This past training week was a rather solid one. I got to run with a variety of different people and was finally pushed beyond the effort I've been putting out on my own. Week 3: 1/7/13 - 1/13/13 M:  5.66 mi (P)  +  yin yoga (XT) T:  4 mi (E  + P) W:  CrossBoot (XT) R:  3.1 mi (E) F:   hot yoga (XT) Sa:  10 mi (LSD) Su:  yoga in the park (XT) Weekly mileage: 22.76 Key: (E) = Easy; (P) = Pace; (LSD) = Long Slow Distance; (XT) = Cross Training On Monday, I went back to my running group "roots" at Flatwoods/ Hunters Green (we run Flatwoods Park during Daylight Savings and then move to the surrounding Hunters Green 'burbs after Daylight Savings, as Flatwoods is closed by the time we meet to run). These are the people whom I consider my main running family. Even when I've taken breaks from the Monday night runs, these folks have all still had a presence--sometimes at other events, sometimes just on Facebook--and have been supportive of me. I ran a quarte

This morning I went to--or rather I went back  to--an acupuncturist I'd gone to over six years ago. I initially sought acupuncture treatment for allergies after having very little success from years and years of seeking treatment from Western-medicine practitioners. Those years ago, I met with Dr. Leyun Shao , and we did an initial consultation. She told me about her treatment method, which combined acupuncture and energy healing from Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. The specific allergy program is called NAET, which stands for Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques (more about the origin of NAET here ). From her practice's website : NAET - a program which treats allergies or sensitivities to any substance that the body reacts to, such as foods, pollens, dust, animals, chemicals, etc. NAET is also effective in treating chronic disease states such as MS, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Other treatable conditions include Irritable Bowel Syndro

I'm happy to report that I'm back in training. I've been cautiously adding some weekly miles back in since around Thanksgiving, and I finally feel back to normal. Coming back from the injury was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I was hoping to be able to start training for the Gasparilla half marathon, on February 24, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to take on the training. After two successful long runs in the past two weeks, though, I feel confident I can go forward with my plan. Here's how the first two weeks went: Week 1: 12/24/12 - 12/30/12 M: 4 mi (E) T: rest W: 5 mi (E) R: rest F: hot yoga (XT) Sa: 7 mi (LSD) Su: Ashtanga yoga (XT) Weekly mileage: 16 Week 2: 12/31/12 - 1/6/13 M: 3 mi (E) + yin yoga (XT) T: 3.1 mi (P) W: CrossBoot (XT) R: 3.1 mi (E) F: hot yoga (XT) Sa: 9 mi (LSD) Su: mini core workout (XT) Weekly mileage: 18.2 Key: (E) = Easy; (P) = Pace; (LSD) = Long Slow Distance; (XT) = Cross Training In oth

It is officially a new year! This is exciting in theory, but I realize it doesn't really mean very much in reality: the clocked ticked and the day changed just as they always do. But the new year does present two significant opportunities: (1) to look back at and evaluate the events of the prior year and (2) to plan for a new year of goals. As I look back at the goals I set for last year , which were all running-related, I feel like I accomplished a lot. I didn't really run barefoot, but I feel okay about that :) So here is a new list to look forward to, which includes running goals, but also others: Run a sub-2:00 half marathon. Train for a marathon without getting seriously injured (i.e., don't overtrain). Appreciate the diversity of friends I have and don't be overwhelmed by them :-D Keep my home, car, and office clean. Keep one eye open for new job opportunities but the other focused on current job(s). Enroll in yoga teacher training. Practice playing pia