I grew up running, in a family of runners.  I ran track and cross-country all the way through college and on into my 30’s and very early 40’s.  Up until my late 30’s, I always felt great.  I rarely got tired and if ultra marathons were around back then, I probably would have done them.  I am built for distance.  I never really felt good until I hit 5 miles or so, and then, watch out – I could keep going and going.  Since running came so easy for me, I never really took care of myself while doing it.  My diet – terrible.  Stretching before I ran – not necessary.  Supplementing running with strength training – that’s for sissy’s.  I would roll out of bed in the morning and run.

It was right around my late thirties that I began to have back pain, something I attributed to a lingering injury from being struck by a car in my early twenties.  The pain started out as intermittent, but it became obvious to me that it was a direct result of running – the days I ran, I experienced pain.   In addition to this lingering problem, I began to start feeling like running was turning into a job. Between training for the Chicago marathon and running with a running club, I was beginning to feel a sense of obligation, and not an enjoyable one at that.  My daughter, Katie, who was a young ballerina at the time, encouraged me to go to Pilates with her as a way to help with my back pain.  I was in – I mean, how hard would it be?  I was in great shape (or so I thought).  I crawled out of that first Pilates class realizing just how weak and deprived my muscles really were.  By doing nothing but running over the years, my muscle groups were not in balance at all.  Back extensions are a huge part of Pilates, and when I tried them for the first time, I had absolutely zero strength in my back to even lift my chest up off the floor for any length of time. And stomach muscle strength?  Forget it.  This was a life changing experience for me. I walked out of that first Pilates class and made the personal choice to abandon running for a while to help my body become stronger, never looking back (until now, albeit temporary.)

According to Pilates creator Joseph Pilates, you are only as old as your spine.   In order to keep your spine flexible, you must be able to move with control in all of the directions the spine is meant to move. Learning to do this safely and with the support of the muscles of the core is what Pilates is all about. Think of a tree – does it have all its strength in its limbs? No. The tree is only as strong as its trunk and roots. Without a strong trunk, the tree would topple over.  It’s the same for human bodies.  If we don’t concentrate on building a good foundation and a strong trunk or core, we’ll end up tight in some places and weak in others, injury-prone and susceptible to the pitfalls of our occupation or chosen form of exercise.  As I continued with Pilates, I felt better and better.

Along came another form of exercise for me – Yoga!  As much as I loved Pilates, I missed the feeling I felt after running –  a big release of emotional energy which enabled me to focus and to remain calm and centered.  The more I read about Yoga, the more I realized that this might be a good addition to my Pilates routine and the philosophy behind Yoga might just give me that endorphin “boost” I was missing.  I took my first class, and was hooked.  For starters, it was challenging.  The calm I felt after the class was noticeable, so much so that my husband nowadays, when he sees me tense – encourages me to go to a Yoga class. There is no other form of exercise I can think of that I have to focus on as much as I do in yoga and it is the focusing that enables me to empty my mind completely and live in the NOW.  Several yoga practices assist with this.  Setting an “intention” at the beginning of the class is a necessary part of the process.  Because yoga is a mind-body practice, a moving meditation, it involves an aspect of spiritual awakening and self-understanding that goes beyond the physical activity of cardio workouts. Setting an intention brings my yoga practice to a deeper level.  I try to focus on reflection, gratitude and forgiveness.  The coup de gras of Yoga is at the very end, when the class ends in what is considered the most important pose of Yoga – Shavasana.  Coming from the Sanskrit word meaning “corpse”,  Shavasana is a chance for the body to reset and regroup.   Shavasana involves laying in stillness and meditating.  After Shavasana,  the instructor wishes everyone peace, in the words of  “Namaste” (bowing to you), and then we clap for one another.  It makes me emotional every time I end a Yoga class.  Talk about a soul fulfilling practice!

I have been a cyclist off and off over the past twenty years and I picked it up a few years ago when we decided to ride RAGBRAI (The Register’s Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa), roughly 450 miles approximately.  I had not biked since I stopped running and started doing Pilates and Yoga, and when I did finally start cycling, I felt fantastic.  I rarely got tired, rarely got sore and I found myself thinking that no one should feel this good at my age.  I have to attribute it to Pilates and Yoga and it made me think how much better of a runner I could have been had I been on this weekly regiment of core type fitness.

So – this leads me to my blog title – get me through the Hot Chocolate!  I like to have a challenge every year, and last summer I did a very small Sprint triathlon, and this summer, RAGBRAI. So, along comes the hot chocolate which everyone I know in Chicago says is a must do – the bling is great, it’s a crowded enthusiastic event, and it’s November along Lake Michigan – how great is that?  Ah….not so much. Training for a 5K like I did for the sprint last summer is much different from a 15K.  I’m running three times a week, and running longer distances.  Fun you might ask?  NO.  Aches and pains and accompany me along my way.  I don’t feel like I used to.  My hips are sore and my feet hurt. In reading about running for older adults, it is still encouraged but there are numerous stipulations on the sport.  As we grow older our muscle fibers shrink in number and in size and become less sensitive to nerve impulses. This can lead to a decrease in cardiovascular endurance, strength, balance and coordination.  A few of the ways to remedy that – build more strength and improve your balance.

Pilates + Yoga – the perfect combination!  I probably will not be picking up my running shoes much after next weekend, but I won’t be sad about it.  I will still be “fine tuning” my body with things that are good for me.