Interval running and yoga

This morning we were doing interval training. As the venue is closer than usual, I walked there instead of riding my bike. It wasn't as cold as it has been lately, probably about 2 degrees when I set out. It got down to 0 apparently, but I was running by then, so it didn't register.

I was expecting the training to be much the same as the last time, but Krissi and Brad managed to add some more variety after the warmup. We started by jogging around the outside of the two ovals. Usually, I'm at the back of the group, but today I was in the middle and had to stop myself from going past the front runners. Most unusual for me. Mind you, I was back near the tail end when we did the rest of the running. I'm not sure if I mentioned that I seem to be coping better with the warmup run, but it is definitely getting easier. I also thought that maybe my 20 min walk had given me a bit of a headstart on the others.

The rest of the warmup consisted of a set of runs across the oval - knees up, bum kicks, sideways, grapevines and surges. I am not at all keen on surges, but I'm getting better at them. It's just as well, as the intervals that we ran were a series of surges. We jogged, surged, surged, and surged again, then did a recovery walk / jog. The first few times, we were surging down one side of the oval and recovering down the other side. Eventually we surged all the way around the oval and then recovered down one side. The last time we did intervals where we ran as fast as we could then jogged.

Krissi told me that I was moving my upper body from side to side too much, and showed me a way to move my arms to control it. I did that for the rest of the session, and it really did help. I felt like I was making less effort on the surges, even though I was definitely running faster through each section.

Last time we came to the oval, I found I couldn't run three quarters of the way around at a faster pace without dropping back to a walk, so I was really pleased to be able to manage to get the whole way around without stopping. I've made it a policy during this journey to a fitter and healthier me that I will remember to notice improvements and to celebrate them, no matter how small they are. I'm glad I adopted the policy, as I get so many opportunities to be pleased with my progress. Even something simple like being able to bend over and pick something up is worth a happy smile and a feeling of quiet achievement.

I walked home. I felt a little stiff and sore on the walk and that feeling continued all day. While I'd been running I'd noticed that my right calf was quite tight. Of course, I kept running but I made sure I stretched it out well. After a few hours, the tightness had transferred itself to my hamstring, which was a relief, as I had been worried I'd hurt my calf. I was really looking forward to Yoga this evening for the stretching.

At the start of the class I told the instructor that I wasn't injured but I was very sore after Body Attack. I wanted her to understand why this week I was suddenly klutzy. She asked me where I was sore and told me we'd be doing lots of hamstring work during the session. She also advised me to touch my toe down if I wasn't able to balance, but fortunately I managed most of the poses.

The stretches were great! During the class I found myself feeling better and better. One thing that amazes me is that I can work up a sweat during Yoga. I certainly feel my abs after class too.

Now that I'm home I'm starting to feel some of my sore muscles again, but it's what my first personal trainer, Kelly, would have called "good pain". I used to think that was a ridiculous thing to say but I now know exactly what Kelly meant. It is "good pain".

I'm trying to work out whether I'd be better to take a rest day tomorrow or go to the gym in the morning. I guess it depends what I do when I get there. I'll decide when I wake up. Thursday, I have my personal training session. If I'm up to it, there's another Body Attack class. I'll see how I'm travelling.

By the way, thanks ladies for telling me about the Enell bra. It looks pretty impressive. I think I'll have to give it a go.