Dear Running

Dear Running Shoes,

We need to talk. I know, that's kind of an ominous statement, but you can't tell me you didn't see this coming. I mean our relationship has been rocky for a while now - all summer long to be exact. Every time we hang out you leave me disappointed, and more importantly, on the verge of heat stroke.

(Photo, courtesy Noah Shealy)

So I guess it is time for me to come clean and confess to you that I have been unfaithful. I have been cheating on you for a couple months now. But its gotten worse lately and I can't live a lie anymore. So here is the truth.... I want to see other people. But we can still be friends. Right?

Ha, as if I could ever truely break up with running. I imagine running and I will always be in each other's  lives (you know kind of like those girls who have that one dysfunctional relationship that they just can't seem to leave in the past). I have been a runner for 5 years now and I can't ever see myself giving it up completely, but I have been exploring some other ways of exercising lately and it has been fabulous! The heat this summer really was what made me take a little break from running. Even if I woke up at 6am to fit in a run it was still 100 degrees with 95% humidity and I just felt awful afterwards. Before I knew it, I just stopped having the urge to run.

Here's what I have been doing.

#1: Barre Fitness on Wednesday nights. I am obsessed with this class. It is one hour long and filled with all sorts great stuff. We do use the ballet barre but it is not a ballet class. Just overall strength training using your own body weight as resistance. I have seen big results just going to this class once a week.

#2: Bikrim Yoga. They just opened a Bikrim studio downtown so I went and checked it out with a friend of mine. For those of you who don't know, Bikrim is "hot yoga" (the studio is kept at 105 degrees) and is a series of 26 poses done in a 90 minute class. I was skeptical because I have never thought of yoga as an intense workout but I was proven wrong. Just holding the poses made my heart beat like a I was running an interval workout and I have never seen so much sweat pore out of my body. I was soaked in the first 15 minutes. Needless to say, I will be trying to do this class on a regular basis.

#3: Okay don't laugh... I am taking an adult ballet class. (Never mind, laugh your ass off, it's kind of funny.) On Monday nights I have replaced my running shoes with these...

I have not put on ballet shoes since I was 13 years old, and I was a little nervous that I should not be attempting it at 28. But I have a friend (who is a legit ballerina) who teaches an adult class at the studio where I take Barre Fitness and she told me I would be fine. So I went. And it was fun! I wasn't the worst in the class and after being self conscious for a few minutes I finally relaxed enough to enjoy just being in the class and dancing. Let me tell you, when I was younger I never realized that ballet was an actual workout. I was more sore after that class than I was after the hot yoga! I have decided to keep going back - if I can brave the idea of wearing a leotard and tights!

And never fear, yesterday I went for a 3.5 mile run - and it was great! With Noah in school I only have to push one child in the jogging stroller and I am hoping that any day now the summer heat will start being less intense as we move into fall. So there you have it. I am still a runner - just one that also wears leotards and says, Namaste.

And, on a completely unrelated note, I had to put up this picture of my boys.

Yes, they really did ride all the way home from Noah's school holding hands - two days in a row! I love how much they love each other!