Gettin' it done!

When I was training several years ago for the Pan Mass Challenge, a 100 mile/2 day bike race, my dear friend, Will ,used to say after our training rides, " Gettin' it done, KF, gettin' it done." I loved it's simplicity. It basically said, "No drama, just the work."

So this morning, I got up, got out and ran 4 miles. Slow, steady, with a big hill in the middle and a little kick at the end. Gettin' it done.

Today, drop any drama, do the work and save that energy for having fun tonight.

Peace. Out.

Do you push yourself?

Today's run was interval training. I was scheduled to do track work but I loathe it, so I decided instead to try intervals. Since my injury on July 8th, I haven't really pushed my leg, which makes sense. I've dropped my mileage, changed the content of my runs to more of a "slow, steady" pattern and added swimming, icing, advil and exercises. This week, I'll add in physical therapy.

But this morning I decided that since my leg does not seem to be getting any worse with running (somewhat of an interesting barometer) and at times it feels better than others, that I'd decided to test it's capabilities a bit.

Well, it did fine. I did somewhat of a " 3 minute tempo run/2 minute slow run" pattern and was lucky enough to be hitting the tempo sections while strong guys were passing me, so I was able to use them as pace setters. I started with a 1 mile jog and then did 4 miles of the interval pattern. I was very pleased that the leg held out fine and feels pretty much the same after that run as it did after yesterday's slow, steady pace.

It got me to thinking about other times in my life when I was pushed beyond what I thought was my edge. Certainly many times in my training as a yoga teacher, times in my professional career and certainly my personal life... there have been many instances where I've had to step out of my comfort zone and see what was possible. And I can honestly say that in most instances, I had a lot more to give than I thought.

How about you? Are you living in your comfort zone? Training in your comfort zone? Is your career in a comfort zone? What more do you have to give that you could?

All food for thought ( with no calories!)

Namaste.

Apparently, I'm not the only one soaking their leg in a pot of water!

I read an article today in Boston's Improper Bostonian that was interview with Alicia Sacramone, the Olympic Gymnast (http://www.aliciasacramone.net/).

In the article, she was asked: "Body part that hurts the most after competing?" and her answer:

" I think my ankles. Pretty much from the knees down. We stand in a trash bin filled with water and ice. It's actually my favorite part of practice."

Pretty neat, huh? I also remember reading about the late Ryan Shay(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Shay), a world class runner, who tragically died in the men's Olympic marathon trials last November in New York City. It was said by his colleagues that he was as tough as nails and after practice, he would often soak his legs in a river.. in the middle of winter!

There is no doubt that completely submerging your injuries in cold water beats wrapping them in ice packs. I am feeling better and better about my post-run lobster pot soaks. It's the most use my lobster pot has ever gotten!

"How not to want what you don't have"

.....otherwise known as: "How to be at peace with what you've got."

I started my run this morning wishing I had another body. My achilles was tight and overall I just did not feel good. This is not uncommon for morning runners or yoga students and a morning routine requires a bit of faith that in a little while, you will start to feel better. But as I started running, I looked at those who passed me, with a spring in their step and I started to feel sorry for myself. Why did I have to get injured? I started to remember just a few weeks ago when my morning runs were filled with joy because I was feeling strong and healthy.

Then I stopped. I looked around at the scenery, the birds, the sun, and yes, the morning runners too. I decided enough is enough.

It's easy to fall into a game of comparison. Geez, we rank each other as runners at the end of the race.. you're first, your second, and so on. Yoga may not have first, second or third place, but make no mistake about it, students and teachers alike get caught up in the comparison game. When we run past someone, or practice next to someone it's easy to think that that person is taller, shorter, prettier, in better shape, more flexible, faster, thinner, more muscular.. the list goes on and on.

But what a waste of energy. Why not take that energy and put it into yourself. Being grateful for what you have. Even if you're walking instead of running. Or you're a beginning yoga student and you have no idea what you're doing.

So, today I ran five miles. All in all, not too shabby.

Have a nice day.

Do you listen to your body before you get out of bed?

The morning is a great time to assess how you're feeling. Just before you rise, take stock of it, both physically and emotionally, and see how you're doing. I used to find it so interesting to teach early morning yoga classes; you'd see people come in like sleepy little lambs and over the course of a ninety minute class, they'd open up like a flower.

I woke this morning with the full intention of running but once I assessed things, decided against it. I have not run since Friday, when my leg was really bothering me and I spent Friday night, Saturday afternoon and yesterday afternoon as well doing a combination of yoga and swimming. My knee actually hurts a bit also, from a bit of an intense yoga class I taught yesterday. I usually don't "do" any yoga when I teach but I was demonstrating a sequence and it was a bit of an odd stretch of the left knee. So, this morning when the alarm rang at 5:30, I took stock of what I was dealing with, and decided against it. I swear it had nothing to do with wanting to sleep! I actually have some new running stuff to try (top/shorts) and odd as it may seem, was excited about trying that as well as just running after two days off.

But, I, more than a lot of my runner friends, have to really be smart about the next 2 plus months of training leading up to the October 19th marathon. I can't push myself too hard or these little nagging injuries will get worse. I see my physical therapist on Friday morning and am looking forward to starting treatment.

So, today as you begin your day, take stock of where you're at. Remembering always, though, to be grateful for what you have in your life now and being optimistic for your future.

Have a great day.

Have an injury? Get in the pool!

Today was my second swim. I must say, if I stay off the leg for a few days and just swim, it will really help heal it. If you are dealing with an injury, either from training or maybe a chronic pain of some kind, I highly encourage you to find a pool. Plus, if you swim in a pool, you'll have to go out like I did today and buy a cool bathing suit, goggles and a cap. You'll feel like an Olympian!

It feels great!

Jump in! The water's great!

I joined a gym recently, to give me something else to do besides running. Especially with my achilles being tender and sore, it's important that I cross train.

One of the great things about this gym is they have a pool! Yes, a wonderful, big, clean heated pool. When I went tonight, I did an hour of yoga on my own and then jumped in the pool. It was the best.

I have met people recently who don't know how to swim. I am so grateful to my mom and dad for teaching me and for putting me in swimming lessons. I honestly don't remember the last time I swam freestyle or breast stroke but tonight it was just like riding a bike. It felt great. Better even, after an hour of yoga.

This has been a trying week. And, on top of it all, the leg is not healing as I would like. But it feels great after 20 minutes in the pool. Tip: If you have one nearby, get in it! Especially if you are dealing with injuries.

After my yoga and my swim and some delicious healthy take-out and a glass of wine, I can honestly say, despite the events of this week: All is well with the world.

See? Buddha was right. Things are always changing.

Hope floats.

Have a good run

Nothing was more applicable this morning than that somewhat trite saying, "Have a good run." We say it alot, we runners, to each other, just like people say, " Have a nice day" but sometimes it just rolls off the tongue without a lot of meaning. When a friend of mine said that to me at 6:15 this morning, it really sank in. This has been a trying week. What with my post of Tuesday night and then the torrential downpours in Boston here all day yesterday. Rain is fine, but not so fine when it affects your living space. Enough said.

So, this morning when I awoke, I decided despite everything, to go for a run. Yes, within a mile or two my left achilles was screaming at me, but I kept on, slow and steady and decided to just do it and love it for what it was: a great way to be outside and moving my body.

The next two days I will rest the leg and I've decided to re-connect with my therapist... my PHYSICAL therapist, that is. He's the best and at this point, my self-treatment is not enough. Plus I have Falmouth coming up on August 10, so I need to be in good shape for that.

Be well.

At this moment, I feel ($)&%)(W*%W) !

Part of my intensive initial and ongoing training as a yoga teacher was a great deal of self-exploration. I can't say I always agreed with the techniques used but I do believe that collectively, they shaped my yoga teaching in a positive way because through them I learned quite a bit about myself. Knowing myself better has helped me be more open as a teacher and more comfortable working and sharing with others.

One of the things we used to do is identify where we were as individuals in terms of our 'current state' ....mainly, so we could identify the feeling and name it. I do believe that so many of us pass by opportunities to do that, and instead cover up our feelings in other ineffective, unhealthy ways and it leads to deeper problems. Being in touch with how you feel in any particular moment is healthy and when you start to do this, you start to also see how transient feelings can be-- which, when you are feeling like crap, gives you faith that this too shall pass.

I won't go into how I am feeling at this particular moment and why, but let's just say the warmth and love in my heart last night (see post) has been replaced with something more on the flip side of those feelings. Yes, things happen that are out of your control; yes, things will pass and everything happens for a reason, and if things weren't meant to be they won't be, and the universe is sending you a message, and on and on I could go with the sayings that one hears when they've hit a rough patch, but ultimately, you feel what you feel and sometimes those feelings are things like sadness and anger and loss and hurt and things like that and all the sayings in the world won't really change how you feel.

So, this was the energy that fueled my run tonight. I wasn't supposed to run; and my leg was telling me that as I pounded through it. So, as I type this, I have my leg in the lobster pot (see prior post re: lobster pot) and I will force myself to take the next two days off and do nothing or go swim. But as I ran tonight, I thought of the Dr. Suess movie about The Grinch. In the Grinch, he steals all the presents, food and decorations of the Who's in Whoville, but yet, the next morning, Christmas morning, he still hears their joyous singing. He is confounded as to how they could still be so joyous and going on with their Christmas morning routine when he expected them to be home sulking. So, as I ran tonight and in my heart there was a heaviness, I took solace in the fact that I was sticking to my routine and showing my body and my heart that this too shall pass. I was acting to show the universe that I honor myself and my overall goal to run this marathon and even though there was a bump in the road, I wasn't going to let it get me down.

That is all for tonight.

Rest well.

Back to the old routine

I was up a bit late last night so I decided to sleep in today. I really needed it and as I left work, I was looking forward to running as I used to---after work--- as opposed to my new schedule of running in the mornings.

It was great to see some of the evening people just as in the mornings now, I see the same faces and have started to recognize them as 'the morning runners.' Tonight, the 'after work/night runners' were out and I felt the warmth of the comradery even though we didn't speak a word to each other but just exchanged glances or maybe a wave or nod of acknowledgment.

The leg felt the best it's ever felt, but still not 100%. Despite being tired, my body felt more fluid than it's ever felt before. Running in the evening in the summer can do that; the sun and the humidity has the whole day to warm up the city and the heat rising from the pavement tends to make the body more fluid as does the warmth in the air. For those of you who have never practiced yoga, or never practiced with heat, it's the same principle. A warm body moves with less resistance than a cold one.

I joined a gym this weekend and on Sunday did my own variation on cross training; 45 minutes on the elliptical and 45 minutes of yoga. Next time, I'll try the pool.

Tomorrow, to the gym. Wednesday, back to the new morning routine..but with warmth in my heart for my night runs.

The Sum of the parts makes up the Whole

I started this morning and I felt awful. My leg felt a little tight but that wasn't it. My whole body felt heavy and slow. So, I started to add things up in my head: a really tough week at work; a really big cheeseburger for lunch yesterday ( I was craving protein), staying up late talking with friends at one of our favorite hangouts. Bingo! No wonder I felt like crap!

Sometimes after a class, I am approached by a yoga student who says he or she struggled with practice that day. I start to ask a few questions and pretty soon I'm hearing stories of injury recovery, sickness, personal loss, dietary issues.. all sorts of things. The best was the guy that came up to me after class and told me he'd had open heart surgery a month before! Oddly enough, he wasn't coming up to lament over a less than stellar practice- he was actually coming up to tell me that he'd walked by the studio for years and always seen students pouring out of the studio looking hot but refreshed and he always wondered what we did " in there." It took his open heart surgery and subsequent recovery to give him the final push he needed to take the first step.

But, back to the topic at hand. My story today is not unlike the story of so many of us. We tend to live the parts of our lives in isolation, not realizing that there is a sum of all the parts that make up our lives. We're not one person at work, then another at home or around friends and family. We can't make decisions in one part of our life and not think that it will have a ripple effect on the whole thing. So, if you don't feel great about some part of your life, look at the whole. Try to add up all the individual pieces that are effecting that one piece and shore up those parts.

The run today was a bit longer; around seven miles. Leg feels pretty much the same. My day off yesterday was nice and it was good for the leg to have a day off. I will take tomorrow off and go back to the beach!

Namaste.

Do you love your routine? If not, change it!

For those of you who are regular readers, you recall my post from yesterday when I saw this woman and got so caught up in her story, that I almost tripped on my run. Well, I saw her at the exact same place this morning! I laughed to myself, thinking how funny the universe is. I said, "Nope, you're not gonna get me twice in one week!" As I continued on my run, I thought how much I love my new morning routine. That woman is not the only person I regularly see. There are many people I regularly see on my morning runs, just as when I taught four 6:30 am classes per week, I would see the same yoga students in my class day, after day, after day.

Sure, there are some parts of routine that feel like a drag, but you must infuse your day with routine things that you love. Exercise is one of my favorites but it could be anything; your favorite coffee, your favorite jam. Your favorite morning show, your favorite morning shower routine. Whatever it is, love it. Don't just trudge through it. Let it fill your heart with love and gratitude.

My leg is the same; still about 70%. The interesting thing is running is not making it any worse, which I consider a good sign. I ran a slow to moderate 5 miles this morning and felt good. Tomorrow will be a day off for me.

For those of you who are giving me feedback about the colors of the blog: thank you! I continue to play with new colors to find something that not only looks good but isn't too bright or hard to read. I appreciate all your thoughts.

Be well.

Stay in your own space!

I was on my run this morning and at the start, I was running up behind this woman. She was dressed as if she was going to the gym but had a bunch of perfume on ( which I smelled as I approached her) hair, make-up, the whole bit. I started wondering why someone would get all dressed up before going to the gym and as I started wondering this.......trip!! Yup, I tripped right in a small pothole in the sidewalk with my already injured leg!!!! For a second there, I thought 100% for sure my marathon hopes were done. I stopped running, shook the foot around, walked a few steps and then gingerly started running. Ok, so good, a few more steps..then a few others.. then I kept running and ok, deep breathing.....I'm going to be ok.

So, I said a little thank you prayer to God, and on the rest of my run I started kicking myself. As soon as I stopped paying attention, I almost got hurt. As soon as I started thinking about someone else's story and got all involved in their business, that's when I almost got really hurt. It reminded me of the time I was in yoga class and the guy next to me was twisting to the opposite side of the rest of the class so he ended up facing me instead of turning to the same side. I started thinking, " What is the deal? Doesn't he realize that he's turning to the wrong side?" and all of a sudden the teacher boomed, " Karen, stay in your own space!" I realized he was talking to me and he caught me and knew exactly what I was thinking! And at that moment, I felt like such an idiot! Why should I care how this guy is doing his pose? It's his business.

So, as you move through your day today, stay present, eyes open.

Run was good today. Blisters all gone, leg is 70%.

Sweat Every Day!

When I logged into my computer this morning, the lead story on MSN is titled, "What makes us happy?" I had this thought in mind as I left for my run this morning. (yes, I know Mom, that I said I would only run three days this week and now I'm running two days in a row!) Needless to say, my leg is not 100%, but it's feeling better so I decided, yes, to go out again today, for a short 1/2 hour run, even though I had gone just yesterday.

As I started running, loving my new morning exercise routine, I started to think about what makes me happy. In the summer, it's something as basic as waking up and seeing the sun and feeling it's warmth on my skin. In the winter, it's so much harder and you have to dig deeper, especially in the morning, to find happiness ( that's why a heated yoga practice is so great in the dead of winter!). As I ran, I thought about my family, my dog, my cute little condo, my health, my friends, Hello Kitty, Howard Stern ( can you have one follow the other in a sentence?), the color pink, the beach, horses, yoga... the list goes on and on. And I also thought about running and just exercise in general and it's affect on your overall health and well-being. There is no doubt that exercise has a documented physiological affect on one's health, well-being and just overall happiness quotient. I have no material evidence but all I need to do is watch yoga students as they leave class and I can see that they've had a shift. And that has nothing to do with my teaching; it has everything to do with the fact that they were moving their bodies and shifting their overall attitude.

You'll notice that not many of the things on my list really cost a lot. Sure, my condo, maybe, but in the overall scheme of things, pretty cheap. It's more about just being grateful. I recall a recent yoga class and one of my favorite teachers was talking about his anticipation to try a new jam he bought that day ( he's Scottish so for him, this is happiness!) I thought as I listened how wonderful to be grateful for what seems like such a small thing.

I truely believe that exercise helps us access a better, healthier part of ourselves so that we are more able to tap into "what" makes us happy. One of my favorite companies ( read: one to watch!) is Lululemon Athletica. They are the makers of yoga clothing and products and are based in Canada. They have a wonderful marketing program and have some of the more positive messages out there. You can check them out at www.lululemon.com. One of their marketing slogans is "Sweat every day!" and I very much subscribe to that.

So, get out there today and move your body!

The Prize is in the Process

One of my yoga teachers used to say this, and you may have heard this saying as well. It was so applicable to my run this morning. Coming back after this injury, or rather, trying to run somewhat through this injury, is really cause for me to re-evaluate my goals. No, I haven't trashed my idea of running Baystate, but today, it was more about just getting out there than how far or how fast I was running.

I wore my new Adidas Boston shoes and they were fabulous support. I set my intention for a 30 minute run, massaged some Ben Gay into my calf before leaving and went out. Initially, it felt 80% better, then it felt pretty much the same, then as I got moving and my body got warmer, it was about 60% overall. Not too shabby.

I will continue with my home based therapy program ( I'm even icing my leg at work!) and will take tomorrow off. Wednesday, I'll try another 30 minutes.

I think this just might work.

Runners: To the beach!

After my post-run lobster pot treatment yesterday, I figured today I'd one-up that treatment by doing the ultimate in foot soaking: the beach! I went, not with intentions of lying leisurely, iced tea in hand and book under my nose, but with the intent to heal my leg.

I remember a yoga teacher training I attended in Mexico and for days on end we practiced for hours in a thatched hut right on the beach. One day, about 2 days in, our teacher said after a particularly grueling 3 hour practice, " Now go out and jump in the ocean!" We all were so tired but he'd ordered us and so off we went. We all ran and jumped in and after a few minutes just started laughing and swimming around. It was one of the most therapeutic, healing soaks I have ever taken. I had that in mind as I walked in the water, sat in the water, read in the water and just stood there. I spent the entire two hours in the water up to my thighs ( this is New England, you know.. only crazy people go all the way in!). After two hours, I must say, my leg felt considerably better.

Now, I only share this because as runners, yoga students and teachers and just all around athletes, we sometimes forget that the most basic of things can heal us. Yoga is perfect example of this. You don't need anything really, to practice; in our commercialized society we've created a perceived need for all sorts of yoga products, but truely you can be on a beach, on the floor anywhere and regardless of what you're wearing, practice yoga. It's exercise in it's purest form. As I was on the beach today, watching kids yelp for joy at the sight of cool shells in the sand, watched people chatting as they strolled, watched babies splash around for the first time in what to them, must seem like the world's biggest bathtub, I realized we don't need iphones.. we don't need ipods, we don't need Tivo, we don't need high speed internet. At the end of the day, we only need the sun, the sand, to relax and enjoy the beautiful gifts that are all around us.

Afterwards, I stopped in at a local running store, http://www.nerunningco.com. If you haven't visited Dave and his knowledge staff, make it a point. They are wonderful and I had another consult about shoes and ended up picking up a replacement pair of Adidas with inserts. This will give me a much more stable pair than the flat Mizunos and give me a good alternate pair to run in.

This week, I'm only scheduling 3 days of short runs to test out the leg. We shall see.

Help Dogs left homeless at freekibble.com

I heard a story on the Today Show yesterday and had to share it. A little girl in Oregon who works in pet shelters has created a unique way to donate food to shelters for dogs and cats. It's a website called www.freekibble.com and it's a wonderful way to spend two seconds a day and have an impact on the life of dogs and cats abandoned and in shelters. It's based on the premise of www.freerice.com which donates food to people.

You visit the site, take the daily poll question and Bang! That's it. There's a counter on the site that will show you how much food has been donated and there's an adorable dog that barks when you move your mouse over him.

One of the casualties of these difficult economic time are pets; dogs, cats and even horses. As people foreclose on their homes, they abandon their pets and give them to shelters. It breaks my heart, along of course, with the human tragedy that is also experienced by the owners and they struggle to make it in this tough economy.

It's a little thing you can do but it will make a difference!

Bark! Just do it : )

Doesn't everyone soak their feet in their lobster pot?

I found a great new use for that big, red, enamel lobster pot that I only used once two years ago. I came home from my run, filled it with ice and cold water and stuck my injured foot in it. I know, gross. Well, whatever. I only used it once and I don't expect to be running out to buy lobsters any day soon. My priorities have shifted from lobsters to getting my leg healthy. Yes, today I went out for my first run since Tuesday when I got injured and developed achilles tendonitis. Well, I should say it was more like a run/walk which kills my pride, but I promised myself that I'd listen to my body and use this run as more of an experiment. Well, my body was definitely giving me feedback and I listened to it. This means that I felt the leg, like a constant pulling on the left achilles. It's definitely not 100% and the worst thing I could do is continue to run as regularly as I was before. So, I'm only going to run 3 days a week for two weeks and continue treating it with ice, massage, gentle stretching and see how it goes.

I also had a great revelation at Marathon Sports today. We realized that because I had inserts in my other shoes but did not put them in my new Mizunos, and the new shoes already are flatter than my old Adidas Supernova's, I was most likely causing a problem due to the flatter shoes, thereby putting more of a stretch on my achilles. So we put my inserts into my new shoes and we'll try that. I'm also considering buying a new pair of Supernova's and switching between the two shoes.

I might also join a gym this week for a few months so I can swim and have an alternate to running and yoga.

It's always better to have information than not and I will work through this and stay on course for Baystate 08. I decided to drop out of my plans for a July race next week and get completely healed for Falmouth on August 10.

Have a great night.

Doing what is healthy for your body

Today I will refrain again from running. Even though my achilles feels 80% better, I know in my heart that an extra day will make give it that much more time to heal. It's hard; when you get used to doing something every day, you want to keep going. When you set a goal ( at least when I do) you want to continue to strive towards that goal. I took yoga again yesterday morning, continue to ice, take advil and apply healing ointments (Arnica). They all seem to be working great. The best thing, I know, is that I am not aggravating it by continuing to run. Tomorrow I will try a short run in my old shoes. I'll go back to Marathon Sports with the new shoes and the old and see what they say. And I'll start back gently. Listen to my body and see what happens.

Are you doing what is healthy for your body? As a yoga teacher, I see the affects of stress and strain on people's bodies all the time. They say your body tells your life story and in any yoga class, you see so much of the personal history of your students without their having to say a word. To think that years of stress and strain can have an actual physical effect; well, it's more evidence that you need to take care of the body you've got, or it will show in your muscles, your bones, your posture, your body composition.

Take care of your body today. Eat well. Drink lots of water. Take a breather in the middle of the day at work to stop, take a few deep breaths and re-set your stress level. Take a quick walk. Eat food that is as close to the earth as possible ( fruits, vegetables, fish) Read something inspiring. Spend time with those you appreciate.

Have a great day.

Yoga- the perfect exercise

This morning I took an early morning yoga class. Getting up at 5:15 and taking yoga before many people have even brushed their teeth takes a bit of discipline but it it one of the best times of the day to practice. Being relegated to "alternate" forms of exercise since my injury, I was eager to move my body in yoga class.

Since I have been running so much more, I haven't been taking as many classes as I usually do. But taking class this morning, I was struck by how perfect a practice it is. It's really all you need. It's cardiovascular, it builds strength. It increases balance, it decreases stress. It increases focus, it provides one with a better ability to breathe and deliver oxygen to the muscles. I could go on and on, but really you just need to try it. I assume if you've found my blog, you love running, love yoga or love both, or perhaps you love either one but not both. Well, today the message is this: If you have never tried yoga and especially if you are a runner, you must try a class very soon! It is one of the best ways to keep the body in shape and to keep your "inner body" in shape. Now, I know what you'll say. "My body is too inflexible to do yoga." Well guess what?! That's what yoga is meant to do! Get you more flexible! Do you think continuing to use that as an excuse is doing anything to increase your flexibility? Nope. So, stop using that for what it is: an excuse.

There are plenty of classes these days and lots of styles. Take the time, do some checking with friends. Get some recommendations. Then take a class and see for yourself.

If you have questions, feel free to drop me a note.

I promise. You will not be sorry!

And, as for the injury: it's 20% better!

Keeping the "Positive Factor"

When Raffa Nadal beat Roger Federer on Sunday in their epic final match of Wimbledon 2008, he was asked by a stunned and grateful John McEnroe afterwards how he kept going, especially when, after being up two sets to none, he found himself tied at two sets a piece. " I just kept the positive factor," he haltingly, but beautifully, said.

All day today I kept trying to "keep the positive factor" as I deal with this new injury. I'm angry that it could be my new shoes that caused it. I'm angry that I can't run for the next few days but I know it's the best thing if I ever stand a chance at healing. So, as I wrapped my ankle in ice for the umpteenth time today, I just kept saying to myself, "Keep the positive factor."

There are some great articles about achilles tendonitis on the Runners World website. It's also a great resource to runners and makes a great read even to non-runners as well. Also, it really pays to reach out to your friends and supports when you're hurt. I got a great referral today to a physical therapist and got a lot of positive words of encouragement from friends and family. Better to reach out then to suffer in silence.

Tonight is more resting, icing, massaging, light stretching.

Keep the positive factor!

Knowing when to say "when"

Well, it happened. The inevitable? Perhaps. I was hoping not. I now have developed tendinitis in my left leg. I have had this before and it's real challenge to treat. It's one of those things that you just have to let rest, and yes, resting means NO RUNNING. I was out today for a hill work out, which starts with a 3 mile run and sure enough, mid-run, there it was. Now, I am running in new shoes and they don't have the heel lifts in them as I had in my other shoes. I had heard once that this was helpful for those that develop tendinitis. So, perhaps I will put the heel inserts in the new shoes and see if that helps.

But right now, my real challenge is to let it rest. If I run for the next few days straight, I could really put myself out of the race completely. As someone told me recently, " all the work outs in the world don't mean a damn if you don't get to the line healthy."

So, on my run today, I listened and said, "Ok, I give." I stopped ( which I never do) and walked the rest of the way home ( I was almost there but it's a big deal to me).

I will ice, rest and do some gentle yoga for the next few days. I can take a few days off now.. it's only July.

Take care of your body!

Be well.

A day of sports for the Ages

Today I am listening to my body and taking a rest day. After my long run yesterday late afternoon, I woke up with soreness in my calves. I took a long walk with the dog this morning and did a little bit of light yoga.

I am still so inspired by the sporting events this weekend. Dara Torres, who, at 41, is going off to her fifth Olympics; Michael Phelps securing his way into five Olympic events in Bejing and who will ever forget the epic match yesterday between Raphel Nadal and Roger Federer. I taped the final minutes and the ceremony afterwards and will watch it several times again. It is a true picture of two people giving all that that have, and more, and then afterwards, showing nothing but grace to not only each other, but to their family and their supporters. It was truely a gift to watch and an inspiration to everyone who saw it.

Tomorrow I will be back on the road but today is a day to take care of my body.

Getting back to business

I'm home back in Boston today from the long holiday weekend. I did a long run today and felt like it was back to business, being in my own area and running the paths that are so familiar to me. I did about 10 and felt okay but my body feels tired. I started getting feedback from a running coach associated with the Baystate marathon. I confessed to him in an email that I'm only taking one day off per week and I worry that I should be taking at least two days off but I feel panicked when I don't run. I know, not a healthy feeling. It felt good to 'admit' it in my email to him, almost like I was admitting I had a problem of much more serious consequences. Regardless, I will await his reply and will take his words to heart.

Tomorrow is Monday and back to business in full force.

The Run at Home

I'm visiting my family this holiday weekend and I have a regular route when I am home. It's not very long; only about 4 miles, but it gets the job done and keeps me running. Right now, I feel like it's more about running regularly than necessarily running long distances ( although I have built that into the plan regardless).

My runs at home are usually not very fast because for some reason I eat huge amounts of food and lots of sweets when I am there! So, the runs usually reflect how my body feels and today was no different. There's something about being home that is comforting and I just feel comfortable and, well, who cares if you have dessert? So, usually, there are movies to see, popcorn to eat, dessert to have, barbeques, italian food.. the list goes on and on. There's a popular Boston chef, Jasper White, and his motto is " Food is love." It's not the only kind of love, but certainly cooking and eating together is an expression of love in my family-- but in a healthy way, mind you.

The other thing I discovered when I was home yesterday was the joy of doing nothing. I watched men's quarterfinals of Wimbledon, sat by the pool, went in the pool, did some yoga outside, read my books and magazines and it was just delicious. I felt a little guilty at first, but then quickly gave up that feeling. The other thing I discovered was a foot bath. Yes, my blisters I've developed are concerning me, and my dad had one of those bubbling foot baths you can buy at Bed Bath and Beyond. We put a epsom salt based foot soak powder in it and three times yesterday I soaked my feet and afterwards, put special blister band-aids on the sore spots. It worked miracles. I have never had blisters before, am running in new shoes ( but they appeared before I started using the new shoes) and am using body glide on them and have great socks. So it's a mystery why I have developed them but I am hell bent on getting rid of them. So, lesson learned- invest in a foot bath, even if you don't have blisters. It just feels heavenly.

I am back to Boston tomorrow and looking forward to the Men's finals of Wimbledon and a long run.

Be well.

When you wish upon a Star

My running today ( a 1 hour moderate pace run) took me through the streets of Boston. I decided I needed good scenery to keep me engaged in the process. I ran by a women's boutique with a window display of three pink tulle dresses under a banner with the message "When you wish upon a Star." Disney created some of my favorite movies and pink is my favorite color, so I found myself smiling. Wishing is a beautiful thing. I can remember when I was a little girl, I wanted this doll. I think it was called Baby Tender Love. At the time, I was very into watching "Bewitched." I used to walk to a local mall in my neighborhood and wiggle my nose and wish that when I got around the corner, I'd see the box with the doll inside. Even though it never happened, it didn't stop me from wishing. Then, as I got older, the wishes changes from thoughts of dolls to thoughts of other things; things about life, love and family.

Wishing is really another way of saying, " I believe." I believe in a lot of things. I think of that speech that Kevin Costner's character says in Bull Durham to Susan Sarandon's character..all the things he "believes in." And believing is another way of saying, " I have faith." Faith that things will work out, faith that you can do what you believe you can, faith that good things will come to you if your heart is in the right place.

I have faith that I can run a marathon in the fall. I have faith that some of the things I wish for in my life will come true. I believe that things are perfect just as they are and that on this sunny morning,before the fourth of July, that all is well with the world.

Tomorrow is a holiday. It will be a day of rest from running for me. Take time to relax and rest, eat well and have fun. Enjoy some festivities. Happy Fourth of July.

How to give when your cup is empty

I woke up today with no intention of running. I was so tired I didn't think I could. I thought of taking a day off, which I will, but with the holiday this week, I am expecting with my travels my running schedule may get a bit challenging. I figured I'd get in a run today, even if it was slow and steady.

I figured a recovery type run would make sense. After the hills yesterday, I deserve it. So I started slow. As I started going, after about a mile I felt good. Then, two miles... felt better. Then 3 and I was in tempo pace (I know, running coaches out there, I should be taking it easy). I ended up doing negative splits ( faster second half of the 5 mile run then the first) and felt great. It reminded me of a quote from well known yoga teacher BKS Iyengar, " Yoga students do their best postures when they are the most exhausted." I've never seen him say that, but one of my favorite yoga teachers often quoted Iyengar and worked with him directly. I thought of that quote as I started to run. In the context of yoga, we talk about how when the resistance of the body and mind is broken down ( not the spirit, mind you) the body can move in a more fluid way. The same for running or any athletic endeavor, really. Take away the resistance and you get flow. In yoga , it's called "vinyasa," or the sanskrit word for "flow." You've probably felt it in your life.. think of a time when you were doing something and time stood still, or you weren't even thinking of time at all. For many people, it comes with times when they were in nature, or performing in some sporting event, or watching sports or some other kind of amazing performance.. or being with someone you love, or watching a child..all these things can bring you into flow.

The next time you don't think you can give anymore, just try it. See what you can give. Sometimes you have more to give then you think. And as they say, often it's the "thinking" that gets in the way. Get out of your head, into your body, and just do it.

Friends

Today was a hill work out day. One of my favorite runs takes me around the river and then down Charles Street and up the steady incline to the State house. I then run back to my neighborhood and run one of the big hills there 3-5 times. Today as I was doing the hill intervals, I saw one of my friends and local yoga colleagues. She is also training for a marathon in the fall. Even though we didn't say much ( she was off to do her track workout) it was great to see her up and ready to go. We both share a love of yoga and running and I felt a kinship to her as I saw her off to her morning workout and I continued with mine.

After my last incline, as I was walking down the hill for the short run home, I saw one of the local moms with her daughter and son. Her daughter comes to my kid yoga class and is one of my favorites. She was walking with her doll, Catherine and she amicably chatted with me as we all walked down the street. "Mom," she said with authority, "Sally asked me if we could get together today for a play date." " Well, that sounds like a nice idea," her mom said. ( Keep in mind this is coming from a 4 year old). It made my heart just swell with joy to hear her speak so clearly and express so honestly a desire to see her friend.

Friends are a wonderful thing. Take some time today and connect with one of yours.

Be well.