Days 349-352: One Neon Necklace, Countless Tears

Day 349:  On Sunday morning my co-worker Sam and I went to OMG Fitness Concert at the Denver Coliseum.  I had no idea what it was or what to expect, so naturally I googled it and found this video that terrified that crap out of me.   It looked like a lot of dancing with hundreds of skilled people around while I was sober (that being the key point).  To say I was scared was an understatement.  The worst that could happen is that I would look like a dancing fool…not that bad, right?

When we got there Sam got splashed by the glow in the dark paint and I stuck with the glow in the dark necklace.  I had every intention to ditch it quickly and try to blend in somewhere in the back row.  Unfortunately that is not what happened.  Within the first 30 seconds of the class starting, Sam dragged me to the front row that was full of enthusiastic worker-outers (who made me look reserved) .  After I got over my fear of shaking what my momma gave me in front of at least 500 people, I started having fun.   I let go.  I let go of what I thought I looked like, listened to the music, boot-camped it up while dancing to the tunes.

I have a feeling my description of the event does not make sense and that’s okay.  I’m still confused too.  What I do know though is that fear only exists in the mind.  Once you break that barrier (or it’s broken for you by a loving man named Sam), then the fear stays in the past.   Move forward, dance up a storm and forget your fears.

Day 350:  On Monday Mike and I went for an hour-long walk through Wash Park for our last stroll together in the city before the big move on Saturday.  It was a nice reminder of why I will always love the city life, but am ready to move on for now.

Day 351:  Monday evening I got some devastating news that an acquaintance had died over the weekend in a horrible accident.  The young woman was a great friend to one of my closest friends and my heart was instantly broken for everyone effected by the tragedy.   It reminded me how precious life is and how grateful I am to have another day here.

I decided to grab my phone and call everyone I love until someone picked up- a phone roulette.  I first talked to my oldest brother for 30 minutes and then my Dad for another 30.  After that, I saw my husband out for a walk and we strolled around the neighborhood together for  20 minutes.  It was the only good way that I knew how to end such a sad day.

Day 352:  As we approach the closing day on our house I am finding that I have less and less time to fit in a workout.  Today I rode my bike to and from work and tagged on a few extra miles for good measure.   Bike commuting: two birds, one stone. #perfection

345-348: Post Wedding Bliss

Day 345: On Wednesday I attempted a four mile run, but my sore legs were telling me something else.  It sounded like “go home, stop running.”  Instead, after running two miles to Washington Park I decided to turn my phone/ipod into a phone and call a good pal.  She made fun of my need to walk and we talked for the next 30 minutes until I was back into our apartment.  I continue to stand by the idea of grabbing your phone and calling a friend when you need a little encouragement or distraction.  It’s the best way to help a workout fly by.

Day 346: Thursday evening I went to a CPY flow class and sweat out all of my sore muscles and post wedding ice cream (yes, I am still indulging in the “I don’t have to wear a wedding dress again!” eating habits).

Day 347:  Yesterday was one of those days where I barely had time to feed myself, but had to figure out how to sweat.  I went on a quick 30 minute run around the neighborhood while mentally figuring out how I can try to make my hair not look dirty if I “recycle” it after my sweaty run.

*I swear by Pantene Pro-V’s dry shampoo for your gal on the go, with sweaty hair- needs.

Day 348: This morning was one of Denver’s largest half-marathon’s and although I was not participating in it, I went to cheer on some of my friends with my co-workers.  All of the roads in my neighborhood were shutdown at 4:00 a.m., which would have made driving to the group meeting spot quite difficult.  Instead, I hopped on my bike and rode the three miles while sipping on my coffee and trying my best to smile at every cop giving me a dirty look for riding in their blocked off streets.  After an hour and a half of cheering, I hopped back on my bike and headed into work (2 miles) and then rode home at the end of the day (2 more miles).  I even tagged on an extra twenty minutes of riding for good measure.

*We got our wedding pictures back today, I was so excited that I wanted to share a few!

 

Days 342-344: Aspens & Abs

Day 342:  Mike and I both had Sunday off and we decided to take a drive to Nederland, CO for a hike around Barker Reservoir.  We hiked for about three miles and took in all of leaves turning on the Aspen trees and the cool mountain breeze.  It was a perfect beginning of fall hike.

Day 343:  Yesterday I went to Pura Vida with a potential lululemon new hire.  The enthusiastic young fella boasted that he went to these two classes back to back a few times per week.  Mad Abs followed by a bootcamp.  How hard could it be?

During the class I felt fantastic and was feeling inspired to add in higher intensity workouts after my post-wedding hiatus.  How I am feeling today is a totally different story.  My legs keep giving out because it’s so hard to straighten them all the way and it hurts to laugh when my abs flex.  Seriously.  Mike was watching me walk earlier and laughing.  Happy one month wedding anniversary jokester!

Lesson learned- switch-up my workouts more often to avoid soreness paralysis.

Day 344:  Working out today proved to be hard because of the aforementioned issue above. I decided that the only thing that I could do was walk everywhere to run my errands.  I walked for over an hour and only ran into a hedge once.  I consider that very successful!

Days 338-341: City Nostalgia

Day 338:  On Wednesday it rained.  That is the most beautiful statement that I can write for a state that is in a severe drought.  It rained so much that I was preparing to stay inside all day and make up my own version of an insanity workout that would include Crate & Barrel box dodging as the main event.  Fortunately around 3:00 pm the rain stopped and I was able to get in a good 40 minute run before a rainy day pizza dinner date with a friend.

Day 339:  Thursday morning I went for a run around 8:00 a.m. and it was downright chilly outside.  The crisp air made it hard to stop and the slight change in leaves made the scenery even more beautiful.  My pre-move nostalgia has officially kicked in.  In two weeks we will be suburbanites.  Every time I leave my house for a run, walk or ride my heart feels heavy with a sadness of change.  The change is a good thing, but I’m allowing myself to feel a loss for the city that I love….and for the stray cat that we have named “Tiger” that greets me outside my apartment after every run.

Day 340: Yesterday Mike and I had some errands to run to get the mortgage application process r0lling (round #2!) and wanted to checkout the progress made on the house.  After that, I decided to walk the 2.5 miles into work and bask in the ability to walk almost anywhere.  #citylove

Day 341:  After work today I decided to take advantage of the afternoon sun and go on an hour-long bike ride.  I threw on some Bob Marley radio and rode down the Cherry Creek Trail, trying not to look creepy to other rides while I semi-sing and smile too much.  It was just one of those happy, chai tea mornings followed by a sunny ride that makes my soul light up.

Days 334-337: Sweat as a Religion

Day 334:  On Saturday I rode my bike to and from work and tagged on a few extra miles for good measure.  It was all that my schedule could fit in, but it was still enough to become a hot sweaty mess by the time I locked my bike up outside our apartment.

Day 335:    Growing up, religion was a big part of my life until something happened that made me question what I had been taught.  I stopped going to church and let myself not feel guilty with the simple thought, “you’ll come back to it when you’re ready.”  Well life changed and so did my beliefs on almost everything that matters.  My religion now is to love everyone and to do so without hesitation.  It’s a constant practice and dedication.  My Sunday mornings that used to be filled with church services are now filled with runs, asanas and peaceful questions.

With that being said, I miss the organizational religion and am wanting to get back to it- if it feels right.   Mike and I have dedicated our future Sunday morning’s to finding a church home that suits our beliefs.  I will work in a run before to make sure I feel grounded in myself before checking out local services.  For the next two weeks, I’ll continue to build my own spiritual side up with 40 minute runs in the park.  After that, the church dating begins.

PS That was a rant.  I ran 40 minutes on Sunday a.m.

Day 336:  Yesterday I went to my first yoga class in a week and my body felt rusty and downright, tighhhhhht.  Every bend, twist, breath and stretch felt like the first time.  Although my body felt stretched beyond it’s limits, as I walked out of the CPY studio, I realized that I had been completely in the moment the entire class.  I was present for 60 minutes- which is better than being super bendy, it’s the best thing that’s happened in a long time.

When was the last time you were able to quiet your thoughts and stay present?  It’s so hard for me to do.  I suppose when you least expect it to happen, it happens.

Day 337:  Today I went for an hour-long walk and am searching for a yoga class tonight to honor all of the lives touched by 9/11.  I want to breathe with the community and send love and light to everyone around.    I suppose I could do that with my own flow in our living room as well.   However, if you know of any good ones in the city, please shoot me an email!

Days 331-333: Fall Running Love

Day 331:  Has your body ever just craved a run?   A quick lace up of shoes, the pounding of the pavement, rhythmic breaths and a clearing of the mind.  That’s what I think of lately when I think of running.  My body is telling me to do it, do it, do it and do it as much as possible.  Perhaps it’s the change of seasons or a little pre-move nostalgia?  Either way, I’ve fallen back in love with running just in time for fall.

On Wednesday my husband set out for a run and I left soon there after.  We rarely run together because of different paces and distances (goal: run as fast as Mike in a year).   Twenty minutes into my run on a beautiful tree-lined street I saw the most handsome man running towards me.  I got a picture of our lives running together on our favorite path, in our favorite city.  It was the most romantic run I’ve ever had.  Maybe I’ve fallen in love with running because I’m falling deeper in love with my life?

Day 332:  Yesterday Mike and I went to checkout the progress on our house and got so excited at the idea of owning a home that we went out and used almost all of our wedding gift cards.  I thought that our tiny apartment was jam-packed before, but now there is barely room to breathe in here.  After running around Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel for hours we came home to write out our thank you notes.  I thought that all that writing should have counted as my workout, but Mike made me do something else (sigh).

Post thank you notes and dinner we walked around our neighborhood for an hour talking and talking.  We stopped at the local dog park and watched the pups run, play and bark without any regard and it made us talk (almost too extensively) about our soon to be dog addition to the family.  Great night, sore hands.

Day 333:  The high in Denver today is 71 degrees!  That is almost cold enough to make sense of why I am wearing a long sleeve shirt, jeans and a scarf.  Almost.  Do you get so excited for fall that you pull out all of your warm clothing way before you should?  That’s where I am at right now.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 and went for a four mile run around Wash Park and had a serious wardrobe malfunction two miles in.  My bra strap snapped in half. Ut oh.  The good news is that my tiny chest does not need a lot of support, the bad news is that it still needs some.  I tried to pull out some serious MacGyver skills by looping the strap around my neck and then tying it to the other strap (don’t worry if that doesn’t make sense, it didn’t really work. You’ll still need to find your own way out of this pickle if you ever get stuck in it!).  After this two-minute break and lots of strange looks from fellow runners, I lopsidedly ran home.

Days 328-330: Friends and Outlaws

Day 328:  Sunday morning I went to the community yoga class that lululemon hosts every week.  To say that it was the most unique class I have ever taken is an uunderstatement.  The hour-long power flow class was taught by Justin Kaliszewski, the creator of the brand “Outlaw Yoga.”  I really want to pick Justin’s brain the next time that I take his class so that I can learn the entire story behind the brand, but until then, I can guess that the name was born out of a desire to break the boundaries of yoga.  The class physically felt like yoga, but spiritually it amped up the power of choice more than any other class I’ve ever taken.  It was almost instantly addicting, which quickly explained Justin’s large entourage at the event.

If you’re looking for something truly unique, you should checkout Justin at Kindness Yoga and watch for his own studio to open up in the late fall.  I will make sure to keep you all posted on that in the near future.

Day 329:   Yesterday was a busy day and I had to figure out how to squeeze in a workout between working at luluemon, having a congratulatory drink with my newly engaged best friend* and a dinner date with another friend.  I decided on my fall back plan- a 40 minute run.  Unfortunately my body was feeling the effects of my late Sunday night dinner party, so I was forced to run really slow.  My body just wanted to move like a turtle and I let it.

Day 330:  After being home from the honeymoon for a week now, I have started to fall back into my groove a bit more.  I’m feeling more rested everyday and am noticing the side effects of wedding stress slowly leaving my body.   I suppose that the constant catching up with all my friends and family about the wedding has definitely helped out as well.  Today I talked on the phone to five friends and one family member for a total of four hours, it felt like high school all over again and I loved it!

This normally would not be considered blog worthy information, but I was getting bored on the phone, so I walked for almost two hours of the conversations and then decided to skip my evening run.  It was incredibly delightful.  The next time you don’t feel like working out, I challenge you to grab your phone and dial all your friends.  Talking + walking + sweating + laughing = bliss.

*My bestie also happened to catch the bouquet at our wedding.  I believe that is a noteworthy nugget of information to share 😉