Category: Fitness
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All-girls ultra running and how I got roped into that one
Every once in a while, an impulsive decision can turn out to be the adventure of a lifetime. It was all Corinne‘s idea. She sent a message to a few dozen Delta Zeta sorority sisters, asking if we wanted to have a reunion at the Ragnar Trail weekend at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort…
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Bicycling in Charlotte
I live on an island, known to the natives as NoDa, The Arts District, or North Charlotte (depending on how old-school they are). With the recent LYNX Light Rail construction, NoDa has quite literally become a destination retreat, with many access roads closed over the past months or years. There are only a couple of…
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Race day prep: When to show up to start line
Today’s Tortoise and the Hare topic: Race day prep — when to show up at the starting line. When I ran my first marathon, I lived in South Charlotte. The race was in Uptown. So, I got a hotel room for the night before the race. Why? Because I did not want the extra stress…
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Favorite running route in Charlotte
Today’s Tortoise and the Hare topic: Favorite route in Charlotte to run My favorite running route in Charlotte is the flat one. I’ll wait while you try to figure out where that is. No, seriously. Flat routes are so rare in Charlotte when you’re talking about logging actual distance. When I was training for…
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Run fashion: What to wear (on your feet)
Today’s Tortoise and the Hare topic: What to wear on your feet. To get fitted or not to get fitted? If you’re a runner, you probably know all about the process of getting fitted for running shoes. If you don’t, get yourself to a running store pronto and ask them about it. At a good…
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In aftermath of Stanford case, let’s look out for each other
I’m writing this quickly as I am on my way to a meeting. But I had to get my thoughts down … apologies if it seems hurried. — Driving to meet Quinn to run today, I had the radio tuned to NPR where the talk centered around the Stanford case, rape on campus, and our…
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Run fashion: shorts vs. pants
Today’s Tortoise and the Hare topic: What to wear? Shorts vs. pants. You would not believe how many times people ask me why I’m wearing pants to run in the middle of summer. I know it looks weird. I know you assume I’m hot. In contrast, if Quinn wears shorts in the middle of winter,…
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To stretch or not to stretch
Today’s Tortoise and Hare topic: To stretch or not to stretch. Back in the day, before I discovered my love of all things yoga, I used to think that stretching was for bendy people. As I was not a bendy person, that meant stretching was not for me. Of course, I knew all the experts pointed…
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Running fast vs. running long
Today’s topic: Running fast vs. running long. I tell people all the time, “I would rather run a marathon than run a 5K.” And I’m sorta serious. I feel like running a marathon, while I’m still a bundle of nerves leading up to it, is really one of the most zen experiences one can have.…
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Finding balance
I told Kim the other day: I just need 30 hours in a day. When Rebecca asked me the week before, “How do you find time to both run and yoga and work?” I answered with something like Well, now you’ve found the crux of the matter. The topic of balance has come up a lot lately…
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Family, friends, yoga = a day of bliss
A few weeks ago, Stacey and Meghan and I decided to check out a new yoga studio. Called PlanBreathe and located in Plaza Midwood, it’s a tiny brick building tucked among homes, and you might miss it if you don’t know where to look. If you find your way there, however, you’ll be glad you…
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Charlotte’s own Jillian Michaels
I’ve found her, friends. I haven’t watched Biggest Loser in a long time, but when I did years ago the thing that seemed so great to me was to have a dedicated space and amount of time, one that focuses on healthy eating, exercising, getting trim. Recently I signed up for a month of boot camp…
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Keeping with the spirit of adventure (Warrior Dash, here I come)
As you may recall, I decided 2012 is officially my year to say yes to new things. The last time I checked in, I cited hot yoga (which I began in December, so I guess that’s not officially 2012, but it’s still new to me), rock climbing, working out at 6 a.m. (boot camp class), Zumba (which…
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Say yes, 2012 (hot yoga, pink hair, rock climbing)
So, it’s almost February, and I’ve finally decided on my New Year’s resolution. And I want you to do it with me. More about that at the end, but be ready, my friends. I had a little bit of an idea about what I wanted it to be in my head, and I’ve been kind…
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Fear of committment
I received a wonderful compliment from Stephanie yesterday – she told me that she admires my committment to fitness. This said during the same day that I a) had committment on my mind, (namely, people who commit to things and then disappoint) and b) started a new workout journey – boot camp classes at this…
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These clothes cost, um, how much exactly?
Before Outdoor Nation changed their web site, they used to hand out points for activity on the site. One could then redeem points for fun outdoor gear. Before you run over and sign up, I must tell you that sadly, they took away their point system several months ago. They’ve replaced it with a series of…
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Spring is just around the corner
It’s been a roller coaster of a month. In the past three weeks, I have lost one of my best friends due to an argument. Daily life feels emptier without him to talk to. I have started questioning what it means to lean on people, rely on people, and how to handle when those people let you down. Shortly…
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It’s all relative.
About a week and a half ago, I decided to attend a new yoga class at the studio I’ve been attending. This class was different for two reasons: it has been called the most difficult yoga class the studio offers, and Stacey was unable to make it so I would be attempting the new challenge alone.…
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I suck at that.
How many times do we say that about things that we just haven’t given ourselves a chance to conquer? If you’ve read this blog at any length, you probably know I love exercising. I love running. I love a good circuit training workout or spin class or personal training session. But what do I not…
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You can be fat and lazy as long as your friends are not
You know someone really gets you when all you have to do is send this text: “I’m fat and lazy.” That was my appeal for help to Scott on Monday. I’ve been so busy with various work projects that I haven’t had time to work out. Which I realize is absolutely an excuse. No matter…
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A stranger is on my mind today.
She touched my heart almost two years ago with a message through Facebook, and I have not stopped thinking about her, in some capacity, since. She is not a complete stranger. In fact, I’ve probably known her most of my life. But I cannot think of one conversation we had together. We didn’t go to a…
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I haven’t been inside a grocery store in weeks
My personal shopper calls me to tell me she substituted galas for pink ladys. That she gave me 18 for the same price as the 12 I ordered, since they were out of a dozen eggs in that particular brand. If I thought I loved Harris Teeter before, I love it even more now that…
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On ambien and Joy Bauer
So, you may have heard me reference this little piece of magic that I have recently discovered. Joy Bauer’s “Your Inner Skinny” is a perfect guide to nutrition, in my opinion. She shows you how to get your fruits and vegetables, proteins, fats and carbs all balanced in a healthy way that helps you get…
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Doctor’s orders
So, I went to see an ortho doctor this morning about my foot injury. And sure enough, there’s a small fracture on my third metatarsal bone. The good news is, the X-rays from a week ago show that new bone has already started to form, and the X-rays from today show an even bigger healing.…