i'm a brick house!

is it cheating if you break up your 12 mile long run with an hour spin class in the middle??

if you're asking why in the world i would even do such a thing, let me explain. tomorrow morning, my normal day off, i have to work. tomorrow night i leave on a red eye for d.c. thursday is my normal long run day, and tuesday is my normal spin day. a 12 mile run after a red eye seemed less plausible than a 12 mile run interrupted by a spin class. and if you're asking why in the hell would i bother with spin if i was already going to do 12 miles, let me explain. i am on crack.

spin has become kind of a drug. i have come to look forward to punishing my body on that bike. i can tell it's making me faster. i can tell it's making me tougher. it's just an hour a week, but that one hour a week is like training gold. so i didn't want to miss it.

and i couldn't miss my long run either. i'm going on vacay for a week and i know that a long weekend at the beach and a few days in the city catching up up with old pals will mean lots of food, lots of libations, and few opportunities to get my sweat on (besides dancin' my ass off). hence my pre-vacay exercise-fest!

the first 6 miles were pretty uneventful. i kept a nice, slow, easy pace. you could even call it fun! splits: 13:12, 11:56, 12:02, 12:16, 11:57, 11:59, .25 walk cool down.

then i downed a powergel and set up my bike. i thought for sure i would totally tank in class, but it's amazing what your body can do fueled by powergel with caffeine! we split into 3 teams to do anaerobic intervals, then we did a hill climb, then we finished with two sprint intervals. i didn't really start to feel it until we hopped off the bike to stretch. i was like, uh oh, these 6 miles are gonna su-uck!

and they pretty much did. i took half a powergel (no caffeine this time) and half a gatorade. from the waist up i was totally fine. from the hips down i was like lead. or more like tight, tight rubberbands. which i hear is a very common feeling for a brick workout. my splits are pretty abysmal but hey what do you want from me? my legs had been moving for over 2 hours at this point! splits: 13:43, 12:23, 12:22, 14:17, 12:54, 11:30, .25 walk cooldown. the only way i got through it was to just take it mile by mile. once i finished a mile, i walked to drink and at mile 9 i took the other half of my powergel. i considered bagging it at 10 miles, which would have been a valiant effort but i said to myself, fuck it you can pull 2 more miles out of your ass. and i did. i even managed to pull a 11:30 for the last mile. that last mile i just imagined myself on marathon day, climbing up the hills of san francsico, feeling super buff, super strong. the power of positive thoughts is a strong force my friends.

on the way home, i made two stops. the first was to in-n-out burger. i'm serious. i ordered a double-double animal style, protein style, fries, and a milk. for those of you who don't speak in-n-out, that's 2 burger patties with sauteed onions (animal style), pickles, tomatoes, 1000 dressing wrapped in huge lettuce leaves instead of a bun (protein style). i scarfed that sucker down like no one's business. and those french fries? sweet, sweet heaven. i didn't eat them all though. as hungry as i was, i just couldn't stomach all of them.

my second stop was to safeway to buy ice for my bath. they had 20 pound bags of cubed ice and 10 pound ice blocks. i thought 40 pounds of ice would be overkill, so i bought one of each. except that when i grabbed the 10 pound ice block, another 10 pound ice block fell out of the freezer and onto my left foot!!!!!

mother bitch! i was like freakin' steve carell in 40 year old virgin when he gets his chest waxed. so of course the clerks turn their heads to stare as i curse and hobble and hobble and curse. but does anyone come over to see what the hell just happened? no! fuckers!

so then i hobble to the checkout and i'm practically in tears at this point and does anyone offer to help the injured hobbling girl carry her 30 pounds of ice to her car? no! fuckers! i worked at that store one summer and i know for a fact that it is a rule to offer help out to any customer with 2 or more bags!!! you can bet i am writing an email to the manager of the store and ratting those lazy fuckers out.

so it's kind of ironic that the ice i bought to help ease my pain ended up causing me the most pain! and i know some marathoners end up with black toes and missing toenails, but i don't think this is how it happens to most.

so i bathed, both icy and warm. the toe is still throbbing like a mo'fo' and i'm icing it again. i hope i can sleep despite the pain 'cause i got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. but by this time tomorrow, i will officially be on vacay!!

needs no words

1: 13:00
2: 11:20
3: 10:48
4: 10:22
5: 10:02
.35: 6:57

T: 1:02:30

holla' atcha girl

on the docket today: 10 mile long run. aka the run where nearly every male driver stopped to honk at me. the SUV full of air force guys i didn't mind so much, but the dudes in the garbage truck. ick. proves yet another one of my theories: men will holler at anything in a skirt.

i chose a route straight outta the door of my house: to the golf course, around it and back home. a much hillier course than i've been running as of late. and hills are what i need to start getting used to if i'm not gonna die come october.

i've somehow lost my watch among my many possessions piled in my room and i've been running without it for a couple of weeks now. it's kind of nice because i don't get so caught up in my time and pace and i listen a lot more to my body. i did have my nike plus system though so i was able to clock the time of my entire run.

the first three miles were pretty smooth and when i reached the halfway point i was pretty stoaked to hear i was under an hour. there were times my mind would drift off and suddenly i'd drift back to consciousness and remember oh, yeah i'm running. i love when my body goes into autopilot like that. it's the closest thing i've had to an out of body experience. when i hit 8 miles though, i started to get a wee bit tired. only 2 miles to go i told myself. that's less than half an hour, you can do ANYTHING for less than half an hour.

the last mile kinda just sucked. i was tired and dumb enough to leave the biggest hill for the end. and just as i started my slow climb up, what song comes up on my ipod? the rocky theme song. i just had to laugh. what luck! so i huffed and i puffed got my ass up and over the hill and completed my 10 miles in 1:51:33!!! boys and girls that is an 11:08 average pace!!!!! for this petite chica, that is one big effing deal! holla' atcha girl!!!

i think i deserve a day at the beach, don't you?! happy thursday, y'all!

run, spin, run

tonight's workout kicked serious ass!!!

7:00 2 mile run

7:30 -8:30 spin class
i'd missed the last 2 weeks for family stuff, so i knew class would kick my ass. plus i was already hot and sweaty from my 2 mile warmup. i set up my bike and tried to mentally prepare myself for the hell that is spin class. then some tiny little twig of a girl set her bike up right next to mine. like closer than i usually set my bike up next to MH. beeyotch, what the eff is up with that? i swear to bob her waist was the size of one of my thighs. needless to say, i promptly put my shirt back on. i know, i'm such a hater.

after the warmup, the instructor says we're doing partner intervals. with MH gone this week, twiggy turns to me and asks to be my partner. effing great! the instructor then says that whoever if the youngest of the partners starts the intervals first. turns out twiggy is effing 18!!! a whole 10 years younger than me!! shit!

so yeah, as if spin wasn't bad enough i've gotta keep up with a hardbody teenager during anaerobic intervals. talk about motivation. i'm freakin' sucking wind just to show i'm not a lame old lady, and i swear to bob, someone in class farts!!! i nearly choked.

after that, we did a hill climb, then sprint intervals. fun fun. and oh yeah, someone in class farted AGAIN! lay off the frijoles before class people!!!

8:30-9:05 3 more miles
after class, i hopped back on the treadmill and went another 3 miles. the best part was i ran them at 11:20. and i wasn't even tired!! i'm thinking that luscious pork fat is my body's fuel of choice.

i'm feeling pretty much on top of the world! yay endorphins! i've eaten, showered, and my brother just called saying he's got the makings for irish car bombs and just bought the 80's edition of guitar hero. it's gonna be a long night, folks. but we both have tomorrow off! woot!

damage control

this morning i got up at 4:30 to get my ass on a treadclimber and a precor. in an hour, i burned close to 700 calories!! which doesn't even come close to burning off HALF of what i ate this weekend. pints of guinness and corona light (on different nights), homemade cookies, my weight in cheese, enough rice to feed china twice, and sweet luscious pork fat! (if you haven't had a roasted pig, you haven't yet lived!)

totally worth the 5 miles i'm about to log. and an hour of yoga to unblock any digestive chakras.

i wouldn't have to work so hard if i just ate like a lady :)

girl power

i've been too busy yapping about my fat arse to properly acknowledge that i've been "tagged" as a rockin' girl blogger. woot! thanks chicas. and to pay it forward, as anne says:

1. jen
from the second i started reading her blog i thought to myself, "she is exactly the kind of athlete i want to be!"

2. josie
who doesn't love a girl who loves spam? she has me laughing all the friggin' time! yet she can be so introspective and thoughtful.

3. neese
this is the girl who inspired me to do speedwork!!!

4. chicago gal
maybe she's my long lost sister or we were born on the same wavelength but it is so eerie how our lives are so parallel, even though we're on opposite sides of the country living very different lives. she's smart and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

5. gina
i envy the way she writes. so effortless yet perfectly and delightfully descriptive.

6 miles o' fun

redwood regional park

the most fun i've had on a run in a loooong time!
click on the image to see all the pics!

it was later (11 am) and warmer (high 70s maybe) than i'm used to, but the 40 minute drive to oakland's redwood regional park was totally worth it! bounding uphill and down, stopping dead in my tracks to admire the views, feeling so humbled and small beneath the redwood canopy, the smell of eucalyptus in the air...this is the stuff that running is made of!

60%

the schedule only has 6 planned for today. must be another one of those cutback weeks (gotta love em) so i don't really have a fire lit under my ass to get it done. it's very doable and the weather today is so mild i can do it anytime. it's more a matter of getting over the dread of boredom i've talked about before. i think running a new route might help, so that will require some thinking on my end. and i need to find the receiver to my ipod+. but i'm too lazy to do either of those things right now, so i'm blogging. about my weight! (aren't you lucky!)

when i started this blog back in september i was weeks from my first half and weighed 138 pounds. which is pretty hefty for someone only 5'3". but i've always been heavier than my petite counterparts mainly because i think i carry more muscle or have heavier bones, or so i tell myself. my profile pic shows what i look like at that weight and while you can't see the meatiness that is my thighs, i think i look pretty good. i felt pretty good anyway.

at that time, i was hoping to lose another 10-15, but i know from experience that weighing anything under the 135 mark is something my body can't do without great sacrifice. meaning working out hard, a lot. and more importantly, eating healthy 100% of the time.

today, i'm 10 pounds heavier than i was back in september (so the miss petite america moniker is a sham! shut up!) a lot of that has to do with the stress and change i've gone through since september. and the fact that i now live at home and my mom fills the house with goodies i never ever bought. her way of showing she loves me is to feed me. and i have no self control.

60% of the time i can be good. i have to subtract 25% for the week of PMS and 15% for my celebrating habit (drinking, birthday parties, family get togethers etc). this 60% does put me ahead, but only by a bit. so the weight loss, it's been slow. reeeeeeal slow. and if my workout regimen falters at all, the scale is unforgiving.

i know that if i really just focus, even just a little bit, the 10 pounds will fall away pretty easily. but the last 10-15 vanity pounds i'd want to lose? would only come if i borrowed madonna's personal trainers and nutritionists. and never ate anything i loved ever again.

and people really do live this way. some people actually practice raw, macrobiotic diets. some people actually don't drink alcohol! some people actually workout when they're upset instead of reaching for a bag of kettle chips! dean karnazes says he doesn't even eat his kid's birthday cake! sweet jesus, it's BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!!!!!!!! i know dean is like the god of distance running, but c'mon it's your kid's freaking birthday, and you ran like 500 miles this morning, i think you can eat a piece of friggin' cake for your son's birthday.

i vascilate between admiration and pity when i read/hear about people's perfect diet and exercise habits. i mean to have the dedication and discipline! but at the same time, to ALWAYS be that dedicated and disciplined can't always be fun. maybe that's the price you pay for having a "perfect" body.

judging by my 60%, i've chosen fun and food over 6 pack abs. because while it would be great to fit into my size 4 skinny jeans all the time, i just don't think i could give up beer and barbecue. or the random PMS krispy kreme. or garlic fries at the ball park. maybe it makes me weak. or less dedicated. or neurotically too attached to food. i think the best i could do is raise my 60% to a 75%. i am just a recreational athlete, after all. but it does sometimes make me feel like a porker.

i actually meant this to be a more positive post, as my size 6 pants are fitting again. and my skinny jeans are only 10 pounds away. i think what bothers me more than my actual size is my attitude. i feel like i should want to be healthier, want to be more hardcore about my diet and exercise. that i shouldn't stop until i'm 17% body fat. because even though i might be comfortable with my size and my body, i can't help but think that others see me running and think, "sweet jesus, she needs to put a shirt on" or "holy crap she's gonna start a fire with all that chafing". even at a healthy weight for me, i don't think i'll ever look like a runner. i always feel like that chubby girl in a sea of super-toned, super-fit hard bodies.

and i mean, sure it'd be great if i could be a hard body too. but i'm obviously not willing to work that hard. is that such a bad thing?

iron f*cking yoga

i had a hard time falling asleep last night, so when my alarm went off at 5:20 for spin class, i barely had enough energy to turn the damned thing off. my slumber was already ruined and since i get up at 6 every morning anyway, i got up to feed my ravenous stomach. yoga started at 8:30 so i laid my head down again only to wake up at 9. doh! but at least i was well rested.

i checked the gym schedule and it turns out there's another spin class at 5:30, but no more yoga for the day. so, i dusted off my iron yoga DVD and thought i'd give it a go. i bought it nearly a year ago and probably did it twice. now that i have some yoga under my belt i thought i might enjoy it more. especially since the yoga classes at my gym aren't particularly strenuous. they're definitely good for my flexibility and overall uptightedness, but not so great for strength.

now i remember why i only did the dvd twice. it's freakin' hard! and i didn't even use weights. i was all wobbly and sweaty. but i will say this: 1. i have plenty of room to improve, so i'll definitely get my money's worth from this dvd 2. it's a great workout.

the guy does get kind of annoying at times. annoying enough that i wanted to throw the remote at the t.v. (so very un-yoga like) but i think that had more to do with how tired i was getting in certain poses than him. because as far as dvd instructors go, he's pretty neutral.

i bought a pilates for abs dvd a few weeks ago that i have yet to crack open. and after an hour of iron yoga, i just didn't have the strength. maybe tomorrow before my long run.

does anyone out there have recommendations for good workout dvds they've tried?

then i said

that's cool. so the whole wanting to work out with me, that was all just to spend more time together?

basically, yeah. but i did want to start working out again.

and it doesn't weird you out that i'm your friend's older sister?

no. though your brother and his gf have been asking what's up with us flirting and all i could think was "i've sure been trying, but i don't know if she has." i didn't want to say, yeah i like her, then find out you didn't feel the same way. so i didn't say anything.

hmmm. well to be honest i'm not totally surprised. i kind of saw it coming. i didn't think you'd be so bold so soon.

well...i feel better now that i've told you.

the next day, i was over at his house watching the brazil/argentina game, and he kissed me. it was weird because i have thought about kissing him, but i never acted on it for a variety of reasons. and now that it was actually happening, i kissed him back. my brain told me i probably shouldn't. but gravity sort of took over and i found myself drawn in. it was nice. and it's been a loooong time since i've kissed a boy.

but it isn't that simple. i'm thinking now that taking this any further would be a bad idea. sure, he makes me laugh like no one's business and he's very sweet, and loyal, and gentlemanly. BUT we work together, he's friends with my brother and his gf, and he's 5 years younger than i am. and for other reasons i won't bore anyone with here, i already know he's not boyfriend material.

not to say that's what he's saying he wants or that anything serious will ever come of me and MH based on this weekend's turn of events, i just think now's the time to be very clear to him that this does not go past friendship. and while there are parties who say i could entertain a non-serious flirtation/fling thing, that's just not for me. after spending so many years with a really bad boyfriend, i vowed i would never put up with less than everything i ever wanted in a male. i spent so many years waiting, settling, that i don't want to get caught up in that again. and when it comes to affection, i'm an all or nothing kind of girl. i don't ever just kind of like someone. or kind of get involved. i can see myself easily getting carried away with the attention and the kissing. so it's just best to not cross the line, because for me it's always a hard road back.

so that's the end of the boring story folks. sorry it wasn't juicier. it does prove to me yet again that harry's theory of male and female relationships is right: men and women can never just be friends. at least in all my years of life, that has been the case. but it's good to know i'm not totally hideous to the opposite sex.

in workout news, i ran twice today! once in the morning at the gym. and after work on a real bonafide track! i planned on doing yasso 800s but after my first warmup lap, a group of volunteers for this weekend's cancer relay gathered on the track. and because i am stupid, i didn't want to stop and take any walk breaks in front of these people. so i did a 3 mile tempo run, walked a lap when they left, and then ran a mile cooldown.

.25 warm up: untimed
1: 10:39
2: 10:58
3: 10:30
.25 walk: 4:14
4.25: 13:35 cooldown
.25 walk: 5:30

total time: 55:20

this is the first time i've done my speedwork on a track. it was nice because it was outside and the wind kept me cool. but it was boring and i kept thinking i would lose track of how many laps i'd done since i was keeping track by mile and not quarter mile. but i'll definitely try it again.

and in all honesty, i didn't give my all as indicated by my splits. i chalk it up to the unwanted audience and the unfamiliar territory. because i don't feel like admitting i'm lazy today.

then he said

i really like you, and i want to get to know you better.

best hour of my day

9:00-10:00 pm. on the treadmill. a sweet, easy 5 miles.

i've been feeling congested since friday so i haven't really worked out. friday, i bagged my run but made it to yoga. yesterday after work i helped my brother's gf paint her new apartment. and because we had family over this weekend to help my brother's gf, there was tasty but fatty food aplenty. and for some reason whenever my brothers are around i feel the need to outeat them. it's a strange unspoken eating contest we engage in when mom's fried chicken hits the table. and don't even get me started when she makes adobo.

so yeah, a workout was definitely in order today. i dragged myself to the gym after a short nap. because my sinuses were congested i figured the treadmill was my best bet. if my nose erupted with snot, i could always dash to the bathroom. and if i truly felt like poop, i could easily hop off and drive home.

luckily, running gets the blood pumping and the generated body heat clears the sinuses.

right now i'm trying to watch the espys. but chances are i'll channel surf to the food network...

he's definitely related to me

27 pounds of ice

MH cancelled on me this morning. me thinks he was drowning his sorrows in one too many modelos last night after mexico's loss. but their loss was my gain, since i was already up and ready to go.

lately, i've been dreading my long runs because i've been fearing boredom. though once i start, boredom never really is a problem. most of the time i'm grateful to myself for getting my ass out. or sometimes i'm preoccupied with how tired i am and i'm pushing myself to go on. or my breath literally gets taken away at the sight of deer, rabbits, birds etc.

today's nine was no different. not the best but not the worst, more of a mixed bag of everything in between. i will say this: gu saved my life and flamenco music is fabulous to run to.

i forgot my watch but nike plus says i finished in an hour and 56 minutes. my stomach was giving me a few problems during my run forcing me to walk at times so my time was slow indeed. but considering all my body has been through this week, i'll take it.

not wanting to take any chances with any sort of soreness, i fixed myself an ice bath with 3 nine pound bags of ice. it's crazy but i have this crazy fascination with ice baths. i love 'em. i'm a masochist, i know. sometimes i think i do my long runs just so i can take an ice bath!

now i'm snuggled under the covers with a mug of chicken and stars, a bowl of strawberries, and some kettle baked chips watching pretty in pink. happy thursday, y'all.

not quite 100%

i attempted a run today. to play it safe, i kept to the treadmill. i got about 35 minutes into it before my stomach started feeling um, unpleasant. but at least i got something done. tomorrow morning, MH and i are off to spin. i probably won't get a long run in this week, unless i can pull off a miracle on friday or saturday evening. so, please pray for a miracle. i don't want to be a complete waste of human flesh this week.

uh oh, there really ARE pictures...

my digital camera somehow made it home with me. here are the goods...the bad goods...


drunk


drunker


drunkest (such a shining moment for me)


MH and i accosting the front desk


littlest bro and i makin' our mama proud!


littlest bro gettin' down


the knuckleheads


the girls

praying to the porcelain gods

actually, it was more like praying to the sidewalk gods, and the front seat of MH's car gods, and the bucket by the couch gods. because in the numerous times i puked this weekend, not once did i actually make it to a toilet.

i crashed a wedding this weekend, but i'm the one who crashed. HARD.

i didn't intend for the night to go as it did, but who really does. in my defense, i didn't even have all that much to drink. it must have been something about the alignment of the planets or maybe something that i ate. but saturday night sucked so hard it wasn't even funny.

unless you were my brother, or his friends. or MH. or any lucky guest in the lobby of the hotel who got to witness my shenanigans. i was tackling people. putting cigarettes in people's mouths. and apparently, doing some very unladylike dancing. sweet jesus. thank god my mother wasn't there.

i remember having a good time, and then i remember not. i vaguely remember getting into MH's car, but i don't remember puking on his shirt. or his car. i don't know how i got on the couch. or where my shoes or purse were. i woke up at around 4 am with a pounding headache and the desire to puke even more. at around 5 am, my mom woke me up to get me ready for work. yes kids, i had to go to work.

she made me a bagel and i somehow managed to put on my uniform and stand up.

the next 7 hours were the worst of my life. i had to go to work because a new girl was starting and i couldn't leave her to run the restaurant by herself. plus everyone at work knew i was at the wedding and i couldn't call out sick on account of being hungover. even if i couldn't stand up. so yeah, it pretty much sucked hard. i could not escape the nauseau, whether i was sitting, standing, laying down. the lowest of the low was when i finally puked yet again about an hour before the end of my shift.

finally, finally, finally i made it home, and on the couch with a huge plate of watermelon, gatorade and some crackers. i took some tylenol and took a nap. and finally, finally, finally felt like half a normal person. i remember at some point during my convalesence thinking, "i'm a freaking marathon runner in training and THIS is what i'm doing to my body?!? shit!"

i was tempted to take a picture of myself to remind me of the bad things alcohol can do to my body. but to be honest, i don't really know what happened. i really honestly only had 3 glasses of wine. there must have been some other odd factor to have caused such wretching of my insides. either way, it sucked hard. and even today, 2 days later, i still don't feel 100%. my throat still burns like hell. i don't know how bulimics do it. but i will say this: shit like this doesn't happen when i drink beer.

8 mile

first off, more eric eye candy. let's all swoon together.

second, i have running to report, finally. my last 2 workouts were on the bike, both of which kinda sucked. it took all i had not to spew my dinner during spin class. and i was sore an hour after class. back to back bike days really tax my hip flexors and quads. booooo!

wednesday, my normal rest day, was the fourth and the night of too many mojitos. thursday, my usual long run day, i spent at stinson beach. nothing but long naps and short dips to cool off. i got home at a decent hour, planning to run, but i was a bit tired and dehydrated.

so i resolved to run today. and by golly i did. 8 miles. on the treadmill, people. (insert your gasps here)

i didn't really want to run this on the treadmill, but by the time i was ready to run, it was already close to 8pm and there was no way i would finish before it got dark. so off to the gym i went.

apparently, i wasn't the only loser at the gym on a friday night because the place was pretty busy when i got there. but within the hour and 40 minutes it took to finish my run, the place really thinned out.

my run went from bad to good, which is about all you can hope for in a run. i'd been kinda cranky all day and i had a lot of errands to run after work. so the first half of my run consisted of me flipping through most of my playlist, unable to stand listening to one complete song. at 4.75 miles i reset the treadmill and tried to reset my mood.

turns out the tv did it for me. i got caught up in watching some football special about the 1988 forty-niners. boy did that bring me back. i'm not a big sports buff, but i do remember idolizing joe montana, jerry rice, ronnie lott, steve young, roger craig. i remember my entire family sitting around someone's big screen every week screaming our heads off. and this was before i ever drank beer! i remember the immense pride san franciscans took in our team and feeling like we were part of the legacy.

that last 5k was probably the best time i've had running in a while. at the end i had plenty of gas for more and my spirits were through the roof. for sure my pace was slow, but it was nice to be reminded how good running can feel.

is there room for me on that raft?

it's hot as hell today. i want chocolate more than anything right now. i'm bloated. i'm tired. and i could use a few glasses of wine.

instead, i'm going to spin class. whoop-ee.

the good news is tomorrow is the fourth of july! my second favorite holiday!! tomorrow is also my very own personal independence day. it's been exactly a year that i left my jack-ass loser boyfriend! WOOT! and i don't miss him one bit, FINALLY! more than anything, i feel such relief that he is no longer in my life.

so now i am free to frolick with my pretend celebrity boyfriend, eric bana. such a tall drink of water he is...

*sigh*

thanks again to all the bloggers for coming through. i think my brain is just in anticipation overdrive. right now the training is easy and familiar and i'm impatient. i want it to start getting hard already. weird i know. but i don't think it will start to feel real until it starts to feel hard. if that makes any sense.

speaking of training, i took sunday off because my knee was giving me issues. and today because my feet were still a little tender, i took to the stationary bike. nothing too thrillng. something like 15 miles in 50 minutes on the alpine setting.

today, yoga was with heavy breathing guy. at one point in class he actually told us to try to get our outbreath to sound like darth vadar. i know it's been a good yoga day when my legs are tingly at the end of class when we're meditating. i love me some downward facing dog. (that sounded ridiculously dirty, or is it just me?)