Ice Baths and Utkatasana

Almost two years ago, I ran the Nike Womens' Marathon in San Francisco. This may be the coolest marathon in all of history because a) it's all women and b) at the end you are greeted by firemen in tuxes and one of them hands you a Tiffany blue box with a silver finisher's necklace. Amazing, right? Sure it was a little awkward seeing a horde of fantastic looking men after I had just ran 26.2 miles and wasn't looking . . . awesome. But really, I'd do anything for that blue box.

I'm the one in the hypothermia blanket. Claudymom is on the left! Isn't she a babe?

I've run a few shorter races since then and, even though I don't plan on doing another marathon, I still think about it a lot. As I've said before, there is something about pushing your body that makes you feel alive. We were designed to run, walk and even swim and I try to be grateful for my body every day (even on those days my "skinny jeans" seem much more like "thank God these zipped up today jeans").

One of the most challenging things I had to do in training for the marathon was take ice baths. Any time you run over 10 miles, it's a good idea to take a bath in ice water for about 15 minutes. This is even less fun than it sounds. I remember the very first time I did this . . . I bought a few bags of ice from the store around the corner, put on my fleece hat, poured the ice in the tub with some very cold water, and proceeded to get in.

If you know me well, you know I did not go quietly. From the second my big toe hit the water, I began screaming obscenities at the top of my lungs. If pressed, I can curse like a sailor-- it's a gift. My husband ran around the apartment closing windows because, according to him, "kids live in this neighborhood!" and would apparently need therapy for years if they heard what I was screaming. I really didn't give a crap.

In this painful state (and it was SO painful), I could feel every part of my body. Even though I hated my life at that moment, I was so acutely aware of it.

I experience the same awareness when I am in the yoga pose utkatasana (oot-kuh-tah-suh-nah). This pose is most commonly known as "chair pose" because the person is supposed to look like they are sitting in an invisible chair.

In some yoga circles, this pose is known as "awkward pose." I truly didn't get that name until I saw this image from Yoga Journal. I swear most people don't look like this in this pose. Yoga is cool, I swear.

As you can imagine, this pose burns. But, if you can stomach it, it has the potential to remind you that you are, indeed, alive.

I know I spend too much time taking for granted that I am alive and well. That my heart pumps, my lungs fill and empty and my body is able to work hard.

So today, I am thankful for ice baths and even "awkward pose" for the awareness they have brought to my life. Awareness is what I need. I am also thankful for my yoga practice and the way it blends so well with my running practice. Yoga complements running and running complements yoga. They work together in my life to make me a saner, more aware person.