Sick Days

Friday I needed to get in some cold-weather running, so I went out and ran about 8.5 miles. Saturday morning I got up, did some yoga, and was feeling great. Then Sue and I drove into town to do some errands, and I could feel this wave of fatigue setting in. In the space of about an hour I went from ready to launch into my next workout to barely being able to lift my head.

This isn't a training effect: I'd caught whatever Sue had last weekend. So yesterday I stayed on the couch most of the day, and I'll probably do the same today. It's a weird kind of thing: I'll feel fine for a while, and then feel like crap for a while, and it keeps cylcing like that. But I'm better today than I was yesterday.

It's supposed to be a rest week anyway, in the final preparation for the half marathon on Sunday. Perhaps this is my body's way of enforcing it.

Staying home

Our travel plans were scuttled by snow. And as much as I enjoy going to Sue's parents' house for Thanksgiving, it's also nice to stay home. We needed the break.

I shoveled the driveway, which was no big deal: there's only a couple of inches here. And in truth I don't mind shoveling snow. It has a nice zen feel to it. Then Sue and I did HP Yoga. Sorry I couldn't get a picture for you, Coach. Since my lovely wife and I were both doing the practice, there was no one to work the camera. (Well, the dogs would have done it, but their lack of opposable thumbs makes that problematic.)

Now I'm resting, watching some football, and keeping the wood stove stoked.

Intuitive Eating

Science is catching up with us. Here's an item about how dieting does not work well at all when compared to "intuitive eating," the practice of listening to what your body says it wants, eating only when you're hungry, and eating only until you are full.

Racquetball

Joseph is getting better. I actually had to work for a few points last night. Nothing like a good, competitive sweat to know you're working.

He complains that I am cocky. I reply that confidence is the best precursor to success.

HP Yoga is not for Sissies

Sue and I finally got our blocks out and did HP Yoga on Saturday. Man, what I workout: my abs were sore the whole rest of the day. It made proper deep breathing a challenge. The three things I found toughest:
(1) Straightening my legs overhead. For some reason, when I had the thigh block and ankle block in place, my femur was perfectly upright (perpendicular to the floor), but my knees would not allow my lower leg to anything less than about 30 degrees.
(2) The push-up sequence was just brutal, especially after having done upper body at the gym the day before. I must confess to having to put my knees down for one sequence.
(3) When bringing my legs in to my chest, my knees come apart. I was having some difficulty keeping the thigh block in place.

So I see where my weaknesses are. I know too because I was trying to watch Coach and follow along, I wasn't able to concentrate fully. These things I will overcome in time.

Yesterday I did many hours of yardwork, followed by volleyball. I could feel the fatigue deep in my legs when I was waiting for the serve. But I know with the holiday this week that finding time to work out might prove a challenge, so I am taking every opportunity I can to train. It's what a warrior does.

Two-day recap

Wednesday I did a short yoga practice in the morning. Then over lunch Sue and I played racquetball, and after work I played a TON of racquetball with my friend Joseph.
Yesterday I felt that I needed some hard cardio, so I did a 3.1-mile run. It was cold out (about 30 degrees, which doesn't seem cold until you consider it had been in the 60's just 48 hours before), with a nasty breeze. So I had to run hard enough to generate heat in my legs.

We got our yoga blocks yesterday. Sue and I can't wait to do the real HP Yoga.

Slow Day

Yesterday over lunch Sue and I did the lower body workout. Apparently my run from Saturday was still affecting me, because the leg extensions were killer.
After work, and after walking the dogs, I decided to honor my body's request for a bit more downtime. I'll make up for that today. I've already done some yoga, and then I'll play racquetball over lunch, and I'm running after work.
The body has had enough rest. It's time to move again.

Tired now

Saturday I ran the course for the upcoming Half Marathon. Wow is it tough! Even the downhill sections are difficult: there are a couple of spots that are almost technical. My WF training will see me through. At a certain point, it just becomes a matter of refusing to quit. In time, that becomes a flow wherein it is easier to keep running than it is to stop. But here's the funny thing: in 12+ miles of really tough running, the only time I felt the urge to stop was after I had made the last turn.
I had just climbed for over a mile, parts of which were pretty steep. I could see the finish line a couple of hundred yards ahead, but it was still up a slight hill. And then the breeze kicked in, hitting me right in the kisser. For a minute I entertained the idea of stopping: I mean, I was close enough, right? And then I laughed at how easily I had almost allowed my ego to defeat me when I was so close. There's no "close enough" here: there is only do or don't do. I did it.

When I got home I warmed down by helping Sue rake leaves. Then that night we went bowling. Now, I am the worst bowler ever, but it was actually a good exercise in mindfulness and elegance. Only through careful concentration could I bowl straight; when I was lazy I would throw across my body, or my arm would travel away from midline. At the same time, I had to relax and (as Sue said) "let the chi flow," because trying too hard to aim the ball was also bad. So by the end of the night I still wasn't throwing strikes (or even picking up spares), but I was consistently hitting pins. It's a start.

Sunday we did a few more hours of leaf-raking. And then I had a volleyball game. We were short-handed, and had to play with just 5 people. But we brought a lot of energy, and won handily. I'm feeling especially well-trained this morning. I might do some yoga, but I think most likely I'll just try to get the dogs out for a longer walk.

Now It Can Be Told

I finally got the official results from Sunday's race. I finished 23rd overall, and first in my age group (excluding the person who finished 2nd overall). You can read all about it here.

Yesterday was lower-body day. Today I'm going to play some racquetball, and then tomorrow I'm going to run the course for the half marathon.

Keep sweating, warriors!

Wearing myself out

Let's see, what have I been up to?

Monday Sue and I did yoga.
Tuesday I did upper-body strength training. The Green Tara always has things to teach you: this time out there was weakness in my shoulders, which manifested itself during bench press more than anything else. You wouldn't think your shoulder would enter into it during bench press, but if you think about how the muscles work, the biomechanics of it, it makes sense.
Last night I went to the track and did some intervals. I would run 4 laps at 10K pace, and then the fifth lap at max speed. I did five sets like that, and my max speed was not very speedy at the end. Then I went home and did some abs with Ilg.
That was enough for me: a couple hours later I totally crashed.

This weekend I am going to try the course for the half-marathon. Should be exciting.

YES!!!

I felt like crap the whole time I was running yesterday, but I know now that that was the sign that I was pushing the edge. I ran that race in a new PR, shattering my old record by almost 30 seconds.

Pre-race hype

I'm running a 5K at 2pm today. I did my usual pre-race yoga last night. My ankles felt terrible: I kept falling out of tree pose, which induced a self-perpetuating cyle wherein I would lose my focus, which would cause me to fall out of the pose, further eroding my focus, etc.

Nonetheless, I am ready to run. Something special is going to happen today, I can feel it.

Our Poor Cat

Here's a pic of Hoss's paw.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, it is my birthday. Not in the WF way, but in the non-fitness-student way.

My knee is still bothering me a little, so I was taking it easy last night. Or at least that was the plan. My lovely wife surprised me with an early present of Coach Ilg's HP Yoga DVD, and so I trained my abs with virtual Ilg. I have to confess that I could NOT get my elbows to reach my knees for the last minute, try though I might. But what was really cool was that I also got a really decent workout in the legs (in addition to the abs) without having to put any strain on my knee.