life lately

So many things have happened in the last few months that at times I can literally feel my head spinning when I think of it all!  Last week was a stressful week for me.  I could feel it deep into my bones, my joints and my muscles, especially.  I was getting ready for my Peak Pilates teacher training test out – a weekend packed with a 75 question exam on anatomy and theory, an evaluation of my technique for all of the Level 1 exercises and a thorough assessment of my individual and group teaching skills so that I could become certified to teach Pilates comprehensively and much deeper than where I have been for the last several years.

my big course manual

It was, and is, a BIG DEAL to me.

I think when things matter to us so much we can sometimes worry a whole lot, even when we don’t really have anything to truly “worry” about.

Friday came and I was as ready as I felt that I could be.  I took a deep breath and dove into the weekend – trusting my preparation, my knowledge and my instincts to do the best that I could do.  It wasn’t that unlike getting ready for marathon day, honestly!  Since March I completed 80 course hours and did well over 125 logged hours of personal practice, observation and practice teaching along with reading and studying Pilates theory, history and anatomy when I could fit it in.  I poured myself into it, just like I do with everything that is so important to me.  It was awesome.

As the weekend progressed and I made it through each assessment I felt stronger and stronger, knowing that I am in the right line of work for me – and that my passion for and my belief in the Pilates system will carry me far and will enable me to help people accomplish their goals.

My excitement and gratitude are huge – I am officially through my first level of comprehensive training and this week I begin working with private clients!  I will move on to my Level 2 training later this summer and into the fall.  Pilates really has changed my life in so many ways, and I just can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am to be sharing this with others and to be making a career out of it.

As for my running, there is not a lot of fancy stuff to report with it.  After Boston I felt like I needed to put on the breaks and take it easy for a while and I have been doing just that.  My body, heart and mind all kind of were in sync on this and this didn’t really surprise me since my training for Boston was intense for me especially with my knee bruise so soon before the race.  I needed some chill time and I have been embracing it.  At times I have gotten a little freaked out pulling back so much – again worrying when I probably have nothing to worry about! – but ultimately I think what has gotten me as far as I have gotten with my running is my ability to listen to and honor my body and my heart.  All signs were pointing to SLOW DOWN and I am not going to fight that, and will trust that this down time is an essential part of the process and part of the big picture goals I have for myself.

So — my goal race for the fall is the New York City Marathon (!!) on November 2nd, and I still have a little time before serious training needs to begin.  For now I am maintaining my aerobic fitness by running mostly easy runs (whatever pace comes to me naturally, which lately has ranged anywhere from 7:30-8:15 pace it seems), working on my flexibility and strength (mostly Pilates, yoga and strength training in the gym) and spending time learning about nutrition (mainly how to get the right amount of protein daily, which is tricky for me since I don’t eat meat and am allergic to some nuts!) and how to fuel my body better.  I’ve been running 5-6 days a week, averaging somewhere between 40-50 miles per week lately.  My longest run since Boston has been 14 miles.  I usually train on a 16 week cycle for my marathons so I will probably kick that off in the beginning of July.  I’m starting to feel excited and I think that is a GOOD sign I will be ready when the time comes to kick into action!

Also, very exciting – my first post for Saucony 26 Strong is up on the program’s web site this week!  I am so thankful to be a part of this program.  You can read my introduction HERE, and can also follow along with all of the teams by searching the hash tag #26strong on Twitter and Instagram or by following the 26 Strong accounts directly:

Instagram: @saucony26strong

Twitter: @saucony26strong

Facebook: Saucony 26 Strong

Kathryn and I are going to run the Virginia Beach Rock n Roll half marathon as part of our training for the Honolulu Marathon on December 14th!  Her training won’t begin for a little while since it’s a December race, and I will have time to recover from NYC before heading to Hawaii.  We are both over-the-moon excited!  It is going to be such a wonderful adventure.

Oh!  And this weekend I am heading to West Virginia to run the Ragnar trail relay with some of my best buddies and my sister!  Team Honey Badger is going to have so much fun out on those trails.  I cannot wait.

There are so many exciting and wonderful things happening this summer and fall.  I am coaching with the Potomac River Running Store Distance Training Program in Reston again and we kick that off tomorrow night at a happy hour at the store!  If you are interested in signing up you can do so here: http://prtrainingprograms.com/ – it is a really great program and we have so much fun!

I hope that everyone is enjoying the start of summer and the fall marathon training cycles as they begin!