Yoga for Runners

By Amy Annis

Most people understand that yoga as a part of your fitness regime adds strength and flexibility. But for runners, it adds a whole additional element, lengthening the life of the sport they love.

I grew up with a runner. My father had a stressful job and my earliest comprehension of exercise was that of a stress buster. After work he would come home, throw his suit coat on the couch and head upstairs for his tennis shoes. After lacing up, he would head out and run for what seemed like a really long time, but he’d always return happier and more relaxed.

I understand it better now. That post-run euphoria is much like the bliss we yogis crave after a good practice of breathing, strengthening our foundation and lengthening our spine. It’s that hands-on-the- mat euphoria that, once students understand what the practice can do for them, returns each and every yoga class.

As an adult, I practiced yoga and then my passion led me to teach. After developing my teaching style, I realized that yoga was an excellent complement for the technical aspect of many sports. Understanding runners and the banes that they face (sciatica pain, tight hips and sensitive knees, just to name a few), I set out to develop classes specifically designed to assist the runner. Remembering how yoga helped my dad as he would prepare for marathons was a good motivation, but even better was seeing relief in the runner’s face with the realization that she could release muscle tension, making her run more enjoyable and more productive.

There are many excellent yoga poses for runners. Below are two that I feel are absolutely essential.

Bound Angle Pose: Baddha Konasana

This pose is especially good for runners who experience sciatica pain. Begin by sitting with your legs stretched out in front of you. Notice if your hips are tight and sit on a folded blanket if necessary. Bring the soles of your feet together toward your pelvis and allow your knees to release off to the sides. Gently pull open the feet, much like you are opening a book. You can also slightly press your elbows into your thighs, gently encouraging the release of your hips; but never force the knees down. Breathe as you lengthen your spine.

Baddha Konasana is an excellent hip and groin release. It also creates space in the lumbar spine. For runners with very tight hips, I often also recommend blocks under their knees to help facilitate the release. This pose, like all yoga poses for runners, should be held for a minimum of one minute and I often recommend at least three.

Downward-Facing Dog Splits

This pose is a variation of Downward-Facing Dog, one of the most widely recognizable yoga poses. To prepare for Downward-Facing Dog Splits (also referred to as three-legged dog), please make sure you have an understanding of Downward-Facing Dog. In Downward-Facing Dog pose, inhale and lift the right leg straight up and back. Flex the foot in the air and sink into the foot on the mat. Doing your best to maintain stability in the shoulders, bend the right knee while keeping the right foot flexed. Stretch it across your back much like you were attempting to kick the person to the left of you. Keep your hip lifted and breathe for five to seven breaths. As you breathe, lift the abdominal muscles up, drawing your belly toward your spine and focus on lengthening your side body. Repeat the process with the left leg. This is an excellent psoas muscle stretch for the runner, as well as an opportunity to improve the body’s balance. It is a great stretch for the shoulders, also.

A great reference for runners and all performance athletes is Sage Rountree’s “The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga.” Typically, a runner will see benefits from yoga in a very short time after beginning a regular and consistent practice.

Namaste and happy trails.

Amy Annis, a crazy sexy cancer survivor, is a believer of the healing power of yoga.  After teaching for over a decade she launched her yoga retreat business on beautiful Madeline Island, Wi for all levels of yoginis and adventurers.

Photo credit: sarowen

Running on Insulin

Photo Credit: Timtak

By Michelle Sorensen

Exercise has always been an important part of my life. Since being diagnosed with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes 11 years ago I have remained active. However, I have sometimes felt fearful or anxious and avoided activities I used to enjoy, due to the constant fear of hypoglycemia. This happens when my blood sugar drops below a safe level.

Over time I have learned to appreciate what diabetes teaches me: to listen to my body, to respect my limits, and to continue to work on a holistic approach to healthy living. Last summer I began to make time for running once or twice a week. Running enabled me to really clear my head. It was hard to think about too much other than my breath and the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement. This was so beneficial for me.

I wanted to do more running. So this spring I decided to motivate myself by committing to a race. I knew that the crowds and the excitement would affect my sugars and that I would feel nervous about going low. I was not sure how much food or juice I would need to fuel a 10K run. But I decided I would learn from pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I was excited by the challenge and I signed up for the 10K at the Ottawa Race Weekend. I started to run more regularly.

The spring flew by and before I knew it, May 30th had arrived. When I walked into the incredible crowd of people gathered for Race Weekend I felt inspired to be part of something so powerful – thousands of people of all shapes and sizes, each with different strengths and weaknesses, all gathered to focus on accomplishing their own individual goals. My husband carried all of my diabetes gear. I removed my insulin pump before the race and snacked to boost my sugar. I ate more than planned, but I was quite anxious about avoiding a low during the race. Before long I was in my corral and then running, exhilarated, across the start line.

In many ways, the early kilometers of the race were like my early years of adjusting to diabetes. I had to remind myself that I would find a rhythm, and that it would get easier. The first year after my diagnosis it was hard to imagine a time I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and alone. These days, I manage my emotions differently. Life is long, and I accept that I will have good days and bad days.

When I first started running last summer I would slow down when I felt tired. Now I know that if I push ahead I will usually feel new energy and establish a better rhythm. I reminded myself of this as I ran my first few kilometers. The food I ate right before the race started to digest and I developed a stitch in my side. It slowed me down but I kept going. I told myself it would pass and that the run would get easier again.

Around the 4K point I felt quite tired but my stitch was starting to ease up. It was a bit hard to think that I still had over half the race ahead of me. Then I saw my twin sister on the side of the road cheering me on. I called out to her and we waved happily. Support is so important. In my first five years with diabetes, I had support around me but I didn’t know how to use it. I was too accustomed to gaining self-worth by doing for others. I made it difficult for people like my mom and sister to support me. When I started to date my husband four years after my diagnosis he pointed this out many times. I began to feel safe opening up and letting someone take care of me.

As I entered the second half of my 10K I thought about the second half of my decade with diabetes. Life is much better now, but I can’t deny it is still difficult at times. The month before the race, I was unable to train for about three weeks. I was sick and struggled to regain control of my diabetes. It took me a while to get the message, but I finally realized my body was telling me to slow down. I took two days off and focused on recovery. Soon, I felt much better and I was able to go for a few runs the week before the race.

As I ran past the 6K, 7K, and then 8K markers, I pushed myself a little harder. I had been pacing myself to avoid tiring out, but I thought I could speed up for my last few kilometers. I was almost there. I felt a surge of emotion. My goal was to run a 10K in under an hour and it was within reach. Thoughts of all I had accomplished in recent years drove me to the finish line. I live a healthier lifestyle… not just because I eat well and exercise but also because I love myself more. I give myself the opportunity to accomplish goals and to live life more fully.

Some children on the side of the road held out their hands and I gave me high fives as I ran by. The cheering grew louder as I entered my last kilometers. The best moments in life are those we work hardest for. If I had never been diagnosed with diabetes would I be running this race? Or would it have seemed like one of the many things I didn’t have time for?

As I crossed the finish line I felt elated. There was a time, less than a century ago, that being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes meant you would not survive. Now we can thrive. My sugar was sky high at the end of the race, but it didn’t stop me. Only my own negative thoughts can hold me back from living the life that I love.

Michelle Sorensen lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a mom to two little girls and makes time for running, yoga and playing with her kids whenever she can.

Scott Jurek’s Personal Marathon

Scott Jurek

By Geoff Cohen

Standing relaxed and confident before a full house at NYC’s Jack Rabbit Sports, Scott Jurek began speaking to a rapt audience. He discussed training, running, and his race against the Tarahumara Indians through Mexico’s Copper Canyon. He is uniquely qualified to talk about these topics. He brings the practical knowledge gained from winning seven consecutive Western States 100-mile ultra marathons, the “book” knowledge earned from a degree in physical therapy, and the experience from his race in the Copper Canyon as described in the current bestselling book “Born to Run.” Add to these accomplishments his recent selection to the USA National Team for the 2010 24-Hour World Championships (where the name of the game is to run farther than anyone else in 24 hours!), and the appellation “greatest ultra runner of all time” rings true.

After his presentation, we talk more. Scott comes across as an engaging man, one seeking to inspire and motivate people, to encourage them to move toward a healthy lifestyle. He truly wants to show people how, by combining fitness and nutrition, we can each reach a balanced and healthy state of being.

From the twinned experiences of caring for his mother stricken with Multiple Sclerosis and observing the disease-ridden while pursuing his studies, he started to wonder whether modifying our behaviors could help fight disease. Adding what he learned from his schoolwork, Jurek began examining the link between diet and health. Looking to explore that idea further, he read Andrew Weil’s books “8 Weeks to Optimal Health” and “Spontaneous Healing.” These influenced him to explore new ways to make himself healthier.

Scott wanted to maintain a sense of personal balance, so he started dabbling, bringing different ideas together to see what worked for him, his body, and its physiology. This led him to try vegetarianism in 1997. In 1999, at the urging of friends, he read the books of Howard Lyman and decided that, if a third generation cattle rancher could turn vegan, then he could adopt a vegan lifestyle. Fortunately, his mother had taught him to embrace cooking and not fear the kitchen. Empowered, Scott started experimenting with and enjoying new foods and dishes.

As we talked, we moved to discussing his dietary choices. We talked about a typical Jurek breakfast: most days he would eat fruit smoothies, often made with soy yogurt, with chia added for a nutritional kick and Udo’s oil as a quality fat source. On other days, he’d eat sprouted Ezekiel bread with almond butter or hot grain cereals.

Since he has special expertise on the topic of nutrition during training and competition, we focused on his food choices while exercising. For a short race or run, Scott usually doesn’t eat beforehand. When running more than 2 hours, he turns to liquid calories, usually drinking smoothies, or perhaps he eats a banana. Post run, he is a big believer in glycogen replacement. Within 20-30 minutes after a run he consumes around 100 grams of carbohydrates. He uses sports drinks to replace fluids and add carbohydrates and protein. He often eats energy or sports bars, favoring the Clif Bar products which use whole foods like brown rice as their base.

On the trail, he eats a mix of sports foods and solid foods, including bean and rice burritos, bananas, potatoes and rice balls with sushi. He discovered the rice balls at the recommendation of some running friends while racing in Japan, finding the rice balls easily digestible.

Being in balance means considering both diet and exercise, so we moved to talking about his exercise and workout habits. Since he trains for extremely long runs, he logs 100 to 130 miles per week, often running two long 35 mile days back to back. For him, running has evolved from an activity to get himself in shape for the cross country ski team to something he relishes for the pure challenge it presents. He says “to me, as crazy as it sounds, I like the feeling of waking up and thinking I’m going to run 100 miles today,” something that still, to him, feels wild and beyond comprehension. Scott experienced some of his best and worst racing moments at mile 70 of his first Badwater Ultramarathon. Having hit rock bottom, he was lying, exhausted and sick, on the ground. A friend yelled at him, urging him to get up and run. He listened, looked up at the stars, and felt something deep inside him click. He stood up, found a new strength, and started running. From the depths of despair he went on to win that race. It is that journey, the unknown arc that each race becomes, that appeals to him, since you never know when “you have to reach deep and find something special inside you.”

Yet fitness is not only about running; he also hikes, uses a bicycle for transportation and pursues a vinyasa-based yoga practice, which he mixes with meditation and breath work. Since during his running he feels that he is “going, going, going,” it is yoga, combined with breath work and meditation, that gives him a chance to slow down for a bit and gain more bodily awareness.

He urges everyone to exercise. For those new to exercise, he suggests they reach out and find a support group, whether through workout buddies, trainers, sports clubs, or online groups. He notes that many people think they could never run 5 miles, or 10 miles, or a marathon, but by applying themselves and surrounding themselves with supportive people, who knows what can be accomplished?

Ultimately, though it is about our personal races, the race of our individual lives. With people like Scott Jurek inspiring us, teaching us to embrace life’s challenges, and showing us to not fear trying new things, we can all find healthier and better ways to enjoy the journey of our own personal ultra marathons.

Geoff Cohen lives in New York City, where he writes on a broad variety of topics, works as a General Manager and Producer in the theatre and works on concert production.

Build Strength to Improve Running Efficiency

A few decades ago endurance athletes were encouraged to avoid “gym training” for fear that they would develop heavy, bulky muscles. The reasoning was: extra mass without function will inhibit endurance performance. This makes sense. However, the reason “gym training” was adamantly shunned by the endurance culture was primarily due to it being lumped together with the body building culture. Of course the main reason bodybuilders lift weights is to build bulk. They also weight train for symmetry and definition, but the vast majority of their time spent training it to get bigger.

In the early eighties some endurance athletes began supplementing their regular endurance training with weight training in hopes of improved endurance. The results were mixed. While the athletes generally gained some strength, they also gained weight. Therefore their strength-to-weight-ratio showed only very modest improvements, and not enough to justify the energy expenditure in performing the extra workout. In other cases, strength-to weight-ratio dropped. Why? The problem was that these endurance athletes were doing body-building-style workouts, designed to grow muscle size with little or no improvement in functional strength. Of course this resulted in a reduction in the endurance athletes most valued attribute: strength-to-weight ratio.

When it was realized that various training principals and techniques could be reworked to make bulk-less strength gains, gym workouts for endurance athletes were revisited.

While gym workouts were being embraced by some endurance athletes, there were still those who abstained. While it was clear that a finely tailored weight training program could be implemented to build strength without an increase in size or weight, why would an endurance athlete need strength? And would a few gym workouts to achieve it be worth the extra energy expenditure? Would the “return” on investment be justifiable?

Clearly marathon running is an endurance event, not a strength sport. At least this is what traditional wisdom states. But is it correct? For a marathoner, what advantage is it to be able to lift more weight? As it turns out, it can actually be a significant benefit.

If, for example, two runners are completely equal in every respect except for muscular strength, the stronger will be faster over any distance. The lower percentage of maximum strength needed for each stride will translate into improved efficacy and therefore greater endurance. If for example one runner can squat 10% more weight than another, his muscles will not have to work as hard to move the body forward, which can translate to significant endurance gains. When muscles don’t need to work as hard, they also don’t require as much oxygen or circulating blood and therefore will not put as much demand on the heart, which in turn will lower that rate at which it beats. A significant improvement in endurance will be the result. Greater strength does equal greater endurance. Now commonly referred to as functional strength, properly structured gym workouts have been embraced by most all high-level endurance athletes.

While the focus for runners and cyclists will expectedly be the legs, gains in upper-body strength can translate to a significant performance advantage by improving muscle efficacy. Since the arms are used and upper body engaged, improving the efficacy by which they function will help. Each time muscles contract, oxygen and nutrients in the blood is needed. As with the legs, the arms will draw upon the heart to deliver oxygen, nutrition and remove waste products (lactate) so that they can continue moving fluently with ease. With this being the case, it makes sense to increase the strength of the upper body as well so that it doesn’t become too much of an oxygen draw on the system as a whole and increase heart rate.

Nutrition is a vital part of physical training. Of course what you eat are the building blocks used to reconstruct muscle tissue that the training has broken down. Make sure to consume a nutrient-packed smoothie after each workout. Quick and efficient recovery from each workout is key. The faster you can recover, the sooner you can train again. This is what leads to true gains and will improve your performance more so than any other single principal. That’s why I created the Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer formula. I have a serving after each workout to reduce inflammation and start the regeneration process.

The following program is the one of my routines that I perform before I begin a more specific phase, one that converts strength into power. For this one, I perform it three times per week. It is extremely effective, but keep in mind that it was designed for someone who has been weight training constantly for at least a year. Tendons, ligaments and connective tissue need to adapt to a more advanced training program such as this, so not to cause injury. If you are new to weight training, I suggest a more basic program to begin with that will gently allow for your body to adapt. Then you can give this one a try.

This workout is for functional strength gain. It will keep you lean and will improve strength-to-weight-ratio and therefore efficacy, endurance and ultimately running performance as a whole. This is taken from my latest book Thrive Fitness: Mental and Physical Strength for Life.

Lower body
• Lunges: 3 sets of 15 reps
A good all round exercise that helps develop the stabilizer muscles. Particularly important if you periodically run on uneven ground. Also serves as a good warm-up.
• Leg press: 3 sets of 6 reps
This is an ideal exercise to quickly increase over-all leg strength without putting your back in jeopardy, as is common with squats.
• Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 6 reps
Strengthens the knee-supporting muscles, thereby reduce the chance of developing knee injuries. Particularly important if cycling is not part of your cross-training routine.
• Ball hamstring curls: 4 sets of 15 reps
Builds hamstring strength and efficacy while boosting abdominal strength
• Calve Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps
Strengthens them, and in doing so improves their efficiency with each toe-off.
• Crunch combined with reverse crunch: 3 sets of 15 reps
Strengthens core, and in doing so helps improve posture, form and breathing.

Upper body: 3 sets of 15 reps
Reduces oxygen usage of the upper body while running, thereby lowering heart rate and improving endurance. Also helps to maintain proper, efficient form, even once fatigue had set in.
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Lat pull downs with lat row handle
• Upright rows
• Dips
• Bicep curls
• Crunch combined with reverse crunch

* Workout specifics: Perform lower body exercises two times per week, immediately following your hard runs. The upper body portion can be performed two to three times per week, on alternate days. Rest 90 seconds in between lower body exercises and 60 second in between upper body ones. You may choose to do abdominal exercise in between upper body sets.