Runner's Almanac - Day 19

If you live in Los Angeles or the vicinity, the warm weather and smoldering heat due to the firestorms may have affected your regular outdoor running plans. Though the fire has not affected the air quality around UCLA, the heat is strong enough that my planned lunchtime running was not to be. Instead, I opted to go on the treadmill at the gym. Treadmill running is useful since you can gauge your pace and distance and also add hills. I ran about 25 minutes between 10.5 and 11 minute miles with some fartleks (speed play) at my 5K pace which is 9:40. In the evening, I did some pilates at the Absolute Yoga Studio.

Happy running/strength training!

Runner's Almanac - Day 15

Did my cross training today at The Absolute Yoga studio. I did two classes - Pilates bar and Kundalini Yoga, and now for the first time in a while, I am sore! Planned on walking for 40 minutes but the air quality was like a barbeque all over the San Fernando Valley sky. Good day to cross train indoors. Please check your air quality in your area before running outside.

Happy running!

Runner's Almanac - Day 10

Today I did some cross training at The Absolute Yoga Studio in Woodland Hills. This was my first class at the small yoga/pilates studio. Newcomers pay $20 for any mat-based classes their first week. The studio is warm and intimate and and the staff is also friendly. I appreciate this quality when at a new exercise facility since the experience has the potential of eliciting jittery nerves or yoga intimidation. You know, when everyone else seems to know what to do and where to go and what to do with their foot and what that block is used for. Even the lady at the front desk knew many of the clients' names by memory.

I enjoyed the mat pilates class and the instructor Monika. Newbies may find the class just a tad short on in-depth technical aspects of pilates such as appropriate breathing and body gait, but our class had a couple of recent pilates practitioners (my mother and aunt, respectively), and they seemed to be doing just fine.

Pilates helps strenghten the core, a good tool for the long distance runner.

Happy pilates!