I ran 4.0 miles in 40:10. I should have done more, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. It was overcast and cool which meant Lake Calhoun wasn’t as busy. Normally I try to avoid the chain of lakes on Sundays, unless I can get there before 9am. There are only so many strollers, dogs, and kids I can dart around before I start to get a little annoyed.

I should have done homework after my run, but lunch, and laundry, and the dirty dishes were calling my name. Not to a mention a hot shower. I may or may not have sat on the couch for an hour or so in my bathrobe, but you have no proof!

In honor of Earth Day, I went to an outdoor yoga class at Boom Island Park. It was a 75 minute Vinyasa class, for free! However, I did make a free will donation to the Tree Trust. This was the most challenging yoga class I have ever taken. It reminded me that yoga is a good ying to running’s yang. Unfortunately, I have way too much yang right now, which made it really difficult to partake in the ying.

Translation, everything is tight and sore, so it was difficult to perform some of the moves effectively. At least now I know what I need to work on.

I ran to the grocery store after yoga and picked up some vittles for the week. Clearly the picture above is not of my groceries, but it is a wonderful reminder that the farmer’s market opens next weekend. Yum!

Overall it was a successful Sunday minus that whole homework thing.

About to get my Earth Day Yoga on.

- Longish run. Training plan says 12 I’m thinking 8 or 9 instead.

- A few hours of anatomy homework.

- Mounds of laundry and dishes.

- A 75 minute outdoor yoga class in honor of Earth Day.

- Grocery shopping for the week.

I better get a move on it. This list is pretty big…

How does yoga improve running performance?

SR: Yoga builds both mental and physical strength, especially in the core and hips, which helps with smooth, injury-free running. It improves flexibility, such as in the hips and lower legs. It helps one’s attitude, teaching equanimity whether things seem good or bad. And yoga sharpens one’s focus, increasing a runner’s ability to sustain effort even in the face of increasing intensity. All of this combines to improve both physical and mental performance.

This was the view on my 3 mile run today. I was having some knee pain, which hasn’t happened in over a year. I decided it was because all my muscles were still tight from the half marathon.

So I did an hour long Yoga DVD when I got home. Rodney Yee’s Yoga Conditioning for Athletes. It does a great job of opening the hip flexors and stretching the hamstrings.

Stretch exercises should be a runner’s best friend, so why do we so often give them the cold shoulder?

Admittedly, it can be tough to find time and space to stretch in the chaotic aftermath of a crowded race like the New York Road Runners NYC Half Marathon - a meet that packed a field of more than 15,000 runners on Sunday. People are walking every which way to meet friends and families, pick up baggage and then there are the barf puddles and gatorage spillages dotting the ground and deterring sit-down stretches.

Not to fear - you still have time and you’ll need some easy stretches more than ever in the days after a race.

It’s quick and easy to follow, the poses flow together, so no excuses now. Ready, set, STRETCH! You will go through the following exercises with one leg, and then the other.

You know you run to much, when sitting like this makes you want to scream!

Stupid IT Band.

Must do more Yoga.

That is all.