One Half Down

After my last couple posts you might think I'm in my kitchen 24/7 eating my heart out but I'm the type that has to work out so I can eat the food I love.

Here is my last work out adventure:

Salt Lake City Haunted Half

My friend Emilee and I at the start of the Haunted Half, Salt Lake City 2013

Preparation: My friend texted me on Monday night saying, "she really wanted to do a half" and asked if I would sign up to do the race with her. The next day she sent me the link and on Saturday we ran the race. At the time I had been running 5 days a week and doing yoga 2-3 times a week. The days before the race I ran 3 miles on Monday, 5 miles on Tuesday, 8 miles on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday and did yoga Friday.

What I Ate: I woke up at 5:30 am got ready, made a PB&J Sandwich on Whole Wheat. Emily came picked me up and we got some hot chocolate from Starbucks because the buses were taking us up the canyon at 7 am and the race didn't start till 9 am (it was really cold and I needed something to keep me warm). About 20 minutes before the race I took 2 ibuprofen.

Chip Time: 1:37

How I Felt: Flew down the canyon for the first 7 miles, at mile 7-9 there were some big hills and my legs felt heavy, by mile 9 I started to pick up speed and ended up finishing strong.  My friend and I run at different speeds so we parted ways at the start, I did my thing finished.  After I finished I ran back up the course two miles and waited for her so she had someone to finish with.

Shoes:  Nike Free's

Next Adventure:  I think I want to do the Southern California Ragnar this Spring.

The Yogi In Me

If you read my post last year about anaerobic work outs this might be a surprise... 

I finally found my inner yogi!!!! 

One of my best friends and I at the studio, she is the one who talked me into going to yoga.

In my mind there has always been a secret desire to be that cool, lean, yoga chick. You know the one with inner peace that radiates calmness.  Running is and will always be my first and truest love, it's what I'm good at and until just recently the only work out I knew, that could tame my boundless energy.

I had tried yoga in the past, it seemed slow and a little cheesy.  So for years when ever people would talk about yoga I would smile and say "It sounds cool but it's just not for me".

When a good friend invited me to do yoga with her at this new studio down town, I thought, "okay but this is just for you." I went to the class and was surprised to find that the teacher had a upbeat personality and a fun music mix.  It actually blew my mind that I could listen to fun music and do yoga. Not only was the teacher a breath of fresh air, but the yoga it self was more fluid that I had experienced in the past. The style of yoga at Power Yoga, Salt Lake City (the studio I go to) is a Vinyasa Flow/Baptist Style.  You are doing the normal poses but it is more fluid... for me it means my body gets the yoga work out and my restless mind still gets challenged.

The Studio had a 30 day unlimited pass at a discounted rate when I started.  As luck would have it the studio was also doing a 40 day challenge, I thought "might as well go as much as I can and maybe I can complete the challenge."  It was hard, there were days when I was so tired that I would walk into class dreading it, but always by the end of class I was happy I went.

Since finding yoga, I am more at ease with myself and with other people.  When I am stuck in traffic instead of getting bothered, I can laugh at the situation or how the person next to me is over reacting.  Most of all, I love that I am that cute yoga chick aka yogi, I have always dreamed about being.

Hugs,

What I Run For

Every once in a while we find something that makes us happy; we feel free, we get excited to do it, when we are doing it everything else melts away and all of the sudden the world isn't such a stressful place anymore.

This is what running is for me, I know it isn't for everyone but I have found that running is my workout outlet/aka escape.

Benefits of Running

1. Running is one of the top activities for burning fat, with exception of cross country skiing running burns more calories per minute that any other form of cardiovascular exercise.

2. Running helps prevent bone and muscle loss.

3. Running reduces the risk of stroke and breast cancer

4. Running busts your immune system

5. Running releases endorphins, which give you a general sense of happiness.

6. Running improves your coordination and versatility

In high school my sisters ran cross country; like all younger siblings, I wanted to have the camaraderie of a mutual interest with my older cooler siblings.  

In college I ran 5 days a week with my boy friend, as he trained for a marathon.  Our relationship only lasted 9 months but because of him, I met some of my favorite running friends.  Those same girls 13 years later, are my closest friends and we still go running on occasion.



Some of my closest and most long lasting friends, all runners.

Now as an adult, it is that 1 hour of freedom on my lunch break or after work.  I especially love running in the spring, summer, and fall months as the weather is warming up and everything seems so alive.

In 2009, I ran my first half marathon.  I was with a bunch of friends and of them had paid to run a half marathon but didn't feel up to it.  It was the night before the race and they said "hey Ashlee want to run for me" since I run almost everyday I thought "why not, I've never ran a half marathon". 

I've done a few races since then and I've found that I like training, I know that sounds silly but I really do.  When you sign up for a race you feel like you have to train, it's the motivation to run because if you don't you are going to regret it.  I run for fun, when it stops being fun then I will most likely find something else to keep in shape with.

In two weeks, June 15th I am running my first half marathon of this year 2013. 

Wish me luck!