Beans And Yoga And Netflix

"No beans!"

Up until the last two-ish years, you could find me at a Chipotle on the east side of Cincy, feverishly exclaiming this to the burrito assembler behind the counter. "No beans!" (I'm so over Chipotle, by the way.)

I never liked beans. I may have when I was little-little, but it's probably one of the few foods that I became picky about as I got older. I have no idea why. I don't remember a particular bad bean incident and I don't remember experiencing a bad taste when eating them. Maybe it became a texture thing for me. I'm not sure.

So, I lived a no-beans lifestyle until just recently. Sometime within the past few years I decided I could eat them, but only as an ingredient in something. Early last year when I decided to be a vegetarian (read a little about that adventure in my first blog entry and in another entry where I gave it up for good), I started eating them a bit more. Again, only IN foods, not by themselves. And get this: even more recently I enjoyed a 4-way with beans at Skyline. Big step, people.

But then my friend Anne devoted an entire blog entry to the magical fruit (yes, Anne, I'm 5 years old too. I was horrified when she said she could eat beans straight out of the can. How disgusting! Why? Not in something? Just ... raw? Blech!

Well, I just committed the ultimate no-bean felony. I just ate a kidney bean fresh out of the can (after rinsing, of course), and then I ate another one, and another one! WHAT THE HECK?! They were good and I can't believe I just said that.

I'm still a little shocked.

Good thing I'm in a Zen-like state after doing a lovely yoga workout.

That's right, I found my yoga DVD! (I don't actually remember if I told you I misplaced it, but I did.) I first mentioned the DVD back in August when I canceled my cable service and had high hopes of trying out some exercise videos instead of wasting my brain cells on meaningless broadcast television. Ha! That worked really well. But I'll get to that in a few.

I'm going through a bit of a lull in the running right now. I ran on Friday morning, thanks to a vacation day. It was cold. My leg muscles never warmed up and I felt like I was running with stones under my skin. (That's not real comfy, folks. And if you have pointers on how to get rid of that sensation, please let me know.) And it's just so stinking cold! To top it all off, Snow-mageddon has arrived here in Cincinnati and pretty much everywhere from the Mississippi River east. Therefore, the grass is covered, the pavement is covered, and it it will likely stay covered until the next heat wave and rain storm join forces to wash the sadness--er--snow away. Sigh.

I have somewhat resigned to the fact that I will not be running outside much for a little while, and since I hate the treadmill with every fiber of my being, I will probably not be running much at all. This means I will likely fail the "30 miles in 30 days" challenge, as I anticipated.

NEVER SET GOALS, BECKEY!

So, what's a girl to do? Watch movies of course. Oh, and force myself to explore some fitness video options.

This is actually one of the reasons I signed up for a free trial of Netflix this weekend. (That and since I don't have cable, I have to use rabbit ears, which are disappointing me hugely right now.) I'm already pretty much addicted to Netflix. It's terrible. It's amazing. I'm in love.

Focus.

Last night, in lieu of getting one more outdoor run in before the 3-inch blizzard hit, I sat on my couch and loaded my Netflix queue with fitness videos. So, those combined with my newly re-discovered yoga DVD should help me maintain some of this stamina and leg strength I've worked so hard for over the last 10 months.

This brings me back to yoga. I've done this video before and I imagine on the spectrum of yoga difficulty, it's probably a 2 out of 10. There are levels to chose from. I, being the beginner I am, chose the fully modified version. Yay for having a yoga block and belt (though I need a new yoga mat since mine is a piece of crap from Goodwill). The more difficult levels in the video are probably a 3, 5, and 7 on the difficulty scale, but I'm just guessing.

Despite it's low level of difficulty, I specifically remember my muscles really struggling at certain spots in my previous attempts. Holding your body weight is tough stuff, especially when you weigh as much as I do. I've always had crazy strong legs, but there are certain poses that make me shake (anything with "warrior" in it is pretty much a guaranteed leg workout). Tremors are supposed to be a sign that you're really having to work. So yeah, lots of tremors in the past.

Tonight? Not so much.

Not that I didn't already know this, but it's now pretty obvious that this running business is really strengthening my legs. I was also able to squish down into poses that I struggled with before. Less fat to get in the way? Yeah, about 40 pounds less. (Okay, maybe 35 right now, thanks to the FRIGGIN' SNOW!) But it was kind of cool to feel the difference in my body that way.

I'm looking forward to working on this video a bit more. I wouldn't mind getting some flexibility back. I just have to get over the boring factor of yoga in general. (Ohmigosh it's boring.)

So, this is already an enormously long blog entry, but I'm just making up for my lack of posts lately. Instead of an eloquent wrap-up, allow me to bullet.

1. I like beans now
   
2. I'm going to try this fitness video thing
3. Running = difficult when it's so cold and snowy
   
4. I'm likely going to fail my "30 miles in 30 days" challenge
   
5. My yoga DVD may be a little too easy for me, but I'm going to keep trying it
   
6. This yoga venture has allowed me to feel the difference in my body, not just see it
7. Namaste, y'all
   

Without Cable, With Running

Happy cable-free Tuesday morning to me!

That’s right, the boob-tube is currently without mojo. My sparkly new television has nothing to broadcast. I said so long to cable services as of yesterday while I was at work and since I don’t have an antenna, the screen is black. I’m cool with it though. It’ll give me more reason to run longer runs and to post more frequently and to read books and practice writing other things.

I may also try some evening yoga on non-running days. I bought this “Yoga for Weight Loss” DVD a few years ago and have only done it a few times (shocker), mostly because it’s so long.

From Amazon.

Plus, yoga can be a little too calm for me. But, if I call it my resting day workout, I might be able to come to terms with a “slow” yoga session.

So, running …

I had a good run last night, folks. My friend, Caitlin (Hi Caitlin!) joined me for her second try at this running thing and did a great job. I introduced her to Week 1 of C25K on Saturday in the blazing sun, but brought her along on my new running interval this evening. I don’t think she believes me when I tell her that she’s starting in much better shape than I did. Perhaps she’ll go back and read some of my early posts (start with the first one). If only I had recorded myself breathing (or rather NOT breathing) back in those first days of running … then maybe she’d believe me. =)

I ran without Mr. C25K today. Instead, I’m trying Mr. Jeff Galloway’s suggestion for half-marathon training. [Apparently this guy is some kind of famous runner? I’ve never heard of him. The only famous runners I know are Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the long fingernail chick (is that Joyner-Kersee?), and Steve Prefontaine (woot!).]

Jared Leto in Prefontaine. (Image source)
I watched this movie for the first time with the Wilmington College track team on the way to sectionals or some other championship track meet I didn't qualify for. Excellent movie!

By the way, here's Jackie Joyner-Kersee rockin' the javelin (image source). I guess she's not the fingernail chick. But let me tell you that I had to throw this bad boy in college and it is not fun ... at all. It tears the crap out of your shoulder, and getting it to stick into the ground when it lands--yeah, YOU try it.

Anyway, I got Jeff Galloway’s book, “Half Marathon: You Can Do It” from the library last week, and he suggested that someone at my pace do a run-walk-run of 2 minutes, 1 minute, 2 minutes. I like that idea. It’s shorter running intervals than Week 4 of C25K (3 minutes and 5 minutes), but shorter rest periods. It’s just the combination I’ve been wanting since starting Week 3. I plan on tackling this 2-1-2 interval set hardcore for the next two weeks in preparation for my next 5K (August 21, BigK 5K).

Not so much to say, I guess, except that I’m feeling really good about running these days. My breathing is so much more under control. My legs feel stronger. I’m still working hard on my runs, but I’m confident I can finish the intervals with a little willpower. That’s about it.

Hey, a few more minutes for the question of the moment:

I’ve read here and there about people who run every day. Is that a good idea for someone like me to consider? Is it a good idea for anyone to consider? Are these people crazy or on the right track?

Thanks for whatever thoughts or comments you have to share!

Oh, and Zach … when is your big run?