WOW: Yoga and C25K

I can’t tell you how nice it’s been to get back into writing my Work Out Wednesday posts.  For a while, I had nothing to say because I wasn’t hitting the gym as much as I should be.  Now, I feel good again about sharing the highlights!

I’ve started back at Yoga again!

It feels SOOOO good to  be back!

I met some new friends at Happy Hour last week and we agreed to get together for Yoga this Saturday.  We went to an adorable local studio and loved it so much we went back again on Easter Sunday!  I kicked off my return to yoga with not one, but TWO back to back sessions!

Now, you may be surprised to hear this… but my hamstrings are not.  They are FULLY aware of the torture stretching I subjected them to this weekend.  Yoga always fascinates me because it’s strenuous, yet not sweaty.  You work the muscles and feel it the next day… but it creeps up on you.

I’m so glad I had one of these

Another friend had told me I should invest in a foam roller to workout the sore muscles I had been feeling as part of my running program.  I can’t even begin to tell you how lovely this foam roller has been on my hamstrings.  Now, if you haven’t heard of one of these, it’s simply a foam cylinder that you can roll on to workout sore muscles… brilliant!  I’m no expert, but I hear that the white ones are for beginners and are the softest.  Perfect for this girl.  I ordered mine from Amazon.  Easy peezy, and it definitely came in handy this weekend.

My new local yoga studio

I don’t think I can move on without commenting on how GORGEOUS this yoga studio is.  I found the picture above online, and you can see how well-lit it is… and maybe a bit of the natural light coming also from the skylights.  Just beautiful and such a wonderful place to practice yoga.  I can’t wait to go back this week.  I’m also planning on attending a candlelight yoga class this week.  I’ll take pics if I can… I think it’s going to be remarkable.

I’m Still Running!

While I wish I were a littler further ahead in my Couch to 5K program, I’m still running… and starting to run daily!  I’m at the end of week 2 as of today, and starting week 3 this evening.  It’s been really interesting to run over the past few days.  It’s such a mental thing, with a bit of physical ability mixed in.

The hamstrings cry during the first few minutes, and then after that… I get my groove.  Running at altitude is no joke.  You have to work on your breathing and work hard to be able to run.  I enjoy the fact that I’m able to do it… and that sweet satisfaction at the end of the workout that I made it through.

I keep waiting for this guy to show up… and to keep his promise.  He probably could help with my hamstrings, too. 

As usual, the Kelly Clarkson on my playlist has been pushing me through the final TOUGH minutes of the run.  When I’m considering quitting to catch my breath/down my bottle of water is usually when she appears in the shuffle.  It’s pretty awesome how the timing works.

I’m excited to see how I progress in Week 3, and I’m completely committed to seeing this program to the end.  It’s all about Team Bev, afterall….

My beautiful friend Bev at last year’s race. Pssst… She may be running WITH me this year! So excited!

In the end, I feel great about this week of workouts so far.  I’ve worked out for the past four days straight… which feels amazing. I found this quote on Pinterest and it really sums up how I feel right now and how I’ve felt for the past few months.

In order to experience change, you have to choose change.. this is what I’ve been told.  I’ve been able to reset my thinking pretty quickly these days.  Whether it’s leaping toward a new job or simply getting myself back on track, choosing change is sort of what I do.