Active Bodies and Active Minds

A Family That Runs Together Has Fun Together

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:46:38 -0400

Look for more of my blogs about fitness in Ellicott City in the Ellicott City Patch: http://ellicottcity.patch.com/

With schools about to let out, summer is right around the corner. While kids sit in class quivering with anticipation and dreaming of their pending freedom, parents dread the idea of children being home. All. The. Time. However, summer can act as a perfect opportunity for families to take advantage of the beautiful weather and participate in activities together. A great way for families to get involved in a little friendly competition is by racing in a local race here in the Ellicott City area. Participating in races is not only a great way to give back to the community and help raise money for a good cause, but racing gets the kids away from the TV and outside in a fun environment. Participants at races are always warm and welcoming so no one feels like a lost puppy at their first 5k. Added perks: a t-shirt upon registration and lots of food afterwards.

A great race in the Ellicott City area is none other than the Ellicott City 5k. Held on Saturday, July 30th, this race raises money and promotes awareness for diabetes. This event begins in Banneker Historical Park and is a wonderful race for new racers and children. The race winds through the gorgeous and certainly scenic Trolley #9 Trail and keeps well away from busy roads and traffic. The Ellicott City 5k is not only a perfect opportunity to get involved in the community, but an fun way to promote a healthy lifestyle and get the whole family outside and moving! The race is put together by a local philanthropic group called Adventures for the Cure. Check them out!

This next race is for girls only-sorry, no boys allowed! The Baltimore Women’s Classic is a wonderful race that raises money and awareness for gynecological cancers. Though this race is located Federal Hill and not in Ellicott City area, this race is a really unique race to do as a mother-daughter duo. As the second longest running women’s only race in the United States, this race has so much support from volunteers and locals that a girl can be nothing but inspired to run. Local news celebrity, Denise Koch, acts as the Master of Ceremony and sends people off on their 3.1 mile run through the scenic Federal Hill community. Held on June 26th in Rash Field, the BWC offers a great expo filled with vendors displaying state-of-the-art athletic merchandise and free goodies. There is even a fun run for the kids! As a past participant of this race, I can only say that I will be doing it again this year and have nothing but wonderful things to say about this venue.

With summer finally here and school about to let out, there is finally time within a family’s busy schedule to do things together. There are so many ways to get involved with the community as a family and what better way to do so than through an activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle! These are only two races amongst a sea of opportunities, but everyone needs a place to start! The Ellicott City 5k and The Baltimore Women’s Classic are great races for great causes and provide a welcoming atmosphere for anyone’s first 5k! Hope to see you there!

"Fear is probably the thing that limits performance more than anything - the fear of not doing well, of what people will say. You’ve got to acknowledge those fears, then release them." -Mark Allen

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 09:48:00 -0400

One week until go time. This time next week, I will be well underway in completing Eagleman 2011. I think I may throw up. This race has a way of getting to me every time. The specific reasons for my uneasiness are unclear. Maybe it’s because last year the run was 112 degrees on pavement with no shade. Maybe it’s because in this same race last year I was hit by a car. Maybe it’s because this race is a Kona qualifier and this is my last year in an age group with a low number or registrants. Anyway you look at it, all of these reasons of queasiness can be boiled down to one word: fear.

But what could I possibly be so afraid of? No matter what happens, life will go on. It’s so funny because I have done this distance three times already and I have logged the countless training hours, and yet here I am fretting over the idea of failure. As the rapper, Mase, once so eloquently stated: “Breathe. Stretch. Shake. Let it go.” Words to live by, indeed.

"You Can Sleep When You're Dead."

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:09:06 -0400

“You can sleep when you’re dead,” that’s what my grandfather used to say. I understand what he meant by that saying. Life is too short to spend in bed snoozing, when you can be outside experiencing life instead. However, it is so much easier to press the snooze button and roll over to catch a few more moments of shut eye than it is to actually drag your butt out of bed and get moving.

I have always considered myself a morning person. Early to bed and early to rise, I have been known to be up before others and out and about. However, lately I have found myself to be more lazy than I’d like to be. Never before has, “you can sleep when your dead” made me feel bitter. Recently, I have snagged my first ‘big girl’ job- a full time, over forty hours a week gig. This means I have to attempt to get all my triathlon training in before 6am. And waking up well before the sun.

I wake up in a fog with my grandfather’s words singing in my ears. “You can sleep when your dead.” Well, Pop, I can also sleep now. Day two of this laziness and I have already begun to hate what I have become. But how on EARTH do I muster a 3am wake up call and make it through the day!?

After some minimal brainstorming, I realized all it really takes is a little bit of commitment and preparation. All of which I possess, I just need to take charge. I feel like it is just like everything else in an individual’s life: if it is important to someone, that person will make it happen. If it means setting out an outfit, packing a lunch the night before and going to bed at 9pm (much like I did in the third grade), then so be it. What it boils down to is: I have committed myself to a certain expectation. I have goals. And I like to win. Signing up for say a triathlon or a running race of any kind (long or short) isn’t enough for me. I am not going to invest the time in doing it if I can’t do it the best that I can. I have Eagleman in June and I am going to be the best damn triathlete in my age group! And if I’m not, I know I did everything in my power to try to be that person. By skipping a work out to sleep in, well…that just leaves the question of “what if…” in the back of my mind and that is NOT ok.

I can sleep when I’m dead. Until then, I am going to live my life with no questions left unanswered. Even if that means my habit of consuming insane amounts of caffeine continues. Or increases.

So here it is, almost six months later: a blog update! I guess...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:04:00 -0500

So here it is, almost six months later: a blog update! I guess you can say that life just got in the way, but that just sounds like a lame excuse and a cliché at best. Much thought has gone into what words I would spew next to probably the one person who reads this (Chelsea! Hay girl!) At first, I thought about writing about the super bowl, but quickly discarded that idea upon realizing how blatantly obvious and redundant that would be. My mind has jumped from one idea to another since then, when I finally settled on an experience that seemingly has changed my life: Bikram Yoga.

But first, some background information: I have begun training for my third half-Ironman triathlon to be raced in June. Since I am basically unemployed at the moment (or as I like to think of it: vacation), I have had no problem fitting in the training. However, much time is consumed with these hours and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tired. So when a friend mentioned a Groupon for Baltimore Bikram Yoga, I was hesitant. I gave in with a little thinking, but was pretty sure I wouldn’t really use it.

Fast forward to the day of my first session. I had already scheduled and canceled a class about four times at this point. I was so nervous to go! I sucked it up, pulled out my yoga mat and headed to Fells Point where I would be meeting my Groupon Bikram friends! I was anything but enthusiastic. I was so sore already and my shins seem to have shin splints that wouldn’t quit. With my stomach empty and my water bottle full, I began my first class.

Bikram Yoga, or “hot yoga” is a ninety minute class that incorporates 26 positions in a 105 degree room. The benefits are endless with this type of class. Yoga in general is said to lower your blood pressure and heart rate as well as increase strength and flexibility. With the high heat added to the exercise, Bikram yoga is said to flush the lymphatic system, remove toxins and rejuvenate the cells by become exposed to fresh, oxygenated blood.

Sounds great, right? But what the research wont tell you is how it actually feels to be stuffed in a insanely crowded room filled with sweaty people. You sweat..a lot. You feel dizzy. You feel nauseous. Your clothes are literally stuck to you. I, along with my fellow yogis, came out of the room after class looking like we were all caught in a flash flood. To say that my towel was fifteen pounds heavier due to sweat is not exaggerating in the least. But I will say this: It was the best ninety minutes of my life. I felt amazing afterwards. My mind was clear, my body felt regulated and I was no longer sore from all my previous exercise! I have always struggled with shin splints and they never seem to go away, but at the end of the session my shin splints were gone! It was amazing! And for all you calorie counters out there, one session of “hot yoga” burns a measly 1200 calories.

Since my first session, I have returned a few times and I am very excited to continue using Bikram yoga as a way to soothe my body and mind. It helps an girl find her center and heal, thats for certain. I promise to try to post more often and definitely sooner than six months from now. Until then: Namaste.

With Labor Day officially over, we all look back and reminisce...

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:19:00 -0400

Home Sweet Home

My father would always rather be fishing

My favorite vacation spot (and my dog)

With Labor Day officially over, we all look back and reminisce about the weeks we spent in the sun and not worrying about school projects all being due in the same week. Though I am sure many people are like me and worked the majority of the summer, it is well known that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. So as the sun rises on this particular Tuesday (post Labor Day weekend and no longer at the beach) that I allow my mind to wander to one particular summer memory that I would have to say is my favorite. A “what I did on my summer vacation” of sorts. Cliché I know.

My dad and I set out on a random fishing trip, but this one was special. This trip was just my dad and myself…no one else. No brothers, no mother, no one. It took my dad 23 years to realize that I like to get my hands dirty. But I digress. We set out, the two of us, in the family boat randomly named Jimmy Jean with a cooler full of snacks and our fingers crossed. Since moving to the shore six years ago, my dad’s ability to read the tides has improved, so as soon as he found “the lucky spot” it didn’t take long for him to start pulling in the fish. I, however, sat there munching on almonds and staring at my fishing line sitting in the water.

My dad caught eight fish in the time we spent out there. I caught two mussel shells, two crabs, the side of the boat and my dad’s fishing pole. I did eventually catch one fish, but all I can say is thank goodness I do not have to rely on living off the land for survival.

My point is that I finally had the chance to sit down and enjoy one on one time with my father-an event that becomes a rarer occasion the older I seem to be. Spending time with my dad was the best vacation I can recall in years. I love my dad. I cherish these moments and know that I will not always have these opportunities that are already few and far in between. As adulthood is becoming a permanent setting in my life, I no longer have the ability to live carefree summers or always be at home with my family. Oh, the pains of growing up.

My favorite part of summer wasn’t the beach, wasn’t the time spent with friends, but rather a quiet summer evening spent with my dad on a boat in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. We didn’t talk very much, but I learned a lot and I enjoyed every second.

Cloudy Days Do Not Call For Gloom

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:12:00 -0400

Running the rain is one of my favorite things to do, but ironically one of the hardest activities for me to actually begin. Waking up to the sound of rain drops on the window pane makes a girl just want to curl up and go back to sleep. The last thing I want to do is drag myself out of said warm and cozy bed and throw myself into the world of slick roads and wet grass. Motivation goes down the drain.

When I finally get on the roads, the story quickly changes from glum to glad and the spring in my step returns. The rain falls and drips down my nose and no one can tell if I’m sweating or just out in the rain too long. People instinctively stay indoors on rainy days, so the world is mine! (Or at least just the street I am running on in this suburb of Baltimore). One of my favorite places to run on rainy days is Potapsco State Park. While I highly suggest this venue for running any day, beautiful weather brings high volume of cyclists, runners, walkers, families, and tourists. Rainy days in Potapsco makes nature yours. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like a modern day Pocahontas when I run through the park in the rain. Lots of deer, foxes and birds just running and splashing in puddles.

Running in rain makes my heart flutter and my mind feel free, unlike the average humid summer run where the runner is gasping for air. I cannot stress enough how invigorating running in rain is. It may be difficult to get out there, but once your out there is no looking back.

Side note: Don’t take life so seriously. Take advantage of the rain and channel your inner child! Splash in every puddle you come across. Don’t worry about mud, it all washes out. You are getting dirty anyway, so embrace it!