RYAH

Mm Hmm

January 28, 2011 by Kristy 11 Comments

1/28/11

60 min yoga

Snowstorm #86 brought a ton of snow. All in all, I think we got around 15-16 inches. I wanted to get some easy miles in today but decided to hold off on that until Sunday when I’ll have access to a plowed trail. So instead I went to RYAH for a lunchtime vinyasa class. The class was OK but the teacher kept saying “mm hmm” the whole time. I noticed it early on and became fixated on it…then it began to drive me crazy.

“Downward facing dog to high plank, mm hmm”

“Breathe in, flat back, mm hmm”

“Hold it right there for 1 more breath, mm hmm”

Ahhh! Make it stop!

Thankfully she refrained from “mm hmm” during savasana.

Moving on to running-related stuff…

I have a 20-miler tomorrow…yeah! This is my first of 5 (yikes) 20-milers. I usually do 4 during a training cycle so 5 should be interesting.

A few weeks ago I bought a Tiger Tail Rolling Muscle Massager to help with some of the tightness in my right hamstring (which, thanks to yoga, has all but went away). I really like it. I use it on my hamstrings after my runs and I find it more effective than stretching.

I took some pre-yoga pics today to show you how I use it (because it’s so difficult to figure out).

Can you spot the cornflake stuck in Hawk's mush?

3 in 1

January 20, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

Workout #1

4 miles speed work

Since thinking at 5am can be challenging, I taped my scheduled speed work to my treadmill the night before.

RI = rest interval

I was short on time so I cut the cool down a bit short and only ended up with 4 miles. When I’m training for a marathon, I like to hit at least 5 miles for a shorter run. When I’m not actively training, at least 3 miles will suffice.

The 800s were definitely challenging but went by quickly. Watching the season premier of Teen Mom 2 helps.

(Mini) Workout #2

2 miles easy

I really wanted to hit 6 miles this morning with my speed work. All day long I kept thinking about it and couldn’t just let it go so I hopped back on the treadmill for 2 miles after work. Truth be told, I really wanted to finish the Teen Mom 2 episode I started in the morning.

After I was sufficiently sweaty, I headed to a yoga class…

Workout #3

Power yoga – 60 min

All I could think of is power hour (ah, college)! This power hour was quite different from those back in the day.

The room was heated and the instructor was so-so. There are a couple of different instructors that teach power yoga at RYAH so I plan on going to all of their classes to see which one I like best. What I found funny is that this class was heavy on the leg work…lots of squats and lunges. My legs were tired from this morning’s speed session and were practically shaking from the get go. It’s usually my upper body and core that gets the workout.

The half moon pose always scares the crap out of me. Something about balancing on one leg and hand and then twisting and looking the other way.

(source)

I did not look like that tonight. Even with using a block, I was a mess. Practice makes perfect, right?

Namaste

January 18, 2011 by Kristy 4 Comments

1/18/11

Yoga – 75 min

I did it. I got my butt to an actual yoga class. I went to RYAH‘s 75-minute Vinyasa class. I loved it! It was just what I needed to ease myself back into yoga – a nice, easy (but not too easy) class. The instructor, Candace, was wonderful and kept going walking around the room correcting everyone. She corrected me quite a few times. And holy pigeon pose! My hips are so tight from running and that felt oh so good. It feels so great to return to yoga. A few years ago, I used to go once or twice a week without fail. I realize now how much I miss it.

No running today but I do have a hysterical YouTube video for you, courtesy of my friend (and marathoner) Amanda. I’ve watched it a few times already and still cry from laughter each time. At around 1:50 it gets personal for me as the guy describes his day. Yup, that’s me. I’m sure many of you can relate…please assure me I’m not the only running nerd.

On deck tomorrow…speed work!