Stalling Over, Dryland Begins at the Yoga Center

Hearing Tom Rossborough talk about his rowing, and John Diemont his biking, and the folks in SLC talking about their aching,  it very slowly dawned on me that it was time to get going on dryland.  So, with a little time before Rochester or Buffalo dryland begins, I decided to try something new (for me).  I signed up at a little club in Buffalo to take 12 yoga lessons in the next six weeks, beginning last night when I met with about a dozen other neophytes and our instructor, Sara, for a couple hours.  Cannot say that it was fluid, but it was interesting, and fun, and a surprising mix of strenuous and relaxing.  We learned quite a bit about the concept of ujjayi breathing, and practiced it throughout the session, figuring out to extend a stretch on the exhale, and pressing weight to the rear foot, not the lead, which seemed counterintuitive, but clearly helped extend the stretches.  A lot to absorb in a first session, but it was really engaging and I'm looking forward to Thursday night!

Earth Day

April 22, 2009 is Earth Day, with events occurring across the globe (and continuing into the weekend).  In Rochester, on Saturday, if you bring a bag stuffed with plastic grocery bags to Wegmans, they will give you a really nice reusable bag to replace it.  A small thing, but a lot of small things--replacing incandescent bulbs, for example, begin to add up.  Check out http://www.earthday.net and for everyday tips and solid information from the National Geographic look at http://www.thegreenguide.com   The photo to the right, incidentally, is at the edge of a huge windmill farm in Wyoming, along I-80.  We passed it last summer, on the way from NYS to Salt Lake City.  The sign says "Strong Winds Possible."  It's a good thing, or someone is going to lose a bundle on those windmills!!

Birthday 5K

7:30 AM on my 59th birthday, at the starting line with about 300 runners in the marina park embarcadero in San Diego harbor, for the National School Boards Foundation annual 5k run.  I could not have picked a better way to both celebrate my birthday, have the first running race of the year, fly the Rochester Speed Skating Team flag (well, T shirt) on the West Coast and let my teammates know that I have not turned into a couch potato! It was a fun race, with sun, a nice breeze and mid-60s temperatures, through a really beautiful park that runs along San Diego bay facing Coronado Island across the way.  In the harbor, a Dole container ship probably loaded with pineapples, the USS Ronald Reagan and another aircraft carrier, and several other Navy vessels.  It was a lot of fun, and while my time was about average for me, it was in the top half of the finishers, proving that there is merit in picking the races where most of the runners are over 30. In the post-race picture with me is Tim Kremer from the NY State School Boards Association, who was also flying his flag on the west coast, in his case the emblem of the New York Giants.  Jay Worona had racing #1.  I would have asked how he got that, if only I could have caught up to him!