Good morning! It’s only 8:30 here and I am already back from my yoga class and a track workout. Currently I am downing cup of coffee numero dos and I am ready and crackin’ on this fine Thursday morning. As much as I complain about having to get up at butt o’clock on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for yoga class, there is no denying that it gets my day started on the right foot. It’s all dark and quiet in the studio when class starts and we get to watch the sun come up through the skylights as class goes on. Then I feel all stretched out and ready to go and I usually have a great run afterwards.

The only downside so far is that I would rather punch myself in the face than try to run in yoga pants (too much hitching and riding up and flapping around — maybe those fancy Lululemon ones don’t do that but then again I can’t pay $100 for a pair of yoga pants so that’s not happening — seriously, that’s how much they cost), so I have been attending yoga class in my running tights. This isn’t so bad at the beginning of class when it’s still dark, but as the sun comes up, let’s just say there is way too much information about my thighs on display in the Wall o’ Mirrors. Assuming I can get used to looking at myself in skintight spandex in the mirror, though, this plan will work out fine.

So! In further running news, I tried out a Nike+ sensor today. I am a sucker for any kind of gadget that I can use to motivate myself and track my workouts. Basically, it’s a little accelerometer that you wear on/in your shoe, and it sends a signal to your iPod/iPhone indicating your pace and distance. It was designed to fit in a Nike+ shoe, but they make these little pouches so you can hack your own shoe, no need to wear Nikes. I get to keep on rockin’ my Sauconys and still use the Nike+ sensor:

It’s kind of awesome! I get to listen to my tunes, and I love the little voice in my headphones counting down at the end of my workout: “400 meters to go…300 meters to go…200 meters to go…100 meters to go…CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE A SEXY BADASS WHO JUST RAN A MILLION MILES!” — or something similar. I forget the exact wording. So, if you have one of these too, we can be running friends on nikeplus.com. If you’re on there, you can find me under the name kateo1977. (If you need my email address to find me, it’s under my full name, so I won’t put that here. Just let me know and I’ll give it to you.)

This post is in no way sponsored by any of the brands mentioned here, but hey, if any of the kind people at Nike, Apple, Saucony, Under Armour, or Lululemon would like to send me any free gear, I wouldn’t be complaining.

All righty then. Back to your regularly scheduled Thursday business. I’ve got more coffee to drink! Aieee!