Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Yoga anyone?
For the last month I've been doing a yoga practice on the days I don't run (about 3 times a week - about 50 min). I'm telling you it is the best thing I have ever done for my running. My stride is longer, my core is stronger and my speed is increasing. Have any of you ever tried this? Have you had similar results? Just curious.
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I wasn't a "believer" in yoga until a year ago when I finally caved and bought a DVD to use for cross-training on rest days (I can't seem to ever just take a real rest day!). I can't honestly say I've noticed big differences in the quality of my running because of the yoga, but I do think practicing the poses for balance, strength and flexibility have helped me become an overall better runner. If nothing else, I really enjoy the quiet, meditative nature of yoga. Running's a tough sport with all that constant pounding on the bones and joints, so doing something that forces me to breathe deeply, calm my mind and relax my body once in awhile helps to balance things out!
I just started doing yoga again after a 5 year hiatus. At that time I was doing it very regularly. I started back up again when I found a local womens running group that combines running and yoga. We run for an hour, hills or speed training, and then do an hour of yoga. Oh, and we also do plyometrics. I could not believe how tight I've gotten from running. But it's not just the yoga poses that have helped me. The whole mental aspect and breathing has made a big difference in my running. I'm breathing much more efficently than I was before.
There is also a yoga instructor who has developed a program incorporating yoga/yogic breathing into your training. His name is Ed Harrold. You can search by his name or check out the Kripalu center in the Berkshires. One of the sites is www.mindandbodyworkout.net.
I absolutely LOVE yoga. I totally agree. It's the best thing you can do for your body, for so many reasons. The one thing I haven't liked about marathon training is that I can't do really hard yoga sessions (it's not recommended) during race season. But I am SO tight right now! I miss it so much. Tall girl running, I would love to know what DVD you use. I haven't found one I love yet.
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