323-327: “Keep Going”

Days 323-324:  As hurricane Isaac was tearing through the gulf coast, Mike and I made the best of our extended honeymoon and time in St. Thomas.  We stayed at a hotel on the beach and took full advantage of their premium movie channels since the rain outside prevented us from playing.  Whenever there were breaks in weather we would head outside and walk up and down the beach until the next set of storms blew in.  These long walks became my workouts for the day and early Tuesday evening we started our 15 hour trek back to Denver.

Days 325-327:  Numerous times on our trip Mike and I talked about how lucky we were to be living in a city that we could not wait to come home to.  We have so many things here that we are grateful for that we spent lots of time reflecting on the lives we have created that we love so much.

We got home at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday and filled our first day back with loads of errands and checking out the progress on our house.  Seriously, life is so jam-packed with exciting things right now that I am actually looking forward to a little down time when things slow down and we can settle into our new home and create more newlywed awesomeness.

Now, onto the working out commitment.  I would not be considered human if there was not a time that I wanted to give up on working out.   These past few days have definitely been just that.  The wave of pre-wedding, wedding and honeymoon exhaustion came the second I got home and all I wanted to do was sleep.  Mike gently coaxed me into my running shoes every day and I managed to run 30-45 minutes the last three days.  Having him (officially) by my side for the rest of our lives is quite possibly the best feeling ever.  It’s as though I have a new teammate that is constantly cheering for me and I for him.  The dynamic of a marriage is something that we will continue to learn for a long time, until then, I am so happy that I have his gentle voice in my head everyday that says, “keep going.”

Days 320-322: Isaac Didn’t Slow Us Down

Day 320:  Oweee, hurricane Isaac was fierce!  Mike and I stayed inside all day and listened to the wind and rain.  Our honeymoon villa is situated on the top of a mountain and provided for some great storm watching, also a bit scary when you’re unfamiliar with the surroundings.  An hour of yoga flow helped and so did all of our attempts at getting in the hot tub.

Day 321: Mike and I had planned a four island tour on Wednesday and it was moved to Friday due to the weather conditions.  With the phone and internet down, we were not sure if the boat trip was still going to go out.  We waited at the dock in St. John until we saw a little boat pull-up.  It was on!  The trip organizers told us once we were too far away from land to change our minds that this was the “roughest seas they have ever gone out in.”  YIKES.  Thank goodness we do not get motion sick!

We hiked for 2 miles doing the Baths tour at Virgin Gorda, snorkeled near Tortola’s coast for a short while before jellyfish slowly scared everyone out of the water and ended our day playing in the ocean at John Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.  Mike and I loved every second of it (minus the jellyfish!) and ended up being thankful that the sun wasn’t out to add more heat to the day.

It also inspired me to start a new blog once we return home, more on that to come  🙂

Day 322:  Yesterday morning Mike went scuba diving and I explored St. John some more.  After his scubaing was done we decided to try out some of the only beaches we had not hit just on the island just yet.  We ended up hiking over an hour to get these beautiful bays and rewarded ourselves with playing in the ocean and homemade PBJ’s.

Although the hurricane has passed us in the Virgin Islands, it is now sadly expected to hit the main US.  We are hoping that it slows down and does not cause much damage.  In the meantime, our flight was delayed four days and we are going to hop over to stay in St. Thomas for a change of scenery and sweats.

Until next time…

Days 315-319: St. John Sweats

Days 315-318: Typically I do not lump together workouts, however I think that I can make an exception for our honeymoon week!  Right now we are in St. John, overlooking the tropical green mountains and the light blue ocean.  It is honeymoon heaven, regardless of the fact that hurricane Isaac is right outside our door and cutting into our outside play time.

We chose this island for our honeymoon because it is a huge playground for hiking, snorkeling, beaches and apparently, wild animals.  Everyday we have been here has been filled with hikes to remote beaches for snorkeling, hikes to snag a view of something beautiful, swimming in the clear water and trying to chase down sea turtles or sting rays.  Although it’s all been natures workouts, they have been more fun than anything at a gym or studio I have done in the last year.   It has made us realize that active vacations are definitely what we will be seeking out in the future.

Today is the day that Isaac is going to effect us the most, so I will roll out my yoga mat and flow away ion our deck in between sets of storms.

If you do not hear from me again, I will be breaking from the blog and enjoying the experience as much as I can while working in some sweat sessions.  I do have a huge favor to ask of Mother Nature, could she help us out and give us some sun the last few days?  Our newly obsessed beach going selves would be greatly appreciative!

Day 314: Wedding Day!!

Day 314:  It’s here, it’s here!!  Our wedding day has finally arrived and everything is coming together.  This morning my bridesmaids, Mom and a few friends ran to Goodale Park from our hotel and did 30 minutes of zenned out yoga.

 

Day 313: Lost in Bliss

Day 313:  Today is the day that 100 of my closest friends and family start making their way to town to celebrate our wedding tomorrow.  Up until this point I have primarily focused on the planning details, not the love that will be surrounding us.  This morning I decided to go for a run around my fiance’s neighborhood and allow my running brain to get lost in the gratuitous thoughts of having such great friends and family.

Unfortunately, I ended up more along the lines of just plain lost.  I spent 40 minutes trying to make connections to roads that I might have seen when I was in high school.  I also realized that I had a lot of firsts in this neighborhood…first real crush, first kiss, first sip of alcohol (it was a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, does that even count?) and add this to the list- first time getting seriously lost on a run.  Luckily I decided to turn off the head phones and listen for the closest major road, which eventually led me back to my fiance’s house.

What was intended to be a blissful run with my head in the clouds turned into something else and that is okay.  It’s what it was meant to be on this rainy Ohio morning that felt sunny to me.

***I am also incredibly grateful for Ken Gordon, a reporter from the Columbus Dispatch, that wrote this awesome article:  http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/08/17/wedding-worked-into-her-daily-workout.html

Days 310-312: Home Sweet Home

Day 310:  Yesterday I flew from Denver to Columbus, Ohio for some early wedding week prep.  When I landed I went straight to my final dress fitting and then to meet two high school friends at Pai Yoga in my hometown of Dublin.  We were trying out a 75 minute flow class in a hot studio, that proved to be challenging and soul-drenching.

My old pal, Kathy Powell, is a seasoned yogi with a personality that can light up an entire yoga studio.  My other friend, Paco Ribot, has never tried yoga before but was stoked to try something different.  Together we all sweat enough to fill a baby pool and laughed so many times that it made me question whether what I had just done could be considered a workout.  Fortunately my incredibly sore body was telling me all day today that it definitely was.

Day 311:  Yesterday morning I stopped by my alma mater, Dublin Scioto, to see one of my favorite teachers of all time.  We hugged for a few minutes and caught up on our lives before I headed out for a 40 minute run.  I left from the high school and ran up and down the surrounding neighborhoods, allowing myself to get lost in pre-wedding nostalgia.

Day 312:  This morning I went on a quick 20 minute jog and then setup my yoga mat for my own version of a 20 minute yoga sculpt/bootcamp/jumping around in one spot and sweating like a monkey- type of workout.  It’s still unclear what I did, but I consider all of it to be a workout.  I think the picture really captures that!

Days 307-309: A Grounded Departure

Day 307:  Now that the wedding is a few days away, I have found myself less stressed and able to truly enjoy the process leading up to the festivities.  Saturday morning kicked off my (semi) zen-like-state when I went to Diane Sieg’s class at Sacred I Yoga.   It was the same class that two months ago , when I promised myself I would attend regularly.  Unfortunately, my schedule has not allowed that, but I truly will try to make every Saturday class that I can.  To say that the class is grounding is a huge understatement.  It’s almost as if your yoga mat grows roots and the branches are grabbing at your limbs, longing for you to join that community.

Seriously.  Check. It. Out.

Day 308:  Yesterday my two sister friends and I went on a hike at Mt. Falcon Park, followed by a quick-lunch at the Ale House at Amato’s.   The hike was a little less than two hours and a good hybrid of downhill/uphill with only moderate steepness.  My body was happy to breathe in the woods and talk with friends about life while taking in the occasional doe.    I do not think this could have been more tranquil if we tried.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love life in Colorado?

Day 309:  After a restless night of sleep the last thing my mind wanted to do was get up and go for a run, but my body really was craving the deep breaths.  So I laced up and headed to the park for a five-mile run before coming home to laundry, lists and suitcases.  The run helped me power through my list with just enough time to spend with my fiance before leaving for Ohio in the morning.  And so the wedding week/end begins…

Days 303-306: Comfort in Repetition

The week leading up to the wedding has been busy and slightly stressful, so I’ve really had to tune into my body everyday to see what it needs.  I‘ve gone back to the basics for comfort- yoga, running and old SNL video favorites.  Running helps my mind to go blank and eases off some stress and yoga calms my soul and frees up any sort of tension my body has been feeling.  They are truly the best combination for my body.  Oh and Cheri Oteri is just good for the ol’ soul!

Day 303:  5.5 mile run to and around Washington Park.

Day 304:  Core Power Yoga, Level 2 Power Vinyasa Flow.

Day 305: One hour walk with Mike.   The reason we decided on this walking path was because we both wanted chocolate from a nearby store.  We collectively decided that our bodies needed a break and this was going to be our joint workout for the day.  I recommend this to anyone 🙂

Day 306:  This morning I got up at 6 a.m. for a 5 mile run around the park.  I am really glad that this is not a daily occurrence for me because it’s hard to muster up the energy needed for that kind of run so early.  If you are one of those people who can do that everyday, I envy that in you…oh. so. much.

Days 301 & 302: Gratitude

Day 301:  The heat in Denver has been making the news week after week this summer.  Record highs, long spurts of 90 plus degree weather, a lack of rain and intense winds have made it hard for a gal to love outdoor summer running.  The good news is that there is an answer to all the running weather woes.  Just wake up at 5:30 a.m. and go running- problem solved!

Unfortunately that’s not what my body likes to do and if I tried to make it do that, I’d be setting myself up for failure.  Instead, I watch the weather closely and choose the mornings that might feel a bit crisp.  Luckily, Sunday was one of those mornings.   I was able to get out by 6:45 a.m. and run 5.4 miles before it hit 70 degrees.  It made me realize how grateful I am for the fall and how much I am looking forward to hearing the leaves crinkle beneath my running shoes this fall. #runninglove

Day 302:  One of my dearest friends, Emily, has been living in Ecuador for the last eight months following her passion to teach and fulfilling her need to travel at the same time.   Fortunately, for me, she gets to come home for summer break before heading back for another year.  Today we took advantage of both having a few free hours and went to a yoga sculpt class at Core Power.

It was my first time going to a sculpt class with a pal and her first time ever taking it.   Every time I glanced at her she was doing the hardest version of the exercise while sweat continued to puddle between us.  I could not think of a better way to spend the day with an old friend than sweating buckets on a 90 degree day, laughing on the walk home and catching up over green smoothies.

Days 298-300: Power of Positivity

Day 298: On Thursday afternoon I was starting to feel like myself again after the latest stomach battle.  Thank goodness I was, because my body was going through yoga sculpt withdraw.  Before I left for class a friend of mine sent me this article, Words Can Change Your Brain:  The Most Dangerous Word In The World

Did you click on the article?  If not,  Do. It. Now!  Seriously, it’s some powerful stuff.  The article helped to get my mind into a positive place before class.  I walked to the my local CPY and told myself, “i’m going to be awesome today.”  Not only was the class awesome, I felt so strong….for 30 minutes.   At exactly the 30 minute mark I hit a wall.  I got light-headed and felt nauseous.  I made it through the last 30 minutes, but did not feel in tune with my body at all.  Despite the power of positive thoughts, my body took over.  Could there ever be a bigger battle?  Mind vs. body.   The real challenge is figuring out how to make the two in sync with one another.  That’s the learning curve that is ever-changing and so wonderful to allow yourself to tune into.

Day 299:  Yesterday I ran in Wash Park for 30 minutes and then did 20 minutes of my own “bootcamp.”  I figured that I have done enough of them that I could lead myself through one.  This could not be further from the truth!  For some reason the only exercises I could come up with were lunges, planks and push-ups.  So that is basically what I did over and over again until my 20 minutes was up.   If you happened to see me yesterday in the park, I hope it made you smile 🙂

Day 300:  DAY 300!!!!!  Whoo hoo!  Only 65 days to go.   Where the heck has the time gone?  This morning I went to a power yoga class with a friend and then to City O’ City for a cup of joe afterwards.  The combo of sweat, deep breathing and good conversation helped make day 300 a fantastic one!