15 miles

[Charliecat5]

Stone the crows.  I did something last night I never thought I would do.   I went to a yoga class.  But not any old yoga class… a yoga class for runners.

How did this happen, I hear you cry?

Well, as you will be aware some of my more recent runs have been with Mary-Louise.  A very determined individual and one that isn’t shy of taking the piss of La Chat it seems.   She is a bit of a ‘feminist yoga bore’ (her words not mine) who, when on a 10 miler coming back along the river, was muttering about the benefits of yoga for runners.  I was doing my best to ignore such crazy talk, until she mentioned that her other half was about to start a Yoga for Runners class.  She went on to explain how yoga had transformed his running and how before he started he was like me… completely inflexible and constantly moaning about sore muscles. Which was a bit rude I thought - albeit true.

Suddenly I was intrigued… is this the answer I’m looking for.  The answer to the question I didn’t know I needed to ask.  It couldn’t do any harm could it?  I signed up!

Several weeks later on a rainy Monday evening I found myself in a small room on Station Hill with four other victims and Graham, our tutor.   Graham looks like a runner, a fit runner, and it soon became apparent, a very bendy runner.   I arrived very nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to do all the bending stuff as I struggle to touch my knees, never mind my feet.  

We started by doing some breathing exercises… which was a bit odd, because I know how to breath… but it was strangely relaxing.  We then spent a little time finding our centre of balance before starting the real work.  I learnt how to do a Downward Dog, we did lunges (which I think are called Warriors).  We did a Cobra and lots of exercises stringing all these together.

What surprised me, is that I could actually do these things.  I can’t imagine that it looked pretty and there were a few of those grunts you get when you’re my age… you know the ones… the ones you make as you get off the sofa.   I also managed not to fart for over an hour – which was also a result in my book (because again at my age, you never quite know where a fart might lead).

I came out of the class an hour later feeling really good and inspired to keep it up.  Sadly, work will mean missing next week, but Graham has promised to save the session on legs and calf muscles for the session after that. 

My only disappointment is that we didn’t do any ‘standing on your head’ exercises.  Mary-Louise promised me that after five weeks I would be able to stand on my head.  Perhaps that’s the next lesson.