Long Run / Good Yoga

Saturday morning I planned to complete a "long" run of six or seven miles, short by past standards, but still longer than my two five-mile runs last week.  Winter weather in Highlands has hindered our running to such an extent that one week, just before Christmas, my mileage for the entire week was only five miles.  I awoke feeling excited about completing this run, eager to see what strength I might discover in these out-of-shape legs and to test the little niggles in that right knee.

And it went well.  It was overcast and the wind was a little chilly, but I bundled up with gloves and headband and headed north to Fort Macon.  And mile by mile, step by step, I worked on those slow, patient miles of a long run.  By the time I returned, I found that I had seven miles under my belt, and I even picked up the pace in the last mile.  It is extraordinary how such small, incremental improvements can make a runner feel more confident - a second or two off a 400-meter interval, a little faster on a tempo run, a mile farther than last time.  Another page ambitiously dog-eared in the book of my running.

Martha opted to attend a yoga class this morning, something she has not done in a long time, and she returned exhilarated from a good yoga session.  The class was led by an excellent instructor and she met some new friends.  She had been surprised that so many men and women had turned out for the Saturday-morning class.

I may join her in this class next time; they looked like they were enjoying themselves.  And as with running, I have never attended a yoga class and failed to feel better afterward.