by blueeyedrunner on August 31, 2010
As marathon training continues to peak, I have been taking more yoga classes than I usually do. In athletic yoga today, we did an advanced version of the traditional Chaturunga.
From About.com:
Traditional Chaturunga:
Benefits: Strengthens the arms, wrists and abdomen. Good preparation for more challenging arm balances.
Chaturunga is like a push-up, and as such is a great arm strengthener. It is part of the Sun Salutation vinyasa sequence of poses.
Instructions:
1. From Plank position, bend the arms straight back, keeping the upper arms hugging into your sides.
2. Lower down toward the floor, stopping when your forearms and upper arms are at a right angle.
3. Keep the whole body very level.
4. Push back into the heels.
5. Roll over the toes coming into Upward Facing Dog.
Beginners: Drop your knees to the floor until you build enough strength to support the body with the arms. Practice Knees, Chest and Chin if Chaturunga is not possible.
Advanced: Hold the pose before coming forward into Up Dog. If you have tried practicing Plank with one leg at a time lifted, try moving into Chaturunga while keeping your leg lifted.
*This is what we did!
Such a great move. I didn’t feel like I was in Yoga. I felt like I was in bootcamp! I was literally shaking by the end. Try it and let me know what you think!
by blueeyedrunner on August 31, 2010
I used Random.org’s list organizer to choose the winner for this giveaway.
And the winner is…
- Track Coach & Adorable Wife
Congratulations!! Email me your info and I will get your new foam roller shipped to you!
I woke up super sore this morning. I guess running a race on Sunday followed by a 20-miler on Monday will do that to you! I decided to go to another athletic yoga class this morning to stretch out my aching muscles. The class was so wonderful. After yoga, I hit up my gym’s steamroom for a bit. Then I came back to my complex and laid by the pool. It was a glorious morning. I definitely won’t be running today but I hope to be able to do some speedwork tomorrow. If how I feel now is any indication, it may turn into a recovery run 
by blueeyedrunner on August 30, 2010
Welcome new followers! Just a reminder…don’t forget to enter my foam roller giveaway. I will announce the winner at some point tomorrow. Today, my dad and I completed our 3rd 20-mile run of marathon training.
20 Miler #1 (9:06 average pace)
20 Miler #2 (8:59 average pace)
Stats:
20 miles
3:03:01
9:08 average pace
6:00 best pace
Splits:
Mile 1~8:55 Mile 11~9:02
Mile 2~8:49 Mile 12~9:20
Mile 3~9:40 (hill) Mile 13~9:44
Mile 4~9:04 Mile 14~8:40
Mile 5~9:05 Mile 15~9:07
Mile 6~8:45 Mile 16~9:26
Mile 7~9:03 Mile 17~9:39 (hill)
Mile 8~9:08 Mile 18~9:00
Mile 9~9:17 Mile 19~9:37
Mile 10~9:05 Mile 20~8:14
I’m not thrilled that this was the slowest 20-miler so far, but considering yesterday I ran a fast race, I am just happy I was able to finish it! The weather was beautiful this morning, definitely in the 60s with clear blue skies. We left the house at 7:15 and were on our way. We didn’t get to try the accelerade yet, but brought 4 packets of gel: 2 GUs (vanilla and espresso) and 2 powerbar gels (vanilla and double latte- notice a pattern?) I also wore my fuel belt with 4 bottles full of water. We stopped at miles 6, 9, and 15 to fuel, fill our bottles, use the bathroom and stretch.
I can’t believe we are already in week 11 of marathon training! 2 more full weeks and the taper begins. I am nervous there is not enough time to do all the workouts I want to do! Here is what week 11 looks like:
Marathon Training: Week 11
Sunday: Race
Monday: 20 Miles + Yoga
Tuesday: *Athletic Yoga
Wednesday: *Track:1000, 2000, 1000, 1000
Thursday: *FIT
Friday: *Tempo??: 5 miles @ 7:29
Saturday: REST
*Anticipated workouts
I may count Sunday’s race as my tempo run for the week and do any easy run or hills instead. I will have to see how I feel by Wednesday but I hope to get to the track.
Hope everyone had a nice Monday!
by blueeyedrunner on August 30, 2010
Thank you for all your nice comments on my race!
After yesterday’s race, I showered and went to the mall with my mom for some back to school shopping. Post shopping extravaganza, we went back to my parent’s house to juice! My parents just redid their kitchen so my mom invested in a new juicer!
The spread…
In the juicer: carrots, kale, apples, celery
Delish!
Even my dad juiced…and he never does!
Not a fan of the celery…
I headed home because some friends stopped by to grill and hang out by the pool. It was such a fun Sunday. It is officially my last week off before work begins again. I hope to make the most of it!
On the agenda today:
~Long Run. Hopefully 20 miles. I’m not sure how my legs are going to feel about that after yesterday’s race so I may have to modify this…
~Hair appointment
~Athletic Yoga
by blueeyedrunner on August 29, 2010
Fall Classic 4-Miler
4 miles
25:36 minutes- A new PR!
6:24 average pace
5:19 best pace
Splits
Mile 1~6:03
Mile 2~6:30
Mile 3~6:34
Mile 4~6:28
Stats
1st overall female!!
1/117 gender
1/11 age group
25/302 overall
Race Report
I was excited to race when I woke up this morning. I haven’t raced in over a month and it was a nice change from marathon training. I woke up, made some coffee, and got dressed. The idiot that I am, I forgot to charge my watch and when I went to put it on, it was dead. Grrrr. I quickly put it on the charger and called me dad to come a few minutes later. By the time he got here it was 20% charged. He was nice enough to switch watches with me for the race because he ran 14 miles yesterday and planned to take it easy.
I was so thrilled I won! This is the 2nd race I have won (for the women, of course!). The other race was a 5k so I am happy to be getting faster in a longer distance. I definitely felt the track work I have been doing pay off in this race. My first mile was 6:03 and it actually felt good! I purposefully slowed down for the 2nd mile because I knew I could not sustain that pace over the entire run. I was actually hoping to run the whole race in a 6:30 pace, so I am pleased I was able to do it a bit faster! The course was scenic, and pancake flat with some fantastic spectators. For a small race, a good crowd came out to support. Everyone was cheering me on, letting me know I was the first girl, and congratulating me at the end. It was a really fun morning. I received a trophy and got to choose between a Sneaker Factory Gift Certificate ($25) or a container of Accelerade. Since I don’t really need any running clothes right now I chose the Accelerade. My dad and I have been wanting to try it and since he paid for the race, and switched watches with me, I thought it would be nice to get something that benefited both of us We plan to test out the Accelerade tomorrow. Has anyone ever tried it? I have been wanting to try it because it contains a small amount of protein. During long runs, your body breaks down muscle, and protein helps prevent this. I am afraid it is going to be tough on the stomach, however.
Pictures:
