Runfessions for April

Oh, blogging, how I've missed you this week! And then Marcia hosts Runfessions? Too delicious to pass up, I'm throwing together a quick post because I have a few things to share from our trip. The Big Sur Marathon race recap? I'll be posting that on Sunday, but today's post is all about the shenanigans behind our trip to California. Because our trip was almost perfect. Almost.

Let the 'fessing begin...

I runfess...even though the race exceeded my expectations, the Big Sur Marathon expo was a little underwhelming. But there were a few oddities I thought I should mention. For example, as I was walking through the tent, a guy in a lab coat came at me with a rack of porcelain teeth, promising me he'd whiten my teeth in no time. Well dude, my front four teeth are capped. Oh, he'd remove any stains? Seriously? Who let this guy into a race expo? Then another guy came at me with a TENS unit, electrodes at the ready. These had to be the weirdest things I've ever experienced at a race expo. I met up with my husband, who offered to pay for my purchases, and we continued on with our "not a second honeymoon".

I runfess that after the Big Sur Marathon, my feet were hurting really badly. Even though I was basking in my post-race glow, I was struggling to follow my husband to the car. To his credit, he offered to pick me up, but nooooo, I had to be the hero. I mean, I ran 26.2, right? We crossed the street and passed an elderly woman walking with a cane. I commented that I could use her cane. "Bless your heart, honey", she said. And I felt really foolish because, yes, I just ran 26.2 miles. #runnerproblems

I'm sitting and yes, that beer helped dull the pain...

Yosemite was magnificent. Have you ever been there? My husband totally indulged my need for yoga poses. He even came up with ideas for spots I could do them. Really? Who is he? But it's too bad we had to share the park with other people. When we were snapping pictures of Tunnel View, there was a large group of tourists. Two guys were getting their picture taken. I attempted to snap a photo, and they asked me to move over. "How much room do you need?', I runfess that I asked them. They scooted away. Ooops.

Tunnel View. El Capitan, Glacier Point, and Bridalveil Falls all in one shot. 

While in San Francisco, we stayed in the most amazing little boutique hotel. Wine and cheese at 5. Breakfast in the morning. Fireplace in our room. Super comfy bed. Except I runfess I woke up in the middle of the night very itchy. In the morning, I inspected the damage. Only 5 bites, but very red and swollen, and all on the left side of my body. Bedbugs? Spider bites? I don't know what, but something got me. My husband got away untouched. Figures.

We got to the San Francisco Airport for our trip home. Our flight was delayed. And then it was cancelled. The pilot told us that the co-pilot's seat was broken and they couldn't find another plane. Have you ever heard this one? We made a beeline to customer service only to have to wait in line for about 2 hours. Rebooked to Denver with a connection to Chicago, we flew to the gate. We waited to be called. And saw the plane pull away from the jetway. Stunned, we approached the desk and were told to wait for our name to be called. When we were finally called to the podium, the customer service rep immediately copped an attitude. I runfess I may have used air quotes when I talked about the co-pilot's broken seat. And I got the hands on the hips and "ma'am"ed back attitude from the customer service asshole rep. Yep. Bottom line, we went to another customer service agent. Got travel vouchers, a flight home in the morning, and hotel and food vouchers for the night.

Oh those "air quotes"....

Got any runfessions? Any travel stories? Do you let this stuff just roll off your back? We did. We laughed about it, except the last one. 

I'm linking this post with Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice for Runfessions. It's just the best link up ever. Now I'm going to bed. It's been a long 2 days of trying to get home!

Runfessions: March Edition

I'm spilling it. Opening up my soul. Got some big runfessions this month. Please don't judge. It's all good...

Let's start with the biggest runfession ever. Well, besides that last post about my affair. Deep breath. I runfess that I've been totally downplaying my injuries here on the blog. Trying to stay positive is my mojo. But with Big Sur breathing down my neck, I'm kind of running out of time here, and I'm feeling a little panicked. I don't need sympathy. I don't need advice. With my coach, my doctor, and my expert friends, I'm in good hands. What I do need is good vibes. Just get me to that start line, ok, maybe I'm being greedy here, but get me to the finish line of Big Sur. Let me walk away without a limp. And then let me enjoy my week with my husband.

Along these lines, I've modified my training plan significantly. I went for a test run on Tuesday, and while the run was mostly pain-free, as the day went on, my foot started to hurt and the hip was "there". Not painful but "there". You know that sensation. What this tells me is that there will continue to be lots of cross training and not a whole lot of running. I'll have time on the road because that is important. But I came to the realization that morning that a long run is not going to happen in this training cycle. And there's the truth: I runfess that no long run doesn't make me sad. At all. If this race was about a finish time, I'd be more worried. But this isn't my first rodeo, and I think know I can do this. Even with minimal running. Thank you to everyone who chimed in about this. I won't be the first to complete a marathon without much running.

Earlier this week I shared with you that I cried in front of my coach. I'm just glad she didn't make me do burpees. What I want to runfess today that I may have had a temper tantrum later that day. After I drowned my iPhone, I spun my wheels trying to get a new one. Since I wasn't due for an upgrade, I learned I would have to pay full price for a new one. I found that hard to swallow. The Apple Store wouldn't give me an exchange since my phone had water damage. After waiting 20 minutes in line behind a guy who was arguing over a $4 charge on his bill, the Sprint store I told me they only had 2 phones left, a 128GB 6S plus or a 64GB 6S. I may have uttered the f-word as I walked out of the store. Maybe I pounded my fists on my thighs as I f-worded my way back to my car. I might have hit my head on the steering wheel a few times. When I look back on it, I'm a little really embarrassed. Let's just chalk it all up to a really bad week filled with injuries, frustrations, and stupidity on my part. I've finally got a phone. I'm back on track. Life is good.

Maybe I need to change more than my training plan. All these bloggers are posting about healthy eating. Nicole's got all these yummy Paleo creations, Deborah's making vegetarian treats, and Julie posts gluten-free goodness. Meanwhile, I runfess that I'm over here eating pizza every Friday night, drinking wine with dinner, and eating chocolate all the time. No lie. But I've been trialing GreenBlender smoothies this week (next week I'll have a full review), and they've been delicious and healthy. I really need to turn it around. Some good incentive right there.

Finally, when I was in Florida with my parents, I runfess that I felt like a little kid. My mom and dad wouldn't let me drive myself to my race because they were worried about me driving by myself. To that hotbed of crime, Sarasota. Heck, I drive to Chicago all the time, and we all know what's going on there! At one point during my trip, I was sitting in the backseat of their car, listening to them bicker. The easy listening music was playing. I started texting my sister:

Some things never change...

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Another month, another round of runfessions! You still love me don't you? What do you have to share? You can link up with Marcia or just head over there to read more runfessions! This is the most fun link up around!

I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta aka Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for the Friday Five!

Runfessions for February

Ahhh.....it's my favorite time of the month. Yep, it's time for Runfessions! I love being able to clear my soul, my conscience and get ready to start the next month with a clean slate. I'm feeling a little bit snarky this month, so you'll have to hang on tight for this one. Chalk it up to winter...

I didn't share this on the blog, but I signed up for the New York City Marathon (NYCM) lottery. Actually, I didn't even tell my husband. Since he just booked our tickets to California, I didn't think it would be a good idea to mention another trip, especially one for a race. I also was a little reluctant because this year it cost $11 to sign up for the lottery. I also had second thoughts about doing another marathon this year. So many doubts, and I just ignored that little voice inside me that told me to stop. After I submitted my payment, I started to sweat a little bit. This week I received an email that my credit card information didn't go through and I needed to reenter it. Do you believe in signs? I runfess that I felt a sense of relief when I got that email. The chances of me getting into NYCM were pretty slim, sure, but still, what if? I mean, I'd go if I got in, but still... Let's give these poor feet a break. Maybe I'll stick to my original plan of some more halfs this year. There's always next year, right?

You all know that this winter I've been loving riding my bike on the trainer using YouTube cycling videos, But I runfess that I don't like the accompanying music. Most of the videos use EDM. I just don't like it. My son and I tried to stream my playlist from Spotify, but with Apple TV, you can't stream Spotify and YouTube at the same time. So I'm stuck with whatever the videographer is serving up. One of the videos has EDM remakes of pop songs, like Avicii's Wake Me Up and Rihanna's Shut Up and Drive. There was also an EDM rendition of What Does the Fox Say, and I swear that if my bike wasn't locked into the trainer, I would have ridden out of the room to get away from that song. I kept telling myself, just keep pedalling, just keep pedalling. It's only 3 minutes right? Three minutes of torture is what it was! That wasn't a good song in the original format, and the EDM version was just that much worse. Ring-ding-ding-dingeringading.

I runfess that sometimes my runs aren't about miles and splits. Sometimes I like to just run. Most people call them junk miles, but my friend Susie just wrote a really nice post on "easy miles". Thank you for that! What is it about those "easy junk" miles that makes them so pleasurable? Besides losing myself in the music? Besides all the junk I see along the side of the road?  See what I did there? Most of the time I see empty liquor bottles and used condoms. I pretty much know the story behind those objects. But sometimes I see stuff that makes me go hmmmm. Like this wooden thing--is it artwork? An art project? Not quite sure. And who would throw it out? I mean, someone spent a lot of time crafting this thing, whatever it is. When I ran by on Sunday, I kicked myself for not stopping to take a picture. I drove by on Monday and it was still there. Even the scrappers didn't want it. Hard to believe.

It's geometric, symmetric and diametric. 

I runfess that I'm still feeling a little bitter disappointed about being passed over for the RockNBlogger selection. While I'm happy for all the winners, well deserved all, I don't understand the selection process. Of course, they did pick Suzy Favor Hamilton to represent them while she was working as an escort in Vegas. Sigh. With that comment, I've probably killed any chance of ever being picked. I really wanted to do a few RnR races as part of my "year of destination races". I mean come on! And there's no chance of me turning tricks on the side. Trust me on that one. On the bright side, I'm not locked into any of their races, and I can run whatever I choose. That's a win. And I won't have to do the Chicago race in the steambath that is July in Chicago. Another win! Maybe Marcia and I can do a Thelma and Louise thing--RnR St Louis, anyone?

Road trip! Looks like we've got an outlaw in the backseat...

I runfess that my luck with the police has finally come to an end. On Saturday, I was driving to work. I was also on the phone with the office, discussing a patient. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the cherries flashing. Crap! Unfortunately, this officer couldn't care less that I was a nurse practitioner on my way to care for sick children or that I was talking with the office about sick children. He only cared about giving me a ticket. And yes, while I was breaking the law by talking on the phone, come on man! Cut a fellow service professional some slack, will ya? And go fight some real crime. Of course, I was right across the street from Dunkin Donuts when he got me. Just sayin'. I was so angry I cried when I drove away. I may even have uttered the mother of all swears. A few times. In my car, where no one could hear me. Humbled, I signed up for traffic school today.

Anything you want to Runfess? Any ideas what the wooden thing is? EDM--love it or hate it? 

I'm linking up with the Runfessions hostess, Marcia, at Marcia's Healthy Slice. Go over to her page and spill the beans!

I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia for their Friday Five. It just happens to be a Free Friday, so hey, here we go!

Runfessions for January

It's time once again for that monthly confessional, hosted by my friend Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice. You know you want to bare all...now is your chance to share. Come on in, the water's fine...

What you see isn't always what you get....
So you all know that I'm participating in SweatPink's #flexandflow yoga challenge. Every day, the ladies at SP post the pose of the day and participants not only strike a pose, but they also have to present it creatively. I've had a blast channelling my creative side here. Yep, nurse practitioner by day, creative yogi by night. But I have to runfess is that sometimes there are many takes before I get "the shot". When I use the timer on my phone, I have only 10 seconds to set up the pose. It doesn't always fall into place in time. The camera catches it all!

Like this:

This is what you saw. Headstand. With a beautiful sunrise.

And this:

Oops!
What you didn't see. Actually, no one saw it hopefully. I was alone in the park. Whew.
And ouch. This one made my sons laugh out loud.

But it was on sale....

I must runfess that since the holidays I have been buying ALL THE THINGS. Last week, I was meeting my friend Sara for lunch and...oh, how interesting...Athleta is right next to the restaurant we chose. They just happened to have 20% off all the sale items. And I just happened to have a coupon. The prices were irresistible and I couldn't help myself. I'd call it therapy, except that I also bought a few things from REI earlier in the week. 

A blogger in real life...

I have to runfess that it's always a little awkward when a random stranger tells me they read my blog. This time, it happened last week, while I was in line at Whole Foods. The woman in front of me was talking to the cashier about a half marathon she was supposed to run in Florida that was cancelled due to storms. Of course, anytime I hear someone talking about running, my ears perk up. My Mrs Kravitz powers kicked in and I eavesdropped. When she turned to me and told me she reads my blog, I was, of course, thrilled because yay, someone reads my blog, and simultaneously embarrassed because oh no, someone reads my blog! We chatted and it turns out she lives very close to me. I told her to drop me a line so we can meet up for a run. Hi, Alicia! Thank you!

#Branding...

I runfess that I've been giving the brand ambassador thing a lot of thought. One of the brands that I worked with in the past upped the ante for their ambassadors this year. They developed a kit that ambassadors were required to purchase, which included compression socks and a shirt. The new requirements were for ambassadors to wear the shirt and socks for races and training photos. I'm always honored to be chosen as a brand ambassador, and I understand that we have to represent the brand in exchange for discounts on products and other perks. I'm happy to promote the products and share product reviews and discounts on social media. But the requirement to purchase the kit and wear it to every race bothered me. A lot. Shouldn't they be providing the kit? Sadly, I've parted ways with that company. 

News you can use....

I runfess that on my nightstand, I have a stack of Runner's World and Running Times from July to present. Between my niece's Girl Scout magazine sale and my CARA membership, I think I'm subscribed through 2017. I need to get through the pile before the next issue comes. Yesterday, I read the December issue of Runner's World and besides the usual array of running articles, I learned a few new things:

-Did you know that smoking marijuana is a "thing" for many long distance runners? Apparently the natural endocannabinoids aren't enough for that runner's high...nope, these runners toke up on the run. For nausea control and that chill vibe, apparently. That might be the only way you'd see me running an ultra distance. But if you want to try pot running with a shorter distance, the 420 Games might be for you. It's a 4.2 mile run. Brownies at the finish.

-The best shoe for you? Is the one that fits. A large retrospective study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the best running shoe for a runner is the one that is the most comfortable. And there you go. Advice you can take to the road. Oh, and maximalist shoes are a "thing" now. And "bounce" shoes. 

-Finally, I learned that RBF (resting bitch face) is also a thing in running (RBF) as well. Explains why often I don't get runners waving back at me. Apparently, this is how I look most often: 

I'm not having a bad run. It's just my RBF.

What do you have to runfess? Any brand ambassadors that are required to sport logo gear for races? Ever been recognized by a random stranger who knows you from social media? Any great buys from holiday sales you want to share? Running bitch face anyone? 

Besides linking up with Marcia, I'm also linking this post with the DC Trifecta for Friday Five. Head over to Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia's blogs to see what everyone is sharing today.

Runfessions for April

It's already that time of the month! Yep, time for Marcia's monthly Runfessions. Feels like I just did one of these, but that was so 5 weeks ago. I have much to confess...it was hard to narrow it down to just 5. But since I want to link up with the Friday 5, even though this isn't their topic for the week, I tried my best. Somehow I had my own theme going with this one. Don't ask. The mind does some strange things when freed from all this guilt weighing it down...

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King of the asanas: Last week, this yogi did something I never do. I'm usually all about being on your own journey, namaste, and MYOB. But a video posted by a page admin of himself going into headstand with the comment that he's adding yoga into his training regimen struck a nerve. I posted a nice (I thought) comment something along the lines of : dude, you don't start mountain climbing by scaling Mt Everest! And getting up into a headstand isn't yoga. IMHO, his post was irresponsible at worst and misinformed at best. I tried to make it nice, but clearly, he didn't appreciate my advice. He deleted my comment. And I deleted him. Out of sight, out of mind. What's wrong with downward facing dog anyways? Really, it offers so many more benefits for the runner than headstand. But what do I know?

From Saving Sarah Marshall. Pardon the swear...

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King of the road: I've started running with my hands loose and middle finger at the ready. Between cars who run me off the road and other runners who don't return my greeting--you can't even nod?, and walkers who hog the path, it's nice to have this passive-aggressive weapon handy. Letting my business finger fly. Discreetly. Makes me feel better. Really, only I know that I'm doing it. Not like this woman.

I hope she feels better...

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King of the castle:  I'm really not cut out for this parenting teenagers thing. As I write this, my son is standing in the kitchen, waiting for me to get up so he can sit down and eat. God forbid that he'd have to sit next to me. Yesterday I asked him what time he was starting work, and he gave me some smartass answer. He may have failed Spanish, but he has become quite fluent in assholian. I've had just about all I can take. I get to go to work after this, and I'm trying not to cry. Will not cry. Maybe I need to use my passive-aggressive technique with him (see above). I did throw his breakfast in the garbage, so there's that.

Pretty much sure my son feels this way.

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King of hearts: I'm secretly crushing on a guy who works at one of the grocery stores that I frequent. It's been a few years, and my feelings haven't faded. He's cute and oh so personable. Every time I talk with him, he makes me feel like I'm 20 years old again. When he waits on another customer, I get a little jealous. I think he might be 29. I'm married. I could be his mother. It would never work. Oh well. I might be old but I'm not dead...And I'm not going to tell you where or what store because he's mine. Hands off.

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King of pain: I've maybe mentioned that I love to sing while I run...but maybe I haven't talked about it in detail. I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything...I don't always sing...but when I do, I'm having a pretty awesome run. I get odd looks from passersby...especially those that can hear me. You know instead of thinking I'm nuts, why don't they ask themselves why they're not out running? Because running is fun. If I'm singing, you can chalk it up to me feeling really good.

Don't believe me, just watch! And try not sing, or at least dance to this one...

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Do you sing while you run? Dance? Have any secret gestures you throw out there? Any crushes? Come on, you know you've got some things to share...

Here's the link to Marcia's Runfessions. If you haven't checked out her blog before, I suggest you head on over! Marcia's one of the first bloggers I followed.

And the link to the DC trifecta, Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia. Today's theme is top blogs I follow. I couldn't narrow it down to just 5, so I'm glad I've got my own thing happening...but head over and see what people are saying. Maybe we'll all find a few new blogs that we didn't know about!

Runfessions for March

Marcia is hosting Runfessions a week early. Does this mean we have a Get Out of Jail Free card for spring break? I get to leave for Florida with a clean conscience. And that's a good thing.

I was worried that I wouldn't have anything to come up with for this month's edition, but of course, I have plenty....I live on the edge. Thank goodness she hosts this link up or else I'd have to go see the priest. Welcome to the Classic Rock version of Runfessions--see if you can guess the song and the artist. Tell me you aren't singing along. And give me a penance--for my wrongs or for putting these songs in your head. It's ok.

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Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? 

Oh my gosh, I was so excited after Saturday's half marathon! I'm getting a little obnoxious about it, aren't I? That's because it's done and now it's back to reality, and everyone expects me to act normal, like nothing huge happened to me. I know it's selfish and unrealistic, but is it wrong to want everyone to be as excited as me? Or at least, can't I just ride the wave of happiness a little while longer? Does this happen to you after you've accomplished something big? After I ran the Chicago marathon and had that amazing race, I had to go back to work the next morning. Everyone at work was so excited and I was flying high, telling my race story. Then BOOM! I walked into my first patients' room--3 sick kids with colds, and the mom put me back in my place. "I heard you talking about your marathon out there, and I'm sure you're really excited but you know what, I'm here because my kids are sick and you need to do something about it." She put that pin right in my big ole' balloon. Popped that thing. Coming back to reality isn't always easy.

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It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

Ok, I have to admit to a hint of regret. Even though I had a great race, and even though I know I wouldn't have had this race in the heat and humidity of Florida, I still felt a tug and a twinge when I saw pictures of the Sarasota half marathon and the medal. That beautiful big dolphin medal. I don't normally run a race for the bling but Sarasota was a dream race for me, one I've wanted to run for the last 3 years. My husband, who I think feels really badly for me, already told me to submit my deferral so that I can go next year. He said I'm going, no matter what. So that's something. Actually, that's huge and somewhat shocking, coming from him. He's always been a little ambivalent about my running. I'm still a little sad though. But at least I have next year...

Ok, sure!

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Why don't you all just f-fade away...

I still want to run away. Is it wrong to admit that I've had it up to here with my son? Yes, my son, who, after returning to school last week, promptly got sick and stayed home 2 days. Ok, that's fine, can't be helped. But then Monday, he announced that he wasn't going to school because they were taking the PARC test. "It's not required and I'm not going", was his response. Ever the enabler, I called him off because I don't want him to have an unexcused absence after missing so much school already. Meanwhile, the heavy metal was blaring from his room all day, every day. Who listens to heavy metal when they're sick? My son, apparently. Hey, mister, it's my day off. I made him turn it off. I'm so mean. When I signed up for this parenting thing, no one told me about teenagers...I mean I was a teenager once, but who knew I'd get it back like this? Tree, meet apple...

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No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....

I'm in the midst of a two week vacation from work. I was supposed to be in Florida for two weeks, but obviously had to change those plans. By the way, we are still going to Florida for a week with the whole family. But work knew about my change in plans and that I was going to be home this week, and they were hoping I'd give them some hours, since they're short staffed--spring break and all. I said no. I really needed this time away, after pushing through all my personal stress the last couple of weeks. And when do you ever get 2 weeks off work?

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Just call me Lucifer, 'cause I'm in need of some restraint...

I photobombed someone's pictures at the race on Saturday. Sara and I were just standing there by the heater before the race, trying to stay warm. A group of women in plaid kilts, standing behind us, were posing for pictures. I got behind them and smiled. The guy taking the picture totally knew I was there and was trying not to laugh. He took a couple of shots. Sara couldn't believe it. Sometimes that devil on my shoulder tells me what to do and I listen. Even though its wrong. Just because I can. Sigh.

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Got anything to confess? Come on, you know you do. You'll feel better, I promise! And be sure to head over to Marcia's Healthy Slice to see what everyone else is confessing. You know, misery loves company!

And since I have 5 things, I'm going to link up with the DC Trifecta aka EatPrayRun, You Signed up for What?, and Mar on the Run for their Friday Five!

Runfessions February edition

It's the end of February and that means it's time for Runfessions! Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice hosts this monthly soul clearing...and let me tell you how good it feels!

Let's step into the confessional...allow me to unburden myself...unbury myself...after all, this is the polar vortex edition of Runfessions...

There's no problem too big you can't run away from....

I've wanted to run away more the past few weeks than I ever did as a child. There, I've said it. I've made no secret of the mama drama meter going into the red zone on a daily basis these past few weeks. I've cried more than I ever thought possible. Not being much of a crier normally, that alone makes me want to run away. Every morning, I wake up all puffy. When I go for a run, I've tried to keep running but I can't go forever. I'd like to keep going, but it's just too cold. This winter weather has been brutal and there seems to be no relief in sight. That also makes me want to run away. Living in the midwest is not for the faint of heart.

I'm channeling Jeff Foxworthy here: 

-You might live in Chicago when it is warmer at the North Pole than it is where you live.

-You might live in Chicago when you have more snow than they do in Anchorage. 

-You might live in Chicago when 20 degrees feels balmy. 

All true stories. 

Some math: Teenage angst + mother nature's revenge + perimenopause = I need an escape plan. Leaving on a jet plane for Florida in a couple of weeks. Don't know when I'll be back again...

Git 'er done...tomorrow

Got weeds?

And along these lines, something you all may find this hard to believe, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator. But winter seems to have frozen all my resolve to get much done. I've put all my energy into work, my runs, and my sons. Anything else is on the backburner. For example, bills that aren't on autopay have been sitting in a pile on my desk. I started getting collection notices, which served as a cattle prod for me, and so I paid those. My husband has been complaining about the state of my desk. I need to get up there and go through everything, organize the piles of papers that are taking over, much like weeds in a garden. I actually believe that bills multiply just like weeds. Of course, anyone who's seen my garden knows that I don't weed either. Maybe I can't blame winter for this one...

Rebel without a pose...

I've never been much of a rule follower. Well, let me clarify. I don't follow rules that don't make sense to me. I'm kind of a rebel like that. Remember last fall, when I went to do my long run for the Chicago Marathon and the bike path was closed? Yeah, right, it was "closed"...And in that spirit, I have to confess that when I'm doing a yoga video, I don't always do the poses the instructor tells us to. Sometimes it's a pose that I can't do, like Broken Toe pose. Yep, you sit on your feet with your toes curled under...ouch...

yinyoga.com

I've already had 2 broken toes, and I don't want more. Not that this pose will actually break your toes--I'm sure people with healthy feet find a lot of benefits in this pose. But I have issues with my feet and I'll do anything to avoid more time in the boot. So I'll do an alternative pose, like hero pose (kneeling) while the folks on the video are sitting on their toes. They're suffering stretching out their feet and I'm relaxing, opening up my hips. Ahhhh....

I actually really like this pose. 

Sometimes I don't feel like doing Revolved Triangle because my body doesn't like that pose and it makes me feel inflexible and inferior. Bad yogi. So instead, I'll do regular triangle. I don't know why, but changing it up makes me feel somewhat guilty. It's not like Christine Felstead or Rodney Yee are going to call me out on it.... from the TV screen no less:

"Hey Wendy, namaste and all but we're doing revolved trikonasana over here....what the hell are you doing? "

I wouldn't do this at a studio class. One time I was at a live yoga class and a woman in the front did her own thing the whole time. It was so distracting! And weird. I mean, if you don't want to be lead by the instructor, why show up? To me, that was so wrong, disrespectful, and inconsiderate. I'm sure the instructor wanted to say something, but it is yoga after all. Be where you're at. Ommmmm.....

Sign language...

This week on a particularly brutally cold run, I had a thought about my convertible mittens. You know the ones, that are gloves with a hood you can pull over to make a mitten? Let's just say I was out on a run and I saw one of the neighborhood ladies who snubbed me at a recent white elephant party. I could wave politely, right?

"Heeeyyyyy...good morning! Have a nice day!"

And all the while smiling and waving, if I were to happen to raise the business finger under the cover of my convertible mittens...who would know? Just me, right? I love things that are multi-purpose--here we have hand warmers and passive aggressive all in one handy dandy innocent looking mitten. It's all good. I think I just found a silver lining to living in a cold place. And come to think of it, there's that whole face mask thing...just think of the possibilities!

Too bad, you warm climate folks will miss out on this one.

And just so you know, I only thought about doing this. So tempting, but I kept all my fingers together. It was just too darned cold...

Or you could give someone the peace sign. Privately, under the hood...

Such bad thoughts. Time for my penance. Not sure what that might be. I do have to work today...I think that sounds like punishment enough.

What do you want to confess? 

And be sure to head over to Marcia's page and see what everyone else is sharing...

I'm also linking this with Jill Conyers' Friday Fitness link up! Because sharing is caring....