Two A Days

In preparation for my upcoming body fat assessment tomorrow (eek!), I'm doing two-a-days....just kidding. Well, at least about the preparation part, I actually DID a two-a-day yesterday, trying out Maryhope's yoga studio as well as doing a Crossfit WOD.

First, let's talk about my introductory yoga class at Corepower Yoga. I think all of the yoga classes are done in a "hot" environment, which means the room is heated up to about 98'F. Talk about feeling back at home - working out in the heat, yikes! I can't imagine what their actual hot yoga class must feel like (103'F room, I think?), because 98' was pretty unbearable. I did feel more limber and I sweated A LOT. Good thing I drank a lot of water. We moved through the poses very quickly and I found this class to be less relaxing than other yoga classes I've taken. I suppose, then, that Corepower's schtick is creating yoga fitness classes as opposed to calming classes. Sure, the instructor did the obligatory breathing cues and spiritual talking, but I just wasn't getting the same vibe. Maybe it was the heat.

In either case, I did learn this new breathing technique that's different from other breathing styles I've done in yoga, Pilates or kung fu. Typically, you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, very controlled, slowly, and deeply. For this class, the instructor told us to breath in and out through our noses and keep our mouths sealed for the remainder of class. Supposedly it should feel more powerful, which I could sort of feel. I also have the tendency to clench my jaw while working out, though, and this more powerful breathing only exacerbated that problem. However, it did make it that much more enjoyable and tension-relieving when we could take those big "sighing" breaths out through our mouths towards the end of class.

Since Maryhope and I arrived kind of late, we had two spots at the very front of the room, right up on the mirrors. Now that I've taken to Crossfit, which is mirror-free, I've learned more about sensing where my body is in space and self-correcting based on how things feel, rather than look. Watching myself do yoga that up close and personal actually hurt my practice I feel. Rather than focusing on my breath, the movement, or the correct placement of my head, I was constantly tempted to check my posture in the mirror - which completely throws off everything, especially the balance needed in yoga! Note to self for potential future yoga classes: go to a class that does not have mirrors, or stand in the back.

I rushed home on the bus after the yoga class so that I could rehydrate before heading to CFSP in afternoon traffic. Today we did 400m running sprints, and I wanted to see if I had improved my time (it is one of my goals, after all). Sadly, I performed pretty poorly and I'm debating whether these runs should count as my benchmark for my paleo challenge, or if I get a redo this weekend (preferably on a standard 400m track).

5x400m runs, resting approximately 3 minutes in between:
1:43 / 1:41 / 1:48 / 1:41 / 1:41

Well, at least I was consistent...and I improved over my trial at the track a few weeks ago with Susanne. Still, I didn't break my 1:35 goal. Other than thinking about the burning in my legs from running, I also thought about breathing powerfully like I did in yoga. It seemed to help when I started it on my 4th run trial (notice the drop in time despite the fatigue). On the 5th run, I maintained the powerful breathing and also thought about chasing a bus. Silly, yes. But oh so true to life. In fact, yesterday morning I almost missed the bus TWICE, but was able to catch it because I could sprint to the next bus stop before the bus could reach it. Thank goodness it takes the bus about 2 minutes to go from stop to stop downtown and also that I can run about 2 blocks in less than that time...now imagine how many buses I could catch if I could break a 1:35 run!