Tag: Energizing

Boot camp is back!

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends3 Comments

Hooray!  I think…..

Previously, we had a boot camp class at my office after work.  We worked out downstairs in the courtyard.  I loved the convenience; especially on days I had to go back to work after the workout.

It enabled me to take a break and still get work done.  A little over a year ago, we lost our trainer.    When he left, we had trouble finding someone who would come to our location.  We couldn’t to keep enough people interested to make it worth their while.  Interest fizzled.

But a few weeks ago, we got word that a new coach had been found for boot camp.  After a flash of excitement, I immediately remembered how long it had been since I did a real workout, with a coach pushing me to my limits.

Class began on Thursday night with six people, which was promising for a first class.  I soon realized how unprepared I was for the workout.  We began with jumping jacks for 1 minute.  I thought, “this isn’t too bad”, but as we transitioned to kicking our feet front to back and hands moving side to side I faltered.  Coordination has never been my strong point.  I tried not to fall on my face, as I did some semblance of throwing feed to chickens while stomping out a tap dance with my feet!  We immediately moved on to squats which weren’t too bad, but as we transitioned to mountain climbers, I had forgotten how much fun they could be.  I mean a plank is a ton of fun by itself, but throwing in some quick movements, pulling alternating knees forward, sort of like laying down while running, well that’s just peachy.

My abs were on fire, which I guess means I was doing something right!  Knowing I had really accomplished something close to a miracle, I sucked down a gallon of water in anticipation of more fun.

At least every time we finished a set, I knew we were hacking minutes off the hour.

Back to my mat, I arrived in time for Coach Travis to call out, “It’s time for groiners and then we’ll add groiners with a twist.”  Oh my!  I didn’t want to know what this was going to be.

Surviving groiners, straight leg marches and follow the leader, I was huffing and puffing.  Travis was our leader and we ran through obstacles, around the building and up three flights of stairs where we finally got to stop and stretch.  That was great until Travis said, “Move to the rail and put your foot on the top rail.”  Right!  My foot found its way close to top, hovering   dangerously on the third rail while I tried to keep from falling over.

After some wonderful (yes that’s sarcasm you hear) stretching, Travis instructed us to hurry back down to grab some water.  “The faster you get down the more time you have to drink your water,” floated after us as we trooped “quickly” away.

I sipped water and trudged back toward my mat to collapse, relieved that hour would soon be over, as Travis shouted “Warmup is over!  Let’s get started on the workout.”

What???

Friday, I woke, proud that I wasn’t too sore.  At least I wasn’t sore until I sat up in bed and my abs complained.  Then walking up the stairs, my calves reminded me they were a little bit sore as well.  As the day wore on, I found lots more spots that reminded me I had worked out.

Tuesday evening, found me back at boot camp with nine other hopefuls. Ready to accomplish miracles with my poor tired muscles I prepared to start.  Encouraged that I talked myself into coming back, I gamely tackled new exercises, got eliminated in the second round of the fitness challenge, but  still felt successful.  Ron and I totally represented in the medicine ball toss and finished more reps than anyone else.  Baby steps, small victories.  There’s always Thursday night!

Finding the Sunshine

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Food, Gardening, Humor/Light Hearted, WritingLeave a comment

I’ve been so busy and absentminded lately!  Today I was particularly scattered.  I began the day with my supervisor standing in the door of my office with a major problem.  I spent the first half hour of my day researching the details of his issue only to find out everything was fine and there really wasn’t a problem after all.

When I finally got to my computer, I checked my calendar for meetings.  The first one was scheduled for 10:00 AM with another one scheduled immediately afterward.  I had just enough time to get a few things out-of-the-way first.

At 10:00 AM I headed off to the meeting, stopping by to grab my staff.  They informed me I had been looking at tomorrow’s calendar.  The rest of the morning, I kept forgetting it was Wednesday and tackling Thursday’s tasks.

I was sure I was going to forget to pick up my vegetables from the Farm to Work program which is delivered on Wednesday afternoon.  The pickup time had changed from 2:30 PM to 1:45 PM.  Finally I set my alarm for 1:45 PM and got back to work.  I kept thinking about the pickup time and watching the clock until finally the alarm went off.  I realized I had forgotten to bring a bag for the vegetables!20150902_205124

Digging through my office, I finally found a bag with some books in it.  Dumping the books out, I rushed down three flights of stairs and hurried to the courtyard to pick up my vegetables. I had been so busy I had only left my desk one time to get a glass of water.  Walking through the fresh air and sunshine was revitalizing!  When I rounded the corner of the building at 1:46 PM, no one was waiting, no vegetables were lined up for collecting and I didn’t see the farm truck parked in its spot.  I took a seat at the picnic table and enjoyed the sunshine.  After five minutes or so I began to wonder if maybe I was confused about what day it was, although I was pretty sure I had already established it was really Wednesday.

Reluctantly I left the warm sunshine and headed back up the stairs to re-check my email.  When I opened my email, I saw that at 1:15 PM I had received a message about the vegetables arriving early.  The vegetables were in the Wellness office. I headed back down the stairs, back into the sunshine in search of vegetables.

As I filled my bag with the lovely fresh smell of cucumbers, sweet potatoes, jalapeno, squash and more I was smiling.

I didn’t forget my vegetables, I got more exercise by doing the stairs twice and I had some delicious vegetables to use as weights on the way back to my office.

Even the view outside my window looking at downtown Austin, TX looked just a little bit brighter.

Keeping Promises

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Humor/Light Hearted2 Comments

Keeping my promise to get serious about fitness this week, I attended my first “Power Yoga Class”.  What an experience!  I haven’t been to a yoga class in five years and my weekly boot camp class ended several years ago.  True to the description, this 45 minute class with Vinyasa flow sequencing and the addition of cardio bursts to get your heart pumping and your muscles moving, got everything moving!  Sweat ran in rivulets down my back, face arms, well, everywhere.

Not so much the next day.  Nothing was moving very fast!  I know it was good for me, but my muscles were grumbling.

Tuesday I scheduled a run to give my sore arms a break.  4.25 miles at 5:30 PM in Austin, TX meant lots of heat.  At 86 degrees even the ancient oak trees lining the streets couldn’t block the sun’s rays. At least my arms felt less sore!

Wednesday found me back in class for a Yoga/Pilates fusion class. One thing I didn’t learn from Monday night’s class was when to arrive.  I always try to be punctual and strive to arrive 15 minutes ahead of schedule to allow for unforeseen traffic, etc.  That put me front and center, directly facing the instructor.  Next time I will arrive on time and move to the back row!   This class focused on core strengthening to make my yoga practice stronger and my tummy trimmer. The intent was to tone, refine, and strengthen from deep in your core.  The first half hour was core focused and the second half hour Yoga focused.  That should have sent me running back out the door, but I blithely tossed my mat on the floor and prepared to tone and refine.

The first 15 minutes of the class went remarkably well.  We lay on our backs while we incorporated leg lifts, shoulders off the floor etc.  I patted myself (not literally) on the back thinking this isn’t too bad when we kicked into high gear.

I’m not sure which poses we did, but I dripped as I watched the clock and waited to transition to the second half of the class.

I don’t know why but I thought the second half would be a rest.  I was definitely mistaken!  I dropped into plank position while everyone else smoothly transitioned through plank and back into downward dog. 

I valiantly plowed through the rest of the class, slipping into child’s pose as needed for a quick rest.  After the class, the instructor seemed concerned as she watched me try to get feeling back in my arms.  As I attempted to fold my mat, she asked “Are you okay?” 

“Sure”, I lied and tried not to limp as I walked away. 

I stepped outside and realized it had started to sprinkle  so I pulled on my jacket.  My car was parked a few blocks away at the office.  As soon as we stepped from under the awning, the rain began to pick up.  A few more steps and we were starting to get wet.  Suddenly, I felt like a kid playing in the rain.  Wearing my sandals and carrying my yoga mat, I started running.  Rain soaked and laughing we made it back to the car at a sprint. 

If all workouts could only end with this much fun, I would work out every day!

Now I just have to keep the momentum going.  Wish me luck!

On a Mission

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Gardening, Musings, WritingLeave a comment

Saturday morning I was up at 6:00 am and on a mission.  I was determined to find a recipe for the perfect soap. I was planning to make the soap as a gift for someone special.

I decided to take a few days off from training and running this weekend.  I will get serious next week (I promise :p). So, I joined a studio this week, which offers yoga classes, Pilates, boot camps and more.   Next week, I am going to take a few classes and increase my mileage.  Hopefully, I can get myself ready for a half marathon in November.

But Saturday was a day for creativity.  I began by catching up on some writing projects.  I spent a few minutes on Pinterest and found some perfect recipes.  One for the soap and also one for some lotion I thought might be fun to try. I checked the ingredients and found I needed rosemary essential oil.

No problem.  There is a small rosemary plant out in my garden.  I love my little garden…… and it is little.  I have two tomato plants and a couple of pepper plants along with my herbs.  I clipped some fresh rosemary from my garden to blend my essential oil.

I researched and found two different methods for infusing essential oil.  One method required drying the rosemary for a few days, dropping it into a bottle and covering with oil to infuse over time.  The second method called for warming fresh rosemary and oil in a crock pot for about 6 hours to infuse.  I chose the latter for several reasons.  The main reason?   I wanted to enjoy the aroma of the oil while it infused.

Mixing the oils together for the lotion was relatively easy, but I was disappointed in the consistency of the lotion.  Nonetheless, I now have a lovely jar of rosemary essential oil in my cabinet.  It has already been used to sauté a handful of mushrooms which were tossed into a skillet of quinoa for a delicious meal.

But now it is dinner time, and I think I will go out and pick some fresh tomatoes for my salad.

Zooma Half Marathon 2015

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, News and Reviews, Writing3 Comments

Saturday morning Mar 29, 2015, the much awaited/dreaded race day.    Up at 4:20 AM, we needed to arrive at the Cedar Creek high school parking lot before 6:00 AM.  The shuttle buses would start running at that time to transport runners and spectators to the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa for the Zooma Texas 2015.  We were out the door by 5:10 AM and on our way.  We arrived at the parking lot by 5:55 AM and scrambled to make sure we had our watches, gels and sunscreen before boarding the bus.

The temperature was mild at 55 degrees with a light breeze.  By the time we arrived at the Resort, I was grateful to be wearing my jacket as the temperature dipped to 47 degrees.  The resort is beautifully nestled in a wilderness setting.  The run is not ‘a walk in the park’.  It is peppered with multiple hills from slight rises to steep grades.  If you plan to run this race, you should train on hills.

Mile 9!
Mile 9!

We arrived at the resort and moved inside where staff opened the door and welcomed us.  Inside additional staff were stationed throughout the building offering smiles, greetings and directions as needed.

For runners who are used to port-a-potties at the start of a race, it was quite a treat to have indoor, clean and warm restroom facilities.  It was wonderfully relaxing to sip a cup of complimentary coffee seated on a comfortable chair and visit with fellow runners.  In the lobby, I met Shonda and Lisa from Houston, TX where we joked, laughed and discussed race strategy.

As we lined up at the starting line there were a couple of llama’s on the sidelines to send us on the way.

The Llamas
The Llamas

Once on the course, runners were full of smiles and waves.  As I turned onto Highway 71, a school bus full of kids passed by.  With the windows down, they were all shouting ‘Run Forrest Run’! I smiled for several miles remembering their enthusiasm.

 

 

The last couple of miles were on the resort property, along a relatively flat only slightly rolling path on the golf course.  Mile 13 was marked by the resident longhorns lounging in the grass.

The golf course
The golf course

Ron 406

This is the third time I have run Zooma at the Lost Pines Resort.  It has not disappointed yet.  If you can forget about those hills for a minute, the scenery is lovely.  The run starts in the parking lot and continues to Pope Bend which is a county road.   The road is lined with wildflowers including Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes and natural grasses.  There is a short leg of the course that takes you down the shoulder of Highway 71, but it’s relatively short and downhill.

The temperature and winds both rose as I neared the finish line.  The wind, although gusting at times, was a relief from the 70+ degree temperatures.

Bluebonnets in Bloom
Bluebonnets in Bloom

The Zooma race mission is to inspire women to live healthy, happy, & active lives.  The post-race celebrations included vendors, live music, food, and massages.  Sponsor Barefoot wines provided post-race samples and complimentary coffee was also available.

The race field the inaugural year 2009 was over 1200 women.  This year the event included a 5K and a 10K in addition to the half marathon.  There were only 362 runners in the half marathon, 162 in the 5K and 173 in the 10K but the celebration was just as entertaining.

Not my Chi…..Anticipatory Failure

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing5 Comments

On the journey to recapture my fitness, I am trying to remind myself to draw on my chi. Chi Running, defines chi (pronounced ‘chee’) as the energy that unites body, mind, and spirit.  How awesome is that.  If only I could learn to tap into that!

A few years ago, when we traveled to in San Francisco, CA for the Nike Women’s Marathon, my running partner and I purchased stones with Chinese symbols engraved on them.  We each chose a symbol that had special meaning for us.  We often trade them at the beginning of a race as a symbol of support for each other.  We call them our chi.2015-03-25 18.31.44

As fun things often do, they took on a life of their own.  On our training runs, if  someone just a little faster ran past us, we would challenge ourselves and pick up the pace, shouting “It’s our chi!”

If someone sprinted by much faster, we would look at each other and proclaim, “Not my chi!”2015-03-25 18.33.29

Those little engraved stones have become a symbol of support and companionship, but occasionally even they aren’t enough to push me up a hill.

Years ago, someone told me a secret to running hills.  You should visualize a rope at the top of the hill and imagine someone is pulling you forward.  It’s a great visualization and can help.  But it can’t really pull you.  You still have to move your legs and when you haven’t trained; well it isn’t as easy to make it up the hill.

Recently, I was out for a run with my two favorite running partners.  It was an easy and pleasant run and things were going well.  We were at the start of our training plan, so the run was short and not too aggressive.  Near the end of the run, we were faced with a hill.  The hill is about a 45 degree incline alongside a busy road. When I looked ahead and saw the hill I said, “I’m going to run to the bottom of the hill and then I’ll walk the actual hill.”  I was thinking I was already tired and would not have the energy to run up the hill.  Both my companions nodded and headed for the hill determined to beat it.

Hill no plate

I realized I had allowed anticipatory failure to keep me from making it up the hill.  No it’s not ‘rocket science’ but for me it was an eye opener.  I actually got it.  If you don’t start, you can’t finish is a real thing.  I ran the hill, huffing and puffing the entire way, but I didn’t stop until I reached the top.  Even if I had taken a break half way it would have been fine.  I wasn’t attempting to set a record, just keep moving until my body said stop instead of my head.

I have a half marathon to run in this weekend and haven’t trained as well as I could have, but I never do.  I considered switching to the 10k instead.  Then I remembered the hill and changed my mind.  I may not finish, but I will start and I will listen to my body not the anticipatory failure in my head.

Rocking the Streets of San Antonio Texas

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends, Travel, Writing2 Comments

The Humana Rock and Roll Marathon was the weekend of December 6th through December 7th in San Antonio, Texas.  This is the 7th year l  have participated in the San Antonio Rock and Roll marathon. I signed up months ago before this became the year of broken bones.  In August, I broke my toe and the healing outlasted my patience!    Not to be left out, my husband Ron fell and broke his wrist a few weeks ago.  And then, just because we are a little insane we signed up for the Remix challenge which means we ran a 10K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.

San Antonio is a beautiful, magical city and one of my favorite places to visit.  The expo in the downtown convention center was as entertaining and chaotic as always.  I never seem to leave without purchasing something.  This time it was new socks and some GU gel blocks.  Leaving the expo, we stopped to enjoy the twinkling Christmas lights along the Riverwalk and the Tower of the Americas.  It was lovely in the soft evening light.

San Antonio Christmas LIghts

We didn’t stay in a downtown hotel for this trip, so we had to get up a little earlier to ensure we could find parking.  On Saturday, the 10K didn’t start until 9:00 AM and there were only 2500 or so competitors.  The parking was easier to find and it turns out it was considerably cheaper.  Sunday morning, the official start was 7:30 AM, so we left the comfort of our warm beds a bit early to head back to our parking garage from the previous day.  Supply and demand was definitely in play as we had to pay double the fee we had paid on Saturday.

I should clarify that I am not an elite athlete and I enjoy the fun and camaraderie found by those of us crossing the start line 30 minutes after the sprinters in the first corral.  When you run slower you can see all sorts of sights along the course.

Sunday morning, we all lined up; the elves, the tutu wearing competitors, the old, the young, and all other 12,000 plus runners, walkers and wheel chair participants.  The music was pounding and the weather was just a little chilly.

As expected, I crossed the starting line about 30 minutes after the gun sounded.  The course was a bit downhill in the beginning, heading from the Alamodome toward downtown.  As we passed the Alamo, many runners, stopped for selfies with the façade and spirits of the Alamo.  Leaving downtown took us through Trinity University and hills.  The spectators lined the road through Trinity, cheering us up the hills.  The enthusiasm was wonderful, but it didn’t really make up for all those hills.

The course in a Rock and Roll marathon is always alive with music and excitement.  It is also lined with coaches, family members and complete strangers.  Sunday was no exception.  Signs along the course proclaimed, “Worst parade ever”; “Run like a Zombie is chasing you” and my favorite, “I’m proud of you complete stranger.”

I think my favorite coach along the course was the gladiator wielding his sword, his face encased in a metal helmet in the parking lot of a Cross fit gym shouting encouragement as we passed.  My most memorable athlete was the young man I passed at mile 12, limping to the finish line, carrying his shoes and socks because of blisters on his feet.  Dedicated or stubborn I’m not sure but he finished!

At the end, I was so relieved it was over!   It was the slowest I’ve ever finished a half marathon, but I felt quite proud to have survived. Heavy Medals

We ended our San Antonio trip with a wonderful meal at Canyon Café, a southwestern grill in the Quarry Market.  I am never disappointed with the food or service.  It was a great meal to end a great trip.

Biking and Other Happy Rembrances

On By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Writing2 Comments

Flipping through some old journals recently, I found an entry about my introduction to bike riding.   It invoked a wonderfully pleasant memory.

About 20 years ago, I was recently divorced and trying to determine who I was supposed to be and who I wanted to become.  One of my newly acquired interests was cycling.  I’d made a new friend who was an avid cyclist and was not only teaching me to love riding but also loaned me a bike.

One of our first cycling trips was to Caprock Canyons State Park just outside Quitaque, Texas.  We started the trip on Friday, arriving late and spending the night at a campsite.  Early the next morning we awoke to a herd of deer outside our campsite.  The deer were shrouded in fog and milling about on the grass completely unaffected by our presence.  After a quick breakfast of granola bars, we set out on our bicycles.

6:00 AM and ready to ride - maybe!
6:00 AM and ready to ride – maybe!

We rode on the park roads to help me get comfortable on the bike.  The roads were very hilly and I remember flying down the hills, building speed and then having to get off the bike and push it up the next hill, so I could soar down again!  I felt like I was six years old!  Of course my friend had no problem biking up or down.  We logged seven miles that morning and I was quite proud of the accomplishment.

In the afternoon, we drove to Quitaque Canyon Trail.  The trail is a nature trail formed along the path of an old railroad route.

The Quitaque Canyon Trail is about 17 miles long and according to Rails to Trails “This area is one of the most picturesque and interesting throughout the entire Trailway due in part to Clarity Tunnel at mile 12.”

I wouldn’t know about that.  I only made about 1/2 mile through the sand when I realized I wasn’t quite ready to tackle bicycling through sand.  I chose instead to sit at the trail head and write in my journal.  It was a beautiful and restful afternoon.

A few things that stand out in my mind from that day are:  Friends are invaluable, laughter really is the best medicine and the Rails-to-Trails Conservatory is a great organization.

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a non-profit organization.  They have repurposed over 20,000 miles of trail.  If you enjoy nature and the idea of recycling the rail network to provide a trail system appeals to you, I highly recommend searching one of the Rails to Trails across the United States to hike or bike.  Relax, rediscover nature and maybe smile a bit.Still Biking! 2013

Sleepless in Austin, Texas…..

On By DGThomaIn Writing1 Comment

I hate waking in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep or not being able to fall asleep once I lay down.  I feel shortchanged all the next day.  I’m not one of those people who can sleep easily during the day. No matter how silly it may seem I feel I have lost something I will never get back when I sleep during daylight hours.

Sleeping comfortably

If only I could sleep anywhere, anytime!

Occasionally, the chaos of the day causes my brain to kick into overdrive just when it should be shutting down to recharge.  Going to bed at my normal time, I usually fall asleep relatively quickly.  On the nights that restless thoughts worm their way into my consciousness, I wake up after just an hour or so.  Once I’m awake, I toss and turn and try anxiously to fall back asleep.

Bed Sweet Bed!!
Bed Sweet Bed!!

Recently, after having fallen asleep at 10:00 PM, I woke up at 2:30 AM.  Tossing and turning for over half an hour, I finally gave up and got out of bed.  I was wide awake!  Since I had to be at work at 7:00 AM I decided to give up and get out of bed.

It turned into an amazing experience!  I sat down and worked on some writing tasks, washed a load of clothes, ran the dishwasher, polished my nails….. Well I did a lot of things I would never have had time to do if I had gotten up at my normal 5:00 AM.

Incredibly I made it through the day smiling and alert!  I was still refreshingly awake at 7:00 PM when I got home.

One of my favorite things is an unexpected “Gift of Time”.  A meeting unexpectedly cancelled, or an obligation that changes and frees my time.  That’s what I call a “Gift of Time”.

A Gift of Time

Although, I doubt getting up in the middle of the night on a work day is anything that I should do on a regular basis, for that one day, it was an absolutely  wonderful “Gift of Time”!