wherein hot yoga helps my summer runnings.

And I'm back. Just like that, after a nice little blahggie breakie break. I've had a lot of blahggie writing thoughts stirring through my little head so I decided to go ahead and throw some posts back out there.
For now, what's on my mind ranges to everything from humid and hot summer running, hot yoga, my new love of Nike Free's and the fact that I started marathon training today. Really that's not a ton, but I always know when I need a break from blogging, it's usually when I can't think of anything interesting to write about during a run. But lately I've found my mind wandering to things I can write about while sweating it out on a run or during yoga.

Which brings me to my first topic. How hot yoga has helped me out in my summer running. And look. I get it, I personally love yoga. I'm devoted, I need it for a bajillion different reasons. However, I realize not everyone is a fan. I won't shove my yogi bidness all up in your face. But for me, yoga is important in my life and my running has only been enhanced by attending hot yoga classes at a new hot yoga studio in town. Why, you ask?

As I mentioned in my last post I hadn't been running a ton. I was focusing more on running for fun and fitness (not training) and looking more to growing in my yoga practice before starting another cycle of marathon training. Mission accomplished. The thing is, I knew the benefits of hot yoga for me have been beyond amazing. But I had no idea it would help my summer running as much as it has.

And this is all related because I made the decision to choose precious sleep over morning running this summer. My horrid sleep issues have been blessedly cured, so I'm not going to mess with that flow for now. Enough said. Which means I am left to run either over lunch or around 8p at night. If you don't know one thing about me, you should know this. I like to eat. So waiting until 9p for post run dinner is nearly torture for me. That's usually about the time I inhale SECOND dinner, not first dinner!

Therefore, I've manned up and chosen to run around 11a. Outside. Please note it's usually 85+ degrees (usually on the hotter end of that +) and ridiculously humid on an average summer day in Kansas. So I knew adjusting to late morning running was going to be a battle. Especially since I'm committed to doing speedwork outside as much as possible.

The amazing thing is that I was pleasantly surprised at how fast I acclimated to the heat and humidity this summer. Sure it makes me feel more wiped out after a run, and I may not be as fast, but I swear my paces so far this summer have far exceeded those of anything I ever thought I could do for summer training. Outdoors no less. During my five mile tempo run last week I started wondering how it was I was maintaining my pace and it hit me. HOT YOGA! Doing 75 minutes of yoga in a 99 degree room 3-4 times a week will really get a girl used to those summer temps apparently.

And then on Friday, after four days straight of running outside and doing hot yoga. I ate my joy in hot running and threw it up for lunch (yes, keeping with the vomit theme around here). My legs were shot. As in I hurt like I had run a marathon. Or worse. NO. JOKE. So much so that a 10 miler this weekend was cut short at three miles. Lame. And pitiful.

Lesson. Even though I'm feeling good while running in the heat, pushing it = a bad choice. Like milk on a hot day. I also learned several valuable lessons already during my hot runnings. Simple things. Like taking a bottle of water. With ice in it. And maybe wearing sunscreen. Perhaps go ahead and bathe myself afterwards. The list goes on, it's a bit embarrassing. I won't continue. So much for being the hot-weather-running-number-one-stunna' that I thought I was. I'm taking it a bit easier this week, but still pleased that I'm feeling good in my summer runnings.

At least I feel acclimated. That is a victory since I didn't feel like I ever acclimated to the heat last summer. So then at least there's that.