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 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 😉

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.”

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.