#beachlife

So I'm at the beach. Again.

I generally average a beach trip once or twice a year. But in the last 18 months, I'd say I've had quite a lot of beach time. Let's see, there was a month in Costa Rica last spring, a week at the beach with my family on the east coast right after that, another week at the beach last fall, a weekend in San Diego in November, and I'm back at the beach now. Plus, I now live 1.5 hours away from the Oregon coast!

          Playa Guiones, CR

                   Cannon Beach, OR

             Wrightsville Beach, NC

Even though I love living in the mountains, beach time is absolutely necessary to my life! For many reasons...

1. Beach yoga!
I've written many times about how kid-like I've become (again) when it comes to a wide open beach. I have this deep-seated need when I see a beach to roll around in the sand. I lose my fear, or most of it anyways, and feel like trying things that I've been too scared to do in a class. Like handstand. Or acro. Or cartwheels.

                Acro in Costa Rica

        Cartwheels in Lagos, Portugal

   Cartwheels in Oswald State Park, OR

           Jumps in Mallorca, Spain

             Wrightsville Beach, NC

                    San Diego, CA

             Cannon Beach, OR

At least during the summer, I love getting all kinds of sandy, and then jumping into the ocean!

          Sandy bum after beach yoga

2. Beach runs
I love running on the beach at low tide. The sand cushions my knees, but is firm enough that I can get a good stride. Can't miss the view either!

3. Surfing and SUP-ing
While in Costa Rica, I fell in love with surfing. I suck at it, but love floating around in the waves and paddling around on the board. And of course the occassional time I "catch" a wave.

       Kayaking and SUP-ing in NC

            Surf instructors in Costa

4. R&R
I relax at the beach in a way I absolutely don't anywhere or anytime else. The minute I inhale some salt air, I practically feel the tension drain away.

In general, beach time is all about balance for me, to restore myself. I'm insanely active and insanely restful. I'll average three activities a day, and a romance novel in the same time. There are the few times where I've adventured during beach trips though. Gotta love playing tourist!

             Exploring Vancouver, BC

      Hiking in Oswald State Park, OR

      Overnight trip to Dominical, CR

                Exploring San Diego

                      Cadiz, Spain

            UNC girls in Lagos, Portugal

     Road trip to Todos Santos, Mexico

                 Exploring Seattle

After playing a field hockey tournament in Santa Barbera, CA

5. Sunsets!

The sunsets are amazing! #cloudporn like whoa!

                       San Diego

                 Playa Guiones, CR

           Wrightsville Beach, NC

6. Time with friends and family. Or time by myself.

I love reuniting with my family and puppies at the beach! I also love walks on the beach and explorations with friends.

                Barcelona, Spain

            Masonboro Island, NC

              Wrightsville Beach, NC

                Playa Guiones, CR

              Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

                    Lake Dillon, CO

      

I also love going to the beach alone. I love reading romance novels and turning my overanalytical mind off. On the flip side, I've done some of my best thinking and decision-making at the beach. Walking in the surf, watching the waves, siting in the sand is meditative to me.

Hope you enjoyed a taste of my vacation! I'm going to get back to it!

Not your Fifty's type of Dominance

When I mention Dominant, what comes to mind? Fifty Shades of Grey and all the kinky accoutrement? Dirty minds! I'm talking about when you invert in yoga, you usually kick off one leg all the time.

It's easy when inverting to work the side that comes most naturally to you, the side that feels stronger. Then throw a wrench into the scenario: you get injured. Or a teacher challenges you to hop on BOTH sides when practicing inverting. Hopefully it's the latter. It feels awkward and weak, but it's a good practice to get in the habit of when you're inverting. That way you won't be lopsided! Same reason we don't just practice splits on the side of your more open hamstring.

                     Dominant side

                Non-dominant side

My first real taste of this other than some hops in class was in Costa Rica last year when I injured my foot. I bruised/jammed the big toe mound of my left foot, the side I kick off of when handstanding. Tragedy! I was just getting the hang of handstanding! Although I couldn't run or surf, or even walk really, I could still practice (somewhat) and enjoy the beach. I took the opportunity to practice my handstand when kicking off my right foot, my non-dominant side. Game changer! Luckily, I healed within a week for the most part, but it did firmly plant the seed.

The handstand I fell out of wrong and injured my foot

Non-dominant leg kick-up a few days later

       Nearly 100% a few weeks later 

Now that I'm back at the beach, I'm naturally handstanding constantly. And swimming, running, paddling, surfing... So my legs are tired; my body is tired. Especially my left leg from all the kicking into handstand. Today, when I felt how sore and tired I was, I took the opportunity to not only get a massage from my favorite massage therapist in the world (I'm in a coma, y'all!), but to work more on tuck jumps and kicking off my right foot again.

Maybe this time I won't wait for injury or feeling sore (insert 50 Shades joke here ;) ) to practice more on my right foot!

Back on the trail again!

My last post reminded me of all the trail running I did last summer and fall in Colorado, and how much I fell in love with it. I've always loved running, getting to turn my mind off, getting to the mindset where you're only focusing on slowing the bellowing breath and putting one tired foot in front of the other. But there's something wonderful about getting lost back in the woods, being on a secluded trail where you hardly see a soul, pounding dirt/sand/pine needles rather than concrete. Being one with nature, if I can get a little granola for a second. Sometimes it helps to be running amidst the city, with the cars and people and noise and energy. Sometimes there's no where else I'd rather be in the world than on a trail with tall tall trees and green so bright my eyes hurt around me.

Happy June 1st! … Today I went back to Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland. This was the trail I ran/hiked on my first trip to PNW, the trail that had me falling in love with the Portland area, the trail that convinced me to move to Portland. That day I waded my way through the (other) tourists (Multnomah are the second tallest waterfalls in North America, and right on the gorge highway) to get to the trail that goes behind the falls. Not having done my research, I made my way back for a while, and then turned around to run back down. A couple of weeks ago, my roommate and I did the loop between Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls, back on that trail I was on before but leading to the latter falls. So gorgeous, seriously it's like Narnia back there, and coming in at about 6 miles. 

Since the trail running season in the fall, winter (aka ski season) hit, I moved from Colorado, traveled about every other week for 3 months, moved to Oregon, found jobs, and was sick twice in the last month. So needless to say, my trail running has been sporadic. I've been hiking a ton, spinning, swimming, and running around town, so I decided to test out how I felt on the trails again today. 

 I power walked the STEEP incline to the top of the falls, hiked/ran the rest of the rocky and slippery incline behind the falls, and then ran the flat and down the rest of the loop. It was rainy when I left Portland, but stayed not-too-hot and misty throughout the whole run. Sunshine snuck out between the clouds as I raced down at the very end; I like to think that was a reward. It's been an unusually warm and sunny winter/spring, so I was actually really glad to have the ethereal mist throughout the woods. So gorgeous! So PNW.

With this trail, I start and end with GORGEOUS waterfalls! Plus, more waterfalls "decorate" alongside the uphill and downhill portions.

It felt SO good to be back out there! Already jonesin' for the next one…