Running: Ahhh, Yeahhhh!

Days like today are the reason I run. WOW! I started and ended strong. Breathing was controlled and easy. My lungs didn't feel like they were going to explode (unlike my last two runs). I had no major aches or twinges to work out. I feel great! Plus I took another 15 seconds off my mile pace. w00t! I'll be back to my pre-Burn pace in no time....I'm sure of it! Smiling, breathing...happy.

Running: And There You Have It...

That's it...this morning marks my last run before I leave for the Playa. I get my braids in this weekend and I can't imagine trying to run with all of that weight yanking on my roots. Not to mention it's crunch time. Only a few short days until lift-off. Packing is going smoothly. Food shopping and prep will be the focus this weekend. I can't wait to get on the road.....back home. Mad love to you all. See many of you very soon!

Running: The Last Week Before Blast Off!

We'll see if I can get my three workouts in this week. Monday morning was a blur after margarita madness at Marix on Sunday night. There was no way I could have made it to the gym that morning. I also noticed how dark and cold it was when my alarm went off. A reminder of why it gets so tough to pull myself out of bed around this time of year. Yawn....back to the grind. I'm seriously drowning in my Burning Man lists. Food, supplies, gear, blahblahblah....it will all be worth it once Big Lucy sets sail next week. Stay tuned....

Running: Back To Back

We have some late night shenanigans to attend to this evening so in anticipation of sleeping in tomorrow morning I decided to squeeze my third run in this AM. Good stuff....feeling great!

Running: Hello Monday!

15 days....FIFTEEN DAYS, Internet! The only thing keeping me (quasi)sane at this point is the running. Back to work...

Running: Under Seven

I finally broke my 7 minute mile pace and I nearly barfed in the process. Hmm, enough said...

Running: 400 Miles!!!

Wow! What a run! I knew I was going to hit this milestone today so I made it a good one! As it turns out, I'm right back on pace with where I was last year at this time. Kinda makes me wonder where I'd be if I hadn't taken that 4 month break after the Burn last year. I'm hoping to not make that same mistake for the third year in a row. I have this bad habit of taking two weeks off for "vacation" and when I return I find it to be next to impossible to get back into my routine. Then by the time January rolls around (with the reality of turning yet another year older) I start the process all over again....ahhh, such a creature of habit! BUT NOT THIS YEAR....this year will be different. This year will be better. In fact it already is in so many wonderful ways!

Running: Mini Me...

I post my Mini (below) because she makes my mom laugh. I know this because she calls to tell me so. Anyway, Mom fractured her ankle while adventuring in Tahoe yesterday so I figure anything that can bring a smile to her face right now might be appreciated. Feel better soon, Mom.

Running: 98 Workouts; 391 Miles

As of this AM I've logged nearly 400 miles on my Nike+! w00t! So looking forward to BIF tonight with Farilla. The focus is 15 minutes of cardio, 15 minutes of core strengthening and 30 minutes of stretching (something I desperately need more of)! I can't even begin to tell you how incredible I felt after our session last week. Stretching is key, yo!

Running: Busy Little Bees!

Such a good run this AM. It was a definite challenge to keep up at that pace but I feel REALLY good! And now that Farilla has been introduced to BIF we have particularly active schedules these days!

Running: The Winner!

Unbeknownst to them, I race everyone around me at the gym. Admittedly, I always declare myself the winner. However, today I was MOST DEFINITELY the winner! Some dude who was trying to keep up at my pace on the treadmill next to me had to stop TWICE to catch his breath. Ha! That's what you get sucka...

Running: A 12 Mile Week!

Good week! I hope to make it to Boot Camp this evening. That said, BM prep seems to reign supreme right now. I'll gauge things by just exactly how overwhelmed I'm feeling come the end of the day. ;)

Running: The Run That Broke My Brain

HOT! That's the best way to describe this run....insanely hot. I wanted to stop at 3 miles and guilted myself into that last grueling mile. By the time I was done I was drenched and couldn't even think straight! I pulled out my gym card in an attempt to get my car keys....TWICE! Feeling like mush and "treating" myself to a Chai Latte.

Running: Happy Monday!

I haven't been as big of a slacker as it may seem. I forgot my iPod last Wednesday so there wasn't any data to post. Since I wasn't recording my run I decided to try out the LifeCycle (Farilla's fave). That experiment lasted all of 10 minutes before I moved back to the treadmill. Yes, Lifecycle may be low impact on your joints but, dude, did it feel awkward! One of the biggest reasons I choose to train on the treadmill is due to the ability to bump up the pace throughout the course of my workout. The Lifecycle (at least on the manual setting) let me to slack off too much so I popped back on the treadmill to finish up with a speedy 2.5 mile run. Good stuff. After pounding through that run last week I was totally inspired to kick it into high(er) gear this AM. I really focused on my breath during mile one...no sucking wind just slow controlled deep breathing! Then I bumped up the pace every 1/4 mile right through mile 4. I felt like I was sprinting that last half mile. Ahh, feeling so good!

Running: Life, And Such...

Sunday was an incredibly busy day starting off bright and early with a visit to my salon. Alyssa straightened my hair to make sure all the layers were even so I decided to wear it straight all day. I can't remember a time I was so aware of my physical appearance. I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror. While I thought it looked pretty I also very much felt that it looked incredibly plain. No offense to my straight-haired sisters....I just never realized how much I love my curls. After my cut Farilla and I went downtown to check out the Renegade Craft Fair. I love having a partner who appreciates Indie design, art and fashion as much as I do. We walked through the Fair at least twice to make sure we hadn't missed anything and sure enough as we were getting ready to leave we ran into Ted and Angie from Poketo. We chatted with them for a while and Ted helped Farilla pick out another Poketo tee to add to his ever-growing arsenal. If you haven't already stopped by, be sure to hit up the Poketo pop-up shop at Royal/T in Culver City. And don't forget to check out the cafe. Angie hand selected the eats currently being served. After Renegade we shot back to the westside to stock up picnic-ables for the Ray LaMontagne show at The Hollywood Bowl. Tim, Tessa, Farilla & I arrived at The Bowl about an hour before showtime. We were lucky to find a picnic table where we enjoyed a variety of yummies from the Whole Foods deli....Mmm, olive bar! As you've probably already read the show was fantastic. We got home late and I was thoroughly exhausted! I guess this is my long-winded explanation for not getting up and into the gym yesterday morning. Fortunately we rallied and made up for it today. I had a good but not great run this AM. Back at it tomorrow...

Running: Yes!

Today was a MUCH better day! I caught my second wind by mile 3. Breathing was clam and easy right through mile 4. If only all my workouts could feel this great! Happy Friday, indeed!

Running: Ugh!

No more two week breaks between now and when my braids go in for The Burn. I'm tired, sore and cranky...chai latte time.

Running: TGIMonday...

These past couple of weeks have been busy...as in, if-I-get-home-at-least-one-night-this-week-before-11pm-I'll-be-happy busy! Multiple hoop dance classes and fire training have been consuming most of my time these days and as excited (and nervous) as I was about lighting up last Wednesday I was also a little relieved knowing that after that evening my life would start getting back to normal. With so many back to back late nights I found it nearly impossible to pull myself out of bed those following mornings to get to the gym. In a blink of an eye there went another two weeks of no running. So today I say TGIMonday! Back to my regularly scheduled programming!

Running: Weds & Fri

About a mile and a half into my Wednesday morning run iPod ran out of juice. For a moment I actually thought to myself "Crap, now what?!" Then I realized that I just keep running. It just goes to show how much of a motivating factor my Nike+ has been. Being able to track my progress really does keep me going.

I had a really great run this AM. I pushed myself to get through this workout as quickly as possible because I needed to get back to walk Not-Monster, make green smoothies and pack up lunch for Farilla. As I sit here typing this post I'm feeling completely zen'd out...definitely the sign of a good morning workout!

Running: 4 More...

I made the mistake of getting on the machine that was acting up a couple of weeks ago. So silly of me to think the gym folks would actually fix the thing after I complained the first time. I was about 15 minutes into my run with a pace of 6.8mph. Then all of a sudden the machine slows down to 4.5mph. Totally annoying if not dangerous. It did this about 3 times before it decided to just shut down completely.  Hmmm, most definitely...not rad!