Yoga: key for runners, and everyone!

I have been doing yoga for years, and have recently returned to it. It is helping me return to my best. I first did it before I became a keen runner, and it has helped me improve as a runner and as a person. 

Regardless of one's hobby, it can help improve flexibility. For runners, it improves leg flexibility. For all, it does improve flexibility of all joints, similar to the benefits of a chiropractor (possibly/ probably better). 

Improvements for the mind.

This is an ideal list of plus points. In all activities, yoga helps the brain co-ordinate the body better (for runners, the legs!). That greater ability brings piece of mind. That can also be felt during a yoga session. Greater relaxation and happiness are the main benefits, both during and after a yoga session. I would present myself as a case in point. 

The yoga teacher/trainer is an expert who  can help every individual surprise himself (or herself). Mine has certainly helped me, and the same could be true for everyone who tries yoga. 

November, easy & yoga

November, we will rebuild

Easing my way back to running, I kept the runs short - single figures - and quite slow. 

Strength training is even more vital than ever, got to get the core strong. Here's A-Chang and I getting our planks in on our anniversary. 

It's time too to reacquaint myself with slippery pathways, despite being able to sneek in a few runs in shorts (my thanks to Tammy Li for the photo). I managed 96k for the month, only doing 60 in October as I had to take a break at the end of the month. 

November was also a time make 2016 training plans and schedule races, all while enjoying the oven-fresh naans along the way. Subjects for another post.

OooohhhmmmMG

A-Chang wanted to take yoga classes once again, so I decided to join her once a week. 

It's a bit far from home, but is a friendly place that avoids a few of the pretensions that have put me off other venues. 

I do a bit of yoga at home too. The class I try to get to is called "happy hips", an obvious choice for runners. 

Streaking into 2016

I got out to Marda Loop for the start of the Strides Streak. I enjoyed my first run across the dam that wasn't during a race. My runfie face badly needs work though. 

My weekly totals in November: 15.3k, 23.7k, 24.9k, 26.9k. With my 'winter legs' coming back, December is the start of base building. For the first time, I'm following my first base-specific plan. 

The intention is to be in better shape than ever in February when the sharpening phase begins. Those PBs don't run themselves, so let's go. 

Disclosure: 

As a Calgary Marathon ForeRunner, I have been given a entry to participate in the 2016 race, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yogafied!

Cross-training can take many forms, including these:

 

 

On sunday afternoon, having done 21.5k in the morning while A-Chang was at her kickboxing class (never thought I'd be half of a sporty power couple), the 2 of us went to Bikram Yoga to have our 1st go at hot yoga. I'd tried, er, cold yoga a few years before, but really this seemed like my yogic debut. The picture shows the basic routine (from the Bikram site).

 

The extra squats I do on tuesday and thursday gym sessions and the free-weights routine from the last post probably saved me from swan-diving onto the floor more than once. The temperature and humidity were also something else. Just 2 minutes of sitting on the floor before class had me taking my shirt off. The newcomers are the ones wearing actual clothes.

 

The audible breathing at the start might have made me feel a little silly but for the fact that I was probably quietest of all. Imagine the "castle of arrrgggh" sequence from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and you're just about there. The drips of sweat turned into a several streams of it after only another couple of exercises. I was the shiniest person in the room in no time, a glistening, salmon coloured human spit-roast. When there was an exercise involving lying on the back, my belly-button filled up like a bathtub. I also frequently had to do a posture with my eyes shut to avoid the stinging, and it even flowed up my nose when holding the head upside down.

 

Nevertheless, I know this will help with stability, strength and balance (and probably more). Myself, I had no soreness the following day, unlike the time I tried "fitness bootcamp". I had to take the last 15 minutes easily, running out of energy at the end. My towel was very heavy with sweat, and I somehow forgot to bring a change of underwear. I will now coin a new phrase: "you never forget your first time doing yoga, especially when you have to go commando afterwards."