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!

Runner's Almanac - Day 4

When I first started running habitually, my schedule consisted of a morning run 4-5 days a week. I liked the routine of it and found that running consecutive days made it easier to keep up the practice. Run every other day, and it's just a pinch harder to get going. However, I soon developed some painful shin splints and learned the value of alternating run days with other cardio or strength training activities. For a while I was doing mat pilates and loved it. I haven't been doing as much strength training in the past year though, and my 2.5 miles yesterday reminded me of the importance of this. After my morning run, I noticed some slight discomfort that was a bit out of the ordinary. It wasn't the normal ache and pain, but something a bit more internal. Just recently, I spoke with my medical doctor about the effects of running on women's bodies. She told me that it affects the thin natural support system in the breast tissue - therefore requiring a very supportive bra (or two at a time in some cases) and can also affect the pelvis and bladder through pressure created by the constant impact of running.

So, I did a zippy internet search and found this posting recommending the importance of core strength to balance out the effects running can have in this respect. I knew I was not on top of my strength work, so last night I took out my favorite Denise Austin pilates dvd that hadn't seen the light in a little while. I dusted it off, popped it in, and did some core strengthening exercise. I even did some yoga this morning. Now if the discomfort persists and starts to melt into more of a pain, seek medical advise. Otherwise, remember to strengthen your core about 3 times a week, and also take days off regularly during your running. Your body will thank you for it.