Tag Archives: Massage

Nov5

Yoga Teacher Training Weekend #5

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I’ve been processing, thinking and absorbing this past weekend of yoga teacher training for the last day or so and I still feel like I don’t have the words.  It was a very moving and emotional weekend to say the least…

Saturday was like any other weekend, we were all happy to be back in the studio and reunited.  It had been 3 weeks since our last class and it felt like forever.   We meditated and then spent the morning reviewing class styles; focusing on how to open certain parts of the body in preparation for balance poses, backbends and more.  It was an amazing review and exactly what I needed.  After lunch we reviewed Chapter 1 of the yoga sutras and anatomy of the body.  We closed out the afternoon with a teaching session.  I taught a very active flow with binds and even taught side crow.  It felt so natural and comfortable…likely because of my recent teaching experience.

Side Crow Pose

Sunday, was the most intense day.  The morning started off as normal with David’s public class which had an awesome playlist and great vibe to the class.  I even went from camel to wheel a few times which feels amazing and better and better every time I do it. After class we broke down David’s class, giving our feedback and talking about what we perceived as mistakes.  It was a valuable exercise because what I may dislike someone else could really enjoy.  One thing I took away was that twisting and binds too early in a practice is not welcomed by anyone.

For lunch a few of us went to Franklin Cafe for lunch.  I loved going to brunch, sitting in a restaurant and enjoying a relaxing meal with friends.  It makes the weekend feel more like a weekend.  Plus their Heuvos Rancheros is amazing! 

After lunch we reviewed the yoga sutras and went through anatomy again…repetition is key to learning some of this stuff.  But then we got to the part of the weekend I was most nervous about, the cranial-sacral massage.  For those who aren’t familiar with this work it involved massage of the head.  We focused on the inside mouth, and nose.  Prior to the massage I was FREAKING OUT…I mean someone’s hands in my mouth and nose, massaging me?  No, thanks.  But as much as I didn’t want to do this, I knew I had to because otherwise I’d regret it so much.  Thankfully my partner Kat was so confident in the process and not frightened by my reaction.  I laid down and tried to relax, she calmly began to massage my mouth with her hands, guided by the words of David.  It was surprisingly relaxing and calming…I could feel the tension escape my body and the stress held in my mouth melt away.  After massaging my mouth Kat moved on to my nose…it was easier to keep my eyes closed and focus on my breath.  When the massage was over I felt like I could breath so much clearer.  And then the warm water from the Netti Pot to flush out my nose, was relaxing and calming.  As I sat up post massage, my face felt incredibly different.  Layers and layers of stress just gone.  The skin in my cheeks looked flush, the skin around my mouth fuller and a look of calm and peace graced my face.  I felt as if I had let the stress in my jaw and my nose, below my eyes and in my sinuses disappear. Even today, Michael noticed how much fuller my face looked.  A recognizable difference of the change within my body.

It was then my turn to return the massage to my partner Kat.  I thought I might be grossed out by this process but actually I felt very prepared.  The mother instinct within me kicked in.  Caring and returning the massage with the same loving calmness that Kat had given me was a privilege.  Not to mention that it was also really interesting to learn more about the mouth, tongue, jaw, skull and sinus passageways.  I learned so much, it was really fascinating.

To close the session we shared our experience as a group, some wept, some laughed but most of all we each felt incredible love for each other.  Pure, genuine LOVE. I won’t share the moment here in detail, it’s too precious to share…a moment I’d like to remember just by the way I felt, not marked by words.

Sunday night was very emotional.  Removing the layers and becoming “unmasked”, if you will, is a powerful moment.  I felt confused, vulnerable, raw and so many more emotions I couldn’t even begin to label.  I mostly wanted to just sit…and reflect, which is exactly what I did.  I woke on Monday morning feeling so authentic and genuinely me.  It was incredible.

Have you ever had cranial-sacral massage? Have you ever had such a raw moment before?

Mar26

The First 20 of the Boston Marathon and a Workout Recap!

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Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend!! I ran a successful 20 miles and am officially on taper and couldn’t be more excited!!  The remainder of my weekend was very relaxing.  A nap, and takeout filled the remainder of Saturday which is exactly what I needed after 20 miles.  Yesterday we slept in, did a little shopping and I spent the afternoon blogging and studying.  Perfect.  We end the weekend with the two-hour premier of Mad Men! I’m so glad that show is back on, I absolutely love it!

Let’s start with the 20 miler on Saturday.  Team in Training bused us all out to the start much like we will be on race day.  It was good to experience this because the ride took much longer than I anticipated and I was getting very antsy to run.  I really had to calm myself down and remind myself to stay relaxed until the time of the run actually came.  It was also good practice to stand in line for the porta-potties as I’m sure that will be the case on race day. I was glad to see the start area and the starting line before race day.  

TNT Friends!

I started just over the start line.  I refused to cross over the start line Saturday…that must wait until marathon day!  There is a pretty big downhill right in the beginning so you definitely need to hold yourself back, worth noting for sure.  The first 10 miles went by pretty quickly as this was all uncharted territory for me.  It was pretty rolling and there was not a ton of scenery.  We had water stops every 2 miles so I just focused on staying relaxed and keeping pace during the run.  We were able to see our friends and family along the way which made it really exciting!  After mile 10 the road became more familiar and we had a much better idea of where on the course we were and where the hills were.  Around mile 11 we saw Michael at the fuel stop and I was able to say a quick hello and grab a kiss which certainly gave me a little more pep in my step!  Miles 13 to 15 are very flat and are a great place to recover.  At mile 15 we passed our weekly meeting place for TNT and tons of volunteers and family members were there to cheer us on!  After that we knew it was 2.5 miles to the fire station and the turn to Commonwealth Avenue.  Mile 15 to 16 is downhill and quite honestly if felt like an awesome massage for my legs!  After that we started to hit the hills.  I was pretty surprised at how good I felt and I never once thought the hills were going to beat me! In fact we went negative splits on every mile from 15 on!  Our last mile was a solid 8:17 min/mile! It was a great way to end the 20 mile run!  We averaged an 8:45 min/mile pace and it felt effortless and easy…I like it! There was tons of snacks, Gatorade and friends to cheer us all on when we got there! After the run we headed back to the meeting place where they had 5 massage therapists there waiting for us and lots of good food! The massage felt amazing and was exactly what my tight hips and low back needed!!  Michael and I headed to Marathon Sports and got my marathon jacket and some other marathon gear in celebration of the run and starting my taper! We headed to Panera for a delicious post run lunch before heading home, showering, napping and spending the rest of the night relaxing.

Now on to last week’s workouts which were good but not great.  I’ve had a lot of trouble with my legs being really sore and tired the last two weeks.  I spend most of the week fighting tired heavy legs and finally manage to feel better for my long runs.  Both Tuesday and Wednesday I worked on slowing my pace to allow my body to really recover.  I switched up Thursday’s workout from a tempo run to a speed workout on the track and think my legs were happy for the change in pace.  They definitely felt better and fresher after.  Here’s a look at last week’s workouts!

Workouts Week of 3/20/12

As for the sore and tired legs I’ve been foam rolling twice a day and using The Stick which is helping.  I am not sure if yoga is helping or hurting me.  I’ve ended up cutting back on about one yoga class per week.  That certainly seems to be helping as I’m getting a little more rest that way.  I scheduled a massage for April 3rd and I’m very much looking forward to it! (Tip:  I buy my massages on Groupon and save a ton of money that way!)

All the talk of tired and sore legs leads us to the next topic of today…tapering! With 3 weeks to go until race day it’s time to start running less and allow my legs to fully recover for marathon day.  The focus also needs to be on getting enough rest and sleep and consistently eating well-rounded meals.  I’ll start carb-loading 7 days before and will gradually build up the amount of carbohydrates consumed over the course of the week. I plan to follow the same approach for that as I did Chicago.  Here is the remainder of my training plan…

Boston Marathon Taper

I really can’t believe taper time is here! It feels unreal that the marathon is 3 weeks away!  Time flies when you’re having fun…

Did you run the Boston Marathon course on Saturday?  Did you do a long run? How did it go? Any tips or advice for fighting heavy and tired legs?  How does your taper plan differ from mine?  How was your weekend?

Jan30

Running Motivation!

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Good Morning Loves! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready to face the week with new energy and enthusiasm.  I had a very relaxing weekend.  Friday night was rainy and I was exhausted from a stressful week last week.  Michael and I ordered take out, watched Secretariat and went to bed early.  Quite honestly, it was perfect.  I headed out for a 7 mile run Saturday morning and enjoyed some sunshine and beautiful 40 degree weather.  I spent the remainder of the day studying for my personal training exam and relaxing.  We went and tried a new restaurant in the North End of Boston with Michael’s family Saturday night and had a great time.  Sunday morning I woke up and felt horrible.  I had a sore throat, congestion and a headache, Michael didn’t feel any better than I did.  We spent the day relaxing and trying to recover.  I hope this cold stays away thanks to a lot of rest and fluids.

Here’s a look at least week’s workouts. It wasn’t my greatest week of workouts.  I was exhausted and tired most nights from a stressful week and my legs felt tired and heavy on most runs.  I’m thankful that it was a recovery week for my marathon training plan.  My body definitely need a rest.

Last Week's Workouts

Not only did my body need a rest from running so did my mind.  I have not been feeling the most motivated about marathon training.  It is a little discouraging since I have been looking forward to running the Boston Marathon for years.  It has always been a goal of mine! So why am I lacking motivation?  I think it is because I have been constantly training for a race since this time last year.  In one year I’ll have ran two marathons and one half-marathon.  I’m just getting tired of following a plan and constantly motivating myself for a tempo run or a long run or whatever kind of run it may be.  I’m looking forward to some freedom in working out.  So Saturday while I was out running I was trying to think of some ways to motivate myself so I can get over this little bump.  I thought I’d share since it’s January and the idea of comfort food and movies probably sounds better than the gym and all of our resolutions are slowly being forgotten.  So here’s 10 tips to keep us motivated to run!

1.  Run For a Cause.

I just raised over $4000 since December for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  That is amazing and does so much good for those suffering.  Fundraising is only half of the work, the other half is running.  I need to stay motivated to keep supporting my cause and helping those who aren’t healthy enough to run a marathon! If you are running and fundraising for a cause you need to keep running and training and supporting your cause as well!

2.  Find a New Route. 

I run the same routes again and again.  With it being dark most nights I’m down to one route or the treadmill.  Finding a new running route is my mission this week to help keep things fresh and challenge me on my runs since I know I won’t be 2.52 miles in when I hit a specific intersection.  Find a new route for yourself or try running your favorite one backwards to add some variety.

3.  Plan a Run Date.

There is nothing better than a run with a good friend.  I love chatting for miles on end and having a friend to pass the time with.  I plan to go to practice with Team in Training next Saturday to see some friends and run with them.  It will help pass the time for 16 miles and will make it more fun! You should schedule a run date too! It will challenge you and encourage you!

4.  Get a Massage.

I’ve had really bad low back pain after my runs lately.  It is very discouraging! Since “monster month” with my highest miles is seeming very overwhelming to me I am going to schedule a massage for the rest week following.  It will help soothe my muscles and will give me something to look forward to while I log those long runs!

5.  Make a New Playlist.

I don’t run with music.  Ever. But if I get really desperate I’ll create a new playlist and hit the pavement with some tunes to get my body moving and motivated.  If you regularly run with music trying making a new playlist to add some variety to your runs!

6.  Bribe Yourself.

Yep, I said it and I do it.  Do I want that new gym bag? I sure do! Do I want it bad enough to run 100 miles? Probably.  If there is new gear I’m lusting after but not feeling particularly motivated I bribe myself by setting a goal and once I accomplish it I reward myself by purchasing it! Sometimes it’s a new Lululemon top, other times it’s a cupcake from my favorite bakery as a reward for running that 20 mile long run.

7.  Plan my race day outfit!

Ok, yes I love workout and running gear and really use any excuse in the book to get it.  Sometimes looking online and planning what I might want to wear on race day is enough to get me fired up about the event and forget about my running slump!

8.  Tweet for Motivation!

There is a whole community of healthy living bloggers on Twitter! They are amazing people who encourage and support each other! Tweeting to the community and asking them for what motivates them to workout will inspire me to get out the door!

9.  Read Runner’s World Daily Motivational Email.

You can sign up for a daily email from Runner’s World to help motivate and inspire you to run! I get mine every morning and really look forward to them.  Sign up to get your own motivational email!

10.  Look on Pinterest.

Pinterest is filled with motivation and inspiration! I look to my motivation board and remind myself of the million and one reasons why I want to get out and run!

How was your weekend?  Are you less motivated to run in the winter? What keeps you motivated to run or workout?