She Runs the Wasatch

The Friday Five: Five Yoga Poses for Runners

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this post, I want to do a shout out to my mom. Today is her birthday! She’s pretty awesome, and is a yoga teacher, too! I’ll be heading home in two weeks to celebrate with her.

1930205_10205638366506225_8042780277455710867_n — We do slightly resemble each other. 🙂

Thanks to Mar on the Run, Eat Pray Run DC, and You Signed Up for What?! for hosting the Friday Five Linkup. This week I’ll be talking about five yoga postures that are great for runners.

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Reclined Pigeon Pose

Start on your back with the knees up and the cross the right ankle on to the left knee. Go ahead and lift that left foot off the ground and hug around the left thigh. Keep both feet flexed to protect your knees and ankles. This is a great stretch for the outer hip, glutes, hip flexor… pretty much everything in the hip region. If it hurts your knee, back out a little. Switch sides when you’re done.

If you want to go deeper, come down on to your hands and knees or downward facing dog. Draw the right shin forward and place it on to the ground. Eventually (with lots and lots of yoga), your right shin will be parallel with the front of your yoga mat. Draw your left leg back a little until the entire left leg is on the ground. Make sure the ankle comes out straight from your leg. Now, bring your attention to your hips. Draw your right hip back and left hip forward and make sure that you are not flopped off to one side. Come down to your forearms or lengthen the arms long. Be sure to do both sides.

Low Lunge

Come on to your hands and knees. Step your right foot forward between your hands and bring your left knee back maybe two inches. Make sure that your front ankle is not behind your front knee, so that your knee is stacked over the ankle joint. Now, you can lean a little dropping your pelvis towards the front heel (it wont go far, I promise), or lift up and out from your hip bones so that your hips are drawing away from the front leg (this is the more proper way to do the poster). Hang here for a few breaths with your hands on the ground or on blocks. Low lunge will really open the front part of your hips, quads, and the outer hips. It should feel really good, so if it doesn’t, back out a little.

If you want to go deeper, tuck the back toes under and lift the back knee up. Feel as if the power from your back leg is coming from your hamstring muscle lifting towards the ceiling.

Hamstring Stretch

This posture is a simple stretch and is super great to do right after a run. Come back into low lunge (posture before this one). Come back half way until the front leg is straight and your hips are stacked above your back knee. Flex the front foot. Place your hands onto books, blocks, or the floor and begin to draw your chest forward. Try to keep your back long, so I want you to feel like you are drawing your chest towards the toes… not your head. Breath!

Bridge Pose

Alright, now that your hips are warmed up, come on to the back with the knees up and your hands by your sides with the palms down. Make sure that the feet are hip width apart. Just start by pressing your feet down into the mat as if you were standing up. The power from this posture comes from your feet! Press your hands down into the mat and draw your lower back to the floor and your belly button towards your spine. Now lift the hips up. If you want to go a little deeper, from here try to draw the shoulder blades towards each other and roll the arms under your shoulders. Press into your feet a little more and lift those hips up! Notice how much strength you have in your outer hips and glutes!

Half the Lord’s Fishes Pose (weird name, huh?)

Come to your seating bones and extend the legs out in front of you. Take your right leg over the left leg so that your knee is bent and the palm of your foot is down. Keep your left foot flexed and take your right hand behind you right up against the spine. You want your spine to be very long. If you want to go deeper, once you have the right leg over the left, bend your left knee and draw it in so your left foot is towards your right glute. Take your right hand behind you up against the spine and either hug your right knee, or bring your left elbow to the outside of the right leg. Don’t forget to breath and do both sides.

Hope you enjoyed this short little (written) yoga practice. Gaining range of motion while working on your training will only help keep you from getting injured AND it’ll make you feel good. Namaste!

What is your favorite yoga pose or stretch for runners? Feel free to give a shout out to my mom for her birthday!

Hills and Hills and Hills

I love hills, mountains… any topography really. I think that’s from growing up in Florida where the highest peak is a garbage dump. It’s to no one’s surprise that my favorite running workout is hill repeats! In fact, my favorite thing about living in Kansas is the ability to drive out to Colorado any time I want (including this weekend!). I’m pretty sure that I would ditch running on roads for the mountains if I lived out there.

Frank and I with a few of our friends in Colorado. I love it out there!

Yesterday, I had a date with my favorite hill in town. It’s on Colorado Street, which I think is homage it’s steepness and height, at least compared to other hills in Kansas. I took my new runner friend, Zeb, along… because well… apparently he’s looking to get the whole runner experience! Hopefully this workout didn’t turn him off too much.

As I was getting ready, Elly was seriously giving me some stink eye. Maybe she just didn’t want me to leave for my run.

I warmed up about a mile and a half, and then I met up with Zeb at the base of the hill. My goal: to run up and down 6-8 times, basically until I tired out. We made it to the top and the view of town was worth it!

After a few goes on that hill, we ran around the neighborhood looking for a few other hills. Zeb cursed me here and there for taking him on this run… but to my defense, I did warn him that it wasn’t going to be easy.

After we finished up, I ran the mile home to cool down and had some tea from my favorite cat lover’s cup!

This was a gift from my mom. She knows that I’m a crazy cat lady. 🙂

Oh and this was the elevation profile of the run, not bad for Kansas, right?

Screen Shot 2016-01-27 at 8.17.20 AM — There was about 700 feet of elevation gain.

What’s your favorite kind of workout? Do you share my love of the mountains and hills?

Colfax Marathon Week 2: Kickin’ Butt!!

Week two of my Colfax Marathon training cycle is over, and I only have 110 days to get myself ready! I know that sounds like a long time… but it’s not. However, it will be more than enough time if every week goes as well as this week did. Basically, mostly everything went right. I had a few weather snafus that stopped me from hitting my paces, but the effort was there, even if the clock didn’t say so.

Monday: 8 miles LSD – Long run pushed off from week before due to weather

I wrote about this run here. It was a pretty good long run, but was pushed off to this week due to arctic temperatures in Kansas.

Tuesday: 3 miles easy pace on treadmill + Yoga

It was still bitterly cold out on Tuesday, and I had kinda lost feeling in my legs by the end of my 8-mile long run, so I decided to take this one inside. I hate the treadmill, and even though it was an easy paced run, mentally, this run was pretty tough. I have such a hard time keeping my mind occupied while running indoors.

Wednesday: 3 miles in snowstorm + Yoga

I went out for a run during a rather nasty snowstorm. I figured that since the temps weren’t too bad, that I could take the snow. I was hoping to hit close to marathon pace, but couldn’t stop my feet from slipping on the snow, so I just did put a medium amount of effort into the run. I was pretty glad to get home and dry off a bit.

This is what Elly was up to when I got back from my run. It was apparently too cold to be awake.

Thursday: 3 miles easy pace on treadmill + Yoga

Kansas doesn’t believe in plows and salt… so I ended up taking my run inside… again. By the end of it, I was ready to swear off the treadmill forever. I did some yoga after, and that made me feel better about being cooped up indoors.

Friday: 5 miles Marathon Pace… but not really + Yoga

I intended for this run to be at marathon pace. Frank and two of our friends came out for the run (although Frank only did 3 miles). It was icy and cold, which slowed us down a lot. Dodging the ice and snow made for an interesting run that almost felt like trail running. We kept it about 30 seconds per mile slower than MP, although the effort seemed pretty tough.

The reads and sidewalks were caked in ice… and it really only got worse as we went along.

Obligatory post-run selfie. Frank had already run inside to get away from the cold.

Saturday: Rest Day – Went to see the largest ball of twine in the world… and yes, that is in Kansas!

Sunday: 10 miles LSD + Yoga

I went to a yoga class in the AM and ran in the afternoon. One of Frank’s co-workers expressed interest in training for a half marathon, so I took him along for 7 miles of the run… and he did great! This was the first long run that has actually felt like a long run in a while. It was a real milestone to hit double digits. I actually don’t think I have done that since my Chicago Marathon training back in October. It was a great run, and I even got to explore a new route. Frank joined me for the last three miles and really pushed the pace. I ran a negative split with the last mile well below marathon pace (Thanks Frank). I had intended to keep this run pretty slow, but with the ice gone and fresh legs, I felt too good to slow down.

Zeb is learning how fun running can really be!!

Total Mileage: 32.4

Overall, this was a great week. I needed it too! With the A1A Half Marathon coming up, I think I needed a few confident long runs under my belt into order to go for a PR in Fort Lauderdale. Also, the higher mileage felt good on my legs, so I’m pretty glad to be back! This week, Frank and I will be heading to Boulder on Thursday night, so I’ll be doing a few runs at altitude!

This week:

M: Rest

T: 3 miles easy

W: 6 miles MP

Th: 3 miles easy

F: 6 miles

S: Hiking in Colorado!

S: 12 miles LSD through Boulder

How was your week? Anyone hit by bad weather? Also, I know Kristina and Ali are doing the A1A Marathon/Half Marathon. Is anyone else gonna be there?

Colfax Training Week 1: Strong Start

I finished my first week of training for the Colfax Marathon, and things went great, despite the rather frigid temperatures and icy conditions. I took it slow, but getting back to higher mileage feels good. A few of my friends in Manhattan have been training with me and holding me accountable to my mileage as I start to get my fitness back. I began the week kinda feeling like I had lost a lot of fitness by taking time off, but I ended the week with a few solid runs and a bunch more confidence.

Tuesday: Yoga + 3.1 miles at easy pace

I went out with the local running group in the afternoon for an easy paced run. I was definitely suffering more than I should at the pace we went, but that may have been the cold. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to do well in cold temperatures. I did some gentle yoga on my own but added a little core work at the end with inversions.

Wednesday: Yoga + 4.0 miles with fast finish

I started the day with a pretty basic vinyasa practice on my own before going out to teach at Meadowlark Hills where I teach yoga and fitness to people with Parkinson’s Disease. It’s pretty much the most fun job! In an afternoon class, one of my favorite students walked for the first time in 3 years (Go Jo!). We were both crazy excited, and we’ll be trying that out again this week. In the afternoon, I went for a run and finished with the last mile at half marathon pace. It felt good to go a little faster.

Thursday: Yoga + 5.0 miles at marathon pace

I took a morning yoga class and in the evening a few friends came over to go running. We kept it just under 9:00/mi, which I think is close to my marathon pace. This run went perfect! We ran each mile a little faster than the one before and finished with lots more gas in the tank. It’s great to have runs like these to bring up my confidence.

Friday: Yoga + 4.1 at easy pace

I took another morning yoga class that left me feeling a little sore for the rest of the day. Since I had been running for 4 days in a row, and doing tons of yoga, I figured an easy run was in order. Frank came out with me on his bike and we went around looking at houses that are up for rent (we are looking for a new place).

Saturday: Hiked 15 miles at Tallgrass Prairie

A group of us went out for a long hike at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. It’s a beautiful place with about 40 miles of trails. We wanted to make sure we hit some of the harder to get to spots of the park, so we embarked on a 15 mile hike in 6 degree weather (at least the sun came out). I got a blister on my foot, but besides that it was crazy awesome!

Sunday: Long run got pushed back until next day due to ice and below 0 temps (do you blame me?). Kansas doesn’t salt the sidewalks or roads, so the conditions were rather treacherous. I did go to Ikea, though!

Monday: 8.1 LSD with last mile at MP

This run went as every long run should. I started slow and finished strong. Frank and Zeb came out to do 5 miles with me and I finished 3 more. It was cold out, but I stayed steady and strong. Let’s hope all of my long runs this cycle go this well! After my run, Elly was being super affectionate, so I snapped this little gem:

This was a solid week, and I needed it to kick off my training for Colfax. I do have A1A coming up in a few weeks, and I feel a lot more prepared for that than I thought I was. I’m super excited to up my mileage this week and keep on with this momentum.

This week:

T: 3 miles easy

W: 5 miles with hill work

Th: 3 miles easy

F: 5 miles @ MP

S: Rest

S: 10 miles LSD

How has your training been? Have the temps been cold by you? If they are, hopefully your state is better at salting and plowing than Kansas.

Friday Five: My Favorite National Parks

This week’s Friday Five is Five Favorites. Since I love being outdoors so much, I decided to list out my five favorite National Parks. So far, I have been to 19 of them and I’m gonna go ahead and list the 5 best! Thanks to Mar on the Run, Eat Pray Run, and You Signed up for What?! for hosting the linkup.

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Glacier National Park

This one obviously had to make first on the list. Frank and I got married at Glacier a little over 3 years ago, where we had our closest friends and family with us to celebrate the wonderful day. The park is more than magical. It teems with wildlife and beautiful flowers. Every direction you look is a more fantastic view than the last. There are tons of day and overnight hikes around the park, and there are even trails that are accessible to people with injuries or are handicapped.

1962157_10202303850815197_8247013576604915386_o — Our wedding was pretty small, but it really was such an amazing experience.

Canyonlands National Park

Recently Frank and I took a trip out to Moab, Utah and we spent a good amount of time in Canyonlands. Although Arches National Park is more popular for that region, Canyonlands offers trails that are longer and with way less people. We hiked probably about 50 miles around the park, and even did an overnight trip. If you are ever in Utah… this place is pretty amazing!

Frank and I went mountain biking at Canyonlands. It was pretty awesome!

Gates of the Arctic National Park

During the summers of 2013 and 2014, I did some fieldwork at Toolik Field Station in the north slope of Alaska. The field station was right up against Gates of the Arctic, which is incredibly inaccessible to most people. The park is pristine and there are no trails. Basically, you just wander around through the tundra in a particular direction to head up mountain peaks. There are bears, porcupines, elk, moose… basically there’s almost any mega-fauna you could think of out there. This park made the list because you really get to feel like an explorer when you are out there. You get to see things that hardly anyone sees, and it really feels like you’re the first person to ever step foot there.

1003040_10103911818047091_1692802574_n — Nearly to the summit of the highest peak in the Brooks Range. We didn’t quite make it because visibility near the summit was non-existent.

Everglades National Park

I grew up in South Florida, pretty close to the Everglades. I remember large afternoon storms brewing over the everglades and dumping steamy rain on to Coral Springs. I’ve been to the Everglades many times, but the craziest was when Frank and I paddled 100 miles through the park along the Wilderness Waterway. It took us 7 days. The Everglades is a fantastic place to see a really unique ecosystem. If you live close, you should check it out!

305556_10102086921908581_215044027_n — There are some beautiful beaches in the Everglades.

Smokey Mountains National Park

While in college, I was part of an outdoor club that frequented the Appalachians. Trips with the outdoor club were where Frank and I realized how we felt about each other and some of my favorite trips were at and around Smokey Mountains. There’s climbing, hiking, and some of the best backpacking in the country. The Appalachian Trail runs straight through the park and includes some of the most scenic areas.

391658_10102775723185301_615953934_n — Right outside of the national park is a large waterfall where a bunch of us repelled down (a few of my friends repelled naked… not advised).

I could include so many more parks, but these are probably the most sentimental to me. If you are ever around any of these (especially Glacier), you should really check them out! I really think the National Park System was America’s best idea!

What is your favorite National Park? Are there any that you’ve always wanted to go to? I’ve never been to Yosemite, but I’ve always wanted to.

Happy Wednesday! I am signed up for Colfax!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!! This is what Elly was doing on this fine morning:

Isn’t she a lazy bum? I love her so much!

Well… Today it is official… I am signed up to run the Colfax Marathon on May 15.

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I am a ways away from the day, BUT I am already starting to get into training shape. I was pretty bad about running over the holidays, but now that I am back home, I am doing some easy chill runs to remind my legs how to run (and pathetically, they are sore EVERY DAY). Luckily, my friends have been coming on a few runs with me to help get my body back into gear!

It was so cold! Jordie (the puppy) was there to pace us.

I am still deciding on what training plan to use, but I have a few in mind (I’ll write a post once I decide). My “official” training begins in about 2 weeks, and honestly I can’t believe it’s already here. After not being able to run Chicago, I’ve been having a bit of run-anxiety, which prevented me from signing up for Colfax until now. I am constantly worried about getting hurt and not being able to run it. I have decided that time really doesn’t matter for this race. I only need to finish it and get a time to beat at Chicago in October. It’s just hard to keep that state of mind, especially when I have good days. Needless to say, there will be no mountain biking until after the race.

I hope everyone is having a great week! What training plan is your favorite? Any advice for a first time marathoner?

Gone with the old and in with 2016!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a fun and safe holiday with your family. I have been gone for quite a while and I missed the running community a lot.

I am back in Kansas again (finally!) after traveling pretty much all over our hemisphere. After Utah I left for Virginia for a week and then I went home to visit family in South Florida. Frank and I then flew from Fort Lauderdale to Cabo San Luca in Mexico and traveled up the length of the Baja peninsula to San Diego before heading home. I have been pretty exhausted from travel, but now I’m back and ready to train (although I should have been training prior to now, but really, that’s water under the bridge).

Elly was pretty thrilled to see me after I got back. Honestly I was a little worried she would forget about me.

Elly burrito-ed herself into my blanket. I guess she was cold. She still remembers and loves me.

I have some crazy stories about our travels, but now I’m just glad to be home and getting back into a rhythm.

I want to take a moment to reflect a little on 2015. I had a crazy year, with a big move, big travels, new friends and jobs, and a whole lot of running. I ran my first half marathon, and then PRed twice on the half (including at Estes Park, CO). I trained for the Chicago Marathon, and even though I turned my ankle and couldn’t run it, I still trained hard and learned a lot about what I am capable of.

So 2016 is here and I have a few goals. I guess it’s easiest if I list them out…

1. Get back to real training again. I haven’t really gotten back to the level of training I was at before I turned my ankle, so first and foremost, that is my goal. I know it’s possible because I already did it. I want to get back to running 35+ miles per week.

2. PR the half marathon either at A1A in February (that’s so freaking soon), or at Rocky Mountain in July (this is where my current PR is).

3. Run the Colfax Marathon in May… and not get injured this time, so no mountain biking for a while. I have no time goals. I just want to finish injury free.

4. Run the Chicago Marathon in October. I need to redeem myself from last year.

5. This may seem like a crazy one… but PR in the Marathon at Chicago (since I’ll have a time from Colfax).

and finally (and most importantly)… go injury free this year. No ankle turns, no knee issues…just some good ole’ injury free running.

I think in 2015, although I did manage a lot, I got too caught up in race times. This year I want to run by feel, and if I run a little slower sometimes, honestly, I don’t care. I don’t want running to stress me out, which it occasionally did last year.

So, there you have it… and I can’t wait to see how it all goes! I’m super glad to be back!

How was your holiday? Any cool new travels? What is your big 2016 goal?

Heading West!

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Utah!

utah-monument-valley — I promise to take pictures!

Lows throughout the week are in the teens, and since we are camping, I’m kinda expecting to spend my nights pretty cold. We should be in Moab by the end of the day Saturday and then the exploring begins!

My birthday is this coming Tuesday (Nov 24), but I celebrated it with my friends here in Manhattan a few nights ago. We went to my favorite hibachi place in town, where I knew they would throw a big celebration for my birthday. It was crazy fun and I even got this gift:

I thought this was the perfect coffee cup given my feelings about Kansas.

IMG_2009-0 — All of us at the Hibachi Restaurant! I don’t really know all that many people here yet. 🙂

In less fun news, Frank fell off his bike and landed himself in the emergency room with a few stitches. He hit a curb, flew off his handlebars and landed right on his chin. The doctor said that the cut extended all the way to the bone. Honestly, just looking at the cut makes me kinda queasy (I am going to spare you any photos). He’s been taking it like a champ, though. He says it doesn’t hurt, but I’m really not sure that I believe him. He’s a little beat up on his left arm and leg. We’re just hoping he heals fast and that this doesn’t slow him down in Utah.

I am going to do my best to stay on top of blogging while I’m out in the desert, however, I don’t expect to always have internet access. So, if I kinda disappear for the week, have a great Thanksgiving!

Training (or something like it) Update

I’m not sure that I’d go as far as to call last week training. I only ran a little over 6 miles but I did tons of yoga. I was exhausted from all of the yoga and travel during the conference and couldn’t really muster the energy (or time) to go for a run. I gotta say though, 6 hours of yoga a day for two days can make you pretty freaking sore.

On Tuesday, I ran with the Manhattan Running Company run group, where we did a route up one of the biggest hills in town. I ran with a few girls while we complained on the uphill and cruised the downhill. It was a pretty fun night! On Wednesday, I went for a pretty easy run around town. However, it turned out to be kinda nuts. There were 60 mph winds and a parade going through downtown. Running head on into the wind was a rather humbling experience for sure.

Veterans Day Parade heading through town. I caught this while I was out for a run.

South Florida was pretty awesome. My dad and I went kayaking through the Loxahatchee watershed in the Everglades where we saw tons of birds and a few gators. It was incredibly peaceful. We saw no one else out there besides a few motorboats on a canal and it was crazy quiet. We’ve already been talking about going back when I come home for Christmas.

Saturday and Sunday were both conference days. My mom is a yoga teacher as well, so we usually go to this conference together and attend all of the same workshops. We had classes with world-renowned teachers including Jason Crandell, Sean Corne, and Rodney Yee. Jason has always been my favorite teacher and any time I have a chance to take workshops or classes with him, I do. At the conference, he offered two workshops that we attended, Backbending and Inversions. Backbends have always been some of my least favorite postures. I’m not bad at them, but I always feel like I’m going to explode when I get out of them. He had some really good tips that didn’t really fix the explosion problem, but did make me feel like I could tolerate the postures a little better. I plan on writing up a little guide to backbends and include some of his tips in it.

12239340_10205451377831625_4249422194875290708_o — My mom caught this shot during the workshop. We did Wheel Pose about 10 times in the class.

My favorite workshop was on inversions. Jason went through some basic warm ups to help prep the body for more challenging inversions such as handstand and forearm stand. He had me demonstrate the postures for the group (which was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life) and he talked a lot of the importance of learning to balance with your fingers, which I have a hard time with. Overall, the workshops were a thrilling and eye opening experience. I really feel like these teachers inspired and furthered my practice.

This was a crazy awesome assist that Claire Missingham gave me during her workshop.

This week I’ll be heading out to Utah for the week of my Birthday and Thanksgiving. I’m hoping to see Lizzy (Run Hare Run) on Friday when I drive through Denver and then it’s out to all of the National Parks Frank and I can get to in a week. I’ll take lots of pictures and blog from there!

Are you traveling for Thanksgiving? Where are you going? Ever been to Utah?

First Time Pacer

I had a ton of fun this weekend down in Fort Lauderdale at the Yoga Journal Conference! I always feel like these conferences really push my practice to the next level and inspire my yoga teaching. I’ll post more about it later.

I have some pretty cool news!

I am pacing the Bill Snyder Half Marathon in May 2016! I just received the email of our assignments, so it’s official. I will be pacing the 2:25 group. I am super excited and feel that it will be a really great experience.

Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 2.37.24 PM

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably read about when I ran my first half marathon at the A1A Half. I used a pacer to get me to a sub-2 hour finish. Honestly, without them I would have gone out too quick and not run the smart race that I did. I really wanted to pay it forward and get people to the time they want.

I’ll be back to post more later, but I was super excited and wanted to let everyone know!

Have you ever paced a race or used a pacer in a race? Any tips for a newbie pacer?