Guest Post by Natalie Giroux – First Marathon
September 30, 2011
Elation Centre member, Natalie Giroux, is a consultant in the high tech industry. Her passions includes being a mother, playing the violin, cooking awesome food and, of course, running and yoga. Her dream is to inspire others to become fit and live a balanced life.
In May, I challenged myself to run my first marathon on August 28th . My friend, an experienced Ironman athlete, kindly agreed to coach me. He provided me with a detailed training plan, which at first sight looked quite overwhelming. Speed training, hills training, interval and super long runs were on the menu, combined with yoga. I decided to take it one day at a time, one step at a time…
Some days, I wanted to “skip” what was on the schedule… after all, only me would know… I sometimes could find very creative excuses! But I just went out and ran… rain or shine, heat advisory or not, tired and sore. I focused on the end goal and was determined not to have any excuses to miss my objective. I must admit returning home from each run exhilarated and pumped even more so the days I did not want to go! Although this was a lone conquest, I was fortunate to have and many friends encouraging me along with a great coach giving me continuous feedback and ideas.
By August 28th, I was scared, but as ready as one can be for their first marathon… but they cancelled the race that same morning because Hurricane Irene was going to hit Quebec city! Instead of seeing it as a set back, I immediately registered for the Montreal marathon scheduled for September 25th. My coach encouraged me and gave me another month worth of training, which seemed like a mountain at first. My body was getting tired! But I thought I could use this delay to ready myself more and to build up some confidence. Finally, the day came and the temperature was great. I still had some jitters in the morning, but definitely felt ready and excited to execute the final milestone….
I ran my first marathon 8 minutes lower than my objective with a negative split. Most importantly, I had a great time during the race; I felt in control and the entire four month training was a fantastic experience of soul searching and self discovery. Through the yoga practice and the long runs, I learned that patience and having a quiet mind achieves greater results than trying to cut corners and get things done in haste. Finally, I celebrated my achievements serving my friends and my faithful coach a fantastic meal with delicious wine and dessert. Now, what is the next challenge??
I was reflecting on this experience and compared it to training I did previously for a half-marathon which I did not approach with the same discipline resulting in a painful, stressful run with poor results. Some things I learned apply very well to any large business projects you undertake…
- You need to have a mentor or a coach available to provide input and guidance, someone that has done it before with successes and failures.
- You need a detailed plan with room for contingencies, something that will challenge the team, but that they can see as realistic to achieve. The plan has to be clear and everyone needs to understand each milestones.
- You need to execute the plan one milestone at a time, acknowledging the achievements and the progress as it materializes.
- You need focus, focus, focus. It is easy to get distracted and to find excuses to do something else, but there is no time to change direction or to second guess the goal or take some time off.
- Your entire team needs to be determined to succeed and feel dedicated to the goal.
- If a set back occurs, set up another goal. Keep the team focused by making them understand that everything happens for a good reason and the results will even be better.
- Once the goal is achieved make sure to take time to celebrate and acknowledge the effort that everyone has put in the process! Recognition is important for them to want to sign up for the next challenge…
- Plan ahead for the next objective to avoid losing momentum!
Guest Post by Liisa Vexler – Run Club
September 26, 2011
Liisa Vexler, an Elation Centre Yogini and Runner, shares her experience with Elation’s free Saturday morning Run Club. Her blog, Fit for a kid, focuses on raising a healthy, happy, and fit family. Check it out!
Last year, about this time, I fell back in love with running. I ran a couple of marathons in 2000 and 2001 but had completely stopped right after that. I did yoga and circuit/strength training to stay in shape, had a couple of children, and merrily went about my life.
Then one day, I decided to go for a run. We live near the river and it was a gorgeous, sunny, cool day. I ran for twenty-six glorious minutes. Two days later, I laced up my sneakers again and did the same thing.
But I’m kinda a social person. I like to talk. I like to listen. When I’m tired, I like to feed off the energy of others in a workout or class. And then I happened on the Elation Centre website and noticed the free Saturday morning Run Club. The Elation Centre is not far from my home and I thought, it’s free – why not?
I planned to go for the first time in mid-January 2011. I happened to mention it to another mom at my son’s school. She and I knew each other to say ‘hello’ and exchange a few words. She told me she had been thinking about going to the Run Club too. We decided to try it out together.
My first run with the Elation Centre Run Club was on January 28, 2011 and I have spent thirty of my last thirty-four Saturday mornings with them. That other mom and I have become good friends. You really get to know people when you run with them. I have also gotten to know a whole host of other people from our Saturday morning group, some of whom run regularly, others who just pop in for a run every few weeks. Try running with someone for two hours and see if you don’t know at least a little of their life story at the end of it!
While running with the group, I learned about the speed-training classes offered at the Elation Centre and I registered. I wasn’t able to attend every session due to family obligations, but some was way better than none and the cost was reasonable, even knowing I would have to miss some sessions. I knew about speed work, and usually did it on my own… but it’s harder to cheat with a coach and your peers watching you and cheering you on.
I ran the National Capital Race Weekend Half-Marathon with others from the Run Club and just last weekend, several of us ran the Canada Army Run Half-Marathon.
In May, I ran a 1:53:12 half-marathon; after an additional 3 months of regular training, I ran a 1:49:51 at the Army Run. The motivation and encouragement of my running buddies and the Elation Centre coaches played a major part in these results.
As coincidence would have it, I was half-way through writing this post when I ran into an old friend at this morning’s yoga class. We chatted a little and she told me she’s been trying to run two or three times a week. She was considering doing a half-marathon, but she said she can never run more than 60 minutes because she gets so bored.
“Ah”, I said. “You need to come run with us on Saturday mornings. There is nothing boring about Saturday morning long runs”.
My friend had read about the Elation Centre Run Club on the website but wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, so I explained it to her. In case you aren’t familiar with it, here’s what I told her:
It’s very simple. We meet at 8 am on Saturday mornings just inside the studio doors. If you’re on the email list, you get the route ahead of time, usually Wed or Thurs. At 8 am sharp, we discuss the route, maps are handed out, and we head out. Run distances are usually between 10 and 14 kms in the off season, and work up to half-marathon distance between February and September in preparation for the two big races in Ottawa: National Capital Race Weekend and the Canada Army Run Half Marathon.
So, with maps in hand and energy to burn, we naturally break off into groups based on pace as we start to run. We almost always follow a ten minute run: one minute walk format.
We run. We walk. We sip water or energy drinks. We laugh. We snack (on appropriate running fuel). We vent. We solve life’s problems.
Saturday mornings are for me, not for anyone else. It’s a time to be selfish, to get motivated, to recharge and to run.
And we can always use new blood. So join us on Saturday!
Celebrating Transitions
September 13, 2011
Join us for an evening of celebration on Friday, September 23rd, with a meditation lead by Sylvie Gouin and a Vegan Pot Luck. You are invited to attend one or both events.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet up with friends old and new and join us in wishing Sylvie all the best on her new adventures. We will have a lovely journal for you to record your thoughts and wishes for Sylvie.
Here are the details:
- A 31-minute Antar Naad Mantra meditation (the “sa re sa sa” chant) will be starting at 6:15PM. Please arrive at 6:00PM to ensure you are ready to start promptly! It’s easy to pick up and such a blissful experience. No meditation experience necessary
- A Vegan Pot Luck will be held between 7:00PM and 9:00PM. Stay for a few minutes or stay for the evening. Please bring a plate, cup, cutlery, and list of ingredients in your dish.
Chakra Workshop
September 11, 2011
Please join Sylvie for one last workshop before she leaves Elation!
We will begin with a short talk to explain the process of the class, move into Shavasana and then flow using asana, mantra, pranayama, and affirmations to awaken to our inner energy.
We will wrap up the sequence with a 20 minute Shavasana practice and an 11 minute meditation. Then we set our Sankalpa (intention) using mantra and mudra. We will close the workshop with another short talk.
Workshop participants must have a regular vinyasa practice.
Date: Saturday, September 17th
Time: 4:30-7:30PM
Cost: $35.00
Hope to see you there! Register using our Online Registration System or at the studio.
Shavasana Commitment – Day 40
September 9, 2011
Well here we are on Day 40. Has anything changed? If so, it probably started with your perspective which had a ripple effect on everything else 
Will you continue to give yourself the space to practice daily? Why or why not? Life is short and as we know living it fully requires a willingness to do so and taking the time everyday to simply be, to let go brings so much mental clarity.
May we all be blessed with the eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to hear what is really being said and to speak from our centre of gravity.
Please feel free to send us your thoughts your experiences with shavasana. As always we would love to hear from you.
“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” - Francesca Reigler
Hot New Classes & Updates
September 6, 2011
Here are a few hot updates to our fall Yoga schedule, to view the complete schedule which starts the week of September 18, click here
Elation Hot Flow Yoga
Just in time for the cooler temperatures – Hot Yoga is back at Elation Centre!
Elation Hot Flow is practiced in a heat tolerable by most people, around 30 C, hot enough to encourage deeper flexibility and detoxification without overstretching or dehydrating. Elation Hot Flow is perfect for people with limited flexibility, people who love a good sweat from the inside and out, and anyone who wants to cleanse and detox. Open to all levels, bring water and a towel
Class Schedule:
- Tuesdays @ 6:00PM Hot Core
- Tuesdays @ 7:15PM Hot Hips
- Wednesdays @ 9:15AM Hot Flow
- Fridays @ 5:00PM Hot Flow
Click Here for Class Descriptions
Elation Vinyasa Intermediate
This 75-minute class is designed for those wishing to demystify poses and move more deeply into their practice. Here is where you work on the stamina to hold postures longer, discover more ways to bend backward, balance on your arms, explore binds, and deep twists. This class is not for a beginner but you don’t have to be “advanced” either. If you have a regular practice and are comfortable to explore basic inversions like headstand and can balance in crow a bit, this is the class for you! This class builds focus, strength and staming and is sweaty and energetic.
Vinyasa Intermediate Schedule: Wednesdays @ 6:15PM with Donna
Sunrise Vinyasa Yoga
One of our most beloved classes – practicing as the sun rises, shining through our studio windows, is now open to men and women. Come one, come all and Enjoy!
Sunrise Vinyasa Yoga Class Schedule: Mon – Fri @ 5:45AM, with Krista, Donna and Martha
Love Your Backbends
September 1, 2011
Holiday Monday - Special Yoga Class
Date: Monday September 5th
Time: 5:30-7:00PM
Cost: $20.00 cash
Join us for an invigorating unfolding of the body. Class will close with an 11 minuted seated meditation.
This class is suitable for experienced students only. You must have a regular vinyasa practise for more then one year.
No Pre-registration required.
