Manic Monday

Just a quick post as it will be a busy day today (I am meeting three friends for our anual New Year's lunch together in a little bit)...

I generally love to have a quiet Monday morning at home to get things done, putter around the house and regroup after the weekend. I really didn't feel like dragging myself to the gym for this week's interval run and first weight workout of the week, but since I am meeting another friend at Ikea tomorrow, I knew I had to, or I would end up having a problem getting it in later in the week, AND I knew it would bug me all day if I didn't do it.

I got there and got right on the treadmill to do the interval run first, because I was so cold! That went well and I was glad to get it out of the way. Then I was lucky, a woman I know was over at the weight benches doing her workout so I joined her and we did our exercises next to each other while chit chatting. That made it go by fast! Now it's time for a quick shower so I can bike downtown in time for my lunch date.

And yes, I feel relieved and happy that I got it done!

Hurrah!

It looked gray and extremely cold out this morning and since I only had 6 km to do for my (ahem) "long" run, I decided to go to the gym and do it inside on the treadmill. It was great to run without all those layers on and get nice and sweaty! The best thing was, absolutely no hip pain at all! Hurrah! It felt so good, in fact, I ended up doing 6.5 km total, in 50 nice and easy minutes.

Is it because of all the yoga? Is it from cutting way back on the amount of running I have been doing? I have no idea but I can't tell you how good it felt just to run and not have that nagging discomfort constantly present. It was gone!

Today is the last day of the yoga challenge and it has been wonderful to have the conscious intention of doing yoga everyday the past three weeks...I am definitely going to continue with three full classes (on DVD or online) per week, and when I can, a short session of yoga stretches every day. It does help me a lot.

CONGRATULATIONS KIM!!!

Kim Clijsters

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Australian Open winner 2011

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What an inspiration!

Busy Friday

We have friends coming over tonight so I've been busy cleaning and cooking and didn't feel in the mood for a challenging yoga class which I knew the Friday class was going to be. So I looked to see what the Saturday class was - a tension releasing session with side bends - perfect!! So I just finished it and feel relaxed and refreshed and ready to welcome our visitors.

Tomorrow I will do the peak pose class. And then Sunday is the last day of the Yoga Challenge!

Have a great weekend!

What Works

What works? Two things:

• being signed up for a race
• having a training plan

If I would not have had these two things I would not have run today. My youngest son is still home sick (although feeling a lot better), it's near freezing outside, and being stuck home all week was not making me feel motivated at all to get out and get my run in. BUT...

• I am signed up for a 10K in March
• I have a training plan that says I need to run a 35 minute fartlek today

So I did it. And it was cold but actually it felt really good to get out. And even if my version of a fartlek today was just to run my usual comfortable pace and then walk during the pauses between songs on my Ipod - so what? I did it - I ran my 35 minutes, did 5.3 km and burned 400 calories - YAY!

And then I came home and did 10 minutes of Sun Salutations and yoga stretches on the floor.

And today my oldest son turned 16! Happy birthday Florian!

Four days left!

After today just four days left to the 21 day Yoga Challenge. Today was Day 17: Core Focus , a gentle 20 minute ab workout - gentle but not easy! Especially because I am still sore from doing the 30 Day Shred DVD yesterday - who knew that was going to be so tough???

Today two kids home sick! But they really perked up this afternoon, so we will see, maybe I will be able to get to the gym or get a run in tomorrow...

Great Plans!

First off, as Fran already mentioned on her blog yesterday, she and I are going to run a 15K together in Breda, the Netherlands, on October 2! We have been talking about finding a race that is somewhere halfway between us and doing it together for a while now, and it looks like 2011 is going to be the year we do it! I am already looking forward to it - it will be great to finally meet Fran in person, and since I don't have any half marathon plans for this year, it will be a good distance to work up to towards the end of the summer.

My race plans for this year are modest: the 10K in Dendermonde on March 20, a 10K in Knokke (0n the Belgian coast) in May, the 15K with Fran in October, and the Corrida here in my home town in December. I can't do the 20KM of Brussels this year because my youngest does his Holy Confirmation on the very same day. But that's okay - sometimes it's good to focus on other things for a change of pace. The advantage for me in training for shorter distances, will be that the chronic hip pain I had with training for the half marathons will have a chance to resolve. I already have noticed a big improvement since dialing back my distances since the half marathon in November. And the yoga helps a lot.

And yes, my training plan for the 10K in March started yesterday. Of course, with a kid home sick I have to adjust my plans a bit for this week but in general the plan goes like this:

• Mon: Yoga class
• Tue: Interval run + weights
• Wed: Yoga class
• Thu: Fartlek run
• Fri: Cross training + weights
• Sat: Yoga class
• Sun: Long run

And most days I get at least 30 minutes of walking and/or biking in as well, just getting around town.

So those are my running plans for this year...I am all pumped up and ready to go!

As for today, it's pouring down rain :-( and my son is still at home so it looks like I will be doing a DVD workout (30 Day Shred) and my online yoga class and will probably fit my interval run in on Friday instead of cross training. Remember the old saying about the best laid plans???

Day 15: Fun Flow

Another Monday, a third attempt at the yoga class for Day 15: Fun Flow. It went well today. Next week I am going to start doing a Tara Stiles DVD I bought in Texas - it's an hour long yoga class, and it will be a good start to my training weeks! I've never been real big on doing exercise videos at home so I do wonder how many times you can do the same DVD workout before it gets dreadfully boring - anyone have any idea?

Not much else to report except my youngest is home sick with the flu - apparently a lot of kids are out sick at the moment. It certainly won't hurt him to have a quiet day at home. And then it sure is a good thing when you can do your exercise at home.

Day 13: Neck and Shoulder Openers

Wow - almost two weeks of daily yoga under my belt! Today's class: Day 13: Neck and Shoulder Openers, was a very easy and very relaxing 20 minutes of gentle arm stretches to loosen up shoulders and neck. It felt good and it was one of those classes where you really don't even have to change out of your normal clothes. Just sit on a chair and follow along! I think it would be really great to do if you have been sitting behind the computer for far too long (and who hasn't done that?)

Other than that, I am busy planning my new running schedule - we are signing up for a 10K on March 20, which means 8 weeks to ramp back up. I am going to use the Jenny Hadfield "Fast 10K" program my sister sent me several years ago from a magazine, and which I successfully used for a couple of 11K races I did. The program calls for three runs per week - a long slow endurance run, a fartlek, and a speed workout (mainly intervals with a couple of negative splits thrown in). I am going to keep 2-3 days of yoga, add one day of cross training on the elliptical and include two days of weightlifting, which I have actually missed the last two weeks. But it was good to have a little break...

Have a nice weekend!

I did it!

Today's yoga challenge class was another peak pose class - remember last Friday when the challenging pose to work up to was the splits? Well this week the peak pose was Crane/Crow or Bakasana (pictured here to the right). Bakasana is a tough pose, requiring strong arms, an ability to open the hips, and a good sense of balance! The class was awesome, slowly building up with poses to open the hips and feel the strength in the arms and then easing you into the pose itself. I was actually kind of surprised to find myself suddenly in Bakasana, and very stable too! That is one of the funnest things about yoga - it sometimes allows your body to do things you never thought you could do.

Have a happy Friday, everyone!

Family News!

My sister Jenny recently got her Personal Training degree from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and has just started professionally at FlexOne, a gym in Trinity, FL. She also has a new personal training blog - check it out here. Jenny was also interviewed in a loal news publication in an article about exercising in cold weather. I am really excited and proud of her! As you might know, Jenny and her husband Mark were instrumental in getting all the rest of us started with running. So I know she is going to be an awesome personal trainer!

This morning my son wanted to bike to school instead of walk. Which for me means instead of a 30 minute walk, I would only get a 10 minute bike ride. So when we arrived at school, instead of going straight home I decided to bike a bit further and get about 20 minutes in before heading home again. I actually bumped into someone I know who was biking the same direction, to her job, and we chatted for a few minutes as we cycled, which was fun. I ended up working up a sweat for a good half hour - which makes me feel I earned a nice cup of coffee (and some blog reading time) when I got home!

I still need to do today's yoga, which is a 30 minute practice focused on backbends - hmmm...sounds challenging! I am feeling a lot better today - must have been a 24 hour stomach bug or something - so I am going to give it a try. Update: the yoga workout was really good - a lot of shouder and back stretching focused on bow pose. I feel a lot more open through my shoulders, which is one of my weak spots. Awesome! Now I can get on with the rest of my day...

Under the weather

Feeling a bit flu-y and wierd in my tummy today - so instead of doing the yoga for today, which was core work (God, no!) I decided to repeat the easy breathing work from yesterday. Mmm, felt good...

It's gotten a bit colder but at least there is a little bit of sun peeking out from behind the clouds and it's not raining anymore...

Day 9: Morning Practice

Yesterday's yoga practice was a 45 minute Fun Flow (the same routine as last week on Monday) but when I was about 20 minutes into it my doorbell rang and it was my neighbor needing to talk, and then during the rest of the day, which got a little hectic, I never managed to finish it. Oh well, I did part of it!

Today was the same as last Tuesday, a 15 minute Morning Practice, which I just finished. This short little routine is easy and relaxing and part of it reminds me Tai Chi, the flowing movements linked with the breath. Like I said, it is easy and you don't even really have to change into exercise clothes for this one, just take your shoes off and try it!

Back to Sunday Morning Running!

The weather has been unseasonably warm the last few days so I was looking forward to running this morning. It did feel rather balmy out, which was nice! We simply did an easy 4 km down to the cemetary and back, which took us just 30 minutes. Not much but it's a start... We are planning to run the 10K race in Dendermonde at the beginning of March so it's time to get cracking.

This afternoon we have to go to my in-laws so when we get back I will do the Day 7: Evening Practice yoga routine for today. It's just 15 minutes and it looks pretty relaxing - anyone want to join me and try it out?

Yummy Vegetarian Chili Recipe with Sweet Potatoes, Aduki Beans and Lentils

I just adapted a chili recipe I recently found in Real Simple magazine - so I thought I'd share it. It has all the elements of a great recipe for me: super simple, very healthy and tastes wonderful! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes, Aduki Beans and Lentils

1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 can aduki beans (or kidney beans), drained and rinsed
2 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes and their juice
2 tsp chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 T molasses
2 cups water

Put all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a slow simmer on low heat. Cook gently for an hour, stirring occasionally. Check the seasonings and serve with a tablespoon of sour cream and some tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Looking forward to a good run tomorrow morning...

Yoga Day 6: Hip Openers

Just finished today's yoga sequence: Day 6: Hip Openers - this is a great one for runners! A very calm but thorough work out for the hips and legs and much less difficult than yesterday's workout (my legs were quite sore from that so this felt good today).

I have noticed this week one huge benefit from the past two years of doing more intense weightlifting: my arms are much stronger which enables me to hold poses like plank much better than I could in the past. I used to dread plank and even downward dog in yoga class because my arms were too weak and now it is no big deal!

Great yoga for legs!

Just finished the fifth yoga sequence on the Yoga Journal 21 Day Challenge and I am sweating! This was a very challenging class but awesome for legs - lots of strengthening and stretching all in pursuit of getting ready to do Hanumanasana, better known as the splits! Of course I can't do the full splits although it was fun to try (and notice how one side of my body is able to get a lot closer than the other side). This one would definitely be one I would do again as I think it is an excellent complement to running.

Yoga Day 4

I really enjoyed today's yoga challenge sequence, a half hour with all standing poses! This is where one of my "shortcomings" - short legs - is a plus: I can always reach the floor with my hands and I feel pretty stable in most of the poses. Bring on the reverse triangle pose! I have done other videos with the teacher of this segment, Jason Crandall, and I feel like he explains what you are supposed to be doing very clearly. It was one of the first segments where I wasn't craning my neck trying to see on my laptop screen what I was supposed to be doing.

After three full days on the Cinch detox, I moved into the regular program today. I lost three pounds of weight (probably a lot of it water due to cutting out starchy carbs for three days) and I feel lighter and calmer. Limiting food choices for a few days helps to kind of shut off that mode we get in during the holidays of thinking we need to have a taste of everything around us and the constant grazing; but at the same time, I personally wouldn't do it for much longer than a few days because then I tend to get a rebound effect of getting so tired of eating the same thing that I start having strong cravings for junky food. And that's not good! So three days was the magic number for me.

The regular program is very similar to how I eat on a normal day. The four meals consist of a whole grain carb, a protein, a fruit or two veg, and a plant-based fat, which is how I tend to put my meals together as well. You are also supposed to eat a small serving of dark chocolate each day - love that! The big change for me is the very well defined small portions. I normally eat three "normal" sized meals and two small snacks each day; this plan calls for four small meals, period. So my three main meals feel smaller and my afternoon snack, which is now a "meal", feels huge! I am curious to see how this feels for the next few days. I do think that when I return to the gym next week and start working out with weights and having longer runs, I might need to add a small post-workout snack. But for right now it's fine.

Gentle Week

Still having some trouble sleeping at night! I just did the Yoga Challenge Day 3, which was a 20 minute gentle core routine. My entire week has been gentle when it comes to exercise - besides daily yoga I have also been getting a 30 minute walk every day, but not yet back to running or weight training. The reason for this is, besides still being jet lagged, I am also following the five day detox from the Cinch diet, a new book by Cynthia Sass that came out just after Christmas. And after a couple of weeks of yummy dinners, lots of Christmas cookies and umpteem glasses of good wine, it feels good to be eating very soberly and being gentle on my digestive system as well! The only drawback is that the five day diet doesn't really offer enough fuel for my usual workout routine, but since I knew I would be tired from the trip anyway and wouldn't be starting right up with heavy workouts, I figured it was the perfect time to do it.

The nice thing about this plan for me is that it uses whole foods and offers tons of vegetarian and vegan options. In fact, the author recommends that omnivores eat a minimum of 5 vegetarian meals a week, and that vegetarians go for at least 5 vegan meals a week!

After the first five days which are restricted to just five foods (spinach, raspberries, dairy or soy yogurt, almonds, eggs or tofu), you can move on to a month long plan that includes all kinds of healthy, whole foods, plus a daily dose of dark chocolate. Yum!

The first two days on the detox have been surprisingly easy. I did substitute pears and clementines for the raspberries, as they are not available fresh here right now and I find frozen way too sour. I am just taking it day by day and I am planning to follow the month long eating plan after these first five days.

Yoga Day 2: gentle breathing

Today's yoga practice was a 15 minute gentle breathing practice - it was very relaxing and easy for anyone - including someone completely new to yoga. Maybe they should have started the week out with this easy routine? In any case I enjoyed it, feel energized, and am going to make some lunch!

New Year, New Yoga

I recently signed up for the 21 day yoga challenge from Yoga Journal magazine, which starts today. For the next three weeks, I will get an email with a video yoga class - for free! The first session, Day 1: Fun Flow, was really good! It was a vigorous and sometimes challenging class, and I actually got sweaty doing it! Hopefully this will inspire me to get back into regular practice, a long standing aspiration of mine. Doing yoga on a regular basis simply makes me feel better in my skin.

Still feeling sluggish and tired and not sleeping well at night from the jet lag, but hopefully getting back into our normal routine will smooth this out by the end of the week. And doing yoga doesn't hurt either!

Happy New Year!

We're back! Since I last posted, we spent a long weekend in San Antonio (enjoying the beautiful lights on the Riverwalk - see picture) ... visited the Texas State Capitol in Austin ... did lots of shopping and one more boot camp with Mom (still sore from that) ... and celebrated the arrival of 2011!

We were lucky again to have safe and smooth travel back home and are now doing laundry, getting readjusted to the time change and just hanging out...school, work and normal life begin again on Monday ... slowly but surely I will be catching up on all of your blogs and posting again on mine!


Wishing all of you a very happy year in 2011!

Last Race of 2010!

Mom, Christy, Stefaan, Florian and I headed over to downtown Fort Worth yesterday afternoon to participate in the New Year's Eve 5K run along the Trinity River. We were all excited because not only would it be our last race of the year, it was also my oldest son Florian's first race ever!
Luckily Grandma is a seasoned racer and could help him with his bib!




It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright, but there was a lot of wind and it was getting cold while we waited for the race to start at 4:30. I was so glad when we could finally start running and get warmed up. Florian and Stefaan pulled ahead of me pretty quickly. The race was an out and back on a trail along the river, so pretty quickly we got to see the leaders coming back.

There was no chip timing. Stefaan came in in 25:xx, Florian in 26:xx, I finished in 30:11 on my Garmin (which froze up on me this morning and I had to reset and lost all my data so I can't show you a map of the run).

Mom ended up coming in 38:38 and winning first place in her age group and Christy came in in 42 minutes. We were all glad we did it - it was a fun, small race, and they had great snacks afterwards (even packaged Lotus sugar waffles from Belgium - they must have known we were coming)!