I know...I know!!
Anyway, the trails have "been very very good to me!" as of late. Physically I still feel great. The ankle is allowing me a little over an hour of trail and a ton of road running without much discomfort. Thanks to Swedish House Mafia and my love for techno music, I have finally regained my running stride which I had lost after running while injured. I don't feel confident enough to sign up for any trail races this month but I am still going to tackle the Run The Bluegrass 13.1 at the end of March. I am just happy to still be out there taking in all nature has to show me. The weather has been just amazing here in Kentucky and it has allowed me to get out and explore whenever I want. As I have increased my distances I have discovered a ton of new little "spots" for me to just stop and enjoy (which does not help my time).
The housing crisis has hit the birds hard...
This time of year you just layer up and strip as you go....
I am a very lucky girl!
I have also started to take a look at things in my life that impact my running performance. As you all know nutrition has always been a battle for me. I have struggled with the relationship between food and performance for quite a while, but I finally think I may be on track. What is the answer you ask? Well for me it has been a "no meat" diet.
Now, I love animals as much as the next person but that was not the reason for the change (I believe I have canine teeth for a reason). I was actually having problems eating/digesting meat. I noticed it once I started running...and over the months I have started feeling worse and worse after eating it. It is like my body does not want it. I thought it was "unnatural" but as I researched it more I discovered that it is actually quite common! I cannot tell you how much better I feel since cutting it out of my diet. I am still keeping fish in, as well as dairy and eggs, so I am hesitant to use the term "vegetarian" but we will see how it goes.
I also made the change because the amount of crap we pump into animals to keep them healthy for mass production is just scary. I am not sure the human body is meant to take in all those additional chemicals/hormones. The same goes for all the things we put on our bodies. Just read the back of some of your skin care products and you will understand what I am talking about. I am pretty sure you cannot pronounce 75% of the ingredients, let alone tell me exactly what they do. That is terrifying. I can only imagine how it impacts our bodies performance on a daily basis. Oh how I wish we could go back to simpler times and still smell soooo good :)
OK...OK....enough of that lecture....
Another thing I am focusing on during the winter is cross training. I am basically trying anything that will test my limits and using them to my advantage when running. Tonight...Hot Yoga.
Yes...Bikram Yoga...aka..Hot Yoga...aka..."heat the room up to 100 degrees and do yoga for 90 minutes."
Now, a few of my running buddies had done this the other week and said it was amazing. Naturally I wanted to give it a try. Not being one to "half-ass" anything..I signed up for the "as many classes as you can do in 2 weeks" plan for $30.00. Best deal ever! I am hooked. This is just nuts. I have never seen my body perform like it did tonight. I am truly a friggin machine..my own goddess...I tell myself to do something and I do it 100%. Right now I feel so "clean". I really can't explain it...but I can share with you some of the thoughts that went thru my head during the practice. Yes...I had time for thinking. There was no music and dim lighting here. Only harsh bright lights and "Bob" leading the way with the instructions of "do not stop breathing...I don't know CPR" and "just try to have fun and stay in this room for the whole 90 minutes." There was no hiding ...everyone could see you sweating like a hot beast!
Anyway...back to the thoughts...at one point during the 90 minutes the following went thru my head:
1. "Holy Cr*p....my lips are sweating?! Can lips actually sweat??!!"
2. "Why can't I hear "Bob" very well? OMG..my ear canal is full of sweat...!"
3. "Dude you are in your underwear...it is 100 degrees in here and everyone is dripping with sweat....don't smile at me...you look old enough to be my dad....I will kick you."
4. "My mat is soaked"
5. "I feel hot...and not temperature wise...this makes you feel really attractive...my skin looks great...who wouldn't want to touch this!?! Argh! Not you old man....eyes forward."
6. "I should just hug the first person I see when I leave this building and see what happens"
As you may have noticed...I am still riding high after the class. I have running tomorrow but will definitely go back Wednesday night and do it all again. The ankle prevented me from doing one pose but other than that...I was able to keep up. I am not sure if I would suggest it to everyone. It is intense. It is hot. There are some times when your body is not too sure if this is a "smart idea". I got dizzy once and had to take some water and I have never had that happen before. If you don't like heat...don't do this. If you don't like dripping in sweat...then don't do this. If your significant other does not like you sweaty....don't do this. But if you are like me and love nothing more than to see your body perform to the max...then do this! I can't tell you how much I smiled when I noticed sweat just dripping down my arms. My body looked amazing to me and as many women know...that rarely happens! We don't work ourselves near as much as we need to......if we did we would see that our potential is limitless. This experience has definitely psyched me up for pushing to the next level in running.
What also has me excited is that it looks like the next installment of "Summits of My Life" may be underway. Ol' Kilian has headed to Nepal to explore mountains for a month in a tent. Yeah...a month in a tent...in the mountains....hopefully they will stay warm...and logical....and thin (not like in America where we are "fat" and "illogical"....still cannot believe I read that....and I cannot believe I am still a fan after it! Argh!) This has to be training for something big. I already cannot wait until the next movie!!!
Well....as you can imagine...after hot yoga you drink a lot of water....and with that I will be saying "good night" :)
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