Training Log 5/18 and Miscellaneous Adventures

This past week, I was preparing for my first road race on Sunday. I was originally planning to do two training rides with the cycling club, but we had some sketchy weather this week. I didn't want to get caught in the afternoon thunderstorms, so I rode on my own earlier in the day. On Thursday, I cut my ride short, which was luckily a smart decision because it started raining right when I got back home!

My road race on Sunday was in Richmond, Virginia, which is about 2 hours away from where I live. Thankfully, the women's race didn't start until 12:20, so I didn't have to get up at a ridiculously early hour. It was 44 miles (actually a bit shorter) through the Virginia countryside. We had perfect race conditions, and the course was beautiful. I had a great time, and I'll post a more detailed race recap in a bit.

Other adventures I had this week was going mountain biking with a friend on Wednesday. I used to MTB, but haven't been in more than 4 years. I love it, but I only have an old, not so great MTB. Both me and my bike survived the trails, and I had a blast! On Saturday, I also went stand up paddleboarding for the first time. I bought a Livingsocial coupon for a three-hour lesson. Check out the GoPro video that I made!

Monday- 75 mins vinyasa yoga

Tuesday- cycling 21 mi, avg 18.1 mph

Wednesday- cycling 25 mi, avg 17.9 mph
                      MTB 6ish miles on singletrack

Thursday- cycling 12 mi, avg 18.3 mph

Friday- 75 mins vinyasa yoga

Saturday- stand up paddleboarding, 3-hr lesson
                 7.3 mi shakeout ride, avg 18.2 mph

Sunday- 43.5 mi road race, avg 20.8 mph

Totals

Cycling- 108.2 mi + 6 mi MTB
Running- 0

What a week! And now I am exhausted and ready to pass out. Got to get to yoga this week to stretch out those tight muscles.

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The Benefits of Yoga for Runners (and other Athletes)

Yesterday, I shared the different types of yoga classes that I enjoy the most. I have been practicing yoga regularly for the past month, and I find that I am reaping the benefits in my running and cycling. Here are some ways that yoga can be used to improve your training.

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Increases awareness of your body and breath

During a yoga practice, you increase your awareness of your body. It is important for runners to be in tune with our bodies and pay attention to the little niggles that can become full blown injuries. Being aware can let us know when we need to back off on training.
Yoga also helps us practice controlled breathing and deep breathing. Most of the time, we breath shallowly and don't exhale and inhale to our full lung capacity. Breath awareness can help our running by teaching us to breath more smoothly, expel more CO2, and take in more oxygen to power those muscles.

Great way to stay active on rest days

A rest day from training doesn't mean that you have to be inactive. Yoga is gentle on the body, but it can still give you a good workout. Sometimes it's hard for me to take a rest day because I just want to train hard everyday (I probably would if I could!). I know that recovery days are important, and going to a yoga class is a good way to do something active while giving my muscles a chance to recover.

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Improves flexibility

Ever feel really tight or sore from training? I certainly do when I am in the middle of a hard training cycle. Yoga can help counteract the tightness by stretching those muscles and connective tissues that are used for running. Flexibility is also important for runners so we can use the full range of motion of our muscles to run more efficiently and prevent injury. A slower-paced class may hold poses longer to get a deeper stretch, while a flow practice warms your muscles up for more dynamic stretching.

Prevents burnout from training

During a training cycle, doing the same activities every day can cause mental fatigue. Try a faster-paced yoga class to replace one of your workouts to keep things interesting. Some of my yoga instructors are tough and we do a lot of crunches, planks, and push-ups that leave me sore.

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Tones the core and upper body

Core strength is so important for runners. Having a strong core helps us run with good form, which is crucial for preventing injury. Has your form ever gotten sloppy when you're fatigued? That probably means your core needs some work.
My arms and shoulders definitely feel more toned after practicing yoga, since most of my training mainly works my lower body. It's important to tone the entire body to prevent any muscle imbalances.

Thinking about starting a yoga practice?

Like any sport that is new to you, it's better to take it slowly. Learn the different poses and work with an instructor to make sure that your body is properly aligned. Don't jump into head stands, crow pose, or back bends if you don't know what you are doing. Some poses can take years for yogis to master, so don't be frustrated if you can't do them yet! Your yoga practice is yours alone, and it won't do you any service to compare yourself to others.

Have I convinced you to start practicing yoga, yet?
What is your favorite pose?

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A Blog Makeover and My Favorite Yoga Classes

Did you notice something different? Last night, I decided to change the look of my blog and try to make it more professional-looking with my limited website skills. I will probably be tweaking it every now and then until it looks just right, so please bear with me. Still figuring out this whole HTML thing. I would appreciate if you could provide some feedback and let me now what you think. If there's anything bothering you or doesn't work on the site, I would love to know so I can fix it. Thanks!

Now with that out of the way, onto the topic for today: yoga! The first time I took a yoga class was a gym class during my senior year of high school. Since then, I really enjoyed it, but hadn't gone to a yoga class until very recently. The full extent of my yoga practice was doing a few sun salutations in the morning and P90X yoga videos.

About a month ago, I finally decided to sign up for yoga classes. A local studio offered an unlimited introductory week deal for only $20. I ended up trying four different classes to get the most bang for my buck! After my first week, I definitely wanted to continue practicing, so I bought a month of unlimited yoga. I try to go at least three times a week.

My favorite classes are:

Hot Power Yoga (60 mins)- The room is heated to about 85-90 degrees and we really get sweating! The instructor for this class is really energetic and fun. She plays upbeat hip hop music, tells us stories about her life (in which she drops a few f-bombs), and works us HARD. We do a lot of core work with crunches, planks, etc and I really feel it in my abs and shoulders.

Vinyasa Flow (75 mins)- I love this class because the instructor is sweet and super nice. She does give us a hard workout sometimes with a lot of push-ups and core work. Vinyasa yoga connects the breath with movements, flowing and breathing from one pose to another. Each breath and pose is controlled, increasing awareness of the body. 

Yin/Yang (90 mins)- This is the longest class I go to, and I try to make it on Sunday afternoons. The 60 minute yin part of the practice is holding a pose for a long time, about five minutes. Holding a pose for longer periods allows the body to relax into the pose and get a deeper stretch in the connective tissues. Being in stillness also trains the mind to meditate on the sensations of the body. My mind tends to wander all over the place during the yin practice, and I am working on the meditative aspect of this class. For the last 30 minutes, we transition to a gentle flow practice. We go through a series of poses, connecting breath with movements, and then end in savasana. I always leave this class feeling deeply relaxed.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I will discuss the benefits of yoga for runners! 

Do you practice yoga, either on your own or at a studio?

What is your favorite type of yoga?

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Cold Day, Hot Yoga, Fake Yogurt

After snowing all day yesterday, today is cold, windy, and it even flurried a bit. I did not want to go for a run today, so I went to a Hot Power Vinyasa class instead. The heat was cranked up, and we did a lot of moves that worked the core and shoulders. My arms were already sore from yesterday, so today's class was a bit more challenging. I worked up quite a bit of sweat during the one hour class! It was nice to stretch those sore muscles in the heated room, though. Today was the last day of my introductory week and I took 5 different classes with five different yoga instructors. I really enjoyed the different styles of teaching and I think I am going to sign up for a month of unlimited classes.

Goal #1 for this week- so far so good. Reaching my other goals? Not looking too hot. I was really looking forward to this weekend to go on a nice bike ride to a small mountain near me, but it looks like there will be thunderstorms on Saturday! Also, it might rain on Sunday, the day of my first 10K. I rarely run in the rain (I hate getting wet), and I've been lucky so far with good weather for all of my races. I guess it's bound to rain on one of my race days, so I better get used to it. Or maybe I'll get lucky again!

In other news, I went to Whole Foods yesterday and bought some non-dairy yogurt to try. Lactose and I are not getting along so well these days, and I am putting my beloved Greek yogurt and cheese on the refrigerator shelf for now to see if I feel any better. I eat Greek yogurt for second breakfast, after my morning workouts, because it's really high in protein. Now, I am trying to find a non-dairy substitute.

First up, So Delicious cultured almond milk, with 6g of protein. I rarely say this about food, but this was almost inedible. It had a gritty texture from the pea protein powder and had a really thick and slimy mouthfeel with no yogurt-y tang whatsoever. So NOT worth the meager 6g of protein. I hate to waste food, so I choked it down. You disappoint me, Greek Style So Delicious :(

The other cultured non-dairy product I tried was the coconut milk version, non-Greek style. The flavor was delicious and the texture, though un-yogurt like, was pleasant and like coconut pudding. There was also a very slight tang to it. The downside is that there is basically no protein, only 1g, and it's mostly fat and sugar. NOT the nutritional profile I am looking for as a Greek yogurt replacement. It's also pricey and not worth the expense, even though it's pretty tasty.

As an alternative, I also bought some lactose-free yogurt. Although it's not Greek yogurt, it's still a good source of protein for post-workout recovery. I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully it won't give me pain like regular yogurt does.

Do you eat dairy? If not, what non-dairy replacements do you like?

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5 Things Friday: Run, Yoga, Eat

Happy Friday and happy second day of spring! Wishing you beautiful warm weather for the weekend :) 

Here are 5 things that are making my day awesome:

1. Started my day with a 5 mile tempo run. It was hard, but I was feeling good in general. My first race of the season is next weekend, so I am stoked that my times are improving!

2. I went to another yoga class this morning, this time bringing my aunt. We did a vinyasa flow class, and it was faster paced than yesterday's hatha class. It felt so good, and I worked up a bit of a sweat!

3. Had a salad and a blueberry banana smoothie topped with granola for lunch. So good!

4. Yesterday, my bosses at work gave me a donation for my 4K for Cancer ride. They put it in an envelope decorated with stickers. So adorable and sweet of them!

5. THIS

I've been checking the weekend weather all week, praying for no rain on Saturday (there was a 30% chance). Looks like my prayer's been answered! I am going cycling Saturday morning with a bike club, so I'm excited to meet new people :)

Anyone racing this weekend? Name one thing that put a smile on your face today!

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A Fresh Start on the First Day of Spring

Happy spring equinox! I woke up to a foggy morning, but then as the sun rose higher, the mist burned away and revealed a bright sunny day. The sky is a brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds.

It is windy today, though a lot warmer than it was at the start of this week. My backyard was covered in snow on Monday, but now it's all melted.

Today, I wanted to try something new. I've been wanting to start practicing yoga for a long time, but I kept putting off finding a yoga studio. I was recommended to Yoga Bliss Studio by a friend, and I finally signed up for a class. They have a introductory week deal for $20, so I am going to try as many classes as I can. The studio offers a variety of yoga classes, including hot yoga, vinyasa, and hatha yoga.

This morning, I took a hatha yoga class. The studio was an open, brightly lit room, which comfortably accommodated the 7 people in my class. This was my first real yoga class since high school, and I really enjoyed the deep stretches and relaxation. 

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We ended the class in savasana, eyes closed,  and listened to the instructor reading us a poem about spring. I forgot who it was by, but the poem was about how spring symbolizes new beginnings and fresh starts, letting go of fears, coming out of your comfort zone, and doing something new and different. I thought it was a perfect coincidence that she read that poem on my first day of class, it almost felt that she was reading it directly to me. 

I am probably going to a vinyasa flow class tomorrow, and try to go at least twice a week for the next two months before I leave for the summer. I'm really glad that I finally tried out a yoga class. Sometimes, I get lazy, or feel uncomfortable trying something new. Today was a good reminder to overcome that initial anxiety and just go do it! 

Have you tried anything new, recently? 

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