Giving Yoga Another Try

I have a confession to make that I think most runners will identify with but fitness types might sneer at. I really don't like yoga.

I know it's good for me and would help improve my running, but I just get so bored! This week, though, I worked my legs pretty hard and my back, calves, and hamstrings have been knotted up. I pushed through the discomfort on my run Wednesday night (which was awesome and fast and chilly and perfect), but decided that the price I had to pay for pushing the pace was giving yoga another try.

Mile 3 was the bridge; I kept my pace peppy! I was playing around with my Apple watch and using it as a remote to take pictures after my run...What do we call this pose? Awkward lady in the park?

I googled Yoga for Runners and the first video I clicked ended up being the perfect one for me. I love the instructor's voice and the flow really focused on stretching your hamstrings and IT band and improving posture. And it was only 20 minutes! And at the end she was so soothing and all "stay in Savasana as long as you like, just lie there, just relax" and I am all about naps so I was all over that.

I liked that some of the poses were more like stretches - like the runner's lunge - instead of just poses. The instructor was easy to follow and not too over-the-top with the "feel the energy of your body and the entire world coming together" and all that jazz. So in short, maybe I can try yoga again now; maybe I didn't like it for so long because I never found an instructor I cared to listen to!

I think I usually get bored because I don't feel like yoga is a workout, but I need to wrap my head around the fact that stretching and resting are parts of any good training plan; not every workout needs to leave me sweaty and spent, right?

Guess which pose is my favorite.

So, as I aim to improve as an athlete and incorporate cross-training this year, I think I'll give yoga another try...at least once every other week to start, and I'll see where it goes from there!

Do you like yoga?
What's a popular style of fitness you don't like?

ABK

Speed Work

If I'm going to fulfill my goal of feeling satisfied with my physical activity at the end of each week, I need some accountability. I know I'm not organized enough to do a weekly workout update, and I like to post about them throughout the week, but I think I'm going to start using DailyMile to track all my workouts, not just running. I'm in the habit of updating it anyway, so adding my other workouts to it will be easier than remembering to make a weekly post here about my progress! (Or so the theory goes.)

I also realized that my runs have felt pretty purposeless since BDR - mostly because I've been all about recovery - and Monday I was really craving a run with a goal. Elizabeth had asked me during the day if we could run that evening, so I picked her up around 5:30 and, fairly cackling, told her I had something fun in mind.

"Something fun" ended up being 4x bridge repeats averaging an 8:50 pace. We warmed up with a light jog and stretched; it was chilly out and it had been awhile since either of us had done any bridge runs. Our first ascent was a little too foolhardy, but we soon found a good pace and rhythm. We took generous rest breaks - about two minutes - between repeats to make sure our heart rates were back to normal. I'm still deciding on the best wait-time for me, and I hope soon I'll be able to cut the rest breaks down to 60 seconds.

This was one of those workouts that left me feeling fantastic and strong! It wasn't far, but my vision for 2016 has always been about speed, not distance, and it felt really excellent to push the pace, see those numbers, and just let go. Four repeats was a smart place to start, and I'm looking forward to adding more as I get stronger.

We cooled down with a leisurely run back to the car; I felt like this was a successful workout and I can't wait to revisit it (or something like it) next week.

Glowing & feeling invincible!

This was a good way to cap off our first day back at work after the holidays! I love the motivating energy that comes with a new year, and I'm going to use it to my advantage!

Do you enjoy bridge repeats?
What's your favorite kind of speed work?

ABK

2016 Resolutions...Or Not

I hope everyone had an enjoyable new year. Matt and I were going to visit Jenn and Tommy, but I've been sick and I didn't want to infect everybody, so we ended up staying home. We nearly missed midnight; luckily the neighborhood fireworks alerted us to the time!

Nachos and champagne to ring in the new year. Doesn't our kitchen just look lovely? Don't mind me - I look a mess.

As I wrote in my first-ever blog post, and in some subsequent posts as the years have gone on, I became a runner when I made a New Year's resolution in 2009 and it actually stuck. Since then, I've had good success with taking the time to plan resolutions for the new year and actually following through.

Last year, that wasn't the case.

My 2015 resolutions fell apart early. I think I went wrong from the very beginning because I set these goals despite not really feeling them. They were things I wanted to accomplish, but not things I was truly feeling motivated to work toward. They fell apart, and I just didn't care to get back on track.

Don't get me wrong, it was a solid year - I ran my highest mileage ever and accomplished some great things!

The end of 2015 left me feeling meh about the year, and I think it's time for me to rethink how I do resolutions.

I'm not going to set out specific resolutions this year. I've been getting more and more specific with my resolutions because I felt like SMART goals were the way to go, but I found that last year that really backfired on me. The specificity of the goals felt like a stranglehold; it was too easy to fall short.

Sometimes SMART goals require overthinking; it's time for me to simplify.

Instead, I'm going to think about the big picture for what I want to accomplish and how I want to feel about 2016, and set goals that complement that.

I plan to continue to make growth in my running. That means taking cross-training more seriously. I plan to continue being consistent in my workouts; that might mean taking time off from running, but filling the void with other workouts. I plan to make the majority of this year about shorter distances and speed, just as I decided in November. I want to end each week feeling pretty satisfied with my physical activity...but what creates that satisfaction isn't set in stone.

So that's it. No true resolutions. I'll put some more thought into races as the year goes on; for now I just have A1A on my radar. There's no reason I can't adjust and set more specific goals later in the year, and that's what I'll do when inspiration hits. Right now, I need some flexibility and freedom. Instead of following SMART, I'm going to follow KISS.

Are you setting goals for the new year?
Do you prefer specific goals or flexible goals?

ABK