Aches & Pains, Part 2

I had a very busy weekend and was not able to complete my long run for this week. Instead, I concentrated on cross-training. Last week, I talked about yoga and how it helps with aches & pains. Cross-training also will help!

So, what do you do on your days of rest? Sit on the couch and rest! Consider doing a different type of exericise. In addition to yoga, I take a Spin class each week. I never thought I would be one to enjoy a stationary bicycle, but spinning is actually fun. If you are a person who also keeps track of your steps each day (trying to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day), spinning will add 283 steps per minute! The class I take is 60 minutes long. That is a lot of additional steps!

Here is an article from Runner's World on the benefits of cross-training, http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-7420-0,00.html.

I hope to have a better running week this week. I know that I will be able to "catch up" with my miles. For me, the most important thing is to just keep moving!

Gina

Aches & Pains, Part 1

Now that you have completed a couple of longer runs or walks, are you feeling some new aches and pains? I know that when I started running, I did experience aches and pains. I dealt with them by taking ibruprofen. Not a good idea for someone with a bad kidney. So I had to think of other ways to help my body. This is when I discovered yoga!

Yoga and stretching have helped me tremendously. To the point that I rarely take ibruprofen! Here is a good article on Runner's World about the benefits of yoga, http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/special/0,7889,s6-238-409-0-0,00.html.

I practice yoga about twice a week. If you work in downtown Tucson, every Monday Pima County Employee Wellnes hosts a yoga class in the Main Library's lower level meeting room from 12:10-12:50. Perfect for a lunch time yoga class! If you belong to the YMCA, on Thursdays there is a yoga class starting at 11:45. Also, there is a great non-profit organization in town called Tucson Yoga that has many low cost classes as well. Check out their website at http://www.tucsonyoga.com/ I hope to see you at a class or two! Keep stretching.

Gina