Friday! Yay, Fridays! This Friday was extra-special because I had a half-day at work (yay!) in order to attend a weekend yoga retreat with JK (uh….). I had a lot of feelings going into the yoga retreat and I will share them all. But first: leaving at 1:30 meant I had to do my hill work in the morning. Boo.

I’m not great at running in the mornings. In the winter, when it’s dark and cold, it’s impossible. But now that it’s sunny at 7am, I can handle it. I woke up at 6:30 and figured if I got out the door by 7am, I could get what I needed done.

The planned run was a 60 minute hilly route and I had to run at least 6 rolling hills. The best and closest place for monster hills is Riverdale Park, so I ran there and decided to tackle each hill twice, then head home. Other than the fact the park was mega muddy, this run was unremarkable. I’d rather run 100 hills than do sprint repeats. And after the run, I felt great. Morning work-outs, when I have the willpower to get up and do them, are the best.

I then went to work and at lunch, headed to Kula to meet up with JK and grab a ride to Harmony Dawn, the eco-retreat where the yoga retreat was being held. It was so lovely to get out of the city and be in the woods. Two teachers — Christ-an and Linseed — led the retreat, trading off teaching classes. The first class was a gentle one led by Linseed, which was a good way to ease into the weekend. I don’t have enough yoga in my life right now.

More retreat recapping to come…

The run: 6.1k in 42:12
The route: