This past year, I've been super into hot yoga, as the town I moved to has an adorable little spot called The Yoga Barn. The majority of classes are either Hot Power Vinyasa, or Warm Yin Yoga. So depending on whether or not you want a solid sweatfest of a workout, or a peaceful relaxing stretching session, those are the options. For me, it all depends where my schedule and shift work lands. Most times after a night shift, I'll stay up to attend the 9am class. Or if I am off, I'll go to which ever one is the hottest class of the day. This week, I was luckily off for all 4 days of yoga! (She has classes Monday-Thursday with some extras on weekends sometimes).
So I registered into the Hot power classes all four days. And as I'm sitting here typing, I'm realizing just how sore I am from 4/4 days of hot yoga. It's not as easy of a workout as everyone seems to think, and so I figured I would share with you all the thoughts that go through my head while I'm in class.

Okay, here we go I'm ready for a workout.
Woah, should have came earlier, its PACKED in here.
Okay there's a spot I can fit in!
Shit, it's at the front of the class..
Well I hope people behind me don't try to follow what I'm doing.
Alright, childs pose to start. I can handle this.
Deep breath in through the nose, deep breath out through the mouth.
I'm totally not a nose breather.. it sounds like I'm snoring over here..
First pose.. I got this.
Okay this isn't so bad, I'm not even really sweating yet!
Well then.. that must have just been the warm up.
Yup, now I'm sweating.
Right, focus on breathing. Opps.
Downward dog, my favourite because I can take a breathing break!
Oh, never mind we're doing another flow again.
If we do any more chaturanga's I'm gonna chaturanga on the floor.
Okay, yes focus on breath.
I've never sweat SO much in my life.
Warrior 2.. my shoulders are on FIRE.
Is anyone else sweating as much as me?
Like.. I'm literally DRIPPING on the floor
Chatu-friggin-ranga.. aka just do a slow motion reverse pushup until you collapse on the floor
Embrace the pain
Okay the sweat is literally in my eyes and I can't see.
Good childs pose, I'm just gonna lay here and die for a second.
Nope, no break were going again.
Damn it there I go losing focus again!
Breath in and high mountain, breath out and fold.
Maybe if I grab my towel and wipe my ENTIRE BODY no one will notice?
I think I have ADHD..
Just. Breathe.
Warrior three.
Yep and I just fell over onto the girl beside me.. SORRY.
How do some people have such good balance?
Phewf I think were slowing down.
Ah my breathing is almost normal now.
Savasana.. my favourite pose.
YES the cold compress.. ALSO my favourite.
Mmm it smells like peppermint.
I never want to move from my mat EVER.
That was amazing.
Im gonna be sore tomorrow!
When can I do that again!?
Maybe after a shower..
Ew, is that really how much I sweat?
What a GREAT workout!

Some day, I might be able to get through an entire yoga class without letting my mind wander, but today is not that day!

Peace, Love, Yoga.

Namaste,

The Rural Runner

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One of the best parts of the summer is the fact that the sun doesn't go down until about 9 at night. This could not be more perfect for people like me who work long 12 hour shifts, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, etc. It's nice getting off work at 7pm and still having enough daylight left to go out for a run, where as in the winter it would be dark at 4:30pm.

Last night after getting home late from work I squeezed in a quick 6km run. It wasn't my full scheduled 12km, but I still got out there. Sometimes after a long hard day at work all you need is a peaceful run by yourself. The sun was setting across the horizon on the fields and it was so serene.

Lately, I haven't been getting out for every single one of my training runs like originally planned. I'm unfortunately not at that level yet where I can run 6 days a week. My body is only able to do about 4, with the other days being filled with bike rides, walking and/or yoga.

It feels discouraging seeing my training plan check-marks only on some days of the week, but I know my body and 6 runs a week would be overtraining for me. Some day I'll be able to run 6-7 days of the week without developing an injury. For now, I'm sticking to 4, maybe 5, even though my plan calls for more.

One aspect of training that I have been keeping up with very well is my long training runs. I haven't missed one yet and I'm very proud of that. I may have missed a few 6-8k runs, but every week, I get out for one long run of at least 2 hours.

This past week was 25km. I did it with Kirk and we ran straight up the mountain for the first 6km, followed by 13 kilometres of rolling hills toward Halls Harbour, and then 6km back down. It was 25 degrees out with not a cloud in sight.

The sun completely sucked the energy right out of me and by kilometre 14 I was completely dying. We had brought a camelbak and plenty of Gu, however nothing seemed to help and I could barely maintain a run. This had never happened to me before in a run and it was super frustrating to feel this way. I was completely dehydrated and weak and thank god Kirk was there to push me to keep going and get home.

After the run, and after I cried for a bit because lets be honest, that was one of the hardest runs of my life, we showered and got ready for my dad's engagement party. Thank goodness there was lots of food and wine cause I needed it!

We clean up nicely post-run ;)

Hope everyones week is going good! Until next time,

Happy Trails,

The Rural Runner

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We've all been there.. Thinking we could run for thousands of kilometres without a single scrape. Some of us are lucky and never have to deal with it.. And for others.. Well, shit happens. Injuries happen. The running blues happen. It seems like whenever you're not able to run, that's when it's the nicest days out or when you see everyone else out there doing what you wish you could. Not being able to run because of injury sucks. I had to put off training for my first half marathon because of a stress fracture. That injury set me back 6 whole weeks of training... That's right, 6 VERY LONG weeks of rest. I was in denial, I had been working so hard to be prepared that I was so devastated and I almost bailed on the race. The self doubt set in.. "I'll never be ready to run in time" and  "this injury will never heal and I'll lose my ability to run forever!" I know, dramatic right?! I got to the point where I would try to go for a run due to fear of losing my endurance, and just end up exacerbating the injury.

Point is, no one plans to get hurt, but sometimes you've just gotta face the facts and let your body heal to prevent further damage. Let's face it, not every injury is preventable.. But here's some tips to make it much less likely:

1. Take rest days!

I cannot stress this enough. Rest is so important when you're training. If you over exert yourself and try to run everyday, your muscles will not have the time required to recover. They need break periods to grow stronger and that's not possible if they're constantly being overused. Your body will be exhausted and will literally gain nothing from it. Your muscles won't be able to adapt to the stress being put on them and you will more than likely develop microscopic tears and inflammation in your muscles and joints (swelling, pain and redness). Basically.. Overuse = injury!

I know rest days suck, but they're absolutely necessary. Find something fun to do to instead, sightsee, spend time with loved ones, go for a walk.. Just take er easy bud.

This is how rest days are done! #likeaboss

2. Stretch those muscles

Something I advocate for but honestly don't do enough of. I love yoga and it's great for flexibility and muscle improvements, but it's important to stretch before and after exercise as well. Getting ready to go out for a run? Throw some quick lunges, squats, arm circles, etc into the mix. Static stretching is great before a long run because not only will it warm you up, but it'll prepare your body for the work it's about to perform.

Next, just as important and frequently overlooked, do some post workout stretching. Sometimes nothing feels better than stretching out tight muscles after a run. I'm talking holding those stretched for a good 15-20 seconds each. Take some deep breaths, calm the body and let the blood flow. You don't have to be super flexible to stretch, just do it and prevent some injuries and post run soreness.

3. Foam roll

I have a theory that foam rolling is the devil in the form of an oversized hardened pool noodle lookin thing. Yeah, it's a love hate relationship. Foam rolling hurts so good. Do it and you'll understand.. Better yet get your significant other to do it for you, not only will your leggies feel better after, but they'll probably get some enjoyment out of making you squirm.

I know for a fact this is my older sisters favorite pastime. "Stop wiggling and embrace the pain!!" #sisterlylove

4. Yoga

Not only will yoga improve your strength and flexibility, but there's hundreds of benefits. It's so peaceful and relaxing and can help with a wide range of problems such as stress, back pain, headaches, digestion, etc. If you don't know where to start, there's TONS of videos on YouTube. Or grab a friend and hit up a beginner class. Your joints and muscles will love you for it!

Happy to be a self taught yogi (Yoga classes don't work for me, something about being too disruptive, pfft.)

5. Injured already? Don't push it.

This one is a tough lesson for me. I knew stress fractures require at least 6 weeks to heal. It wasn't bothering me after 3.. Silly me thinking I was "magically" healed, went for a run and made it worse. The pain came back almost 2 fold, and prolonged me healing process. It sucks, be patient. I learned that I would rather wait 6 weeks than push it and end up injuring myself more.

Have an injury but are able to keep exercising? Be smart, take the necessary precautions to prevent further damage. Rock tape can be your best friend for pulled/tight/sore muscles. Seriously, I love that stuff. Increases oxygenation and improves mobility of joints and muscle. This tape has held me together for many runs.

There's plenty more ways to prevent injuries that I didn't list, hopefully common sense, eat well, STAY HYDRATED!, stay well rested (6-8hr a night) and keep a clear head (stress=sickness).

Bad luck can cause injuries but stay active to prevent what you can.

Safe running friends,

The Rural Runner

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