FINE. hot yoga -1. running-1.

TIE GAME?
seriously.

i never thought i would say this.

[i. really. like. running.]

okay. true times: i don't think i could love anything as much as i love the hot yoga yoges. but i am getting further along into my 'training' [that's still funny to say because i never thought i would be training for anything like this], and i am kind of loving every bit of progress and the high after the run. although to be totes honest someone was smoking something nearby while i did my weekly distance run today and i think i coulda been high off more than the run. yikes.

anyways. back the point. as time goes on and i'm setting new goals and working towards upcoming goals like this half-marathon, i am not limiting my dreams at all, and i am living in each moment as i work towards this race.

i was so inspired by erin's journey and decided i too would start dedicating my runs and implementing as many amazing elements of my inner-yogi into my running practice:

when the mind is busy, focus on the breathe.
set an intention before each practice.
consider dedicating your practice.
really feel where your body is at this exact moment, and nourish it.
be open. to yourself. to others. to love. to challenge. to new boundaries. to growth. just be open.
consider your contribution. [this is something i am thinking about constantly. what contribution am i making today? how can i have a positive impact on the connections i make and challenge/inspire others while soaking in the same in return? i would totally encourage you to take on this mindset for a single day and see the growth you feel.]

these elements are making running practice so much more fulfilling. so much more exhilarating.

last week, i ran my first ten k. ten k. almost halfway to the 22 mark. i usually do some variation of the running room's 'walk one. run ten.' rhthym. but to be honest i kind of listen to my body and breath and freestyle what feels good. so last week i was thrilled with the distance, and stopped to walk a few times.

today, i chugged a perfect shaker full of vege greens thirty minutes before my weekly distance run as per the recco of di. okay. i don't know what to say but i'm laughing and i haven't even typed anything yet.

i felt like something out of an snl skit. i felt like forrest gump actually. i started running and ps. we had a severe wind storm warning this weekend so fyi that wind in my face the entire time? brrr. but i felt so light. i had planned a decent route that would [fingers crossed] take me on my furthest venture yet. and i just ran the you.know.what. out of it. the best part?

i finished my route. got home. felt like running more. turned around. did another couple of k. nbg.

the other best part?

i. did. not. stop. to. walk. a. single. time.

i ran 12k. with a freaking cold wind in my face. without stopping a single time. i could have done up to at least 14 if James hadn't called because they were already back and i didn't think in a mill i'd run that far or long. so i had to run my buns home.

also: if you think 12k is nothing, i'm totally fine with it. it's a long run for someone who just started running a few weeks ago and previously only ran if a dog was chasing her.

so i will continue my training. and also continue my hot and heavy love affair with hot yoga.

but - miraculous as it may be - we have a tie game people.

-kare

ps. just want to send some extra sweet energy + love to all of the awesome friends + fam who have been supporting me on email/fb/text/call/in real life [WHAT? REAL LIFE!?] by sending their training tips and advice and just 'liking' all my posts about running. i get all 'aw no way' every single time someone even likes my stuff - so the feedback and support is beyond awesome. thank you.
pps. a very cute photo of marcus this morning. because - well - why not?

happy fam jam.

today was family day. an actual holiday to remind us of how much we have to love and appreciate about each other. and not only did we get to spend it with cousins, [some] parents, siblings and friends, but we also got to spend a lot of q.t. together.

just me and my marcus:

things we did this weekend:

1. my dad [aka. bmoc aka mega don] and di came to visit! so did my sister laura! and tyler! and grady!
2. saturday morning soccer with little kickers football club [LK FC]
3. we moved [! more details to come. get your jaw off the ground. it happened fast and we are freaking happy about it].
4. we went to harveys [don't panic. after the move it was well deserved plus we got about 47 pickles on the side wrapped up like a separate entity aka meal. awesome.]
5. we had our new condo painted. a beautiful awesome gray shade. grey or gray? grey? gray? the paint sample said grey. it wins.
6. i ran.
7. marcus had his first sleep in his new room [which has a six foot tall caste in it. no biggie.]
8. mommy had her first sleep on a pile of mattresses because my goodness i am busy and by busy i mean fearful of the ikea bed in a box that lays next to the mattresses.
9. we had a fancy breakfast with grandpa and gran di at their hotel and marcus behaved like a champion breed of toddler. is that rude? it's supposed to be funny. not rude. basically i'm saying he didn't break anything, he didn't need a high chair, he ate like an unfed horse [seriously i do feed him often and healthy eats], and didn't scream out any nightmarish squeals that would have put one of the oldies next to us into cardiac arrest.
10. we went to wal mart.
11. we went to ikea.
12. we came home and i found out that marcus is nowhere.close.nowhere.not.even.a.little.bit.like.a. serious.longshot.away.from. being a cool cucumber without his afternoon nap. the child loves him a good nap. who can blame him. so when i brought him home to unviel our new GREY walls at 4:30 he was in a coma. an ikea 75 cent hot dog coma.
13. don't judge our diet we had a lot going on. everything in moderation or in the case of an ikea hotdog, twice annually?
14. we slept in on family day. what a treat. what a wonderful little handsome and well behaved son i have.
15. 'someone' turned my neat piles of ikea dresser tools and screws and goodness into a 'construction site' for their 'tonka dumptruck [thank you kara pratt]' and now my dresser has one drawer left out because the tonka must have dumped one of the dresser drawer rails in a mystery zone. that's funny huh.
16. we walked around our new hood and staked our territory and put organic cotton tea towels in our back pockets instead of bandanas so that the winston churchill suburban gangs would know where to find the organic homemade oat crust mini pizzas and butternut squash pancakes.
17. we went to the library.
18. we went to chapters and got a book called 'dinosaurs divorce' for kids life lessons. i think i am onto something here.
19. i ran again. i kicked my measly 5k's butt today! and it felt good! and i think i might end up liking running! squee! cue the skip it and me running up the stairs like rocky. [it's rocky right?]
20. i watched moneyball. what an awesome movie. did your version come with heart stickers on it? mine did. that's weird. great movie. definitely watch it whether you're interested in sports, business, brad pitt, baseball or all of the above.

this short list is about 10% of what we accomplished this weekend. i can't wait to go to a hot yoga class tomorrow and celebrate my longest run to date and dedicate all of the energy and love i can muster up to the people who commented on my discouraged running blog post a few days ago. mom, alicia, andrea, erin e, erin w, alicia, crystal, jilly, yen: thanks ladies. i had a great run today and will totally hope to send you the best energy i can tomorrow in return. xo

happy fam day. whether yours is near or far, i hope you soaked it in and enjoyed the extra day to love big this weekend.

-kare

hot yoga - love. running - near hate.

remember the time i joked around and said whose idea was it to essentially train for 30 days in a sauna and then go out into the dead of cold and run for the first time?

remember that?

i have a hate on people. i am still getting to 3-4 hot yoga sessions a week [which now i appreciate on a whole new level] but am also running almost everyday. 5k 4 days a week, plus one 'distance [which right now is 5k and i'm laughing out loud but also dead serious] run a week, plus my hot yoga and a bit of weights. and by weights, i mean 4 pound hand weights. they are so cute and they match my decor. it's all about priorities right?

so back to my hate on. i totally think that once i am running over 10k in one go, that i might feel better about it. but right now, i have to make a very deliberate effort while running [in rain/snow/slush] to maintain a positive mindset and a strong focus on my goal to kick this half marathon's butt in may.

the thing is, i don't just want to 'finish' the race. i have a goal time in mind that i want to beat. not meet. but beat. so i am  really pushing myself everyday. even if today that meant only 5k. i will totally get there. i am going to do this race and i want to have no regrets when i do beat my goal time. and then i might never run again unless a giant dog is chasing me.

seriously.

hot yoga is this incredible, spiritual, fulfilling, physically challenging but in a warm and wonderful way kind of lifestyle/activity. when i do it, i dedicate my practice and feel like i am genuinely a better person inside and out after each class. i honestly do. if you are into growth and personal development, you should be doing yoga.

running is this freezing cold, not-so-spiritual-more-like-spit-up, less-fulfilling, physically challenging in a way that reminds me why i should have plie-d a little deeper after each jete during my dance training because now all of those old injuries are coming out of the woodwork and onto the pavement and it hurts- kind of lifestyle/activity. i do feel great everytime i do a run simply because i DID IT. i don't feel like a better person for it. not yet at least.

so for now - i will definitely grit my teeth and keep running my measly little 5k a day and hope that when i do my next distance run i can manage like, 8k. stop laughing. but i will definitely stick with it, and if there's one thing i am trusting and sure of, it's that the day i finish this race, i will have learned a lot about myself from it. i will be better for it. i will have accomplished another physical goal off of my list which means there is room for new goals. i can't wait to set new goals. i will be stronger for it. marcus will be so stoked to see me 'in a race' with a real number and everything. i'm going to talk my dad into taking marcus to the finish line so i have someone there to celebrate it with when i finish.

i am totally doing this. it just isn't as warm and wonderful as yoga ;)

run on people.

-kare