April 9, 2014

I’m Looking Forward to Trying X2 Performance #TeamX2

Disclaimer: I’m a #TeamX2 blogger and excited to work with X2 Performance in a paid campaign to help me achieve my fitness goals. All opinions are my own.. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

I recently became an X2 Performance Brand ambassador and I’m excited to share with my readers and fellow #Teamx2 bloggers my experiences with the product. While a lot of the other bloggers are runners, cross-fitters and triathalon runners, I think being both a ballet dancer and a runner makes me kind of unique. Although some people may see ballet as not as intense as some of these, it definitely can be. Add in the occasional run, and I’m a super active person throughout the week.

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Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Info, Outside Class, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , 7 Comments
April 8, 2014

Hot Chocolate 5K Recap

As you might remember, I was a brand ambassador for the Hot Chocolate 5k, and I wrote two posts about it: here and here. I was given free entry into the race, which happened this past Sunday.

I haven’t run much at all this winter/spring for two reasons: the weather has been absolutely freezing and I’ve been focusing on ballet. I wasn’t even planning on running the Hot Chocolate race, but I figured I should give it a shot after HQ and I went on a fairly successful run last Wednesday. My plan was to walk/run most of it.

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Filed Under: Blog, Running Tagged With: , , , 4 Comments
March 18, 2014

Do What Makes YOU Happy

I have to admit, it’s been quite a struggle getting myself into gear to get to ballet class the past few weeks.  I had plans to go both last Thursday and Friday, but I couldn’t manage to get myself up off my butt and into the ballet studio. I did finally get there on Saturday, although it was no easy feat yanking myself out of bed in the morning.

My legs have done really well post stress fracture, but they’ve been really sore. Last week was especially tough. I pushed myself a bit too hard on a run  on Tuesday (I started off too fast for someone who hasn’t run much) and my legs have been pretty whiny since. They survived Saturday morning’s ballet class and pre-pointe class (in slippers) no problem, other than the fact they felt weak and quite sore.  My ballet teacher recommended more ballet classes (which is the plan, I just need to motivate myself) and not as much running.

I’ve always struggled to find a good balance between running and ballet. Often, weeks will go by where I’m completely gung-ho about ballet and then I’ll be all about one the next month. If I had a dollar for every time someone recommended I quit one or the other because of my injuries,  I’d be rich.

I toyed with the idea of giving up running completely this weekend, since I wanted to blame it for all my injuries and pain.  Then someone on Twitter gave me a little advice.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have realized that I’ve tweeted a lot of my older posts lately. I’ve got a handy little WordPress plugin that does it automatically for me. Over the weekend, it tweeted my “Should dancers run?” post and one of my fellow adult ballerinas tweeted that she does (and I know more of you do, too).

We chatted for a little about the topic and she reminded me to do what makes ME happy, not anyone else.

So that’s what I’m going to do.

Take ballet when it makes me happy (which is a lot of the time) and run when that makes me happy. And of course, take care of my body and listen to it when it tells me I shouldn’t be doing either.

Do what makes YOU happy.

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Running Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment
March 13, 2014

Frozen Peaz Review

Disclaimer: Frozen Peaz provided me with a discount code for 30 percent off to purchase this product for review.

As someone who has struggled with shin splints and stress fractures, I’m always constantly icing my legs after any type of activity (running, ballet, etc.) as part of my regular recovery routine. Your typical ice pack makes it difficult to target a specific area (especially on my legs) and tends to lose its cool pretty quickly.

So when I first heard of Frozen Peaz, I knew I had to try them out. They’re flexible hot and cold wraps that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on what your need is. They’re a bit on the pricey side, but totally worth it.

Here’s a little bit of information about them via their website:

The secret to the performance of FrozenPeaz® packs is the unique Clear Ice™ Solution. Unlike gel based beads and pearls, the VirtualPeaz™ in FrozenPeaz packs won’t break down with frequent usage. And unlike colored gel packs, the VirtualPeaz are floating in a non-toxic Clear Ice Solution that is free of preservatives, petroleum-based products, and animal by-products. The ingredients in the Clear Ice Solution are 100% natural! So natural that they are certified by the Natural Products Association (NPA).

Frozen Peaz

My Frozen Peaz arrived super quickly (they ship via Amazon Prime, too, if you’ve got it) and I was surprised to find that they were pretty heavy–a lot heavier than I expected, and a fair amount heavier than your typical ice pack. I ordered a single large wrap for my shins/calves.

I’ve been using the Frozen Peaz ice pack for about a month now and its the only ice pack I’ll use now. It stays colder than most other packs (I can get at least 20 minutes in on each leg at a time) and conforms to my legs really well (ignore my messy bedroom, I had just gotten home from class):

photo (5)

 

The only cons I really have are a) they are heavy and therefore tend to fall down if I try to get up and move around and b) they don’t conform to my calves (from underneath) as much as a would like. They still work better than anything else I’ve tried.

Frozen Peaz has been nice enough to offer 15% to all my readers if they use the code “Ballet.”

How do you deal with ballet-related injuries?

Filed Under: Ballet, Info, Outside Class, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment
February 18, 2014

The Perks of Not Getting into the Broad Street Run

2014BSRHomeImage1

When I first saw that people were getting emails on Sunday night saying they had been selected for the Broad Street Run, I began hyper-checking my e-mail (which I frequently do when I’m expecting an important e-mail). I could sense that I hadn’t gotten in. Yesterday morning, although I had no rejection e-mail, I checked the list and knew that HQ and I hadn’t gotten into the lottery.

At first I was upset. It was supposed to be HQ’s Valentine’s Day gift. I’ve always wanted to run the Broad Street Run and I had to give up my bib last year due to injury.  After a little while, I realized it was for the best.

Now, I can take my time with my recovery and not stress out that I have to be ready for ten miles in May. I can schedule a half marathon when I feel ready.  (Plus, it means more time for ballet).

Have you ever been upset by a setback that turned out to be a blessing in disguise? 

 

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Running Tagged With: , , 4 Comments