If you are hurt (3) ...

Strength and flexibility goes together.

From being a robot made of sticks and rocks, I built some kind of  almost humane body - I won't say flexible yet- still, it is amazing the progress I made those last couple of years, to the point I am not that awkward anymore in a yoga class - or at least, I like to think so.

Of course, when you do not know where I started from, it is hard to realize.

This is war !

We often compare with Christelle her "Yoga's way" - from a body perspective, not the spiritual aspect of it -  and traditional western therapies, like your typical 'PT' approach. Of course, there is good and bad ways to do it, but it is surprising that "breakthrough" like active stretching have actually existed for hundreds of years in the Yoga practice. Ancestral therapeutic yoga seems way more beneficial to me than its modern derivatives, that have more in common with Zumba or gymnastic than anything else I could think of.   As expected, they were spot on. And it just takes us years to put a western twist on it.

If you stretch, do it properly. 

Some fundamentals of Wharton's method, slow, short efforts, breathing synchronized, isolated stretches, active and leveraging muscle antagonism remind me a lot of our Ayengar weekly practice. I cannot deny the impact of Yoga on the progress I made those last years and allowed me to be back on the road.
Practice often, daily if possible, don't desperate, the body is a wonderful machine and it might takes months or years, but you will see progress.
Just have to make sure you practice the right way, the meaningful way.
It is not glorious or advertised, but it is out there, you just have to pay attention and find the right people, or the right books.
As always.
And that will take time. But there are no shortcuts.
And as always, it's the journey that matters the most anyway.

Hip Hop

Between 90 minutes of runs and 60 minutes of yoga session, I am not sure where I find the time to work. I have to hand pick my surfing days too. Certainly worth it though.

Hip misalignment can be treated at home, it seems. Maybe I am gonna spare few bucks from my chiropractor, who knows. As the sailing days are upon us, the always growing sailboat budget is waiting. 

A simple video for complicated back issues.

This video is interesting because it shows the 3 majors steps in the healing process.
Unblock. Which can be done by your Chiro, or physical therapy, slower.
Release. Pain killers, electric shots, or physical therapy.
Healing. Massage therapy or tennis balls.

They do not talk about maintenance, and this is where Yoga shine, IMHO.

I like to say that the body is a wonderful adapting machine. The pitfall of this, is, obviously, when the body adapted for 20 years to bad habits, you are not gonna see a change in a few weeks.
Damn.
Patience is not really my strong suit. However, daily yoga practice and targeted stretches seems to help at the moment.
Let's touch some wood, we have a marathon to run in less than two weeks.
At this point, no more long runs planned.
The one I did have to be enough.
And next week is taper week, i.e. no running.
Hey, who knows, maybe there will be some surf !

Tail Bone Down

I was not kidding when I said I was going to refocus on my yoga practice. On top of my sun salutation in the morning, I try to add one half- to one hour of practice every day.
That is a lot, actually.

Puppy pose. Is it a sexual reference for grown up puppies?

It always have been difficult for me to focus on such long practices or stretching, which sound paradoxical when I can run 3 hours almost in circle. I suppose it all comes down to the ability to cut yourself from the actual action and go into the flow.

But easy or not, I have to stick to it, at least until the race. We are so close now than any injury at this point would be really a concern.

Pigeon Pose.
Let's say it is aspirational.

The good news is it seems to bring fruits already. Between the week of rest, the re-organization of my backbone and the daily stretches and yoga I was able to - slowly- run again. Today, I even went for a easy one hour and half run. I felt surprisingly well and barely did not feel my right hip.
The times between today and one month ago, for the same course, are identical. And I did not have the feeling of forcing at all.

Even if it is pouring outside, it is shining inside, and the moral is going up.
Who knows, I might even be able to run this damn thing at my full capacities.
I am starting to dream again of going under 4 hours.

Do not forget

It has been a little less than one week since I locked my shoulder.

For the first time this morning, the pain was down to a diffuse feeling, still painful, more like an ache, around the right shoulder. Rest, muscle relaxant (Cyclobenzaprine) and Pain killer(Ibuprofen) seems to have been the deal. I feel comfortable enough to begin to stretch the region.

Medication

Now the real challenge will be to continue the exercises - for ever.

New book to read .. and follow.

Interesting quote from this book:

"Did you know that the risk of a muscle-skeletal injury for someone who works on a computer four or more hours per day is nine times greater than it is for a person who spends just one hour per day on the computer?"

Now the real challenge continue, as the situation get better, still have to perform those exercises every day, on top of all other stretches for the lower back, and the typical runner stretches.

I have right now the feeling I will pass more time to bend and pull then anything-else.

But, hell, if this is what it takes ....

Yoga Man

A quick morning post for a morning subject. I am really convinced that stretching a lot is a big part in my partial recovery. Specially, the morning one, when I salute the sun. Seems a little bit grandiloquent, and the fun is usually already up (I have a tendency to work late nowadays and ccan barely get up before 7AM - I used to do better), but you got the point.

Sun Salutations - Part1

Sun Salutations - Part 2

However, can you appreciate the new wood boards on the Lanaii ?
Thanks Manu!

Back to the beginning

Things are moving fast on our side. More details later.

But the post of today is about my psoas. Again. All over again.

It is very frustrating to feel the same pain, maybe with less intensity, than 8 month ago.

Ok, part is certainly my fault. I never stopped running, swimming, kiting, surfing, never really let my body rest. And as soon as the pain disappear, I usually get lazy, and do not exercise the good stuff enough.

Good stuff ? Core training. Butt training. Wait.

Most certainly, I was doing lunges when I hurt myself again. Aren't lunges supposed to be good ?

  Looks easier than it is. Feel easier than it is.

Truth is, lunges are hard. I was doing a quite easy work out, 4 rep of 20. Switching with push-up and sit-up, it did not seem that bad. Again, those muscles are tricky. They don't warn you. Once warm, you can almost go on forever. You will pay the price later.

Here is my understanding. Sitting all day, those muscles are weak alright. Building core strength will protect them of over use in some sports, like kiting , surfing. Share the load. However, if you target specifically those muscles, like lunges do, you are to be cautious. And start at the beginning. Low rep, low effort. Build it from there. 

I promised myself again. As soon as the pain disappear, I will be smart. I know, like last time. Back to the beginning. People never change, and pain will continue to hurt.

2013 - Part 2

The fitness part.

What do I target for 2013 ? Easy more of the same and a little more of different.

Nothing surprising, I liked to lose weight. Feels way better. Looks better. Very satisfying. If you followed this blog, you will now that I was counting calories. Well, in 2013, I am not. I think I got a good understanding of what a 2000 cal /day is, at this point. But I will continue to track my weight. It is very satisfying too. Really.

Maybe I will go down to a weekly weighting, instead of daily ;) 

It sounds less crazy. 

Then, I will continue to eat the same and will try to exercise more. Theoretically, I should be able to continue to lose weight, for a target of 140 pounds, i.e.less than 64 Kg. Coming down from almost 80kg, not too bad, as a goal , right ?
Anyway, no hurry, my only real constraint is too stay below 150 pounds, 68 Kg.

Post-workout snack. (fruits, Vegetable, Coconut Water)

Slowly replacing those proteins energy bar when I can.

Exercising. No surprise either, I will try to continue to stretch daily at work (eh eh, I know, I know). And get up my chair. I will do at least one sport activity a day, surf session, kite session, or swimming, running. I will do a t least 3 endurance session a week (swimming, Running more than 45 min). I consider surfing and kitesurfing as taxing activities, not building ones.

What's new, then ? Yoga. I have started already "Sun Salutations" in the morning, and I really like it. But overall, I want to improve my flexibility. I came to the point than I think I do have the stamina to surf or kitesurf the waves I want to (not yet as long as I want to, come back to point 2), however, I do think I am stiff like a Rock.

The strapless song:

To begin to take some serious air Strapless,

I need to grab this board,

And to Grab this board, 

I need to bend my body.

And to bend my body,

I need some flexibility ....

.

3 keys for 2013:
Stronger, Flexible-er, Lighter.

Sounds like a plan, alright ?

-Interlude - Are you fit to run ?

I wish I did that for years. Awesome sequence from Runner's world.

Runner's World : Fit to Run ? Workout



Sitting too much ?



Yes, I know. But I said 'Except exceptions", right ?

Salute !

I never really started the full somatic serie, but i enjoyed the morning stretch. After years of battle, I finally decided to give a shot to Yoga (I should have started years ago). A small shot, I concede. We will see.

Anyway, for the time being, my morning strecht and wake up will be around the idea of the famous "Sun Salutations".

As I am feeling better overall, it is harder and harder to keep with the exercises and daily stretches. However, I know how important is it to keep on going. My guess is a routine, easy to follow and well defined will do the trick for the morning.

the serie

I know, I know. If you read this blog, you already should think it took me a long time to go to this Yoga thing. Truth is, this is kind of my wife playground. Unconsciously, I guess I was reluctant to join. Only idiots refuse to change their mind.

Idiot at the wheel !