While I've been running

I used to do a lot of Bikram yoga. 4-5 times a week.  This was something like 5 years ago.  I was never very skilled at it, mostly 'cause I'm quite klutsy and things like balancing on one leg do not come easy to me.  However, I benefitted from it in so many ways, not the least of which was that it REALLY helped me get over a relatively serious back injury, *plus* had me about 15 pounds lighter than I am now.  I stopped because I moved to a place that had no hot yoga studio (and regular yoga just bores me for some reason).  I was happy to find when we moved to Truckee that there is in fact a Bikram studio here, but we had just bought out house and  those damn classes are NOT cheap.

I still really can't afford it, but the other day I found myself in a class and OH MY WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN DOING THIS FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS?  And one class, that's all it took, and I am obsessed again.  I've done 2 classes in 2 days and, as I leave home for my week of work, I'm wondering When can I go again?  (Ohh, there is a studio in Marin, sure I can't manage to fit any running in while I'm there, just not enough time and I'm too tiiiiired, but I betchya I could find some time for yoga . . . thus is my obsessive personality).  Oh yeah, how am I gonna afford it?  I dunno, but I will!  2 classes a week, coming up!

Of interest, the one thing I have always been is pretty flexible.  Even without regular yoga exercise (or ANY exercise, for that matter), I have always been able to, say, reach down and put my palms on the floor, knees locked.  Imagine my surprise when doing my first Welcome Back class I found I could barely reach my toes, even with my knees slightly bent!  I laughed out loud to find how stiff I've become.  Thanks, running!

I have been running, did 5 lovely miles last evening along the river and got a little blissful.  I really do love to run, though it's taken me a long time to reach this state of mind.  I'm glad I got started.  As far as swimming, I've done nothing for over a week -- bad bad, considering I've got a tri coming up in a week and a half.  An olympic.  That oughta be interesting, though I am ready to take it super easy and just enjoy the experience.  Given the lack of focused training, that's about all I can hope for, and that's fine by me.  As far as biking goes, well, yesterday I actually changed 3 tires, from start to finish, and now feel as though I can change a flat if I need to, if not with any great speed.  It's about time!  Before I just had the theoretical knowledge, I'm much more confident  now that I've actually done it.

Also, I baked a couple of nice Key Lime pies.  I've sacrificed probably a dozen eggs to figuring out how to make a meringue (fucking up simple procedures, the bane of the self-taught cook), but think I've worked out the kinks.  Egg whites: room temperature, and not a trace of yolks, even a drop is a catastrophe; Bowl: tall and glass;  Beater: beat those damn things until they're SUPER foamy and soft before adding the sugar.