Maximum Effort (for now)

Today it was one more trek to Airport Rd. and back.  Even though it was a personal best time (33:08), it felt kind of empty.  I really pushed myself to maximum (safe) effort, including leg and foot biomechanics, pace (just about 132/minute throughout), and stride.  I lost concentration for part of the way back with the usual mental chit-chat, but I kept calling myself back to the effort -- a kind of walking Yoga workout.  So I'm not sure why it didn't feel better...

Yoga Tuesday

Since I have to leave work a little early to make my 5:30 Yoga class (about 25 minutes from where I work), I didn't do a lunchtime walk today.

Yoga class is usually not aerobic (this semester -- last term I was in a "vinyasa" or "flow" class that had me puffing and sweating dripping!).  Today we did the usual Surya Namaskar ("Sun Salutation") warmups, along with some spine-flexing using ropes attached to the wall and an inversion.  Most people do handstands against the wall, but because of my wrist injury I do a version on my forearms.

Then we worked for quite a while on Parsvotanasan ("Pyramid Pose"). [Like this picture, except I only got my back as low as parallel to the floor.]  Despite the non-classical result, I actually got a compliment from my Yoga teacher, who said my pose was "powerful and relaxed".  Well, maybe... I did get a better thigh-bone position than ever before in the pose.

The session always ends with a cool-down, usually legs-up-the-wall (lying on our backs) followed by Savasana ("Corpse Pose") for deep relaxation.  To me, Savasana is like dessert after the meal!