Street Cred

This weekend I did something that I never ever do...I ditched my school work that had to be done on the computer, threw the stuff that didn't require my laptop into a bag, and spent the weekend at hubby's races. I had a lot of fun supporting my man and his friends and got to spend a little time working on my photography skills.

Saturdays races were through the streets of downtown Tampa. Watching these guys fly around sharp corners at high speeds was pretty insane. I would be terrified! The weather was gorgeous and an eco-festival was also taking place downtown. We ended the day having dinner and drinks with friends at a little Italian restaurant while watching the last pro race that took place at twilight.

I'm always on the look-out for obscure things that can become something beautiful. I loved the reflection of this historic building caught in the panels of a modern high-rise.

A candid shot of hubby while he is discussing race strategy with another cyclist. It was really fun to see him in his element, doing what he loves.

I couldn't resist these lovely little pansies in various shades of purple and yellow. They reminded me so much of home!

Sunday's races were in a different city and the weather was pretty gloomy. The cloud cover made it easier to get some good action photos. Luckily, hubby's race ended just as the rain started.

Taking the weekend off has left me terribly behind this week, but it was totally worth it to support hubby. I sometimes get so caught up in school, dissertation, and training that I have a tendency to overlook the little things that matter most in a marriage, like how important it is to support your spouse in everything they do. But I'm working on it!

So Yogi isn't just a bear?

As I mentioned in my last post, I sustained a pretty awful injury while training for my half-marathon. While researching how to treat the injury, I kept coming across articles on the benefits of yoga for athletes. I've been wanting to incorporate yoga into my routine for quite a while now, so this seemed like a great opportunity to start. To get myself motivated, I bought a new purple yoga mat and a cute purple yoga block. My schedule doesn't permit me to take yoga classes at a gym or studio, so I purchased the following DVDs after doing a little research:

I really had no idea how messed up my body was until I started doing these DVDs. In addition to my latest injury, I have pretty severe back issues that I sustained in a car accident a couple of years ago. The poses that were supposed to be "relaxing" (like lying on my back) were excruciating due to my injuries. I really should have started doing this years ago! I have to wait 5 more weeks to start running again to give my injury time to heal, so I'm trying to be diligent with the yoga during my time off. I'm anxious to see if the yoga will help prevent future injury like it promises.

Are you into yoga? If so, in what ways has it helped you?

I'm looking forward to becoming a yogini =)

Life, briefly

These past few months have been some the busiest, most stressful, and most rewarding of my life. Would you like to know what I've been up to? Well, even if you don't, I'm going to tell you anyway!

• I took my comprehensive exams for doctor school and PASSED!
• I signed up to go on a mission trip to Guatemala this summer.
• I walked for my master's degree.
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• I finally got to see Wicked (and it was fabulous!).
• I passed another one of my final hurdles for doctor school.
• I started on my dissertation.
• We bought a juicer and I am in love with it.
• I sustained a pretty severe injury only a month before my half marathon.
• I pushed through the pain and ran the half marathon anyway.
  
  
• I saw the Moscow Ballet production of Swan Lake (so lovely).
• I got to see hubby race for the first time since he turned pro.
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• I decided to become vegan!
• I dyed my hair red and had almost 12 inches cut off (you can kinda see in the grad photo but not really well).

So as you can see, a whole lot has been going on lately. It's been a stressful time but I've accomplished a lot in the past few weeks. Now I'm looking forward to things slowing down a bit...and I can't wait to catch up with all of you and see what you have been up to. I feel so out of the loop!