Yoga on off days?

So Kelly let me borrow his Rodney Yee power yoga boxed set on Thursday. I didn't work out that day, but that morning I tried out the 25-minute 'power yoga' for beginners DVD. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as challenging as I had hoped it would be, although there were two poses in particular I couldn't do, but I'm sure the longer DVDs are much harder. Still, they were very relaxing and I think I'm going to try doing them several times a week, perhaps on days I don't go to the gym. I'm going to try the 25-minute one again Saturday morning, before Jen and I paint our bedroom.

Anyway, today I wanted to run outside, but by the time I stepped out onto my front porch the wind was howling pretty bad, so I took it to the Roy Rec Center instead. I warmed up with 20 minutes on the bike before seeing what I could muster on the little track. I did 4.5 miles before I was starting to feel a bit light-headed. Having not eaten anything yet, I decided to call it a day and went home to grab a bite to eat.

P.S. I can't emphasize enough, how excited I am to try swimming again on Monday.

Total distance: 5.6 miles cycling, 4.5 miles running

Already falling behind

So far, my goals for the New Year aren't faring so well. My January goal for running was 33 miles, which would have been a new monthly high, but I fell short at 28. Twice, including today, I had to cut runs short due to various issues. It sucks because, I feel like I'm making a ton of excuses lately and sometimes, upon further reflection, I kind of am. I really need to work on not giving up during workouts and pushing through the pain when it isn't unbearable. The motivation isn't coming as much as it once was.

Also, I gained weight this month for the first time in nearly a year. It was only a two-pound gain, but that's a very bad sign that I'm either still not improving my eating habits, I've cut back on my overall exercise, or both. That's making it much harder for me to stay out of the pool, knowing I'm gaining weight when I'm not swimming. The shoulder still hurts, but I'm tempted to say 'screw it' and start swimming again as of next Monday. That would be exactly four weeks since I got my cortisone shot, which was the minimum return time my doctor gave me.

On a more positive note, I did at least reach my cycling goal of 80 miles in January, going 83.65. That's a new monthly high for me. I'm also considering taking up yoga. Call me girly, but the more I hear about it, the more I want to try it. It seems like the benefits of yoga are practically limitless and perhaps that will give me that extra edge I'm looking for as far as improving my overall fitness goes.

Anyway, did a three-mile run today near my house. It was my first time doing an outdoor run in Utah since the Turkey Tri in November. It was cold, but once I got going, my body warmed up significantly. I think I'm going to try doing them more often, now that spring gets closer. I'm getting tired of running on that crappy indoor track...

Total distance: 3 miles running (meh)