I have always been a big fan of high intensity workouts, with running as my activity of choice. I love compiling a playlist of new music and taking off to enjoy the serenity of clipping away miles in solitude. Author of Once a Runner, John L. Parker Jr. put it best - “In mind’s special processes, a ten-mile run takes far longer than the 60 minutes reported by a grandfather clock. Such time, in fact, hardly exists at all in the real world; it is all out on the trail somewhere, and you only go back to it when you are out there.”
This all changed in my early 20s when I injured my IT band and had to stop running for close to six months. In order to avoid going stir crazy, I decided to try a workout I had long since lost interest in: yoga. When I first started taking classes I had a hard time with it; I would get antsy and start fidgeting. When we were supposed to be focusing on our breathing with our eyes closed I would start counting ceiling tiles. Slowly, however, I started to come around to the practice. Even now, years after my IT band has healed, I have found yoga to be beneficial to my running both mentally and physically.
This all changed in my early 20s when I injured my IT band and had to stop running for close to six months. In order to avoid going stir crazy, I decided to try a workout I had long since lost interest in: yoga. When I first started taking classes I had a hard time with it; I would get antsy and start fidgeting. When we were supposed to be focusing on our breathing with our eyes closed I would start counting ceiling tiles. Slowly, however, I started to come around to the practice. Even now, years after my IT band has healed, I have found yoga to be beneficial to my running both mentally and physically.
Mentally, it can be incredibly challenging to get myself out the door for a run when I am feeling lazy or tired. And once I’m out running in that negative mindset, it is an easy thing to tell myself I can cut the run short just this one time without compromising my training. But before long that kind of behavior becomes a habit. This past weekend is a great example of how to overcome that sort of mindset. I had an 11-miler slotted on my training schedule that I slogged out in 90 degree temperatures with high humidity levels. The run wasn’t fast, and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but I got it done. I had to evoke all of my mental toughness to convince myself to just keep going, even as my body was trying to convince my brain that I needed to stop. But that is one of the beautiful things about running - we are so much stronger than we often give ourselves credit for, and mental toughness is instrumental in seeing physical gains in running. I have found that I can improve my mental focus in running by practicing that same level of focus during yoga classes. When I am flowing through poses, or lying in savasana, I create images for myself in my mind of what I hope to accomplish in my training. Then when I inevitably hit that low point in a run, I return to those images and stay focused on them to help get me through the miles.
Physically, the benefits that yoga provides are numerous. Primarily, the strength and flexibility that is developed on the mat helps to prevent injuries. When I first decided to test out yoga I couldn’t bend over far enough to touch my toes, and my hips felt like rusty bike gears that couldn’t turn properly. The repetitiveness of running creates such excessive tightness that our bodies can become unstable as our muscles shorten and tighten. Yoga allows us to counter this by stretching and loosening our muscles, while simultaneously strengthening them. Furthermore, yoga helps to align our muscles and bones to ensure better efficiency during high intensity workouts like running. Personally, I have found yoga to be best for helping me to prevent knee and hip pain or tightness, like the IT band injury that brought me to yoga in the first place, and so I continue to make it a point to take classes as consistently as possible.
On days when a yoga class isn’t compatible with your schedule, here is a list of my top five favorite stretches that yoga has taught me and that help to counter the negative effects running has on my muscles and joints.
Downward Facing Dog - Set your knees under your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Slowly lift your knees away from the floor but keep them slightly bent as your range of mobility calls for. Lengthen your tailbone as your bring your hips up towards the ceiling. I like to slowly peddle my heels closer and further from the floor to create a deeper stretch in my calves. This stretch is also good for your back.
Half pigeon - This stretch does wonders for my glutes and hips. To do this, straighten your left leg out behind you and bring the right leg to a 90 degree bend in front of you. This stretch can get into your hips really quickly so if a 90 degree bend isn’t possible I recommend placing a pillow or block underneath your right leg to alleviate any stress you might be feeling in your hips. If you feel good, bend forward at the waist so that your hands or even forehead come to rest on the floor beside your right leg. If sitting upright is as far as you can go, do that. The idea is to stretch as much or as little as your body needs. Make sure to then switch legs.
Supine split - Lay flat on your back with your right leg straight out in front of you and your left leg pulled towards your face. Bend your left leg as much or as little as needed to get the optimal stretch in your hamstring. Hold for at least a minute, and then stretch legs.
Baddha konasana or butterfly is another stretch that I love for helping out my hip flexors. Start seated with the soles of the feet together. Gently place your hands on the ankles and use your elbows to press your thighs and knees toward the floor. Hold for as long as it feels good. I personally like to hold each stretch for at least one minute.
Legs up the wall (modification of shoulder stand). I like to end a hard workout or longer run with this stretch because it helps to remove lactic acid buildup from your legs. For this pose I hold it a minimum of five minutes. Your feet will probably start feeling tingly pretty quickly but that is a normal feeling.
Coach Eva
Have you had positive experiences with yoga during your training? Let us know!
Physically, the benefits that yoga provides are numerous. Primarily, the strength and flexibility that is developed on the mat helps to prevent injuries. When I first decided to test out yoga I couldn’t bend over far enough to touch my toes, and my hips felt like rusty bike gears that couldn’t turn properly. The repetitiveness of running creates such excessive tightness that our bodies can become unstable as our muscles shorten and tighten. Yoga allows us to counter this by stretching and loosening our muscles, while simultaneously strengthening them. Furthermore, yoga helps to align our muscles and bones to ensure better efficiency during high intensity workouts like running. Personally, I have found yoga to be best for helping me to prevent knee and hip pain or tightness, like the IT band injury that brought me to yoga in the first place, and so I continue to make it a point to take classes as consistently as possible.
On days when a yoga class isn’t compatible with your schedule, here is a list of my top five favorite stretches that yoga has taught me and that help to counter the negative effects running has on my muscles and joints.
Downward Facing Dog - Set your knees under your hips and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Slowly lift your knees away from the floor but keep them slightly bent as your range of mobility calls for. Lengthen your tailbone as your bring your hips up towards the ceiling. I like to slowly peddle my heels closer and further from the floor to create a deeper stretch in my calves. This stretch is also good for your back.
Half pigeon - This stretch does wonders for my glutes and hips. To do this, straighten your left leg out behind you and bring the right leg to a 90 degree bend in front of you. This stretch can get into your hips really quickly so if a 90 degree bend isn’t possible I recommend placing a pillow or block underneath your right leg to alleviate any stress you might be feeling in your hips. If you feel good, bend forward at the waist so that your hands or even forehead come to rest on the floor beside your right leg. If sitting upright is as far as you can go, do that. The idea is to stretch as much or as little as your body needs. Make sure to then switch legs.
Supine split - Lay flat on your back with your right leg straight out in front of you and your left leg pulled towards your face. Bend your left leg as much or as little as needed to get the optimal stretch in your hamstring. Hold for at least a minute, and then stretch legs.
Baddha konasana or butterfly is another stretch that I love for helping out my hip flexors. Start seated with the soles of the feet together. Gently place your hands on the ankles and use your elbows to press your thighs and knees toward the floor. Hold for as long as it feels good. I personally like to hold each stretch for at least one minute.
Legs up the wall (modification of shoulder stand). I like to end a hard workout or longer run with this stretch because it helps to remove lactic acid buildup from your legs. For this pose I hold it a minimum of five minutes. Your feet will probably start feeling tingly pretty quickly but that is a normal feeling.
Coach Eva
Have you had positive experiences with yoga during your training? Let us know!
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