Saturday, October 29, 2016

13.1 Training Plan

Official training for my Miami Half Marathon starts November 7. I usually follow a standard training program online. For my marathon I used Hal Higdon so I've decided to use his "novice 2" training plan for this go round.

Here is what it looks like:

WEEKMONTUEWEDTHUFRISATSUN
1Rest3 m run3 m run3 m runRest4 m run60 min cross
2Rest3 m run3 m pace3 m runRest5 m run60 min cross
3Rest3 m run4 m run3 m runRest6 m run60 min cross
4Rest3 m run4 m pace3 m runRest7 m run60 min cross
5Rest3 m run4 m run3 m runRest8 m run60 min cross
6Rest3 m run4 m pace3 m runRest5-K Race60 min cross
7Rest3 m run5 m run3 m runRest9 m run60 min cross
8Rest3 m run5 m pace3 m runRest10 m run60 min cross
9Rest3 m run5 m run3 m runRest10-K Race60 min cross
10Rest3 m run5 m pace3 m runRest11 m run60 min cross
11Rest3 m run5 m run3 m runRest12 m run60 min cross
12Rest3 m run2 m pace2 m runRestRestHalf Marathon

I have never followed the plan exactly. I use it as a guide and do the best I can. The main goal is to run 2-3 short runs during the week with one long run that increases by a mile each week. 

Part of my little ritual is adding my schedule to my calendar and getting my mind ready for the weeks ahead. I'm going to look at some motivational quotes and add them to each day ahead of time. I usually look for a quote the day of the run but maybe this can be my little twist to make this training a little more magical!!

I'm really hoping to have a good training. My mind is in a good place and I'm feeling strong. I've had problems with hips and knees and cramping in the past... Lets all send some good vibes for a healthy and strong training!!! 

Peace and love



Friday, October 28, 2016

The Hot Yoga Wall

Today was my day off and I had scheduled my morning for HOT YOGA. I had such a great class on Wednesday! I was hoping that since I was going in the morning that I would be super energized from a good nights rest. 

I felt like I started the class super strong... feeling awesome... and then... only a few minutes into the class.. I start to feel very dizzy. I accept it and lay flat on the floor facing  the back wall and try to focus on my breath. I feel like the fog passes and get back up slowly... the next thing I know I'm focusing on the instructors voice and must have blacked out! The next thing I remember is her standing in front of me asking me if I was ok... I tell her I need to lay down. As I lay down and try my everything to focus, I can see her look me in the eyes and tell me to relax and that everything was going to be ok. 

The instructor then poured ICE COLD WATER on both of my wrists, my ankles, and hair.... The tears flowed out but it all felt like a very good thing. I have no words for it yet but I know they will come. I tried my very hardest to keep it together while at the same time giving into the feeling. 

A few minutes passed and the instructor brought me some coconut water... on any other day I think this stuff taste horrendous!!! Today.... today this amazing natural water tasted like MAGIC! I drank it slowly while sitting up trying to get myself together to stand again. 

Now before I say what happens next I want you to know a little something about me.... there are some things that I do that once I put my mind to them... I DO NOT GIVE UP! A lot of them have to do with running and working out... If I say I'm going to do a certain amount of numbers during a run... for the most part... you can bet that those miles will get done! If you give me some crazy set of work out to do... i will give it my all to get it done to the best of my ability!

The goal in hot yoga is to stay in the room... I assume your not supposed to die either but that is up for question! My absolute goal for the class was to stay in that hot and steamy room for 90 minutes. I would do the best that I could with each move and as long as I was there... I DID IT!

Ok so lets go back to the class... I've just drank the coco water and tell myself its time to get up. The second I do realize that there is no way that I am going to be able to stand for more than a minute without passing out. I swear I die a little inside.... I was going to have to lay back down and face the back wall and all these people were going to watch me fail.... 

These were my initial thoughts... I knew right away they were my old thoughts and that I needed to relax and follow my breath.... there was probably a good hour left in the class... I remembered that the ultimate goal is just to stay in the class... and so I took a deep breath and changed my negative thoughts to positive ones.... I stopped judging myself and started loving myself for being so strong and brave! This was my 4th class in a week! I was doing the best I could do.... today the best i could do was lay flat and feel the energy of everyone in the room supporting me. 

Its funny how the second I started to tell myself how proud I was of myself how suddenly I could feel everyone in the room tell me the same thing. I could feel the "you can do it" and "don't give up" coming from the energy in the room. It was LOVE and I gave myself permission to receive it! 

Our mind is so powerful. The fight to lay on that floor for an hour and face my own personal demons was a challenge. I had to surrender to the moment and just let it be. I had to accept myself and love myself in a position and situation that did not sit right with me. I had to use the energy of the room and the instructor and the experience to focus and pull through and LET GO! 

I will tell you that once I did I was able to feel love from within me. A new warm feeling that I know I do not let myself tap into enough. That will change. I am changing. I am changing and I love it =) 

I was very emotional at the end of the class. The instructor gave me a huge hug after the class and sort of let me break down for a minute. It felt so much like when I hit the wall in my marathon! I could remember I had told myself that I did my best and if i was going to get "swept away" for running too slow then I was going to have to try again next year... but I KNEW I was going to have a pair of MICKEY EARS.... it was after I believed with all my heart that those ears were mine that I ran over a bridge and saw my sister standing there waiting to help me finish the race strong! 

To this day I'm not sure I would have made it across that finish line without the support of my sister. I believe life gives you exactly what you need when you need it most.... this is the magic of life!

Breath-taking <3

Peace and Love


Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Just say yes to HOT YOGA!

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming back =)

Today was a work day and a mom day... but I managed to squeeze in a little ME time =) #selfcare 

I got a last minute invite to an imaginary Adele concert for the kids... big screen, dancing, yelling... the works! How could I say no??? Well I had scheduled in a yoga date with myself for today.... Initially I thought I'll skip the class... but that didn't feel right.. then I thought that I'll just say no... but that didn't feel right.. how could I not let my kids go to an imaginary Adele concert (on the same night as the MIAMI Adele concert!! lol) Nope.. didn't feel right. So then I took a deep breath and did a gut check and I figured out that if my mom would bring the kids back home (Thanks for helping with the kids mom!!) then I could make it to the class.... 

Ahhhh that felt better!!!! =) Learning to listen to my gut has taken away so much of that anxiety feeling in stomach. So the stars aligned and I was able to go to my class... breath-taking!

This was my third HOT YOGA class.... its like yoga but hot you know ;) Its a little more entertaining for me than regular yoga because that heat really does give you a challenge! I swear the class is 90 minutes and I don't even feel it!!! The time just goes away.... its magical!! And you melt... literally drip sweat! Oh! I love it!!!!! It feels like getting a massage... LOVE!

Anyways... if you think you can't do HOT YOGA I would like to extend this quote to you from the studio tonight:

"You don't have to see see the whole staircase, just take the first step" - Martin Luther King @birkramhotyoga305

Peace and Love


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Welcome to Sparkle Soul Runner

The first blog post! Here we go!!!!

Welcome to Sparkle Soul Runner!!!!

I'm here to document my transformation into a butterfly. I'm on a journey to live my life with purpose and meaning. I have worn many hats in my 35 years of life but this is the first one I am going to create with real intention. I'm going to use this blog as a way to grow and work through all the awkward human moments we have throughout the day. I want a place to come to where I can connect to something a little deeper; somewhere I can go to feel good. 

So one of the things that makes me feel REAL GOOD is running. I have been running for about 7 years now. I have always been the "heavy-set" girl knowing I was there to prove something to myself... that I could do it just because I WANTED to do it. I know that there are so many people that think  I'm "crazy" because I choose to love running. Please give me the opportunity to show you how running has been a BREATH TAKING experience for me. 

I remember reading the quote: "I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life." Today, more than any other day.... this has a very deep and wonderful meaning for me. Last year I trained for the Disney Marathon. It was something that I wanted to do. It was something that I did without any real reason "why" other than "I want to." I remember reading quotes that say "Know your WHY?" or "Do it for your WHY?" 

Those words didn't even make sense to me! Why would it be ok to do something because "I want to?!" Who am I to want "want something?" (yea it was bad people!!) After a hell of a rollercoaster ride.... I am just starting to learn that this is actually a perfectly good reason to want to run a marathon... These days I have a different perspective to a lot of different things in life and I can't help but to ask myself: what if I can do better?

What if I could using my running to help me grow spiritually? What if I could use my running to help me grow as a person? What if I could use my running to change my life? What if I could use my running as way to help my family and friends?? What if I could use my running to help others??? What if I could use my running change the world?? What if I could use my running to make money?!?!?!!? What if my running could change my universe???? Crazy???? Maybe... but I'm going to go ahead and change that word to BREATH TAKING.... 

We should never  underestimate the strength of a woman.... But you should really never mess with one who runs 26.2 miles because "I WANT TO!"

Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you subscribe and come back for more! This is sure to be a magical story in the making!

Peace and Love