Honest Thoughts on having a Yoga and Running Practice

August 3, 2019

“Runners. Yeah, we’re different.” A provocative 1998 Adidas slogan and one of the most memorable running campaigns ever put on. Runners as a group are a ‘different’ sort of person. Not many willingly go outside in the rain, cold, snow or heat to transverse anywhere through self-propulsion. Runners do just that. Runners, yeah, we’re different. Individually runners are different; runners come in all shapes and sizes. There is not a one-size-fits-all to training. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for the next person. A local yoga studio runs a similar slogan, “yoga together, not the same.” Yoga, similar to running, is a customizable activity. No two people will perform a pose, sequence, or class exactly the same.

When I initially contacted Joe Puleo about seriously training and competing again, I thought running = good, yoga = good. More of both = great. I was starting to increase my mileage and was teaching and taking around 7-9 yoga classes a week. Then an old hip injury began to flare up. The point was further driven home when my orthopedic doctor shook his model skeletal hips at me and said, “running destabilizes, yoga destabilizes. With your history, and what you want to do, you need to pick one or the other.”

I talked to a few other yoga practitioners and teachers and set about to work on revamping my practice. One of the teachers made an excellent point that I could still practice yoga but I’d have to make adjustments and modifications (i.e.avoid external hip rotation – warrior 2 and pigeon pose).   Wait what? Modifications were for yoga newbies and pregnant women! Not me, the life long athlete and certified yoga instructor.   All my life, I wanted everything to be the “best” -read hardest- workout I could make it. However, here I was, 35 years old, trying to increase my mileage and flexibility to run my best marathon time and having injuries from over ten years ago resurface.

However, I had not had a running coach since college, diligently coaching myself and usually back to injury. However, working with coach Joe was different, in our short year together, I’ve learned it’s not about crushing each workout, it’s about consistently doing the posted workouts day after day. As for my yoga practice, it’s evolved as well. I currently teach one class a week and have made many changes to my practice, cutting out any pose that irritates my hips or feet. I still use yoga for breathing, especially during a hard race or workout when I catch myself hyperventilating. Ujjiayi breathing has played an enormous role in pivotal race movements. Ujjiayi breathing, Sanskrit for ‘oceanic breath,’ deep belly breathing through the nose for a 3 or 4 count inhale and identical exhale. It soothes the nervous system and calms anxiety. Perfect for pre-race or applicable for the point of a race when something happens, and you need to calm yourself down.

Another Patriot Running coach, Christine Taranto, has had to make similar changes. She had a strict practice of Bikram yoga (a style of hot yoga practiced in a room heated to 100 degrees). She found the deeper her yoga practice, the more she was finding herself injured in her running practice. One day, after too many Warrior 2 poses, she tore her labrum, and it resulted in major surgery and almost two years of not running.  Since she’s made a recovery but has also modified her yoga practice that includes mindful breathing exercises when she’s feeling stressed and certain poses for post-run stretching. Her practice has become more playful when there are goats or yoga-related events, and she goes to relax and enjoy.

While minimal and modified practice works for Christine and me,  we are just one category of a runner. Fellow PA runner, Ann Mazur of Runners Love Yoga takes a different approach. She consistently practices and teaches a variety of classes a week, while training to qualify for the marathon Olympic trials. Her body has adjusted and thrived under her self-coaching and yoga combination. Professional runner and Olympian, Molly Huddle has posted about taking a few more classes during marathon taper week to calm her nerves for the upcoming race.

So, if you want to add yoga to supplement your running, find what works for you and your body. Runners, yeah, we’re different. Each of us has a unique body, including a history of injuries and may need some modifications to get the biggest benefit from a yoga practice. Whether it’s multiple classes a week, a few or just yoga as a fun social event, find the combination of running and yoga that works for your body to stay healthy and active.