Engage!

Work is getting busier and busier. Which is stressful. But also good in that it makes the days fly by.

This is the first week I haven't gone to a yoga class since I started back in... April? I'm not sure exactly. While I really enjoy the hot yoga classes, I just don't think I can afford the $20/class to do it. If I went back to my 4 days a week of swimming, even at that community pool, I'd only be forking over $16. I think I will just need to work on some flexibility on my own. Maybe I can download some home-video guided stuff.

So Thursday is my day off ... from running. I guess I'm not one to take full days off. The past month it has been yoga. Today, I whipped out a uni[suit], went to the local Y, and used the erg aka the indoor rower. It's an odd looking contraption that uses a flywheel to create resistance. It's analogous to a treadmill for runners, or a stationary bike for cyclists in two regards: 1) it imitates the motion and effort of the outside activity but in a stationary, indoor environment, and 2) it's a boring, dreary comparison to the real thing. Nonetheless, I powered through 45 minutes without much ado. I'm good now, but I'm sure I'll get some wicked shoulder and lat soreness for a few days. And even after just 45 minutes, I feel sore spots across the base of all five fingers with at least 2-3 blisters possible.

My running itself is doing well. I'm beginning to adapt to the many long hills that bless/curse Chapel Hill. They are nothing compared to what I'll face at Mountain Masochist or any of the other trails races I enjoy, but I've learned to accept them. It's just not possible to avoid them without limiting my radius of exploration or driving to a benign starting point. I know they slow down my average pace but 1) I shouldn't really get worried about pace and 2) if I don't want to slow down, take the pain and run harder! And a few evenings I've been doing extra workouts. Not trying to put in heavy miles - which I will struggle to avoid - but for example, Monday 3-4 mile run with steep up hills, and Wednesday 30 minutes treadmill walk at 4 mph at 15% grade. Last week I swam; this week I didn't.

All in all, while maintaining a good routine to my mornings, I'm trying to be flexible, maybe even whimsical, with my evenings.

I've been watching a lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Soundtrack:
"The Night Pat Murphy Died" by Mudmen
"The Day the World Went Away" - Nine Inch Nails