a very busy girl. Since my last post I started a boot camp class. We meet three days a week at 5:30am. The first week was quite brutal on my body. It's always humbling when you think that you are moderately in shape, and then find out there are so many areas of your body that is out of shape. During the first week, each class brought on seriously painful aches and pains. Even my ribs hurt. I managed to get through the first week by stretching and maintaining a good intake of both water and coconut water. By the end of the first week, I had to go out of town and missed my Saturday run with the running group. However, I did manage to get 6 miles on the treadmill. And then trouble set in....I started to feel the nagging pain in my left heel again. I tried to deny that it was signs of plantar fasciitis setting in, but much to my dismay, it has been with me most of this week. I returned to boot camp for week 2, but did not do the mile run at the end of class. I am happy to say that week 2 of boot camp was much less painful than the initial week! I have been implementing my arsenal for attacking plantar pain and I believe it is helping. I have done a combination of avoiding running, icing, stretching, and sleeping with a heel boot. Today was another scheduled run with my running group, however I am out of town again! It's a busy summer of traveling and somehow my training has to be incorporated. Today marks my first day with significantly less heel pain. I am going to continue to rest my foot for a few more days and then will incorporate some treadmill running. I will miss a whole week of boot camp this coming week. So, I will be incorporating exercise during my time away from home. I also forgot to add that I started a personal challenge on May 31st to increase my core strength and overall core appearance....I've been doing 100 sit ups a day. This is a 30 day challenge. Once it's complete, I will add another challenge, maybe increase it to 200? I'm already noticing a difference in my abs! So, the point of the story today is, it's important to listen to your body! That doesn't mean you become a couch potato...you just do what you can do. I'm so pleased with my program right now because boot camp allows me to focus on areas I haven't targeted before. The class is constant motion and each class brings different exercises. The combination of plyometrics, calisthenics, and high intensity strength and cardio exercises makes it a really great workout. I'll be keeping you up to date on my upcoming week....it looks like it will be filled with push ups and scissor kicks on the hotel room floor!!

A perfect way to end the week...with a little heat.

Just as I was battling near heat exhaustion on Saturday's run, today I grabbed my yoga mat and headed to a Bikram Yoga class. Bikram is otherwise known as "hot yoga" and is highly effective for tight muscles and heavy energy. Yoga in general is known for wonderful benefits to the body, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure, strengthening muscles, and improving flexibility. But the added degrees of temperature during the Bikram Yoga is said to enhance those benefits. Bikram is said to be exceptionally beneficial due to the 90 minute classes in a humid room heated up to 100 degrees. There are 26 asanas (positions) that are held and repeated twice for 10-60 seconds. These strenuous conditions are what allow the increased physical benefits of the practice. Because of the 90 minutes of such heat conditions, the body sweats buckets! This intense sweating serves to detoxify and cleanse the body. In particular, the poses that are held in Bikram Yoga can create a tourniquet effect. What this means is, when positions are released, it causes a rush of blood through the area that had been cut off during the asana, creating a flushing effect. As a result, this enhances the flushing of the lymphatic system, removal of toxins, and rejuvenation of cells. In addition, some of the 26 asanas apply to a pressure point, which takes advantage of acupressure. Thus, realigning chi and stimulating the body's ability to heal itself. It is said that if you practice Bikram Yoga regularly you can increase energy, stamina, and metabolism. For me, I feel completely centered after I am done with a class. I can walk into the room feeling heavy energy and sore muscles, but by the time I'm done, I feel light and revived. I am so glad I went to yoga today and feel myself centered and ready for all that this week has in store. Tomorrow morning...4:30am wake up to start my day at Boot Camp!!

Flat road is not necessarily easier than bridge repeats...

It's been 2 weeks since my last post. I can assure you, I've been running! I just haven't been blogging in part because "no news is good news". I find it's much easier to blog when I'm feeling down and out. That's really a shame, don't you think? Since my last post my knee pain has been progressively improving and almost non-existent. However, I purchased a new pair of running shoes and I'm having some setbacks. It's possible that I need some time to "break them in", so I've only been wearing them on my weekday 4 mile runs. I wore my old pair of shoes today since it was a 10 mile run. I am continuing weekly Active Release treatments and keeping a positive outlook. Today marks week 5 of my training. It was hot, hot, hot today. The combination of my knee pain and the dreadful heat, made it nearly impossible to cross the 10 mile mark. Around mile 9 I felt like I hit my wall. On a cardiovascular level, I just couldn't run any further. But I made it through the 10 miles, despite walking more than running on mile 9. I made sure to keep myself hydrated during the run and took an Accelerade Gel at the halfway point. Nothing seemed to cool me down until I jumped in my swimming pool when I got home. I kicked off my shoes, took off my watch, and jumped in the deep end! It was fabulous! I can guess that my biggest challenge of this marathon training will be battling the heat and humidity of sunny Florida. I can only hope that this will make me stronger...considering the marathon is in October in D.C. and there is expected to be very pleasant weather at that time. In an effort to build core strength, I am starting a boot camp on Monday. We will meet at 5:30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. I will keep you posted on that...I am a little nervous!