Hot Yoga was fantastic! I was initially nervous, because the very first time I did bikram yoga years ago, I had to step outside the studio for a minute to catch my breath. It is HOT in there. Bikram yoga is typically done at 95–108 °F with a humidity of 40% and is a routine comprised of 26 poses. Luckily, this past Saturday’s exercise felt great though. I was able to get in there and surprise myself by being able to hold many of the poses.
Some poses require moving the neck, and I went easy on myself for those, of course. I’m taking the muscles relaxers every night and I’m not sure if they’re working on not. I’m not even sure if they’re making me drowsy, as I had a hard time sleeping last night. Anyway, I’m continuing to take them.
I also borrowed my dad’s heat pad. I’m going to use it on my shoulder every night to also relax the muscles and tension. In fact, I’m using it now :)
Okay, back to hot yoga. I felt so great, that I wanted to take another class this morning! There’s a yoga studio called Fluid Yoga that’s right by my apartment, and they offer community classes on weekends for $10/class. I know I need to do more yoga to strengthen my muscles for running, and I think it’ll also be good for increasing mobility in my neck and strengthening my shoulder muscles. I woke up feeling sore in my shoulders, so in the end, I opted not to take another hot yoga class.
I went for a 6 mile run instead! The Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon was today, so I got to see the triathletes on their bikes zooming by me in Golden Gate Park. I had goosebumps watching them, because I understand how it is to compete in endurance races. It’s as much a mental struggle as it is physical. There’s a warzone going on in your head, as you are alone, faced with your thoughts. One minute, you’re like, “oh, this is great! I’m loving it and breezing by everyone.” And the next minute, you’re thinking, “Oh man, it’s hot and I’m exhausted/thirsty/unprepared/never gonna make it.” Seriously, the doubt and negativity creep in, and you must battle those demons. I got goosebumps because I knew many of them were battling it out, silently and privately, and I wished them well.
It’s been over a year and a half since my last marathon (Chicago Marathon in October 2016), and just thinking about running a marathon again is starting to make me nervous. Like… how did I ever run a 6:40 mile for 26.2 miles straight? How did I ever run my hardest and power through the mental and physical challenges for 3 straight hours? It’s hard to believe I’ve done them and that I was winning marathons just a few years ago. That’s the weird thing with time. It makes our memories faint, and sometimes we question if it ever really happened or if we just dreamt it.
I’m taking things one step at a time. I hope to get back to where I was, and to exceed where I was. But first, I’m gonna start by taking it slowly and steadily, by being smarter, more strategic, and wholistic. Wishing you all a wonderful week!