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A Weekend of Friends, Running and Yoga

Happy Marathon Monday! I’m so excited for everyone running, especially those ladies I’m tracking today including Tina, Sarah, Janae, Michele and Michelle. These ladies have trained in such tough conditions this winter that I know they’ll run strong even in horrible Boston conditions today!

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Inspired by the many runners in Boston, a few of us woke up with the sunrise for a four-mile run along the lake. It’s mornings like this that remind me why I love running. A wonderful, friend filled four-mile run followed by a cup of coffee always makes Mondays more bearable!

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But, before kicking off our Monday on the right foot, our weekend revolved around three things that make me very happy: friends, running and yoga.

Friends

As so many of us were traveling during March and early April, it’s been nice to have a few weekends in Geneva to catch up and relax. Each day this weekend we were able to enjoy time with different groups of friends, in both small and large settings. Between a Thai dinner date, a yoga workout, manicure and wine relaxation with a girlfriend, post-run brunch and a terrace barbecue party, we were able to see just about each of our friends and hear about about their Easter holidays. Even though we live so close, it’s easy to go a few weeks without seeing each other due to weekend travel plans and busy work schedules! Hopefully, now that Spring and longer days have arrived, there will be many lakeside barbecues in our future.

Running

After a relaxing, lazy morning enjoying one too many cups of coffee and our peanut butter and toast breakfast, Bo and I headed out for a 10-mile run. Bo’s longest run since the 2013 New York City Half Marathon, this run wasn’t as enjoyable as last week’s eight miler! We spent the first eight miles of our run fighting 25 mph headwinds. Even in the wind and rain, our countryside path found a way to be even more beautiful than the week prior. The fields transformed during the week, resulting in a sea of yellow blossoms. The inclement weather kept other runners and bikers at home, leaving the path just to us. It is a stark contrast to the crowded lake front path we typically frequent.

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The weather did a complete 360-degree change during our run, going from rain and wind to sunshine and blue sky. We finished our final two miles, sprinting along the lake, enjoying clear views and tulips! The good news is that, even though, the early miles weren’t easy, we were able to push our pace by the end and finished strong. In addition, runs like this build mental toughness, which is important for race day and something I’m trying to really focus and improve. I can’t believe our half marathon is in less than two weeks!

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Yoga

Stepping out of bed Sunday morning, my body felt the affects of the week’s workouts. While I originally planned on heading out early for InnerCity Yoga’s Sunday morning yoga class, the thought of relaxing on the couch convinced me otherwise. Having missed the opportunity to practice yoga in a class setting, I decided to bring the yoga studio environment to our flat. I opened the windows, lit a few candles, made lemon water, rolled out two yoga mats, invited a friend over and streamed yoga workouts.

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The plan worked so well that I completed a total of five restorative yoga videos yesterday, for a total of 2 hours.  I fell in love with JasYoga’s streaming video website yesterday, after discovering her short, effective restorative yoga videos. The website describes JasYoga as a revolutionary approach to yoga.

Welcome to the Reset Revolution.

Jasyoga is a revolutionary approach to yoga for athletes. Our practical solutions are designed to help you recover, prevent injuries, and perform so that you can achieve your goals, no matter where your active lifestyle takes you.

Her hamstring and quad focused videos released all the tension from my legs in just 15 minutes. Many of the moves include using props such as pillows, straps, and even your nearby wall to ensure that you can properly complete the moves while relaxing your body. 

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Thanks to many supported poses like the one above, I woke up this morning feeling fresh and ready to tackle work stress and the week’s workouts!

Your turn: Can you bring yourself to do at-home workouts? How do you motivate yourself? What are your favorite home workout videos?

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Sometimes It Just Clicks

Sometimes a run just clicks and the result is nothing but sweat and smiles. 

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Yesterday was the first time I can remember that a long run was equally enjoyable for both Bo and me. As you know, Bo has dealt with numerous knee and leg issues over the past five years including a torn calf muscle and two meniscus surgeries. Due to these issues and before that our different paces, the Geneva Half Marathon is the first one that we are training for together!

After a great week of workouts, our long run plan from Jess yesterday called for 8 relaxed miles. The goal was to maintain a consistent pace, somewhere around a 9:40. Historically, I’ve had a hard time wrapping my mind around why long runs are typically prescribed at a pace slower than half marathon goal pace. But, this time around, I’m listening to my coach!

We decided to get a preview of the half marathon course by taking the tram up a few stops to where the actual race begins. After some dynamic warm-ups, we hit the road.

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Our route was beautiful and very different than our typical lake front path where we run during the week.

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The first six miles included small, rolling hills while the final two miles were flat and fast. We kept our eye on our Nike+ app to ensure we kept our pace around the 9:40 point. This slower pace meant that we were able to spend the time running catching up, a nice change versus this week’s other runs, which left us breathless. While we shared a water bottle during our run, neither of us felt the need to stop or take fuel. Our pre-run breakfast of toast, fruit and coffee fueled us perfectly!

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We dropped the pace during our final mile, to see what we had left in our legs. We were all smiles when we realized that we finished right on target and our final mile was the fastest!

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Within minutes we were refueling with brunch at Le Pain Quotidien!

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Did you run this weekend? What’s your favorite way to refuel after a run?

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My Mom’s Initial Reflections on Training for Her First Half Marathon

What an absolutely amazing half marathon! The Savannah Sports Council did a wonderful job organizing the inaugural Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon. As an ambassador, I had the pleasure of flying home and participate in Saturday’s event.  We were lucky to have sunshine, cool weather, blooming azaleas, blue sky, and a scenic for the half marathon.

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My mom and I are going to give you guys a few recaps regarding this race:

  • My half marathon recap
  • My mom’s half marathon recap
  • My mom’s training reflections
  • What we wore for the race

Publix Savannah Women's Half Marathon

Based on your incredible response and support on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this weekend it seems like you all are excited for each of these recaps! Since my mom is currently sitting next to me, requesting that I type her dictated story, tonight’s post will be some initial reflections from my mom.

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Y’all have been so supportive. It amazes me the number of positive comments I’ve received from friends and Ashley’s blog readers alike! You know how to make a woman feel special!

I have really done it. Two weeks short of my 64th birthday, I completed my first half marathon, The Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon. Before this endeavor, my weekly workouts included 2-3 three mile walks in my neighborhood or on my treadmill. The fact that I crossed the finish line after walking 13.1 miles still amazes me. My dreaded fear of  being “swept” by the police or street sweeper never occurred. In fact, there was great group of women both ahead and behind me during Saturday’s half marathon. This group of walkers continually supported and motivated one another with eager cheers as we celebrated completing each mile.

What is equally amazing is that I not only finished the race, but I successfully followed a three month training plan which Ashley and I created on December 29th. Initially, I didn’t talk about training with any of my girlfriends or acquaintances. Instead, I made a private promise to myself that I would finally follow through with a fitness endeavor. I can do anything for three months, I told myself. In fact, three months of training was only 48 workouts. These workouts became my weekly priority – the first thing I would get done on my days off. As a neonatal nurse, I work three 12-hour shifts per week, which didn’t allow for me to train on the days I worked.

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I had three cheerleaders during this process. My husband served as in-house coach, making sure they I did my walks and frequently bringing me water during the longer workouts. Ashley and I texted on a daily basis, discussing my accomplishments and progress. Meanwhile, my son, knew how to make me smile by telling me how proud he was of my ongoing commitment. Towards the end, both he and my husband commented on how much better I looked after the weeks of training.

As we all know, the “winter of 2015” has been cold along the East Coast, even in the South. As a result, I decided to complete my weekly training on our treadmill. This allowed me to walk consistently regardless of the temperature or weather conditions. I do realize that solely training on a treadmill is not recommended, but under these conditions it worked well for me and kept me motivated. As someone who is new to long distance walking, I worried that I would give up due to boredom. I began to look forward to my treadmill walks of up to 3 hours in length, due to the television shows which I recorded in advance. My time on the treadmill each week was time just for me. I could indulge on any show, without having to compromise with my husband.

After each successful walk, I would record my mileage for that session on my calendar. It was gratifying to review my training each month, calculating the mileage and reflecting on my progress. As the mileage accrued, the half marathon became more of a reality.

Mom and Ash expo

Regardless of the hours spent walking on the treadmill, it wasn’t until Ashley and I picked up our bibs at the expo that the anxiety began. Suddenly I wondered if I could really do this. I continuously asked Ashley questions on Friday ranging from bathrooms needs to fueling. While I thought my training had prepared my physically for the distance, I hadn’t dealt with the emotional preparation. This is what I only began to deal with when Ashley arrived. Luckily we spent Friday talking through and addressing my fears…

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