This weekend I ran 13km. It took me 1:40:49. I set a personal record for 1km, 5km, longest run, and farthest run.
A lot of things came together to make that possible.
I had a good sleep the night before. I ran first thing in the morning. I had new shoes. (My old shoes finally died the weekend before…I couldn’t run past 8km in them because their cushioning was so done.) I wore the right clothes. My mind was in the right place. And, most importantly….
My muscles, including my upper body, were ready to go.
I’ve mentioned before how important it has been for me to make my body strong. I put that to the test on Saturday.
It’s self-evident why my legs need to be strong. But, my butt needs to be strong so that my lower back doesn’t spasm and/or ache (I’ve had a terrible back since my teens). My core needs to keep everything steady and to keep my posture strong so my upper back doesn’t ache from slouching. My shoulders and upper arms need to be strong for the same reason, and because I carry my water in my right hand. And, an hour and 40 minutes is a long time to hold your arms up, actually.
My strategy for torture-free strength training has been simple. Yoga.
Listen, I’m the last person who wanted to do any sort of yoga. Yoga is for skinny, stretchy people who have time to get geared up, get in the car, drive to a class, find a parking spot, and interact with people who are all zen-ed out and blissful.
If all that is for you, well, right on! But, it’s not for me.
The solution for me has been…yes, you guessed it…an app.
It’s called Yoga Studio. It offers a matrix of workouts across user level (beginner to advanced) and type of workout (relaxation, balance, strength, flexibility) and length of workout (15, 30 and 60 minutes).
For a beginner, like me, it has been a miracle.
I get up, throw on some gear, and go into my wee home office where I keep a mat open and work out.
The voice is never irritating and the video clearly demonstrates the poses.
You will not be surprised to learn that there are many yoga apps for Apple products and Androids.
If you’ve avoided yoga because the idea of classes doesn’t appeal to you, give one of these apps a try and see how you like it. Many are free and the ones that aren’t are pretty cheap.
Who knows, you might actually like yoga. And you’ll be able to run farther and feel better when you’re done.
