Happy Marathon Monday! Love this day for the running community as we see all the Boston buzz everywhere. Biggest congrats to those who ran today!

I hope that all who celebrated had a wonderful Easter weekend and that this fresh new week is off to a great start. Let’s catch up on life since we got home from Florida last Monday.

PUPDATE

Interesting tidbit for ya…neither Zoey nor Benji has ever been boarded (I always have a dog sitter come to the house) but you can tell they’re much happier and settled when their people are home. I stopped boarding back when I had Sullie because she just never really seemed herself when I’d pick her up. And then once I got a second dog (Zoey) it was basically the same price to pay a dog sitter as it was to board.

Now I think at 10.5 Zoey is too old to introduce boarding and Benji’s likely wouldn’t thrive in a boarding environment due to his anxiety. That said, I am very lucky to have had some super great dog sitters over the years given all the travel we do!

Related…Benji is turning 6 this summer and I cannot believe it!!!!!!!!

SPRING THINGS

Finn was on spring break last week so he got to tag along with me to teach yoga and get a pedicure one day. It was his first time in a pedicure chair and he was a fan (he did not get a service). My big toes were looking a little rough between marathon damage growing out on my right foot and ski boot trauma on my left foot. All covered up now!

Side note – Finn thinks his rainbow poop emoji stuffy is pretty epic. And don’t worry, I did way more play than work during the time Finn was with me. We took a fun outing to the park with friends one afternoon and a little pool party another.

The azaleas are STUNNING in Charlotte right now! I’ve been snapping photos of them to send to my grandmother. While she loves her beach views in Florida, she misses the spring flowers and fall leaves she had back in Georgia.

A WEIRD SICKNESS

Last week wasn’t all fun…I had a few days of really weird nighttime fevers, body aches, sore throat, chills. I would feel okay during the day and then be up half the night feeling horrible. Once the fevers subsided, I ended up with some sinus discomfort and have also lost my sense of smell…but I tested negative for you know what (I don’t even want to write that word). Weird.

RACEFEST HALF MARATHON 10K RECAP 

I was registered to run the Racefest Half Marathon over the weekend and was really, really looking forward to it. Since I hadn’t been feeling well I debated scrapping the whole thing but there was a 10K option so I decided to go for it and pivot if needed.

Well, the pivot was definitely needed and I made the turn at mile three for the 10K instead of going on for the half. Could I have pushed through? Probably. But it would have been a miserable race and since I was running for fun – what was the point of putting myself through that? I just didn’t have it in me and that’s okay!

I’ve been doing a lot of hard runs and tempo work lately so when I made the decision to drop down at three miles, I picked up the pace and got a sub-50 finish. Kinda made me want to actually train speed and race a 5 or 10K sometime soon!

Always good to see my Greenapple Sports friends at races as they are a huge part of my still being able to run like I do with my hip (which I owe y’all a whole update on soon bc there are updates).

FLOW + LIFT TRAINING AT THE HEALTH CLUB

I spent Friday and Saturday afternoon at The Health Club training instructors on a new format that we’re launching this Friday – FLOW + LIFT! It’s a fusion of yoga, strength training and HIIT (in a heated room – whew!!!) that includes power yoga flow, dumbbells, bands, cardio bursts and restorative stretching. The class is 10 minutes of power flow to warm up, 30 minutes of strength training with bands and dumbbells and then 10 minutes of stretch at the end.

It’s sweaty, fun, engaging and challenging – I cannot wait to introduce it to our members!

We’re also launching these class formats…

• Roll + Stretch – Your new go-to for recovery. Begin with guided myofascial release using rollers and massage balls, then move into deep full-body stretching to relieve tension and improve mobility
• Power Flow + Deep Stretch – Start with 30 minutes of hot power flow to activate and open the body, followed by deep, targeted stretches for hips, hamstrings, back, and shoulders.

In love with this place and pumped to be on the personal training and group ex teams!

EASTER SUNDAY

I had a very low-key but enjoyable Easter Sunday. It began with 9:30a church.

There was also a nice little afternoon bike ride down the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and Myers Park on an e-bike (about all my legs could handle after a weekend of flow + lift training and the race).

And it ended with a very non-traditional but delicious dinner at Yunta which is an amazing peruvian spot in Charlotte with a Japanese twist. Shared yucca balls, ceviche, shrimp gratin nigiri (torched table side), a roll with shrimp tempura and crab and stir fried filet and baby potatoes. It was my second time dining at Yunta and it’s soooo good! Highly recommend if you’re in the area but make your reservations a few weeks ahead of time – especially for weekends.

And that’s the end! I’m going to leash up these dogs and get them out for a walk before I head out to teach an evening yoga class.

Be well friends! <3

QUESTIONS 

Have you ever run Boston? Any goals/desire to do so? Have you ever spectated Boston? (that looks like so much fun!)

How was your Easter? Anyone else have a nontraditional meal? 

What is your favorite type of group fitness class to take?