Friday Favorites: Rainbows and Rewards

At the end of a busy week, my body told me it was time for a rest day. So instead of joining the SWIC hiking group for a 3 hour walking tour, I opted to stay home and relax.

My day of rest turned into rainbows and rewards.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

A sign of peace.

Amazing NYC Rainbow today. Originating from #worldtradecenter the day before #911 pic.twitter.com/TophkKhqbr

— Ben Sturner (@leverageagency) September 10, 2015

Comfy pants and coffee.

Football on a Friday morning.

A surprise overnight trip to Macau Friday afternoon with mrC! (which is why this post is so late). We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel. He took me to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then went to see The House of Dancing Water.

We had the best time!

We spent all day today sightseeing around Macau.

Do you ever have blah days turn into amazing days?
Do you like surprise plans?

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The First Ever SWIC Running Group!!

I have been missing my MRTT running peeps, so I am attempting to put together a running group among the expats here in Shenzhen.

The group will meet at the Shenzhen International School on Thursday mornings at 8:00 sharp.

Today was our first meet-up! Four SWIC members came to join me for a run.

Together we ran a nice and easy 5K route that took us by the water.

We cooled off with some post run juices and good conversation.

I can't wait to see where this goes!

I also revisited the chiropractor. My adjustments and therapy have been very successful, but then yesterday I woke up with a terrible pain in my back. I think I just slept wrong because today it was better, but Dr. Steve said my rib cage was also rotated. I'm blaming the yoga.

Tonight I'm going to watch some friends play tennis.

In case you didn't hear:

CASE DISMISSEDI did not litter. My group size was always 12. I drank champagne after a 46 day life changing journey in...
Posted by Scott Jurek on Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Any tips on running groups?

How would celebrate after 46 days of running?

Trying Something New: Pilates

Today I tried something new. I took a Pilates class at the yoga center. I heard it's a great cross training option for runners.

photo Yogalife

I should start by saying it's lucky that I got in because despite showing up a little early to check in for the class, I forgot my YogaLife card. The friendly attendant who speaks only Chinese waved me in, I think because she remembered me.

With the help of a kind French woman named Virginia, I found room #1 and grabbed a mat by the windows. We chatted about our mutual lack of flexibility and she told me about some other Yoga classes.

And then the sweating commenced.

The 60 minute class was a combination of yoga poses and core exercises. Our instructor, Candy, led the class in both Chinese and English which I really liked. I think I will learn how to say right and left in Chinese very quickly!

Unlike Hatha Yoga on Saturday, I was able to do almost all of the work today. I am looking forward to seeing my flexibility and balance improve over the weeks as I take both classes.

Daily planking: It was free choice day for the challenge, so I'm counting all the planking I did in Pilates today.

Have you seen this? Oiselle is starting a reading club for runners! I've already read the book (it's really good) and am loving this idea.

Long Distance Reading Club starts soon! Kicking it off with a classic: Once A Runner. #staytuned #LDRclub pic.twitter.com/zyFyfjN4py

— oiselle (@oiselle) September 2, 2015

Have you taken Pilates? 
Do you have a favorite book about running/fitness?

Treadmill Tuesday: 10 More Minutes

This song makes me want to kick ass at life every time I hear it.

Today it inspired me to stay on the treadmill 10 minutes longer than I had planned. I was nearing the end of my 30 minute run when it came up on my playlist. My knee was feeling good, so I went for it.

"The only way you can know / Is give it all you have"

I believe I owned my run today!

Immediately after my run, I went right into plank work. Challenge day 8: side plank reach through 5x each side, plus timed side planks. Then I timed my standard and got a NEW PB!

Can you see the bead of sweat on my forehead?!?

I finished up my workout with 10 laps in the pool then biked it home. Love mixing things up.

What songs inspire you?
Do you mix up your workouts or stick to one activity at a time?

Mountain Monday: 5 Lessons on a Rainy Day

The forecast for today was thunderstorms.

Approaching the meeting place for the weekly climb up the mountain, the sky looked rather ominous.

We always go unless it is pouring.

Here are some lessons I learned from today's hike:

1. Don't let a little rain scare you away. I would have missed out on a great climb and great company.

2. Mosquitos come out to party when it's wet and cooler.

3. I'm still afraid of thunder, but friends laughing at me make it better!

4. Athleta shorts stick to your legs when they are wet.

5. Sometimes you have to take a lot of breaks on your way to the top. It's ok.

It did start to rain on the way down the mountain. Good thing I also had an umbrella. It was still a fun hike and the post-hike chatting at Starbucks is always entertaining.

Climbing the mountain also helps me hit my 10,000 steps. I love the feeling when my Fitbit has its little celebration on my wrist.

In other news...the difficulty level is rising on my daily plank challenge. Today we had to do 10 second walking plank, 10 second spiderman plank, right into timed standard plank. Oh abs on fire!

And today I conquered the daily recommended 20 strokes with The Stick.

Tell me something you learned from your fitness today.
Do you exercise in the rain?