On Saturday morning, Mirza, his mom, and sister accompanied me to the pier so I could do my first real 5k, since I don't consider the 5k at my triathlon to be the first real one!
I was excited and a little nervous, and I got to meet Megan and her husband. She was super nice and down-to-earth!
The event's focus was to raise funds for Huntington's Disease. I did not seek this 5k out, but stumbled upon it, thinking it would be good to do a 5k before my next Tri (on Sunday!). It just happened to fall on a day I had off from work, and was only about $10, so I figured, why not?
This was the first year they had this run, and you could tell it was still in it's infancy. It was not for competition, but rather a "fun walk/run." There was no clock or real start/finish line.
My goal for the 5k was to finish in under 35 minutes. I also wanted to really push myself (safely, of course) and give it all that I could.
Mirza's sister took photos and
I was "lucky" number 13!
They had a pre-run yoga stretch...
I felt pretty good during the run. I know that I am a slow runner, but also pretty damn new at it, so it does not bother me when tons of people pass me. I tried to really focus on pacing myself, so I wouldn't completely poop out!
When I crossed the finish line, a man was yelling out times, and he yelled "27:38!" I was surprised. Totally happy, of course. UHHHH, that is impossible and really fast??
I learn moments after while waiting in line for my goody bag that the course was not a full 3.1 miles. Some people's Garmins were reading 2.3-2.5 miles, SO that kind of sucked. But I didn't let it ruin my happy feelings. I calculated that I would have more than likely completed my goal of under 35 minutes if it actually were 3.1 miles. Damn you, unorganized races!
After the run, I went for a swim at my gym, and then from 2-5pm, I had a yoga workshop on Ayurveda!
My western-medical ICU nurse MIND has a difficult time buying into some of this stuff since they never give a real WHY and I'm all about having real answers. It was still fun to learn.
Sunday was another activities day with more swimming, and a yoga workshop titled, "Discovering a home practice." I LOVED IT.
The instructor was great. We talked a lot about the difficulties that some might have with beginning to practice yoga on their own without a teacher. One of the most important things one can do to establish a yoga practice at home is to SET AN INTENTION. Why are you practicing? What do you hope to gain from your yoga practice? Do you wish to calm your mind, discover new qualities about yourself, heal yourself, become more mindful, happier, joyous, discover who you are?Become more mindful, breathe more efficiently (<--some of the intentions that I wrote down for myself during class).
Intention is what will guide you through your practice.
In addition, you might find obstacles that prevent you from practicing at home, all of which usually fall into the category of space, time, and consistency. Eventually, it comes down to this: If there's something you truly want to do, NOTHING WILL STOP YOU.
The class was all shapes, sizes, ages, gender, etc., which just shows that anyone can do yoga. AND THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG. No competition.Yoga truly can be what you want it to be. Move around, lift an arm or leg, does it feel good? What about *this*? Just try something and see how it feels. It doesn't matter if you've never seen that posture in a book or in class; if it feels good, then go with it!
We ended the class with our own yoga sequence. It was enlightening. I believe that a yoga practice at home truly is the heart of yoga. The instructor mentioned that, "teachers are like training wheels, eventually they get in the way." Too true.
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On a totally different note, some of you may have seen a new topic at the top of my blog. That's right!
On December 11th, 2010, I will be participating in the Ride to Defeat ALS to raise much needed funds for the ALS Association. This event is known as a metric-century, or in layman's terms: a 62.5 mile bike ride.
The ALS Association provide patient services resources and fund global, cutting edge research.
This ride is an exciting opportunity for us to work together to support those affected by Lou Gehrig's Disease and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatments and a cure. A little over 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS each year; that's about 15 new cases per day! ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, which can eventually lead to paralysis of the entire body. There is no cure for this disease....YET!
Here is where you step in, my lovely readers. I am asking for your help. Please go to my donation page and donate $5. That's it. That is all I am asking. My goal is simply $150, and I plan to get there $5 at a time. You probably lose a $5 bill while doing laundry, and don't even miss it. $5 will not break the bank, and I promise it will go to a good cause.
4 comments:
Good job on your first (almost) 5k!! I hate when race courses are cut short!
Cute pictures - you even got a picture of my husband doing yoga. I love it!! :)
You are so cute! Isn't it hot in Florida in capris?? I can only imagine...
There was one cross country course in high school that was like 0.2-0.3 miles shorter than all the others, which I didn't know at the time and thought I had an amazing race at the end of it...and was disappointed when I found out that I wasn't that fast, it was just a shorter race...boo!
so fun! good for you! i am going on a yoga retreat this weekend and cannot wait. xo!
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