| Runners love to run but this passion can take its toll on a body. Tight muscles, torn tendons and joint pain plague many dedicated runners because they do not have enough flexibility and core strength to prevent these ailments. Practicing yoga is an effective way to protect against injury and improve running performance without extra mileage.
“When there is too much of one thing, such as the repetitive stress in running, negative adaptations develop,” said Peter Seamans, a yoga instructor and movement specialist at Flatiron Athletic Club, in Boulder, CO. “As a result runners experience joint problems and length tension imbalances in the muscles. Yoga loosens the muscles that are worn out and works the muscles that have become lazy.”
Yoga increases joint stability and develops core musculature where runners need it most; in the abdomen, low back, and glutes. It also helps the body get rid of waste products held in the muscles and teaches proper breathing because runners tend to be shallow chest breathers. Seamans believes that using a different medium to interact with the body gives greater understanding of how it functions. This allows a runner to run faster, further, and more efficiently.
“Yoga stresses focus, concentration, and awareness of the body,” he said. “It’s a tuning process. Athletes need strength and stability in addition to flexibility. All three create balance and make the body bullet proof.”
Seamans recommends starting a yoga routine by attending a class to learn proper form and breathing and then practicing at least twice a week. He is also a strong proponent of weight lifting when done correctly. He advises against Bikram yoga, which uses rooms heated over 100 degrees to loosen muscles, because the high temperatures create dehydration and a false sense of flexibility. Seamans created Turbo Yoga, which is dynamic and varied practice that focuses on all aspects of the body as well as proper breathing.
“Turbo Yoga is a very effective and safe way to complement a running routine because it is fast paced and demanding,” he said. “However, every runner has his or her individual stride and technique and it depends how vigorously you approach the practice. This is why it is important to try different types of yoga and to find a teacher who can take you someplace you wouldn’t be able to go. Above all, honor your experience. Yoga is different for each person and to try and force someone into a generic mold is a dishonor to yoga.”
Sharon Connelly, who has been running for the last 27 years, is one of the numerous runners who frequently attend Seamans’ Turbo Yoga class at Flatiron Athletic Club. She began practicing yoga three years ago after experiencing uncomfortable tightness in her hamstrings and hips.
“I thought I was fit when I was just running,” she said. “It was a bit of a shock when I started doing yoga regularly. The balance and breathing techniques in yoga have really helped my running and I’m no longer tight because of the intense stretching. I like Turbo yoga because it is upbeat and quick. I do several types of yoga and in each one I’ve learned something new.”
Mike Sandrock has been running for the past 32 years and practicing yoga two to three times a week for the past two years. He wished he had started sooner. In 1996, Sandrock was running 100-120 miles a week with elite runners for his book Running with the Legends. He felt tight all the time and continued his rigorous training until he suffered from his only running injury; a pulled hamstring.
“Once I got hurt I started cross training and did whatever I could to continue running,” he said. “I went to my chiropractor and he told me I looked like a pretzel and recommended yoga. It changed my running. I’m less tight, my hips and pelvis have opened up, I’m breathing deeper and more efficiently and I have better posture.”
At first Sandrock used a tape but now he practices at the Shambhala Meditation Center, 1345 Spruce Street.
“Yoga class is a retreat,” he said. “Yoga helps concentration, whatever the activity. I breathe through the tight spots and I’ve noticed that I’m calmer and more relaxed because of it. I’m running faster and I feel great every run. Yoga’s made my running more enjoyable, but if I had to choose between the two I’d choose yoga.”
Instead of braving this winter’s frigid temperatures and ice covered streets every morning to go for a run, try a yoga class. It may just be the difference between a new PR or a pulled hamstring in the spring.
Reprinted with permission from BoulderRunning.com |