2011 Bike Run Yoga Challenge is HERE!! Complete 12 Events in 12 months!

Bike | Run | Yoga by Comfycrafter

2011 Bike Run Yoga Challenge is HERE!! Complete 12 Events in 12 months!

Bike Run Yoga…that’s my tri is about being healthy and doing what you love. I personally am not a fan, yet, of swimming so my ideal triathlon would be one where I could Bike, Run and do Yoga. This is the third year of the challenge. In 2009 I completed 12 events, in 2010 I completed 16. Even though I didn't reach my goal of 24 events, I still feel I did an amazing job. It's not so much about completing 24 events as it is about getting out there and being healthy and having fun.

Before 2009 I worked out modestly and had done some cycling and yoga but mostly PAID for yoga membership and gym membership with little “attendance.” I sat on the couch after work and watched tv or I would just surf the net all night. I was gaining weight and I had two choices, spend money to get new clothes or get and up and get exercising!

January 2009 started off with attendance at a Team in Training meeting in hopes of learning how to run a 5K and swim enough so I could do a sprint tri. At the meeting I phoned my friend Ginny and she somehow convinced me to run a marathon and that is how this all started.

Join me in this awesome personal challenge where you are sure to find out many things about yourself, perhaps the most important is that you can do anything you set your mind to. You CAN do it!

2011 Bike Run Yoga Challenge
How to enter:

1.      Post a Comment on this blog that you are committing to the challenge

2.      Follow the Bike Run Yoga blog

Requirements:

1. Make a commitment to the challenge (this means post a comment here and tell me you are doing the challenge)
2. Complete 12 events (Tri, duathlon, run, ride, swim, yoga or other organized event)
3. Must be a finisher at the event (we use the honor system for verification)
4. Submit your events, email address, full name and shipping address to Bike Run Yoga no later than January 5, 2012.

What do you get? 

A free Bike Run Yoga T-shirt with all your events listed on the back. The events will be listed on the back with the name of the event and the event date. It will be custom made for you and shipped to you in 4-6 weeks.

Not enough incentive? 

Get paid to complete events! Buy a Bike Run Yoga T-shirt and wear it at your event. For every picture you send in with a Bike Run Yoga Shirt on and your number, Bike Run Yoga will give you $5. You must complete the Challenge to be eligible and all funds will be paid upon completion of the Challenge.

Check out the list of events I have committed to so far on the main page of this blog.

Good Luck! I hope you will join me in this awesome challenge!
 
Questions? click here to email me.

I was reminded of a valuable lesson this weekend

I was reminded of a valuable lesson this weekend when I went to Pure Bikram Yoga in Austin, get there early. I use to get to yoga early, set up my mat where I wanted to and relax. I've gotten lazy, or maybe over booked, either way I was rushing to make class the two times I went this weekend.

This resulted in me being on the last row my first class and having to squish in for my second class; both not satisfactory to me.

As I was leaning over in Standing Head to Knee, I was thinking to myself, "darn it, I should have gotten here earlier, I can't see my knee!" I don't know how people manage to go through class on the third or fourth row, you can't see what the body is doing.

After mentally scolding myself for not getting there earlier, I decided to let it go. I accepted the challenge of being on the last row and tried hard to not let it steal my peace.

Then, because I didn't learn my lesson the first time, I got there right before class started again on the second day. I walked in and the sign-in sheet had 54 people on it. Oh dear! I hoped that wasn't just for my class, that maybe that was the sign in sheet from another class too but no, when I walked in, mats were literally mat to mat. I stood there and just stared for a second trying to quickly scan the room. Of course, as I would, no one looked at me, they didn't really want to have to squeeze in one more. Heck, I don't blame them, I wouldn't want to either.

After a few seconds and two or three more people coming in, people started to shift around and I found a spot on the third row next to the pole in the middle of the room. Could I see myself? Heck no. Did people sweat all over my mat and towel? Absolutely. Was I pretty sure I wanted to wash with anti bacterial soap after? Of course. Was it an awesome class? DUH! Heck YEA! Sweaty, energized, motivating class. Who cares I might have put my face in someone's sweat during Locust Pose. I struggled through class and gave my 100% and left satisfied and feeling great.

Next time you go to Bikram Yoga, or any yoga for that matter, try being in a place you don't normally set up. It will change your perspective and challenge you more in class. And for all you third and fourth row people that come to my classes, get up front, it will change your life. :)

3M Half Marathon, Austin, Texas

The 3M half marathon is this weekend in Austin, Texas. I'm excited to go down, Austin is a great place to run. Not that I'm running this weekend! I haven't serious run since the White Rock Relay Marathon. I find it hard to get motivated to run when my fingers and toes get frozen the minute I walk outside.

I have a friend running though, it is her first half marathon. I'm very exited for her, it is a big accomplishment. I know a few years ago when I ran my first one I felt amazing. It was a huge deal to me, it was the longest distance I had ever run and just months before I had never run more than a 5k and I'd never even run a full 5K without walking. 

If anyone is running this weekend, good for you, hope it is the best run of your life! I'll be cheering you on and wishing you good thoughts each mile.

Any Publicity is Good Publicity, Right?!

Bikram

As long as they are talking about you, your product or your service, it's good right? Even if it's bad, the world is still talking about you, making buzz, generating interest, getting your name out. At least this is what the old feeling is of publicity.

To some degree this is true. Bikram Yoga is case in point. I tell people I teach Bikram Yoga and they kind of look at me funny. I immediately follow it up with "it's hot yoga." OH! they say.....then the conversation stops because most people don't know much about yoga and especially about hot yoga.

Lately though when I mention Bikram Yoga I get different looks and some say, "oh, I read that article, wow." Yea yea, ok, so there was an article written about Bikram and his teacher training in San Diego. And sure, some of it was sensational and scandalous. But isn't that just good marketing? Bikram has the world talking about him and his yoga.

Soon after the article came out there was a blog post discussing the poor way people talk about yoga and how many people view yoga.

"The sad thing is that anyone encountering any of the above could easily get totally uninterested in yoga and all the majority-white, narcissistic American Apparel models that allegedly dominate it. And they would be missing out." ~ What's wrong with how we talk about yoga

I read both and thought both had interesting points. But what I like most about it is people are TALKING about yoga and TRYING it. That is the best part. 

Namaste

Details article: The Overheated, Oversexed Cult of Bikram Choudhury

Blog Post : What's wrong with how we talk about yoga

A little finger workout never hurt anyone

Haven't been doing a lot of running or biking, it is freezing here in Dallas. Best activities to do right now are indoors! Yoga is one...been doing a lot of that. Crafting is another. Check out my other blog, ComfyCrafter, to see what else I do in my spare time. I recently made some adorable amigurumi dolls. Amigurumi is basically the art of knitting or crocheting small creatures that turn out to be adorable and things Lennie in Mice and Men might have liked.

Here is one of the amigurumi I made.

You can view other things I have made at my etsy store. Enjoy and stay warm!

I'm running the See Jane Run Half Marathon in Austin, Texas

See Jane Run

Women! This run is for you! What a great way to celebrate being a women. This half marathon is in Austin, Texas on October 9, 2011. Click here to get more information and to register.

 

Dallas Rock and Roll Half Marathon

 

Dallas Rock and Roll Half Marathon

March 27, 2011

This is the second year for this race. I ran last year and had a blast. The Rock and Roll series of marathons and half marathons are super fun. Come run and rock it out! 

2011 Resolutions? Nah, just go with the flow.....

It's 2011, start of a new year, time to make resolutions I guess. I see lots of blog posts, tweets, facebook posts and the like declaring resolutions; things people intend to keep up with throughout 2011 in hopes of bettering their life. Not me. I think I stopped making resolutions somewhere in my twenties. Resolutions to me are merely a proclamation of what one hopes to do with little substance or concept of how to accomplish said resolution. Who really keeps these things going anyway? And why does it take the beginning of a new year to make us decide we need to start a new path/goal/plan?

If you want to make a resolution to do something, you can do that at any time. No need for the new year to start to get moving! Except it seems most people like to have the comradery of others in their efforts to better themselves. So it makes sense people like to make resolutions all at the same time and I suppose the beginning of a year is a good time, new year, new beginning, etc.

As I mentioned before, I am not making any resolutions. But I am thinking I need to do something to commit more to writing in my blog on a more regular basis. Now I say it isn't a resolution because frankly, I don't want to even commit THAT much by publicly saying I am going to write x times more each week. At this point I'm just THINKING about it. But it does need to be done, me committing more to writing.

I think with quitting my job, going to yoga teacher training and trying to start a new career teaching yoga life got in the way and I didn't have time or the energy to really write down what was going on. And truly, not a lot has been going on! I ran in a few races but not as many as I wanted. I biked even less this year and my yoga competition this year was not worth writing about.

But all in all I would say 2010 was a pretty good and lots happened in the beginning of the year...hence the large amount of posts in the first part of the 2010. I quit my executive job of 11 years to become a Bikram Yoga Teacher. I went to teacher training in Las Vegas for 9 weeks. That was huge. There are a whole host of reasons teacher training could have been a huge challenge. You can read my posts from earlier this year if you want to know more. After teacher training I came back and started teaching at Bikram Yoga Dallas.

Lately I have been on a craft kick. I started knitting again and made a few things for my etsy site. I actually sold some things this year!  Check it out..and while you are there, buy something! It will help me continue to teach and still be able to afford Fuzzy's Tacos.

So there you have it. My wrap up for 2010. Fulfill your resolutions or don't. No worries. If you fail to keep up what you said you would do, don't beat yourself up, there are more days left in the year - just make a new resolution and start over. We say in Bikram Yoga, "try the right way, giving 100% effort and you will get all the benefits." Same goes for resolutions I think. Try. Give it 100% effort. Receive the benefits.

Namaste