The Zen of Ultra Running

My second Thursday night pub run. Today we went only 3 miles but we went through a part of the EC marathon route, which was awesome. We started at Lazy monk brewery and went on a 3 mile loop and came back to have a beer (yay). The purpose of the pub run is to get all beer and running lovers together for a casual run and have some beer at the end. I really enjoyed this group of ladies. The group changes every week depending on everyone's availability but it's a fine group of people :) 

After the first triathlon, I knew that I already caught the triathlon bug. It's such a fun sport combining swimming, biking, and running together.  Then, I bought the wetsuit (TYR) and a new bike. Found a good deal online for Specialized Ruba 2013 model. The bike has carbon body and I got a really good deal on it. It's really light but I still have to practice riding it. I also ordered the shoes and had new pedals (clip on). I am going to get more serious about the triathlon after all these investments!!! 

Officially became a triathlete!!! Yay... This triathlon race was specifically toward first timers. So, it was not too intimidating - swim 400 m, bike 10 miles, and run 2 miles. We stayed overnight in Woodbury because we needed to pick up the race package on Friday night and did not want to drive from Eau Claire in the morning. We arrived at the race location around 7 to set up the transition area and get body marked. This is what my transition area looked like. The race was time trial so everyone started at 5 seconds apart, which made it nice for first timers (less stress). The water was cold (for me) so I was glad that I rent a wetsuit. Swimming was okay and I was confident because I practiced in rough water two days ago. Even though I was not fast, I slowly progressed forward :) Then, the biking was 10 miles through a flat terrain (better than last time). Then, I finished with 2 mile run, which I could keep the pace at 6.2 mph. The first mile was horrible. My

Day 6 of 30 days of yoga with Adriene featured "6 pack abs". The poses today focused on core and strength. I did yoga bicycle (see the picture) and other abs work.  The session was only 16+ minutes. It's not too long or too short so I just did it during lunch break from work. Some yoga teachers like to do abs/core exercise at the beginning or the end of class but I also met some teachers that don't like those exercises (they claimed it's not "yoga"). Personally, I like it as I like to sync these workouts with my breath. Maybe it's time to give Pilates another try? 

Two more days to go until My First Tri. It will be my first "real" triathlon (swim/bike/run). Because I was not sure if I would like triathlon or not, I decided to rent a triathlon wetsuit online from www.triwetsuitrentals.com. They claim to have the longest rental period (2 weeks). The cost to rent a wetsuit is 65 dollars and they sent me Zoot Force 1.0. I got the wetsuit about 10 days before the race and that's enough time to practice swimming in it. So, today we went back to Lake Wissota after work. Swimming in wetsuit was easier and less tiring than without. So, I was able to swim faster and longer even the water was rough. Swam one mile today. Then, came home and practiced transitions (T1/T2). I think I'm ready for this saturday!!!

Today yoga with Yoga with Adriene was a short session (about 16 minutes) but the poses were more flowing and energizing. Starting with a couple of rounds of half sun salutation and the warrior poses. Then, we came to the pose that I like the most - Triangle. Lately, my shoulder has been very tight so this pose created more space in my body.  I never thought I would feel energetic after a short yoga session but this one really brightened my day (well, I've had a series of bad days). Thanks, yoga!! and thanks, Adriene!!

I feel good... I feel better... I feel best... After stop doing yoga for one week because I hurt my left wrist, I felt good to be able to be able to practice yoga again. Today was Day 4 of 30 days of yoga with Adriene. My body craved yoga, especially after the triathlon on Saturday. The "best" pose of this session was the Thread the Needle pose. I've had pain in the shoulder and upper back because I guess I did not stretch enough before paddling. So, this pose was the savior. I can't wait for Day 5!!!

"Tri" Eau Claire Run Row Ride is a fun event to raise money for youth recreation scholarships organized by the city county. The event was non-timed and very relaxing. The biking leg was 10 miles, running 3 miles, and paddling (kayaking) 2 miles. I happened to have all the equipment needed for the race. First, I thought I was not going to do this race because it would be too close to the other one that I signed up. However, the price to join was only 25 dollars (for triathlon!?!?!). So, I thought I would use this as a "practice" race before My First Tri. I woke up at 6 am to load the equipments and ate breakfast. Luckily, the race was in town so we did not have to drive too far. We dropped off the kayak at Phoenix park around 7.30 and went to Hobb Ice Arena to get the package. There were probably only 40 to 50 people in the race, which made it relaxing and fun. I love small races. This is how our car looked like when everything was loaded. The race started wi

Indianhead Track Club, a local running club that I recently joined, just started a Thursday pub run this week. The first day we started at The Plus, a restaurant in downtown Eau Claire. Today we ran 4 miles and it was the first time I ran in a group. I'd heard so many good things about the group run, that you would push the limit( in a good way), that you make new friends, etc. it was SO much fun when you run with other people. We chatted all the way (well, they chatted while I was busy trying to keep up with them).  We ran 4 miles today (in the rain). Then, stayed at the restaurant for some beer (isn't that the reason why we run?). The thing I like about runners is that we share the same interest. We talked about running, races, training, etc. I hope I can make it to the group run as much as possible. Such a great experience :) 

Yesterday, in the Power Yoga class, I learned a new pose that is the "Bird of Paradise" pose. This is a more difficult pose that I'm still struggling with because I have to keep both the balance and flexibility. After a couple times (and failed), I could stand still and lift the leg. Still wobbling.  Finally, I was able to stand still and straighten the lifted leg. However, I need to work on the flexibility to be able to make a "perfect" pose (because my hamstring is so tight). This is the best I could do for now. Will keep on practicing :)

This weekend is Eau Claire Summer Festival. One of the activities that they organized was "yoga on the bridge", which is free to anyone. This class was offered by Amy from Latitude Yoga because she wanted to promote her new studio in town. This studio will also have hot yoga (finally!!!). I'm so looking forward to try the hot yoga. This is how it was set up. Because it's a foot bridge, we could lay our mats on one side of the bridge and people could still walk on the other side. The class was at 11am so it was super hot and sunny. I had to close my eyes while doing poses on my back.  Then, we strolled along Barstow street checking out the summerfest. There were many vendors from Eau Claire and Chippewa falls areas. After having lunch at the summerfest, I came home and took a nap before heading out to Lake Wissota to practice open water swimming.  I heard that open water swimming can be dangerous especially when there are motor boats i