sum of things

i did my longest run in a while today on the treadmill, stopping the belt in 30 kilometres. i am quite satisfied with the state of things at the moment, it is three months to the marathon and this length, even if done with a relatively slow pace, didn't seem to trouble me that much.

like said before i haven't ran a marathon in two years now, and due to that my long runs have been somewhat sporadic and lacking any kind of long term plan. which is all fine and well, but now that i have the goal of 42 kilometres again i obviously need to make the long runs a rule instead of an exception. having prepared for a marathon seven times before i have some kind of idea how it feels, and with what kind of pace you can build up the kilometres; and it would definitely seem that for some reason, this time around it seems to be rather easy.

not that it has ever been that hard, or that arduous, to be honest - but now i feel my legs are stronger and that i recover faster. a part of this might to do with the fact that i haven't done this in a while,  and maybe my memory doesn't always serve me right, but i genuinely think there is a difference and the biggest cause for it is ashtanga. and it all makes sense, of course - ashtanga builds up strength, and regular stretching is never a bad thing  - but i think also on a mental level the regular yoga practice has made some kind of change. take today for example - running on a treadmill for almost three hours is not exactly exciting now is it; but i didn't mind at all, or get annoyed or frustrated. in other words, i was able to concentrate better and just be in that moment instead of thinking how much i still have ahead of me; a feeling very similar i get when i'm doing a long yoga practice.

it's hard to explain really, but it is kind of an acknowledgement that you will get where you're going eventually; and there is no need to rush it, it will come. so in a way i find the long runs and ashtanga practice very similar to each other, and the one benefits the other; and all in all, i really like this place i currently am with both of them.