Yoga Stretch for your Hips

I found a webpage from someone on Google+ that gives some yoga stretches as ways to release tight hips.  The article tries to explain what the movements are, but unless you are already familiar with yoga... it's another language.

Luckily, there is a video a short ways down the page.  Here is a link to the page and here is the video for people like me that have only been to a couple yoga classes that find it helpful, but still somehow foreign.

Namaste.

Wow, it was humid today!

So someone on Twitter posted what the humidity was and I asked him how he found it.  He said that he used an Accuweather app for his iPhone.  I don't have that (app or phone) and I forgot what he said at the time.  I remembered weather, so I went to Weather Underground.  That worked, too, since they had humidity information.  When I got home after my run this afternoon (and after stretching, resting, and a shower, too), it said the temperature was 81 and felt like 86.  It had already cooled off a few degrees by that time and the humidity was 78%.  Well, I am not sure if I will start recording this information for all of my runs, but it is interesting to know when it is obviously high.  It would have been so much nicer if it just started raining.

I planned on running 2 laps around Lake Ivanhoe at an easy pace and I did just that.  I didn't do a stretching routine or a warmup jog.  I just started running, albeit slowly, but running just the same.  I ran 22:46 for the first 2.5 mile loop (9:06 average pace).

I ran into Marc from my Five and Dime running group and we ran and talked for about half a mile before our paths led us in different directions.  It was nice that we were running the same speeds, because he normally runs much faster than I and therefore I would be out of breath trying to talk.

When I finished the first loop, I ran inside my apartment and guzzled down a glass of warm water.  And off I went for a second loop.  This time I ran an average speed of 8:20 something.  I have it logged on DailyMile.com, but that is apparently down right now.

I just have to say that I love air conditioning.  I don't know if I could live in Florida without it.

Either way, it was a nice easy run.  5 miles in the bank.

2 Runs Sunday Evening

I completely missed a long run this weekend, but I made up for it by having two short workout sessions this afternoon and then this evening.

I ran the 2.5 miles very easy this afternoon around 5pm.  I looped around Lake Ivanhoe and I planned on running 2 laps which would have been 5 miles.  There was a thunderstorm coming into the area, so I had to cut it short.  I ran it very easy and instead of my normal length stride and turnover rate, I made my strides very short... almost choppy.  Very little knee lift and very little toe off / push off.  I concentrated on a quick turnover rate, which I think puts more of the work on the buttocks rather than the calves and thighs.  No particular reason.  Just wanted to work on a different set of muscles.

The evening run was obviously after the thunder and rain stopped well after sunset.  I guess I headed out around 10pm.  I took the first 1 mile as a warmup.  Steady comfortable speed the next half mile and then got up to a good speed for the next half mile.  I was probably running around 5k goal pace.  I stopped for about 20-30 seconds and then ran the last half mile just a little faster, but not quite mile goal pace.  It was a great run.

I love running during the summer after it rains.  I would have run around now (midnight) if I didn't have work in the morning.  I used to love running late in the evening during the summer when I was in high school.  You don't have to go to school in the summer.  I wish work was like that as an adult.  That whole summer off thing doesn't quite seem to be setting you up mentally for the rest of your life.  It's a big, fat tease really.  I used to like sleeping in till 10am.

Watermelon 5K at Mead Garden in Winter Park

I have now come to grips that the Fourth of July Watermelon 5K is jinxed for me.  Last year, I had a bad experience.  This morning didn't turn out too well, either.

I got up early enough, but I don't know if I got enough sleep.  I made sure that I didn't make the same mistakes as last year.  Only one mug of coffee.  Evacuate all waste.

I warmed up by running 2 miles.  I ran a mile out and back.  I was very thirsty already and hadn't stretched yet, so I made my way through the crowd back to the registration area to get some water.  I did make one little mistake thus far and that was forgetting my watch.  I had no idea what time it was.  I went through my regular stretching routine and when I finished, I could hear people talking over the PA system at the starting line.  I asked someone what time it was and he had 7:30 on the nose.  I had to make my way back to the start and quickly.  There were too many people to get there in time, so I ran down a side street and around the block.  That put me in front of the line, but it also put me a little out of breath.  I was able to rest for a couple minutes while a young lady sang the national anthem.

I can at this point with my experience tell if I am going to have a good race or not within the first quarter mile.  I was not going to have a good race.  I could not keep up with my usual friends and when I say keep up, I mean keep them within eyesight by the time I hit the first mile.  I hit the mile marker at 7:26, which is a full minute slower than my last race.

It was around this point when I started feeling pressure in my chest and my heartbeats felt really strong.  I am used to being out of breath, feeling like my head is going to explode from heat, or not have enough energy in my legs.  None of these were the case and any of those things may slow me down, but they don't scare me.  I slowed down a little to see if that would help.  It did.  I tried speeding back up to around that 7:30 pace and felt the same thing again.  I could have been imagining things as well, but I swear my heart literally skipped a beat.  Oddly, there was no pain.  I slowed down again and even tried walking for a few seconds.  I went back to normal again.  I ran to the next water stop, grabbed a drink and that was just before 2 miles.  I have no idea what my time was at this point.  I tried getting back into a pace and my chest felt weird again.  I had enough of this.  I was about 50 meters from the 2 mile clock, which I didn't realize at the time, because it was just around the next corner.

I decided that was it for me.  I went straight ahead.  It was a point in the course when people were going in both directions on either side of the street.  I stayed to the right side and alternated jogging and walking until I got back to the mile marker when I found my girlfriend.  She was walking the 5k.  I was so glad she came out.  Her mom did, too.  At this point, I just planned on walking the course with her and just wanted to have a "fun run."

By doing this, I ended up covering over 7 miles for the day.

I wish I knew the cause of my heart beating so furiously.  I have been on antibiotics for the past week and a half and pain medication for a broken molar.  I wonder if the antibiotics did anything, because I have run on pain medications plenty of times with no issues.  Also, I took the past week off from any training other than a leisurely jog a couple days prior.  Did that have something to do with it?  Did my lack of speed training during the past week make my heart have to work overtime to compensate for my brain telling the body to run at a speed that was apparently too fast?  I don't know.

I'm glad nothing serious happened and I had a great day the remainder of it.  I went to the Morse Museum in Winter Park, which has more Tiffany glass than anywhere outside of New York.  Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and more in the afternoon and then watched the downtown Orlando fireworks from my place on Lake Ivanhoe late that night.  I hope everyone had a great Independence Day.