Hello! Yesterday after I posted about the Tinkerbell Half I chugged some Spark and headed to my mom’s. She was off for the day and my lil brother is on Spring Break so it was the perfect time for a mid-week visit.
We walked and talked and ate… all my favorite stuff.
I suspect Clyde thinks my phone is a treat because he sits so still when I take a picture of him and just stares right at the camera. He did this for the longest time before I put the camera down.
I also made a mini-cake with my little brother. A while back I bought him a small red velvet cake kit. He doesn’t really have any experience cooking or baking so it was a joint project. But right before we started I cut my finger chopping an apple (rookie mistake) so he had to take over the main duties and I just bossed him read the directions.
We added sprinkles to the finished product and it looked so fancy! No one would suspect this was his first cake baking endeavor.
He was mostly just excited to eat it and oddly annoyed that I delayed his first bit with pictures…
“Okay Monica, you took a bunch!”
Dog pile!!!
This morning I hit up yoga for a good stretch session and then Trader Joe’s for some breakfast essentials. I don’t know if I’
(I interrupt this sentence to share that fact that Vegas just barked 3 feet away from me and now I have to clean it up.)
Ugh.
Anyway.
I don’t know if I had tried this before but I know this TJ’s reduced guilt guacamole is going to be my latest obsession. It is amazing.
Breakfast!
This morning I hit up a new-to-me yoga class at the gym. Today was a rest day from running and I am determined to do more cross training on my off days. If I don’t find a good cross training workout I end up running more and it’s not good for improving my running because I’m tired for my scheduled runs.
This class was filled with older ladies (like my Grandma) so I wasn’t sure it would be good for me. But I did get in a great stretch session. I am so NOT flexible because I run a lot and don’t stretch. My hips are super tight. My calves are tight. My toes are tight. I am a mess.
Basically, I’m bad at yoga.
I follow a lot of super awesome yogis on Instagram. I see them doing handstands and ballet style moves on the beach and in front of waterfalls. I want to be like them! I want to be flexible and graceful instead of red faced and frustrated in downward facing dog.
Wait… I am comparing my Chapter 1 with some random girl’s Chapter 20. So I stop myself. And I am proud of what I can do. I am proud of myself for going to level 1 yoga and stretching out my hips that serve me well mile after mile.
Truthfully, I don’t really compare myself to yoga pros, because I know I am just starting. And I know our bodies are different. And I know that if it was my goal to do a floating one handed eagle handstand (I made that up) I could do it with work and patience and practice.
Every day I get comments and emails from readers saying, “I wish I could run that much!” or “I could never run a sub 2 hour half marathon!!” or… “Insert some comparison here”
I have been running for over 8 years. It’s my passion and I love it. Don’t compare where I am today to where you are today.
Take inspiration from blogs and Insta and whatever else and use it to make you happy and motivated. But don’t compare, that never feels good.
Do you.
Question: On a scale from 1 – 10 – how do YOU feel today?
1 = death bed
10 = you can conquer the world
I always feel this way about yoga…even the “easy” options sometimes I can’t master! Apatt frm savasana…I’m aaaaall about the savasana.
But more importantly love this post and the chapter comparison is awesome – super important to remember!
Good post, I like the advice about Chapter 1 vs Chapter 20.
I have to ask what is with the picture after you talk about cutting your finger? It looks like there is a ginormous puddle of blood on the floor. I know that can’t be what it is….. but I can’t figure out what else it would be.
I think it’s the small cake pan I have in my hand? The angle is weird.
thank you. Just… so much “thank you” for being so honest, so free with yourself for all of us. You are an inspiration and a joy to read. Today’s post was exactly what I needed!
This is great–I think most women need to hear that…including myself! I always wish I could do this or that and I shoot right to their chapter 20!
When I discovered that no guilt guac from TJ’s I was giddy. It’s really good.
I feel ok today. I got my last run in before the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC this weekend.
But my boyfriend is with his 2 daughters and his mom and aunt and uncle vacationing in the Grand Canyon and they’ve been sharing photos with me all day and I’m so sad I’m not part of the fun. Happy for them but sad for me. Not even sure why. I’ve been there twice. I guess it’s just not getting to share those memories. I’m so freakin’ sappy.
Don’t quit yoga, tho! It’s so true what you said about comparing yourself to someone else who once said the same thing you did! They had to start at chapter 1 also.
I started cross training with hot vinyasa yoga over three years ago and it’s an amazing, vigorous, strenuous, and totally addictive style! It has complemented my running so well. Its perfect for us Type A runners because it is not just sitting there stretching like you are in an Aflac commercial (yawn).
I’m amazed at the strength and flexibility I’ve gained. And those poses that I thought I’d never ever be able to get into have become easy — there is always a way to challenge yourself to try something new/harder.
I also cross train with hot barre and hot bootcamp classes.
PS…The pups are adorable! and now I want some cake….and guacamole. But maybe not together.
And to think….I thought some stranger was stalking you at your yoga class from your post title?!?!?!
I guess that’s how you grab the readers..ha!
i love the basic stretching yoga for the same reason, my hips are evil and want to destroy me and are super tight all the time. while i wish i was a ballerina and super flexible like that its not in the cards, ill settle for being able to get my heels on the ground in downward dog lol. scale of 1 to 10 im a 3 only because this sugar detox is kicking my ass and i just want a dog-gone pizza already!
I love the “do you” mantra! I was a bit of a mess yesterday (eating wise), well not a bit, I was a complete freak. I have been restricting way too much and it is affecting everything I do! Eh. I slept through my alarm this morning and skipped my work out, which in hindsight was my body telling me to slow the heck down ;0) I feel so much more like myself today, which says a lot after eating like 30 mini candy bars yesterday… I’m so thankful that each day is a brand new day! I’m feeling at about an 8 today.
Great post! I totally agree that it’s so important to be yourself and quite comparing yourself to others. We all have our own stories, and it’s impossible to be perfect at everything all the time. Thanks for sharing these thoughts!
Lifestyle by Joules
I always think about trying yoga, maybe one day. I have a fear of falling on my face so maybe not. Scale is 8 today, we have a 30k race on Sunday and debating whether I should do a run today or not? With cross training we do kick boxing 1 day and then just a strength training the other, currently running 4 days a week. We take a full day off to do nothing…er…well that’s when we shop for food, clean the house, do laundry…you know a rest day!! hahaha. Happy Running