My Next Big Challenge

Over the past few months I have been eyeing a race.  It's expensive (really expensive) and I haven't been 100% sure that I wanted to do it, but I keep returning to the website, pondering, researching, considering.  At the same time, I have been trying to decide whether or not I will return to Team in Training for another season.  Before I left for Alaska I had decided I would return to the Team for another season when I found out that the race I was considering was an option for fundraising, but only open to alumni.  I knew that this was my chance.  I found out I had to register on the Wednesday after I got back, so I had a few more days to contemplate this decision.



Truly inspirational



Then, while I was in Alaska, after I finished my race, something convinced me I had made the right decision about coming back and doing my next event.  After our teammates came in to finish the marathon I saw a woman, in a purple Team in Training jersey, coming toward the finish line, she had two TNT coaches and the TNT sweeper with her, holding her hands.  From far away she looked like she was struggling, but she was getting to the finish line.  We all stayed and cheered for her.  She was the final person to cross the finish line of the half marathon.  What was so inspirational about this woman is that she has cerebral palsy and still finished the event.  She is amazing.

Watching this woman finish the race made me realize that I can do anything, and I know that I need to keep going.  So, on Wednesday morning I logged on to the Team in Training website and signed up for the next race I'm going to do with the Team - Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge.  For those of you who don't know, the Goofy Challenge takes place at Walt Disney World in January over the marathon weekend.  On Saturday you run the half marathon and on Sunday (the next day) you run the full marathon.  Two days, two races, 39.3 miles, 3 medals (a medal for each race and a medal for completing the challenge).

Here is the official description from the RunDisney website:

If you think that a marathon is just a walk in the park, put your endurance to the test and compete in Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge! A 39.3-mile adventure held over two days, participants will run the Half Marathon on Saturday, followed by the Marathon on Sunday. If you finish both races within the pacing requirements, you will be awarded the coveted Goofy medal in addition to your Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse finisher medals.

I looked up a description of Goofy (the character) and I got a result that made me realize this race is even more fitting for me!

Goofy: Along with being predictably clumsy, Goofy is often shown as having little to no intelligence. But this interpretation isn't always definitive; occasionally, Goofy is shown as intuitive and clever, albeit in his own unique, eccentric way. His birthday is May 25, 1932.
My similarities to this description: I am very clumsy, seriously.  I do not have little to no intelligence, in fact, I think I am very intelligent, but that might be questionable after signing up for this madness.  I am intuitive and clever and unique and eccentric.  And my birthday is in May! See, perfect fit.

You might wonder what might make a person want to do this race.  I have no logical answer, except to say it seems like the next big challenge for me.  After that, who knows?  While I am training for Goofy with the Team I will also still be training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  It will be tough to do all of these things, but I know that I can, and I know that I will get through them and still be strong.  I feel stronger after this past marathon than I have after almost any other run, and I know I'm ready for this challenge.

I will be updating this blog throughout my training and can use all of your support, whether that is through donations or words of wisdom, all will be appreciated.

Yes, I am going to be fundraising again, and I will be doing fundraising events throughout the season.  If you would like to support me please make a donation and support my Goofy quest please do so via this link:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/wdw12/ewallersco

Final note... According to the dictionary, goofy means: ridiculous; silly; wacky; nutty.  My thought is that if isn't a little ridiculous, silly, wacky or nutty maybe it isn't going to be nearly as much fun.  And yes, this Goofy Challenge is my idea of fun!

Thank you for your support!

 

Alaska Mayor's Marathon

Sorry, this is a long post, and has lots of pictures, but I have lots to say!

Last Saturday, June 18, I ran the Alaska Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage with Team in Training.  I spent the previous four months training and fundraising for this event.  I was so excited in the week leading up to it.  It was such an incredible weekend and event.  A couple of quick details from the week of.  I ate like normal and hydrated for the race all week.  I was as prepared for this event as I could be.  (This is important later on.)  I wasn't nervous at all, ever.  I did have one panic moment right before the race, but more on that in a minute.  I really knew that this was going to be a great race, and I had it in my power to have a great race.  I had done all I could.

I went to the expo on the day we arrived, before checking in.  It was tiny, and super easy to get through, only a couple of booths, nothing I hadn't seen before.  I was through the expo in about 5 minutes.  (Calling it an expo might be an overstatement, but I knew this going in)

Bib and champion chip shoe tag

The night before the race we all went to the inspiration dinner and had a good pre-race meal, pasta with chicken, some veggies, bread, and more water.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel, it was still so bright outside, it looked like it was about 4 in the afternoon, but no, it was about 8pm.  At the hotel the lovely Bucket helped all of us finish our jerseys for race day.  (The back of a Team in Training jersey usually has a lot of advertisements on it for supporters of the program, but for some reason a bunch of us had nothing on the backs of our jerseys, so Bucket graciously offered to make iron-ons for us.)  I bought an Alaska patch for my jersey in town that day, and the jersey turned out great.  (Bucket ironed everything on for me, because I am not crafty at all and I was scared I would ruin it.  Bucket, on the other hand, is very crafty!  Thank you!!)  Then it was off to bed for an early rise (it was still VERY light outside, thank goodness there were heavy curtains in the room!).

 

Front of the jersey



Back of the jersey

 

10:30pm from the hotel - so light out still!



5:45am - so sunny! at least
the bright light made it easier
to be up so early



I set two alarms for the morning, but woke up about 5 minutes before the first one went off.  I tried to dress quietly so as not to wake my roommate - the lovely Audrey.  But, she got up anyway and came down stairs to the lobby with me to meet up with the team and wish everyone luck (she was running the half and didn't have to be down in the lobby for another hour, but she's a superstar and came down early).  I choked down (and loudly complained about) my bagel with peanut butter and banana.  Seriously, I can't do bread/bagel with peanut butter any longer.  It is so hard to swallow now, after nearly two years, I need a change (suggestions are welcome!). 



Audrey and I (I'm looking a little tired here)

We finished getting ready, I made sure my champion chip was secured to my shoe, put on a couple of TNT temporary tattoos, marked Rachelle's arm and leg for the race (I insisted it say virgin since this was her first marathon) and then we all boarded a school bus for the start.  By the way, school buses suck, they are really only designed for small children, not for grown ups going to a marathon.)

Almost ready to go, just gotta
tie those shoes!

 Rachelle! First time marathoner!



School buses aren't meant for grownups



Me and Al (from the South Bay team). I'm obviously still
trying to wake up at this point



We were pretty much the first bus to arrive at the start line.  We had been told by the coaches that the gym might be open for us to sit and wait in.  We headed over there and got to sit inside, and use real bathrooms, not porta potties.  It was lovely.  We waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally we all started stretching and doing last minute preparations before heading out to check our gear.   Then, disaster struck!  The area of the gym we were in was the second floor, overlooking the actual gym floor and I started to fix my ponytail and my hair tie suddenly slipped out of my hand and fluttered down to the gym floor below.  I was suddenly worried, I needed to get my hair back up, I could not run 26.2 miles with my hair down.  I made a mad dash for the lower floor, praying to find an unlocked door.  Nothing.  Then I managed to get myself locked out of the way I came.  This was my one moment of panic.  I thought to myself, holy crap, I'm going to miss the race and be locked in this gym.  I saw an emergency exit and decided to push through it, if the alarm went off, oh well, at least I'd be out of the building, no alarm.  I got back to my friends and Bucket came to my rescue, she had an extra hair tie.  Crisis averted!

my hair tie now lives on this gym floor.

After bag check (which took about 1 minute) we proceeded to the start line.  Al, from the South Bay team, and I had decided to start the race together.  We run a similar pace and had similar time goals and neither of us really wanted to run the full race alone.  There were only about 1,200 full marathoners, by far the smallest of my marathons (I did LA - 25,000+ runners and Nike Women's - similar in size to LA). 





Not a lot of people...

Once the gun fired we crossed the start line less than a minute later and our 26.2 mile journey was underway.  We were planning on doing a 5:1 interval (5 minutes run, 1 minute walk) but didn't start our intervals until after the first mile, but still kept the first mile at a slower pace.  At about mile 2 was the first water stop.  We both went to grab a cup of water (both of my bottles were filled with Gatorade and I planned on taking water at every aid station) but unfortunately we both grabbed cups of Ultima.  Seriously, so disgusting.  It tasted awful.  Miles three through 6 were really beautiful, fairly uneventful and easy along paved roads.  We were keeping a good, fairly even pace the entire time.

  

Mile 1: 11:02

Mile 2: 10:56

Mile 3: 11:05

Mile 4: 11:09

Mile 5: 11:24

Mile 6: 11:12

Then we hit the Tank Trail.  How to describe the Tank Trail.  In a word, ouch.  The Tank Trail is a dirt road with a serious gravel problem.  And by gravel, I mean big ass rocks.  We kept trying to find smooth places to run, mostly in tire tracks, but there were points when all you could do was run on the rocks.  I tried very hard to keep my eyes on the road so I wouldn't trip.  During our first run interval Al suggested I take a picture of the trail.  Here it is: 

This is not fun to run on. And it wasn't small gravel, those

are big rocks.

Oh, did I mention it was uphill on the gravel road?

 

While we were still on the gravel road we suddenly saw something odd in the distance.  So of course, I had to take a picture of it...  It looked like a little castle and there was a steam roller in front of it.  So random.

Mile 7: 11:55
Mile 8: 10:23
Mile 9: 10:36
Mile 10: 10:53
Mile 11: 12:37
Mile 12: 11:21

Finally we were off the gravel road and on to a packed dirt trail.  This was much easier to run on.  We were still doing really well time wise, looking at around a 5 hour marathon, way better than I expected.  I had my nutrition down.  I had taken a GU about 15 minutes before the start and was taking them about every 35 minutes, I usually do one GU every 45 minutes, but I had brought extra nutrition with me because I knew that the electrolyte beverage was Ultima and its so low calorie, so much lower than what I normally drink - Gatorade.  I knew that I had to be sure to compensate. 

 



Once we were off the gravel and on more of a trail it didn't hurt as much.  It was so beautiful.  On the trail I started to fall a little behind Al.  I kept her in my sights until about mile 14.  I had a very slow mile 14, it was a big uphill climb, we hit the highest point on the course between 14 and 15.  When I slowed down I started taking more pictures.  I figured whenever I was walking, if I wasn't taking a GU or drinking water or Gatorade, I would take photos.  I tried to get back on track and catch up to Al, but by this point I had lost her. 

this trail was so much better than the gravel



still looking good...

At the aid station at about mile 15 I had a mini picnic with another Team in Training participant (I had some pretzels and oranges and a cup of water and there was no way I was going to litter in this beautiful place, in fact, whenever I took a GU I stuck the empty packet back in my belt and waited til I got to a trash can to throw it away, this created a bit of a mess though, chocolate GU is sticky).  At mile 16 I started to feel hungry.  Not a good sign.  The hunger started to set in as I got off the trail.

Mile 13: 12:27

Mile 14: 14:49

Mile 15: 11:48

Mile 16: 13:17

Back on paved roads it was more downhill, but my pace slowed significantly.  I was insanely hungry, I suppose this is what you would call a bonk.  I wasn't really fatigued, I felt like my body could keep going, but I was so damn hungry, I had to go slower.  It's hard to describe the feeling.  This has never happened to me before during a run.  I couldn't believe what was happening.  At about mile 16 I had a GU Roctane hoping that would be enough to get me through a little further, and mile 17 was a bit faster I pulled out my secret weapon - marshmallow Peeps.  This was not an original idea of mine, I read a blog post about someone who used Peeps during a race and it seemed like a brilliant plan to me, I love Peeps and they are pure sugar, instant rush to the blood.  I decided to eat two and save the other three.  Oh, the sugary goodness, it helped get me through the next mile or so.



mmm... delicious sugary goodness

Mile 17: 12:48
Mile 18: 13:54
Mile 19: 12:44
Mile 20: 14:51

Throughout the race I had been receiving text messages from a couple of my friends, being very encouraging, whenever I got one I felt uplifted and started running again.  At mile 20.37 I texted a friend who asked where I was and I texted back with the time (4:06) and mileage.  I was making good time, even with the slow down.  I knew I could get close to five hours, and I knew that even if I was slow I would probably hit my A Goal, 5:30.  I pushed as much as I could, but those last miles were sloooow.  I took another Roctane at about mile 21, and it helped a bit.



Random aid station set up by neighbors.



Still looking good, even though I was insanely hungry

There were about two miles, I think 21 and 22, that were my least favorite part of the course.  It was along a busy road and not attractive at all.  Just as I got off the road and on to a path again I ate the final three Peeps.  At the next aid station I took another cup of Ultima thinking that would help the hunger pangs.  It didn't.  And, it was still super nasty. 

From about mile 20 on I started dancing more throughout the course.  I was definitely entertaining the other runners, who kept saying things to me about my awesome dance skills (which was more just me bopping around and waving my arms), they all thought it was funny that I was dancing at mile 20+ of a marathon, I told them I was trying to have as much fun as possible.   I chatted with runners when we were walking/running next to each other and trying to remember my training.  Even through the hunger pangs I knew I'd get there.   After the road the course wound through parks and was incredibly beautiful.

Mile 21: 12:55

Mile 22: 12:51

Mile 23: 12:48

Mile 24: 14:03

At mile 25 I ran into George.  I knew he would be coming to find me at some point to run with me at the end (he had done the half marathon).  George is amazing and ran with so many of us to the finish.  He isn't a TNT coach, and isn't even on our team anymore since he moved to Sacramento, but he came out there and ran a lot more miles than he had to in order to see us all to the finish.  I spotted George before he spotted me, and I was so excited to see him.  I needed a push to get to the end.  He warned me about the final hill that was coming up.  I knew it was coming, and I knew it would be annoying.  It's really not that bad of a hill, but it just comes at such a bad point in the race.  It's in the middle of the final mile.  You cross this lovely bridge, get to the last aid station, there was a TNT cheer station there, and then you turn a corner and bam! The hill. As I saw it I definitely said, "Oh crap!" which made everyone at the aid station laugh, and me too. The other problem with this hill is you can't see the top, because it turns a corner. I walked up this hill and ran when I could, but I was still so hungry and had limited energy.  I looked at my watch going up the hill and knew if I really pushed I would not only hit 5:30, but PR by 30 minutes.

We got to the top and I could see the school where the finish line was.  George told me exactly what was coming up, which was so nice to know and then at the 26 mile marker left me as I took off for the final point two miles.  I looked at my watch and realized that I was going to hit my goal.  I ran as fast as I could.  I got on the track and ran fast.  I hit stop on my Garmin after I got through the finish area and looked down - 5:26, a 31 minute PR!!! And, I hit my A goal.  So amazing!

Mile 25: 12:56

Mile 26: 14:02

final .53: 5:55 (11:12 pace)  (My overall mileage according to Garmin was 26.53)

Side note: At the finish line I realized that I had lost my cell phone, it had popped out of my belt.  I was so upset.  I turned around and looked at the ground and didn't see it.  As I started to walk back to look for it a woman came up and handed it to me, it fell out right before the finish.  I was almost as excited to have my phone back as I was to PR.  So silly.



Sweet medal!



Me and George.  Thanks for running us all in George!

I got my medal, checked out with TNT, got my finisher's shirt, gear check bag and some food at the finish line (they had watermelons, bread, oranges - it was all delicious, especially since I felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks) and went to sit with friends as we waited for Bucket and Rachelle to come in.  George dashed off and ran Bucket and Rachelle in and we all cheered for them.  It was such an incredible day.

This race was beyond incredible, and not just because I PR'd.  I loved that it was a small race.  I loved that it was not in the middle of a city the whole time.  I loved that everyone was so friendly and nice.  I loved everything about this race, except the giant gravel and the Ultima. (For those of you who are against Gatorade or Powerade, that's fine, it's what works for me, so please don't try to sell me on something else.  Maybe one day I'll switch, but for now I'm sticking with what works.)  I highly recommend doing this race one day, and I would definitely do it again.  It was such a great trip with great friends.  I still can't believe how amazing it really was.

Here's how my marathon finishing times stack up:

LA Marathon 2010 (3/21): 6:19:41

Nike Women's Marathon 2010 (10/17): 5:57:48
Alaska Mayor's Marathon 2011 (6/18): 5:26:44 

What I learned from this race?  I need the extra calories from Gatorade.  I blame the Ultima for the hunger pangs.  No idea what else would have caused it, because I did everything the same.  So, next time I do a race with a low calorie electrolyte beverage I need to bring more Gatorade with me.  And, the bigger lesson, I clearly haven't been running to my potential.  Besides the hunger I felt fine.  My body didn't hurt, mentally I was strong and when I got to the finish I still felt strong and good.  This was not an easy course to PR on, and I did, in a HUGE way.  (See the elevation map below - you can click on it to see it bigger with my split times.)  Now, on to my next challenge.  I start training for the Marine Corps Marathon in a couple of weeks, and I have another huge challenge that I'll be signing up for tomorrow, more on that soon.

Elevation chart with mile splits:  (Obviously I should have been faster on the back half, since it was so downhill, but I still did amazingly well, and I am beyond proud.)

Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout my training.  I could not have gotten to this finish line without your help.  I feel incredibly blessed and loved and did so on race day and after with all of the congratulations I got, from family, Team in Training family, friends, twitter friends and more.  All of your support means the world to me.  Now, on to the next challenge - more on that soon!

Alaska Goals

Well, I'm on my way to Alaska!! YAY!!! It's been 18 weeks of training and preparing all leading up to this trip, this moment. Actually, it's been longer than 18 weeks. I signed up for another season of Team in Training back in September to be a participant for the LA Marathon once again. But, alas I sprained my knee in November on a stationary spin bike and had to drop that season. I was sad not to do LA, I wanted to come back to the race and really conquer it. When I dropped I wound up switching over to the Alaska Mayor's Marathon with the Team. So, basically I feel like I've been waiting for this marathon FOREVER!!

Now, I'm just two days away from my race and SO ready to rock it!!! I feel like I had a good, strong training cycle for this race. I would have liked to get in a few more hill training sessions and some more speed work, but I know I'm ready. I really feel like I have a good chance to PR. I have a couple of goals for this race and here they are.

A Goal: Sub 5:30.
I ran 6:19 (so sloooow) at the LA Marathon in 2010, and 5:57 (with a sprained ankle, which happened at mile 22) at the Nike Women's Marathon last October (still slow, but a lot better and with an injury). My 20 mile training run a couple of weeks ago was 4:08, so I think getting under 5:30 is possible. I would be happy even with 5:29:59. I think if I'm having a good day and feeling strong this is realistic.

B goal: 5:45
I will be happy with this time as well, still a good PR. If my day isn't great but still good I should be able to easily hit 5:45.

C goal: Anything faster than 5:57
It would still be a PR, and I would be happy with that. I would rather the PR be more than a minute or two, but I will be okay with a PR even if it's only by a bit.

D goal: Have fun!!!
No matter what my time is I plan on enjoying myself. I want to have as much fun as possible!

All of these goals are completely in my control and I am going to go for it. I am as ready as I am going to be. I have my nutrition and hydration down and I am ready to rock this race. I will be proud no matter what my time is, maybe a little disappointed if I somehow get a personal worst, but I think that is unlikely.

Yogi... Bear?

"Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind." - Patanjali

(Hopefully without falling in the process & knocking over someone else. - Elisabeth)

Yoga studios in Los Angeles are almost as common as Starbucks.  There are endless studios and styles of yoga to choose from, there is pretty much something for everyone.  There's Bikram, Ashtanga, Hatha, and Restorative, among the more classic choices (not that I know the difference between any of them).  Then there's the newer take on yoga, from yoga/spin, anti-gravity yoga (sometimes called aerial yoga), power yoga, yoga with pets, yogilates (yoga/pilates) speed dating yoga (seriously! I'm not really sure how this works, being all twisted around and trying to get to know someone) and even nude yoga (naked yoga? pass!).  The list really does go on and on.  If you want to try yoga there are clearly a lot of choices, something for everyone.

This is a bad idea for me. I would definitely fall on my head.

My dog does a great down dog, but would NOT be into this.
He might attempt to bite me if I tried to make him do yoga.





This is the first picture that came up when I searched for
speed dating yoga photos. So many things are wrong with
this, I don't even know where to start.



I have always wanted to be good at yoga.  I know it’s good for you, it can be a great workout, and everyone I know who practices regularly seems calm and happy.  I've tried yoga a bunch of times at different places.  Power yoga and I did not get along, I threw up a little in my mouth both times I tried it (seriously), obviously the wrong choice.  Classic yoga (I have no idea what the style was) it was okay, but I was bored, looking around the room, trying really hard to focus, but unable to, maybe I was doing it wrong?  I've tried yoga at the gym, done yoga at home, been to small classes and busy classes, searching for that inner calmness and serenity that seems to ooze from the bodies of all those lithe yogis.  They are all so fashionable with their fancy yoga mats and stylish yoga clothes.  I want all of that, achieving inner peace in a good workout all while looking good.



There are also two little problems with me being good at yoga...

First, I happen to be exceptionally clumsy.  I sprained my knee by falling off of a stationary spin bike, and got a giant scar on my shin to add to the lovely memory (I probably should've gotten stitches on the wound on my shin, but chose to use super glue at home instead, note, don't do this unless you want an ugly scar).  I tend to fall over a lot and trip and walk into things.  The week before my first marathon I slammed my knee into a sharp corner and  seriously considered wrapping myself in bubble wrap until marathon day (I am considering the bubble wrap option again right now, just a few days away from my next marathon, to prevent unnecessary injury).   Put me in high heels and there's a good chance that I'll trip at some point.  Actually, even barefoot I'll trip over my own feet and fall (I sprained my ankle once when I tripped while wearing flip flops).  It's a skill, unfortunately not a marketable one.  So, trying to balance on one leg in yoga, or do standing splits or standing on one foot with one hand down on the ground while my body is twisted awkwardly is a recipe for disaster for me and there is a good likelihood I'll fall over.  Hell, there's a likelihood I'll fall over just standing on both feet without being awkwardly twisted.



my balance is not good enough to pull off this kind of a pose.
i would be teetering over before i got this far.

The other little problem I have is most yoga classes I've been to are kind of boring.  I can't empty out my mind and find peace.  My brain basically goes a mile a minute 93% of the time, even during a yoga class.  This whole inner silence and peace and relaxation through yoga thing, its not really my cup of tea.  Its not something I've mastered, and I have serious doubts that I ever will.  I'm okay with that.  I'd rather my mind go a mile a minute than be empty all the time.  And, I don't understand how balancing on one foot or twisting your body into awkward positions leads to inner peace.  I'm so focused on not falling over that there is no chance of finding peace. 



Doesn't she look peaceful?  I want that! I am usually looking
around and bored, never this calm or relaxed

So, if I'm not great at the actual practice of yoga I should still maybe be able to look good, right?  That should be the easy part, right?  Nope.  I do not look fashionable or stylish or good when I go to yoga or leave yoga.  I do always get a good workout in though when I go, so that's a good thing, even if I do look slightly ridiculous all the while.  I tend to leave yoga classes dripping in sweat, no joke.  So, looking good is not really working out all that well for me at this point either, I do not look stylish or hip when I leave yoga, I look sweaty and exhausted. 



This is my soaking wet, sweaty hair
leaving yoga. So gross.

I have heard that yoga can be a great form of cross training for runners, and since my muscles are usually wound super tight I figured it would be a good way to loosen them up.  I recently saw a Groupon for an amazing yoga deal - 24 classes for $24 at a studio not too far from my house.  Most yoga classes, unless they are at the gym I belong to, are $15 per class or more (unless you want to buy a whole bunch of classes all at once and get a discount, and I'm not doing that unless I know it’s good).  So, I bought the Groupon and started going to yoga.

I haven't been going super regularly, I try to go a couple times a week, but it's really sporadic, some weeks I go two or three times and then I won't go for like 3 weeks (this is probably not the path to enlightenment or being able to balance on one foot or hand).  This studio is different than the other yoga studios I've tried (Yoga Shelter - if you live in the Valley you should check this place out).  The classes I've tried, Slow Flow, Yoga Rocks and XFlowsion, all play pop/rock music throughout the class.  None of that calming instrumental stuff I usually hear.  It definitely makes the classes more interesting.  I do still get distracted and sometimes find myself looking around at the other people in class.  (Inner peace still seems an impossible goal... And thus far, so is balance, I am always teetering around about to tip over, you should watch, it’s probably highly entertaining.)

Child's Pose.  I can do this one!

This is the first time I have enjoyed yoga, even though I only go occasionally.  I don't know how much yoga will impact my running overall, but it is making my body feel better, my muscles feel more relaxed and it is making me feel stronger, in general.  I don't know that I will ever be able to balance properly on one foot, or do a headstand, or do most of the poses without coming close to tipping over in some way (I do have two poses mastered - child's pose and corpse pose, progress!).  I don't care if I look ridiculous in yoga, at least I'm trying. 

Savasana - corpse pose, I am really good at this one!

I'm probably never going to be a yoga instructor or amazing yoga student.  I will probably not be going to any yoga retreats anytime soon.  I'm not going to be a chic, LA yoga girl, walking around with a fancy yoga mat and stylish yoga outfits.  I will continue to go to yoga classes, using my $20 Target yoga mat, not in a fancy bag, wearing my boring, not stylish yoga clothes, possibly falling over and looking slightly ridiculous while trying to hold poses, and I will continue to be a sweaty mess at the end of each class.

So, will I ever be a yogi? Unlikely.  Well, I could turn into Yogi Bear... but that's as close to a yogi as I'm going to get.  I will say this, if I'm going to turn into a yogi I think Yogi Bear isn't a bad option, he always seems to enjoy himself! 

I might look a little like this trying to do yoga.



Oh, and hey, I can still use your support this Saturday! Please consider making a donation to LLS and help me get across that finish line!!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/anchor11/ewallersco

Thank you!