In April Oiselle lead the challenge for the Full Half, 13 anything completed over the month. A handful of women pledged to do either a 13-day Athletes for Yoga streak or 13 sessions of Athletes for Yoga. We checked in with them to see how it went!

What was your Oiselle Full Half goal? 
Miranda: My Oiselle Full Half goal was, “I will do 13 @athletes4yogahq practices and run a full half marathon on April 16th. Bring it, April! @oiselle #oisellefullhalf #notjustahalf”

Aimee: I did a duel goal of 13 sessions of Athletes for Yoga and at least 13 miles of running a week.

Emily: My Oiselle Full Half goal was to run 13 times and do 13 yoga sessions (Athletes for Yoga plus regular yoga).

Katie: At least 13 miles of running, 13 push-ups a day, 13 XT sessions, and 13 Athletes for Yoga videos. 

Liz: 13 Athletes for Yoga sessions.

Kari: Run 13 miles / week, do 13 sessions of Athletes for Yoga.

Erin: 13 days of Athletes for Yoga!

Did you achieve your Oiselle Full Half goal?
Miranda: Yes, I was able to complete 13 different sessions, which ended up being 13 different days with Athletes for Yoga video practice. Some practices included multiple videos as well. Then, on April 16, I completed my half marathon, Race to Robie Creek, in 2:04. 

Aimee: Yes! 

Emily: No. :( I only ran 6 times and did yoga 8 times.

Katie: Yes! 

Liz: I did. Wasn't always easy - between training, kids, husband traveling, dog. 

Kari: Went over my mileage for several weeks, ending in injury and the last week of April was only ~6 miles, so, sadly no for mileage, Athletes for yoga sessions, yes. I counted each video as a session, so calf reset and hip reset = 2.

Erin: Yup! 

What did you expect to get out of accomplishing your goal? 
Miranda: My main goal in completing this challenge was a commitment to balancing out my running with yoga. I have found that yoga is a wonderful compliment to running and has helped me with injury prevention along with providing a great mental reset. 

Aimee: I wanted to learn to love yoga or at least tolerate it and hold myself accountable.  

Emily: I was hoping to get back into a good exercise routine after not running much during the last half of March.

Katie: It was mainly an experiment in trying a varied workout/recovery plan, especially since I was not 100% to run.

Liz: I wanted to get into a routine of doing yoga — wanted more flexibility. 

Kari: I expected to have my mileage up and be healthy for starting my half marathon training on April 30. Unfortunately, I ramped up my miles too fast and the short Athletes for Yoga videos didn’t save me from myself. I do continue to incorporate  these quick and easy movements into my daily structure. 

Erin:  I always want to make time for yoga but often don’t prioritize well. This challenge helped me to put yoga at the top of the list. 

What surprised you about attempting or completing the challenge?
Miranda: I was a subscriber to Athletes for Yoga before the challenge but hadn’t consistently practiced on my own. Going into this challenge, I was really surprised to see how many video options were available, which allowed me to tailor my practice to whatever I wanted to focus on. It’s so refreshing to know that I can practice at home and it’s not going to be the same boring yoga DVD that I’ve done 100s of times. 

Aimee: I actually started to look forward to the yoga sessions. I was excited to try a new video and revisit the sessions that were making my body (especially my hips) feel better. 

Emily: I didn’t think it would be so hard! I really thought that I would be able to complete both parts easily... but life (and the first trimester of pregnancy) had other plans.

Katie: The push-ups started with the #runlover challenge, but I got so used to doing them (and liking the results) that I do them every day now. I started at one and now I’m up to 15 a day. During the Full Half Challenge, I got a few others on board with me to do them as well.

Liz: How much better I felt even when I just did a 5-Minute Reset. My body, mind, and muscles felt so much better. 

Kari: It was very difficult for me to find the time, despite it being there! The 5-Minute Reset videos totally helped me face this.

Erin: How easy it was to fit it in — gotta love those 5-Minute Reset videos!

What was most challenging?
Miranda: Thirteen practices didn’t seem like a lot when I originally wrote my commitment on Twitter. I mean, 30 days in a month, 13 should be a piece of cake, right? Turned out it was not as easy as I thought it would be. Being in the middle of a training rotation really limited my extra time. I ended up scheduling times specifically for Athletes for Yoga practice the same way I would for my runs.

Aimee: Getting up earlier to fit in a yoga session after my morning run and before work. Also trying to convince my dogs I didn’t need their help during the sessions. 

Emily: Honestly, the most challenging was fitting it all in...plus weather was challenging for the running part.

Katie: Making time for everything/feeling like I should be doing something else instead.

Liz: Time or the belief I told myself some days that I didn't have time. 

Kari: My environment was not conducive to my practice. I moved in May and have been much more successful integrating practice into daily life because my environment is much more inviting to do so.

Erin: Finding time for the longer videos. 

What was most rewarding?
Miranda: I really love the sense of relaxation and restoration that comes with yoga practice. Being able to incorporate that with my love for running really allowed me to feel both mentally and physically strong going into my April race. 

Aimee: I actually enjoy doing yoga now. I use to dread it! Athletes for Yoga doesn’t make me feel like I need to be the most flexible person in the world to enjoy yoga.

Emily: I love how I feel after I run and do yoga. Just that feeling of finishing a workout was the most rewarding.

Katie: Reading everyone’s challenge ideas and keeping up with their progress.

Kari: My motivation for #hitreset full-half goal was to avert injury while building up my mileage. I didn’t acheive my motivation, but it was rewarding to feel the difference in my feet after the short videos, more mobility, less pain. Yay!

Erin: My calves/hips/shoulders were less grumpy with me. 

Did you notice changes physically? Mentally?
Miranda: Physically, any time I had aches or pains, I would find an Athletes for Yoga video that addressed that part of my body. My hips are notoriously tight and so Quick Hip Reset and Optimal Hip Recovery became my best friends. And then incorporating the meditation videos really helped me to be able to mentally separate myself from the chaos around. I could give myself a mini-mental vacation to Reset, and then come back feeling clear and strong enough to take on what ever was next. 

Aimee: Any time I did a session close to bed time, I would absolutely feel more relax and get a better night’s sleep. I also have been injury free since incorporating it into my life. 

Emily: I always feel better both physically and mentally immediately after running or yoga. I’m not sure I noticed any overall changes physically or mentally, probably because I never really got into a good routine...

Katie: Physically, my arms are gaining definition from the push-ups. Mentally, that if I can do push-ups (which I still hate), I can probably do anything.

Liz: My mind felt less cluttered. Had more clarity. 

Erin: Mentally for sure. There were a couple of Fridays that I woke up stressed about the day. I did the Quick Mental Reset and was amazed at how centering it is. Highly recommended for Frazzled Fridays! (Is that just a teacher thing?)

I have also noticed that just doing a few minutes daily really improves my hips and shoulders. My hammies and calves have a long way to go, but they are making progress as well. 

Kari: After a session, I could feel the difference physically. That opening feeling that more blood is flowing and you can move more. Yeah, that one. I love that feeling.

Any odd places you had to follow a video to achieve it?
Miranda: The oddest place I followed a video was probably my office at work. I have a separate office, but there are windows where anyone can see anything that’s happening. I would use my phone to follow Athletes for Yoga videos during my lunch breaks. I only received strange looks from co-workers once or twice. I think they’ve gotten used to it now.

Aimee: In a hotel room in Pittsburgh, on travel for my job, without a yoga mat. (Thank god for extra bath towels! Hotel room floors = yuck!) 

Emily: Hmm... nope... just my living room floor.

Katie: Not really.

Liz: Walk-in bedroom closet. 

Erin: On top of my dog/under the dog/squished on the corner of my mat by my dog.

What was your favorite video?
Miranda: Before my race, I loved any of the hip videos, especially the Comprehensive Hip & Hamstring Reset because my hips tend to be extremely tight which causes other issues with my IT Band, etc. So anything hip is my favorite. 

Aimee: Without a doubt the Quick Hip Reset! Runner up was Booty Lock Mitigation. They both targeted problem areas for me and got the job done quickly.

Emily: The Standing Balance Flow was my favorite!

Katie: 5-Minute Calf Reset

Liz: Full Body Recovery

Kari: Definitely the 5-Minute Calf Reset or other lower leg Reset videos.

Erin: Too hard to pick! 5 minute calves was my jam that month. I’m loving the pre and post run videos now. 

Did you keep your streak going?
Miranda: Since my Oiselle Full Half goal ended, I haven’t been as consistent as I was during the goal challenge, but I have been more consistent than I was before the challenge began, which I consider a win. I still find myself scheduling time for Athletes for Yoga practice and I would like to keep that habit going as long as I can. 

Aimee: Surprisingly yes. I’ve worked these videos into my regular routine now. Whether it’s a quick session after a run or a way to relax and decompress after a long day of sitting at work.  

Emily: No... life has been even crazier this month! Hoping to get back into a real routine in June.

Katie: I’m not as good about the recovery part as I should be, so I haven’t done any videos lately. I need to be better about it because they’re awesome!

Kari: I haven’t, but have kept pieces of the practice into my life: legs up the wall, and feet stretches are almost daily occurrences now!

Erin: The pre- and post-run videos are a new must-do for my morning runs, and I made the track kids do one post-run with me this week. The new videos have made daily yoga a non-challenge. New challenge = bi-weekly 20+ minute videos!

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Huge props to all these women for setting and crushing goals!