Thursday, December 3, 2009

A Date With My Other Love...










Not the best pic but this is just part of the atrium in our lobby here at work.Our Facilities team does such a great job decorating for the Holidays. So pretty.
How's everyone doing? Pretty quick week huh? Crazy weather out there for sure this morning. Leaving my house this morning I realized an umbrella just wasn't going to work. Nope. The rain was coming down in sheets and sideways and the wind gusts had to be like 30-40 mph. I'm sure I looked silly but the best option was to pull on my running hat and rain coat and make a mad dash for the car. More of the same getting from the car to the office. And now on hour later what happens? The sun comes out. New England weather is bizarre for sure. Trust me, the sun is out and I’m not complaining! I’ll take it.

Yesterday was a busy day for me here at work. Tons of meetings and running around like a crazy chicken all day. Late in the afternoon I’m sitting at my desk and it pops into my head...I need to run tonight. I don’t want to rush across the city to the studio. I don’t really want to put yoga clothes on. I want to run. I really, really do. I wanted to go home, put my running gear on, and hit the streets. I wanted to listen to some great tunes, breath in the fresh, crisp late fall air and run. That’s precisely what I did. I had a date with my other love...running.

I have to say it felt unusual not to head to the studio from work. I packed up and got out of the office by 5:15. Not bad! I live about a 10 minute ride from work which is great. You have to love the quick commute. Get home and change into my running clothes right away. The thing about running in the winter here as opposed to the fall is there’s so much more clothes to put on: Running tights, Under Armour shirt, running jacket, socks, running shoes (I’m a Mizuno girl), gloves, hat (with that great ponytail cut out...love that!) my IPod...whew think I’m ready to go finally. Wait, it’s really dark and I almost forgot my reflectors! Wrap a couple of them around my arms and NOW I’m ready to go. While getting ready I was laughing at the fact I have a whole dresser dedicated to workout gear. Half running; half yoga and the two never mingle. Yeah, I’m one of those organized types who even color codes her closet. Just like to know where everything is!
Quick stretch and I’m off! By the way, I really need to stretch better before I get out there. Yoga has taught me how important stretching is for sure. Better to spend a few extra minutes before and loosen up the muscles.

Here’s my stats: Miles: 5     Time: About 41 Min.    So averaged just under an 8 and a ½ minute mile. I’m ok with the time given the dark. I need to get use to running in it again. Runs in the daylight are just so much easier. Had to take it slow in some spots because it was really dark and I didn’t want to trip on anything. Other points in the run I felt like I was flying. At around mid point through the run I see my sister (the one who does Bikram) and nephew driving by waving and beeping. Energized me even more! Great run over all. Always feels good to get out there. Like we say at the studio, it’s never a bad idea to come to yoga, it’s also never a bad idea to head out for a run. And it turns out it wasn’t that cold (maybe 49 deg?) so my lungs felt great and my legs felt strong. I think Bikram plays a big part in that too.

I get home to a text from my niece Sarah. She’s in her last year of college (education major) and truly is just an awesome girl. I’m so lucky to have a niece like her. We’ve always had such an amazing relationship. Love ya Sweet Pea! Anyway, she’s doing a PowerPoint presentation and has to sell the class on something. And guess what topic she picked? Bikram! She said she listens to me and her mom talk about it so much it was only natural to pick it. So funny. She wanted to borrow my Bikram book and said she would swing by tomorrow to pick it up. But I was so excited I decided to hop in my car running clothes and all to hand deliver the book to her. Also wanted to tell her in person all the benefits of the yoga and postures. Good luck Sarah! As always I know you’ll do a great job. Robin was cooking fajitas and it smelled so good in the house! Enter my growling stomach. We actually talked about Yoga and running for a bit before I needed to jet and get dinner going for myself (should have just stayed and had fajitas there). My stomach was definitely talking to me by this point.

My run was great. I even listened to some jazzed up Christmas music during the run. Fun. And now I’m looking forward to getting back to the studio soon to sweat with all my yoga friends! Hope you all have a happy day today.

Yet another quote I have on my office wall. This one cracks me up. “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” Herm Albright (1876-1944). Love it! So if anyone is being completely negative around you today don’t let them suck you in. Counter back with being over the top positive. Works almost every time.

Cheers! Traci

5 comments:

  1. Glad you got to hit the streets again. I know you were missing running during your challenge! Great quote btw.

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  2. LOL. Sounds like you need to wear lots of gear to go running in your “no too cold” weather ( 49 degrees). Ztztztztzt teeth shattering ;)

    I love running in the middle of the day when the sun is out and it's very VERY hot. But sometimes I run in the morning when it's dark outside, a little bit cooler, and everyone is still sleeping. No serious running for me until I finish this challenge!!! Need to get some music for running too!! I like your posting. I don't feel like working now :)

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  3. BYC: Oh Yeah! It felt great to get out there. Looks like I have to get out there tonight again to take advantage of this warm weather!

    Cirita: Too funny what we think of as "warm" here. Today though it was in the 60's! So amazing for December. Absolutely heading out for a run tonight. Won't even need a hat :). I love running in the heat too. Summer time is so great when its like 95 and humid. My kind of weather. Have a great night!

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  4. A few years ago I went running for 400 days straight. No kidding. Maybe that's why I have no problem with the Bikram challenges. At some point, I'd love to do a Bikram class and run a 5k (or 10?) race in the same day.

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  5. G: You are a machine! Honestly. You rock. You should put together a Bikram/Road Race day for charity. THAT would awesome! :) Just got back from a quick 5 miles. Felt great since its still like 60 degrees out and it's 7:30 at night. Weird weather for December. Looks like some flurries of snow this weekend though. Enjoy the night and your Bikram!

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