Costa Rica, Yoga, 3-Day Weekend, and other random thoughts...

Wow...it feels like it's been a long time since I last posted. Wanted to catch up...

So I got back from Costa Rica on Monday night, just about midnight. Drove up the street in complete darkness. A storm had rolled through College Hill, leaving 100k people without power and a huge old tree downed on my street. I had to park at the top of the street and make my way down to my house. It was nerve wracking because I couldn't see anything and was worried about running into or stepping on a downed powerline. Fortunately, I had the little Four Seasons flashlight in my purse and was able to use it to light the way.

Costa Rica was fantastic. I love planning events like that. It was a lot of work but the Four Seasons staff makes it hard to screw it up. Though there were a couple of tiny hiccups, the event was close to flawless and, I think, everyone had a blast. That place is beautiful and I thought, many times, how I would love to take my partner (and my family!).

While I was in Costa Rica, I was able to take a couple of yoga classes. They were really good classes and made me more certain that I want to find a vinyasa flow class that is right for me.

On the subject of yoga...I finally hooked up with Yoga Tiffany again! At least, I set an appointment so I'll be seeing her on Sunday. I love yin yoga and Tiffany is such a great teacher. If you live in the Cincinnati area and would like a private yoga session, you should contact her. She's fantastic and so wonderful about working with you and your specific needs.

I am looking forward to this 3 day weekend. I am going to use it as an opportunity to reconnect with my health goals and my motivation. I have been progressing oh so slowly and have probably (with respect to the numbers on the scale) gone backwards a little. But all is good. I am growing more into my healthy lifestyle with each passing day. My commitment to reaching my goal of optimal health grows stronger...


Oh there's this one thing that I want to try for a month...started this week...it's dance as release. I'm not talking disco or bumpin' at da club...I mean dance of the Gabrielle Roth, Sweat Your Prayers type. If you haven't tried this before I would urge you to give it a shot. Just google her and read up about it...if it's something that peaks your curiosity, then give it a try and let me know what you think!

Hoping you have a wonderful, blessed, and peaceful weekend...

Namaste Yoga Weekend with Crystal

I can't believe I was anxious about going. That unrelenting anxiety is why I need to go to more yoga retreats. By Sunday afternoon I was as relaxed and peaceful as I could get or had been in a very long time.

Hope Springs is a peaceful oasis just a short drive from Cincinnati. The space was perfect for this retreat. I stayed in a room in the Studio...shared with 2 other ladies (there were 4 sleeping rooms and 4 bathrooms in the Studio). The farmhouse held the other attendees...there were 22 of us all totaled. And, surprisingly, there were 2 men in attendance. I guess I've gone to so many woman-only retreats that I just assumed this one would be too. It was a refreshing change...and both men were wonderful...peaceful, respectful...honestly, I didn't feel as if they were anything but a great addition to the group.

We spent time at the Spirit House in meditation as a group...but I also spent time there alone...often in meditation or journaling. I consider it a sacred place though it was just as welcoming of the women who wanted to sit and chat and laugh!

And there was a labyrinth...since we had a break in the rain for a few hours, we were able to walk the labyrinth as a moving meditation. It was beautiful...lush with little flowers...and quite magical.


The menu was very good...clean, often local and organic...I ate vegetarian, but there was a chicken option at one of the lunches. We ate a lot, it seemed. Breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, and dinner at 6pm. I don't really like my meals spaced that way...I'd prefer to eat lunch between 1-2pm...I'm a little hungrier then and not starving by the time dinner rolls around. 

The yoga was fantastic. I really enjoyed Crystal's yoga sequences. I liked the music and I liked the mixture of static and slow flow. I especially loved the Saturday afternoon class. Crystal was well prepared and offered classes that were challenging to me but also rejuvenating and restorative. I was a little worried about being able to physically do 5 classes in 2 and a half days. But, I don't know what I was worried about...I loved it and really want to figure out a way to do yoga daily (in addition to my cardio workouts).

There was also massage! On Saturday, there were massages after lunch and into the evening...this gave us plenty of time to sit around and talk or, in my case, read. I sat on the porch and read for awhile or went over to the Spirit House to meditate. It was a rainy weekend...perfect weather for such a retreat. My massage was fine, if a little too hard and hurried. The room was a bit chilly too but, you know, as a massage therapist, I'm probably a tough critic. Looking forward to the massage I have scheduled for Friday (at the Four Seasons!).

All in all, I had a really good time. It was the perfect birthday present from Cathy! I am going to have to schedule another one of these for the end of the summer.

Hey, if you want to see more pix from this trip go here.

My Yoga Retreat

Cathy got me an early birthday present (thank you, Honey!)...a yoga retreat! I'm so excited...it begins on Friday and goes through Sunday.

I'm heading out early on Friday because I have another dermatology appointment but when it's over, I'll head down to Hope Springs. The retreat is full...and that's great because it sounds like an amazing weekend. My intention for the weekend is to reclaim my yoga practice...I want to feel good about yoga all the time...I want to find my own daily practice, my go-to practice that I can jump into right out of bed.

This is the schedule:

Friday

• Registration & Free Time
• Orientation - Farmhouse
• Supper - Farmhouse
• Circle Time – Spirit House
• Yoga – Studio

Saturday

• Breakfast – Farmhouse
• Meditation & Pranayama – Spirit House
• Labyrinth – Spirit House/Meadow
• Yoga – Studio
• Lunch – Farmhouse
• Massages & Free Time
• Supper – Farmhouse
• Yoga – Studio
• Campfire

Sunday

• Breakfast – Farmhouse
• Meditation & Pranayama – Spirit House
• Labyrinth –Spirit House/Meadow
• Yoga – Studio
• Lunch –Farmhouse
• Yoga – Studio
• Depart

Sounds fun to me! Though I have to say, I'm feeling just a tad intimidated. (Not about my body!!! Fat women can do yoga!) I have been practicing, on and off, for more than a year. And I'm getting better at it. My stomach and breasts don't get in the way as much as I used to feel they did. (Sorry, it's true! Lots of women of size feel that yoga is hard because our bodies can make it hard to settle into a pose.)

But I tend to still get really pissy about 1/3 into most classes...usually because I am frustrated with myself for not being able to get into a pose or for not being able to breathe right. So I know that the retreat is full and I am thinking that all the attendees will be these long, lithe, perfect yoga bodies...and there I will be, a bumbling beginner (still!) who can barely touch her toes (why are my hamstrings SO freaking tight?????????? I was so limber when I was a kid!).



first attempt



I'm going to skip over to Curvaceous Woman Yoga and read some of Lisa's blogs to inspire me and get my courage up! :D

In the meantime, I was inspired by Tara Costa and decided to make my own mantra bracelet...I love it and want to make a couple others! This first one, I was just trying to figure out how to make it. For the second one, I will use an actual mantra. :D

After the retreat, I'm back home for a couple of days before I have to go on the road for work. Will try to post photos and my impressions of the retreat when I get back.

The day I walked 13.1 miles...

I woke up Sunday morning around 4:30. Got up and made some coffee...got my running clothes out of the washing machine and tossed them into the dryer and went about getting ready to go. The race was set to start at 6:30. Around 5:15 I was looking online at where I should park when I noticed, for the first time, that the lots close to the start line closed at 5:30. I scrambled to leave.

Of course there was a lot of traffic...I'd forgotten about that. But I actually found a pretty good parking spot and got down to the start around 6:05. By then it was raining pretty steadily. The crowd was huge and slow moving. I tried to make my way to my starting corral or pig pen but it was very slow going and my pig pen was the very last one.

We all stood there, in the pouring rain, waiting for the count down. Honestly, being so far back I couldn't even hear the gun go off. I just started moving when everyone else did. Even though I wore a poncho, the rain trickled down my back and my shoes were soaked by the time I crossed the starting line. It was still fairly slow moving because the crowd was so dense, but I managed to weave through and pick up my pace.

At about a mile into it, I took off my poncho and tossed it aside. The rain was a drizzle at that point and I didn't really care about it any longer. I was already in my zone...there was no doubt that I was going to go through with this. I wasn't going to stop, I was just going to keep picking them up and putting them down until I reached the finish line.

There were, I think, 7 hills total on the course. Several were on the bridges we crossed during miles 1-5. But those miles went by fairly fast, for me. I like that part of the race. The crowd was up and cheering us on.

Miles 6-10...not good. The problem was, I didn't have time to eat breakfast (I had half a cup of coffee!). I felt out of energy just as I hit the big elevation rise at mile 6...straight uphill until mile 10. I'd brought one GU packet and ate it at the bottom of the hill. Wish I'd brought 2 packets.

At mile 10, I poured it on to make up some time...but when I hit my last mile, I also hit my wall. I could not make myself go any faster and, in fact, I know I slowed down quite a bit. The spectators were plentiful on that last mile but weirdly quiet. There weren't a lot of runners at that point so maybe they just thought that all the walkers were no big deal. It was kind of a let down when I could have really used some energy...but I turned up my iPod and focused on the finish line and tried to get there as soon as I could. I knew I was going to finish faster than I had predicted so that made me happy!

One thing this race gave me...the sense that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Number of Finishers: 1,261


Number of Females: 1,069

Number of Males: 192

Average Time: 3:31:49


Kim Davis


bib number: 11996

age: 46

gender: F

location: Cincinnati, OH

overall place: 9596 out of 1261

division place: 566 out of 710

gender place: 5785 out of 6862

time: 3:22:19

pace: 15:27

6.8mi: 1:42:39