Friday, May 23, 2008

I Love a Rainy Run!

Today I will be running in the rain. For some very strange and unknown reason, I’m actually looking forward to this today. Running in the rain isn’t all bad- it smells good, it’s not super hot and it kind of suits the mood for me today! Normally, I look forward to a sunny run in the heat of the day, so every once in a while it’s interesting to shake things up and do it in the rain! All you runners that are using this rainy, dreary day as an excuse- get your butts out there! A little rain never hurt anyone! You have my word you won’t melt!

As I promised previously, I’m going to write a bit about the current yoga challenge I am involved with and how it is affecting my running DRAMATICALLY! I will start by saying that I am a yoga convert! I did not believe in yoga as exercise until very recently when my good friend Palmer (who is a yoga instructor) encouraged me to give it a shot. I should also point out that my flexibility is PATHETIC. And when I say pathetic I mean, pathetic! I am the sort that just can’t be bothered with stretching; when my workout is done all I can think about it getting home for a meal. I never thought of stretching as a part of my training. I was also reluctant to give up a “hard core” weight and running workout and to replace it with yoga. Something I did discover very quickly is that yoga IS a hard core workout! Your heart rate is most certainly elevated and holding those poses requires incredible muscle control and strength. My current yoga challenge includes doing hot yoga 3 times weekly. I love the heat and humidity in the hot room (yes, I am still a lake girl at heart) and I also love the feeling my muscles have after a good yoga session. And for some reason, I’m sure there is science behind it that I am unaware of, I simply feel better running when I’m doing yoga. My joints don’t ache. My muscles feel long and lean instead of knotted and bunched. It just feels good. And if it feels good, you should keep on doing it!

I highly recommend getting involved with yoga if you are considering any type of long distance running. I am a true convert and believer- it will keep you feeling good, help to reduce injuries and keep limber for those long, long runs like the one you may embark on today!

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