Strength-training: Bribery
Time of Day: 9:00 AM
Weather: Climate controlled
Duration: About 55 minutes (rushing to yoga)
Yoga: About 55 minutes (a little late)
Notes: It’s hard for me to take a day off running each week, especially when I have an exceptional run the day before. Even my bad runs make me feel good afterwards and I miss that feeling on my off day.
However, I need to take one day off from running each week. My shins, feet, and knee all begin to hurt after awhile and I think my rest days keep me from serious injury. My leg muscles need a day to recuperate as well.
So I’ve bribed myself to like my rest days. Now that I don’t work until the afternoon, I don’t set my alarm clock. I still don’t sleep very late, although I actually slept until 7:45 today, which is very late for me.
After I wake up leisurely, I eat breakfast. On running days, breakfast waits until after I’m out of the shower, which is usually several hours after I’ve been awake. It’s nice to eat first thing on my off days because after having my long run the day before, I’m usually starving the next morning.
Only after eating and checking my email do I go to the gym. Ok, so technically it’s not a “rest” day, but a non-running day nonetheless. Today I rushed through my Longer Session without doing anything extra so that I could go to yoga class afterwards. I got there a few minutes late, but I think they may have started late anyway because they were still doing sun salutations.
Yoga is so…different…from my usual workout style. I don’t feel like I can call it a strength workout, but I can’t call it “easy” either. At one point I actually found myself breathing hard. It’s difficult in an undefinable way. It’s even more difficult after lifting weights for an hour, but feels great after weights as well.
I almost got my heels on the floor during Downward Dog. I also almost fell asleep during savasana (a deep relaxation at the end of class).
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i think yoga is like spinning, it can be hard if you work hard at it. but it also depends on the class- type and instructor and what poses you do and how fast, etc. or even how slow, cuz holding can be just as hard. so yeah. i was taking a “difficult” yoga class (for me) and i ALWAYS ended up SHAKING by the end of it!!!! i would call it a workout. muscle work. not sure if it is cardio, but i certainly sweat enough so maybe?
i hate rest days for that reason too. every run makes me look forward to the next one. and my favorite part of yoga was always the savasana
Glad to hear you take a recovery day … not really rest since you still worked out. Never tried yoga. Tai Chi has always been on my list though.
Souonds like a good ‘rest’ day. I don’t always enjoy my non running days, but I do enjoy the day after all the more.
Agree on all counts! Nothing beats the feeling of starting your day after a morning run, but nothing seems worse than starting your day knowing there is no workout in sight. Bleh. I find when I practice yoga regularly I begin to crave it more and reap the benefits, but once I fall out of a regular practice (ahem, marathon training) it is sooo hard to get back in to. I guess that could be said for all endeavors, though. Yoga is just usually the first to go when my *workout* agenda gets too packed.
haha, by the time i get to savasana i’m usually thinking about all the things i need/want to accomplish for the day (but hardly ever complete). as much as i try to relax my mind… i’m not too good at it.
Savasana is obviously the best part of yoga. I love how I feel after yoga and rarely do it, I am just not a patient enough person but I swear it does good things for my body when I do. I usually do podcasts cause they are easily available and I can do them from home.