You will regret not running, but will rarely regret going for a run

This is what I said to myself to get out the door tonight. Bil, Raviv and I went on vacation with our dear friend Dr. M. and my cousin M. (I refer to a lot of M's in this blog). Though we had a very nice time on the Jersey shore (free lodging and a warm ocean!) Raviv was not so easy. On Tuesday night he woke up at 11:30, 1:30. 3:30, 4:30 and then at 5:30 for the day. I think he might be teething, but no sign of a tooth yet. Plus, as soon as we got home yesterday, he was back to his cheery self. I think he doesn't like to travel.



Anyway, as usual, when the four (adults) get together, we eat. A lot. We've made a habit of eating our way through Boston, New York, and now Northampton and New Jersey (french toast souffle anyone?). The irony is that Bil and I are both trying to make this "the summer of slim," Dr. M is a marathoner and cousin M has a hard core yoga practice (the kind where you basically contort your body and balance on one ear. The pic below isn't her, but I bet she could do that)

Anyway, after eating like crazy, and sitting around I got home and felt I should get back on the ball. I did run once on vacation. I ran along the boardwalk in Asbury Park. It was really great being by the ocean. On the way home, however I got totally lost and saw the less "tourist friendly" side of Asbury Park. I had my iTouch, so I tried to email Bil ("help, I'm lost!") but he didn't get it. Eventually I found a fire station and they helped me. I didn't know the address, but I knew I was near some vegan restaurant with a "tree" in the name. I also got the WORST chafe ever. Even worse than the first time. I think the sweat from the 90 degree day and the ocean air made my legs extra sensitive.

Luckily I got home almost safe and sound (I did walk into a sign and got such a HUGE bruise/cut on my arm that Dr. M made me promise to get a tetanus shot and I may have gotten poison ivy- we'll know soon enough), but Raviv was not happy his meal was late. Or salty.

So tonight I got home from an unexpected day of work (technically, I'm still on vacation) and decided to binge eat on cereal. I know it is because I was so tired. But after eating, and spending some great time with Raviv (this was one of those nights where I just love him so much I can't stand it) I decided to run.

I think there were three reasons why I had such a great run:

1) Raviv doesn't eat when he is with Bil. So instead of his normal 18 oz of milk he only had about 4 all day. He sucked me dry tonight, so I had a lot less discomfort in that area.

2) The weather was warm enough, but not hot

3) I have a great play list for running. Below is what I listened to while running. (Please note that I do not listen to this type of music other than when running. Ok, maybe in the afternoon on a slow day, but other than that it is KEXP, NPR, or Pandora. The playlist below is 41 minutes, the perfect amount of time:

1. Dead and Gone- T.I feat. Justin Timberlake


2. Electric Feel- MGMT


3. Just Dance- Lady GaGa


4. If U Seek Amy- Britney Spears


5. That's not my name- the Ting Tings


6. Ain't No Sunshine- The Neville Brothers


7. Let it Rock- Kevin Rudolf


8. I gotta feeling- Black Eyed Peas


9. Poker Face-Lady GaGa


10. Right Round- Flo Rida

Not related to this post, cousin M is a special ed teacher and an early intervention specialist. She and I were talking about Autism and I found this article that is interesting...

What do you listen to when you run?

How I got swimmer's ear and almost drowned.

Hot yoga is sweaty. I know you're thinking "duh, isn't that the point" but I have to tell you, it really is. Last night was my second try and I wasn't so impressed. During triangle pose water sweat kept dripping ever deeper into my ear canal. I swear I need those vinegar and alcohol drops I had after swim lessons at camp. Then, during extended down-dogs, so much sweat dripped into my nose I swore I was going to drown. The breath, called oceanic breathing is aptly named. I have included two diagrams for those of you who are not familiar with yoga. You can see how running streams of sweat can be problematic.

I have always resisted trying hot yoga, because it sounded awful. Why would you intentionally put yourself in a room heated to 100 degrees and exercise? I anticipated anxiety and a heart attack.

Saturday night we went out to dinner and a friend, whose doctor told him he needed to exercise or he would die told me he was going to go to hot yoga. On Sunday morning, I woke up, ate a huge breakfast and sat around while Bil went to the gym. When he came home, he told me it was my turn. Yoga has always been a way to "work out" when I've been too lazy to do anything else, so I decided I'd go with my near-dead friend. The studio offers a all-you-can-pose first week deal of $20 for unlimited classes. I opted to pay the $14 for one class, sure I would never do it again.

When we walked into the room, I was surprised that I could actually breath. Later, I learned that we were doing the fake hot yoga- only 97 degrees, not 120. I enjoyed the class, which was a surprise because in addition to my hot-yoga aversion, I hate to exercise in the morning. But rather than feeling sick all day, as I usually would with a pre-noon workout, I felt really good. Best of all, my joints felt better (they had been bothering me for two weeks). I also LOVE to sweat, as long as it is confined to appropriate sweat-based activities like running or hanging out in a sauna.

After my great run on Monday, and a residual good mood from Sunday, I decided I would go back to yoga on Tuesday night. I had a very buzzy day. You know the kind- you are so busy, that you have a buzz to your body like you've just consumed a gallon of coffee. Except I avoid caffeine like the plague. You think so hard you sweat. I figured having a calm, peaceful workout (and in the evening no less!) would be ideal.

Not so much. For some reason I just couldn't focus. My mind wandered, my form was awful (knock-knees = bad yoga form) and I felt dizzy and nauseous the whole time. Plus there was the whole swimmer's ear and drowning hazards. To be fair, I did learn two new stretches that felt AMAZING after a long run.

I did feel better as I went to bed, but I didn't sleep very well. Plus, my skin is breaking out. Not sure if that is because of the "detoxing" effects promised or the fact that I had my sweaty face pressed on a rented yoga mat that smelled like feet.

My friend who got me into this hasn't gone yet for his second class. He isn't making very good use of his unlimited classes for this first week. He was too sore to go with me yesterday. Rumor has it he's going tomorrow, so we'll see how he fares. I think I need to follow my friend C's dating rule: Give everyone at least three dates before making a decision. So I'll do this hot yoga one more time before deciding yay or nay.

PS- Two of my most important exercise rules are repeatedly violated in this class:

1) Spandex should never come in a size larger than small.

2) The amount clothing men must wear is directly proportional to the amount of body hair you have. This is especially critical when considering running shorts and topless yoga.

Things I thought about while running

• how happy I was to be outside and to be alone
• I was happy I added new music to my mix
• my arms are sore from hot yoga yesterday
• I really liked hot yoga, but that I was glad I did easy hot yoga (97 degrees) instead of hard core hot yoga (120 degrees)
• I wished I had eaten something before I left
• what I was going to eat when I got home (a hard boiled egg, cream of wheat, and some veggies)
• my joints are starting to feel better. I probably don't have Lyme disease
• I should read my blog posts before hitting "publish" as sometimes my thoughts get away from me and I forget to say what I really wanted to
• this is a bad habit I have in general, and that my dad always pushed me to proofread
• I probably won't proof this post either
• I was glad to go on a long run (relatively)
• I am glad I am able to go on a long run both by having the time and the physical stamina
• it was such a nice surprise to turn onto the bikepath on my way back and realize I had been slowly going uphill, because it meant I could finish my run on a downgrade!
• It isn't fun to get to work on a Monday morning and be the one to find out that a diet coke exploded in the fridge
• I am glad I am a vegetarian
• I didn't eat out at all today (other than an iced tea) and that it felt good
• I like facebook
• I really like my job and feel like I'm getting back in the swing of things, and that I have a very full plate right now, but in an okay way
• I'm looking forward to the Ms getting back so we can re commit to the FLC
• I have a bit less jig, and it is easier to run with less jig
• I never thought I'd be a two-bra runner
• I'm really happy for my two cross-country buddies that got married this past weekend (not to each other)
• "what happens on the mat is a mirror for what happens in life" isn't as ridiculous as it sounds.
• I wonder who reads this blog. 58 differnet computers have been directed to this site.
• that I would probably forget what I wanted to post on my blog today