Weekend Update + Taper Week

I'm feeling really pumped and ready for my half-marathon after a wonderful weekend full of exercise and friends. I also unplugged on Saturday; well, sort of.

Uplift Studios - Workout and Wine with Healthy Cooking CampI know, mentioning Uplift again? Can I stop being such a fan? I would, but they're just too awesome. Sorry, blame Uplift.

I already wrote about my long run on Friday, but it wasn't my only workout that day. I finally had the time and budget to attend one of Uplift's signature events: workout and wine! A 45 minute workout is followed by wine and snacks. Chelsea (she of the kickass Australian accent and equally kickass instruction) led us in weight- and cardio-filled intervals that made the 45 minutes feel very full before we broke to sip wine, eat healthy food, and watch a cooking demo by the ladies of Healthy Cooking Camp, Robyn and Quinn.

you do a lot of variations on squats in Chelsea's classes. she likes them. a lot.
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Throughout the demo, Robyn and Quinn discussed the health benefits of the ingredients they were using and gave us some shopping tips. We were treated to walnut and lentil pate with seed crackers and veggie crudites, quinoa with an assortment of toppings and an easy and tasty dressing, and coconut chocolate mousse. This might not sound great based on ingredients, but seeing as I had seconds of everything (and thirds of the quinoa), the dishes surpassed stereotypes of what that kind of food tastes like. I loved the quinoa dish so much that I'm making a big batch tomorrow for this week's lunches!

listening to Robyn and Quinn as they prep our delicious dinner
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It was so fun to finish up a tough workout with some tasty and healthy food, a glass (or two) of wine, and great conversation with the other women attendees. I always love meeting potential workout buddies!

Unplug Yourself SaturdaysUnfortunately, after my team's meeting Friday about a class group project, I realized I'd have to be in touch with people via email on Saturday and do internet research. I decided to alter my challenge for the day and say I could use the computer and email, but not social media and no email or apps on my Blackberry (which is my real addiction anyway). 

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So how did I do under those parameters? Pretty well! I did tweet once when I got home on Saturday, to thank Ashley for setting up the yoga class with Kristin McGee, but otherwise I only used the internet for research and working with my teammates. 

When I headed downtown to the yoga class, I did feel a bit anxious not being able to check my email on my phone. However, I noticed myself not checking my phone as much today while I was running errands because I had stopped checking it yesterday. It was nice to feel less tied to my phone. Since the assignment is due in a little more than a week, next Saturday will probably be a similar experience, but I'm hoping that I can spend a couple Saturdays with no internet whatsoever so that I can really unplug!

Yoga for Runners with Kristin McGee and Ashley of HealthyHappierBear

Kristin doing a terrific hip opener and quad stretcher
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I love reading fitness blogs, but I always enjoy Ashley's in particular because she isn't a fitness professional, she's a woman with a busy corporate job who makes exercise a priority. Since I'll be going back to my summer law firm next year, working 60-70 hours a week, reading about her strategies and seeing her dedication to getting it done is extra inspiring.

The class was with Kristin McGee, who I was lucky enough to take a class with a few weeks ago. She crafted a special yoga for runners class that focused on massaging IT bands, hip openers, and calf and shin stretches. Kristin also gave us some helpful tips, like doing dynamic stretching before a run (sun salutations and moving, flowing stretches) and longer, sustained stretches like pigeon at the end of a run. She also strongly advocated for foam rolling, the magic of which I've recently been convinced!

It was fun to meet a few established bloggers who inspire me daily by sharing their fitness trials and tribulations. I always feel like a total dork going up to someone and saying "I read your blog!" or "we've tweeted a few times." But I haven't let that stop me yet! 

Taper Week
This week might be my toughest challenge yet. I have to taper properly by resting a lot, getting plenty of sleep, doing yoga, and foam rolling. I don't have much of a problem with the last two, but not working out and getting enough sleep are both challenging. I really enjoy taking exercise classes and running, and I work out enough that I feel lazy if I'm not doing exercise. But if I want to do my best on Sunday, I'm going to need to really focus on resting my body and being ready to push it hard a week from now.

So, here's what I'm hoping to do this week before my half-marathon on Sunday:
- 3 or 4 yoga classes
- 1 easy 3 mile run
- get 8 hours of sleep every night

Last night I got closer to 7 hours, sadly, since a certain cat decided to bother me for 30 minutes before I could get to sleep. 

Does anyone else find it hard to taper and not exercise much for a while? Anyone have pets who try to keep you awake at the worst times?