Restday Wednesday

Well, if resting means going to the gym and supersetting every damn thing at the request of Tiny Tracy the Terminator (from now on she gets an extra T). I'm hoping to be very sore for my three miles tomorrow. Feels like an accomplishment.

I also hopped on the ARC machine for 20 minutes, 'cuz why waste the elevated heartrate, right?

Had my new favorite breakfast of Irish oats with nuts and berries and an egg white omelette. Why does such a breakfast feel like a triumph?

Post workout I chowed on my new favorite snack. Bear with me, it is delicious, I swear. Mix 1 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped apple, 1 teaspoon lowcal mayo, 1 chopped walnut, 1 oz reduced-fat, grated, cheddar cheese. Crunchy, cool, creamy, marvelous. And I swear I have never, ever felt anything but repulsion for Waldorf salad, but this Zone version kicks ass. I got it from the Zone cookbook Sid sent me last summer. Thanks, dahlink!

Carlos has requested further explanation on the breathing technique I mentioned yesterday, but first I must address Sid's concern, because it is more pressing, so to speak.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a sturdy sports bra for the well-endowed who want to run. I wear a Champion model that costs $50 or so when not on sale. I think they call them "motion control," and they really do the trick. I could run without shoes, without sunglasses, without tunes, without water, without clothes, but I couldn't go farther than 3 steps without my jogbra. It's like armor: adjustable, no-slip velcro straps (no racerbacks, please!), hooks and snaps. Keeps the twins good and close, so no, there's no pounding against the lungs.

As for the lungs, breathing comes next in importance to the brassiere. What I described yesterday is rhythmic breathing that involves coordinating your breathing with your stride cadence such that you inhale and exhale over an odd number of foot strikes. For example, during a relaxed run, you want to inhale for three steps (left, right, left) then immediately exhale for two steps (right, left), then inhale immediately for three steps (right, left, right) then exhale for two (left, right) and repeat continuously. It might be an effort at first, but then it will become second nature. It helps you avoid injury by alternating which foot strikes at the beginning of an exhalation (this is when you hit the ground with the greatest force) and it damn near eliminates side stitches. You'll also know when your intensity is harder or easier than you wanted it to be, because the 3:2 pace is right for relaxed runs, and you automatically slip into a 2:1 pace when you run faster.

Hope that helped, Carlos. Let me know how it goes. I don't know how I'd run without the rhythmic breathing. Physiologically and mentally, perhaps even spiritually? The rhythm really helps me slip into a kind of moving meditation. . . .