spirituals & hebrew

I’m specializing in multi-tasking this week.  I set my alarm early so I’d have time for a short run in the park before my rehearsal.  I love days like today, when the sun is warm but the air is still a little crisp.  It almost feels more like fall than spring, except everything is already in bloom!  The park was swarming with dog walkers, cyclist commuting to work, weighed down with laptops and supplies, and runners, avoiding the yappy little dogs and meditative walkers.

I entered the park near the rose garden, but I was so focused on my music I forgot to notice if there were any roses or if the bushes were fully trimmed in preparation for summer blooming.  My initial soundtrack of the day was the spirituals I would soon be rehearsing for our upcoming Gold Coast concerts.   I switched to a Hebrew podcast as I neared Stow Lake and repeated today’s vocabulary back to voices in my headphones.  The short hill up to the running path around the lake left me winded and I slowed my pace slightly to bring my heart rate back down.  Basically, I zoned out for the rest of the run, checking in with my HRM now and then, and smiling, thrilled to be out in the sunshine.  Once out of the park, I walked it home from the top of my hill and did some toe/heel walks to stretch and strengthen calves and shins.  I did a few quick stretches in the shower then grabbed a bite to eat and poured Electro Mix into my water bottle as I ran to catch the bus.

the workout:

5 min walking warm up

25 min run, easy but constant pace, ave HR 80% (although my monitor says I went up to 210% last week, which technically means I’d be dead, so I guess I need to refigure my max HR!)

5 min walking cool down, toe heel walks

back on track

I just returned from  my longest run of the year.  According to both my calculations and the MapMyRun program, I actually ran about 7 miles, plus walked more between warm up and cool down.  None of it felt particularly easy but there was never a point when I didn’t think I’d be able to finish.  The weather was cool and sunny, with a touch of wind and my LearnHebrewPodcasts kept me company.  I don’t like loud music in my ears when I run outside because I don’t think it’s safe and I also enjoy too much hearing the sounds of the trees in the park and waves crashing at the beach.  Today I wasn’t sure if I’d get through my run without assistance so I brought my iphone.   Of course I decided at the last second that I wanted to download new podcasts so while I waited for my phone to update, I did a quick roll-out session and a few core exercises.  I do think the rollout helped warm up my muscles because getting started was easier than usual.

I ran through the park to the beach, then down the great highway, which was closed to cars for sand clean up.  I love it when the road is all mine!I took it very easy through my entire run, making it my goal to keep my heart rate at the bottom of ZN4.  I don’t honestly think I could have run any faster today if I’d wanted to but I feel better believing that I was moving slowly for a purpose!  I took 1-2 minutes out of each 15 minute chunk of time to walk so I could get a drink, rest my legs or take a picture.  I finished the run feeling strong and did my toe/heel walking for the last couple of blocks.

The Workout:

7 mile run, keeping a slow pace to be sure I don’t end up sick again, monitoring my breathing occasionally to be sure I was breathing through my nose, not panting!

toe/heel walking for calf strength and preventing shin splints

core exercises and roll-out before and after run, ice groin after as preventative measure

part of the day

I decided to take it easy today and opted for the low-impact workout option of running errands by foot.  There was no literal running involved but I walked at a good clip.  My alternative was getting in the car, driving around, finding parking, and spending all my laundry quarters on parking meters.  No thank you.

The workout:

3 mile walk around the city, taking care of necessary errands after a long trip

-my favorite pastime while walking (or taking the bus) is listening to learnhebrewpod.com