I got in a trifecta of training and fun this evening, though the biggest event of the day was relief that M lost teeth this morning promptly and with no further complications (and her lost inner cuteness has not seemed to’ve affected the outer in any way). I had my top wisdom teeth out, and routine teeth cleanings. No other experience leaves for me a freaky mystery of advanced dental work.

First up, a quick turn on one of the short trail loops. I’m focusing on shorter, harder runs through the new year to push lactate threshold and tune the legs. I have endurance for the Red Hot and beyond in spades from the past year, but the edge needs to be sharpened and tuned to a new use. The run itself was awesome, the vague rain at our house was a picturesque frosting of snow on all the pines and manzanita. Soil was tacky, a few puddles but well drained, and went down in a record time of just over 20 minutes. Hard work.

Next, and hour of bouldering. The grades at the Y wall are pathetically soft, but I’m still doing very, very well for so little time on the rock in the last few years. It would seem, see below, that I’ve generally become a much better athlete in the last 18 months. My weaknesses of finger strength and core power are there, just like they’ve always been, but insofar as bouldering is concerned I could be back to my best by late spring with some concerted effort. Not that next year is likely to permit the time.

Last, yoga for 70 minutes. I’ve resolved to hit at least two classes a week at the Y, and Tuesday looks to be my favorite. More athletic, less (stereotypically and actually) blonde airiness and Enya (not that there’s anything wrong with Enya). After the strain of the above, my legs and then shoulders were set firmly back in place and at ease, and nothing else obliges me to strengthen and loosen those damn hamstrings.

More importantly, nothing else gives me as clear a lens with which to examine myself. As always (again) my hips are very flexible and open. Similarly, touching my toes in a phantom, far away. That causes a surprising weakness in certain permutations of warrior, for instance, and is thus something that really needs fixing. Most improved? Balance. I am the equal of everyone save the instructor at tree, after a week. The sense of power-balance in my spine and core has plenty to do with ballet, dancing, climbing, and running and cycling, but yoga lets me know in stark and parsable terms just how far those pieces have taken me.

And points to the future.