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| My friend and I are training for a triathlon and are in our 8th week of training. She is also in month 2 of a six month training program to be a certified yoga instructor as well. She is learning several types of yoga, but most interested in "ashtanga" I think. Last week we did a 40 min run which is the longest we've done so far(we started as measly couch potatos). We also biked twice last week. The run was great, no soreness, no cramps and we were soo proud; however, she was really tight in her hamstrings and quads at her next yoga class. She says she has always generally been tight in these areas as well. Her instructors told her this tightness is typical of runners and she may need to quit running if she wants to be able to do her poses.
She is super bummed because the training has been so rewarding for her. She suggested that we only run for shorter durations, but a 40 minute run IS pretty short and I fear that if we take it down to shorter, she may lose even more flexibility due to increased speed. I've been doing some research and see lots of threads on how yoga is great for runners, but not much on how running is good/bad for yoga. Also, could the bike be more of the problem? I completely respect her commitment to yoga and don't want to bash her instructors, so I would love to find a resolution from an athlete/yogi that would allow her to accel in yoga while we also meet her personal tri goals. I figure if Madonna can do it, then there must be a way.. Any input is greatly appreciated! |
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| This depends on one's goals. If one, say, wants to do a sub 9 hour ironman triathlon, well, one's other physical goals might well have to be compromised. 
Also, if one wants to be really, really good at yogasana, then yes, one would probably have to direct one's energies in that direction.
But I've been able to do "ok" at yoga classes the week following my finishing a 100 mile footrace; my legs (ok, my body) were a bit fatigued and somewhat tighter than normal.
But so what? It isn't as if I am trying to be Neel's double.
By the way, yoga has helped me a bit with swimming as it has helped me with shoulder flexibility.
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| Simple question for you first: did you stretch after that 40 min. run? |
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| Right. It's a sprint tri so approx 20-30 min swim, 45min-1hr bike, and 2.75 mile run. Shorter than most.
thanks for your input! |
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| We cooled down (approx 5 min cool down walk) and stretched (approx 5 min), but I'm definately with you on that....we are going to do some deep stretching from now on. |
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| I would not give up one dream for another. It's all balance. The flexibilty will come back. I'm sure her body is going to adjust. The good thing is, tho she may lose some fleixibility for awhile, she is balancing by doing both. I can't wrap my mind around telling a budding runner to give it up for yoga. It's ALL good.  |
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| One of the most knowledgeable/experienced/famous American ashtanga instructors, Beryl Bender Birch, is also an avid runner. Balance in a pose is truly just "practice" for achieving balance in life. Forsaking activities you enjoy in favor of an enforced yoga practice does not sound balanced to me at all.
Besides, and I know I'll catch some heat for this, but I don't agree that a yoga teacher must be able to execute every pose perfectly in order to understand how to works physiologically. Our physical limitations make us BETTER teachers, more understanding of our students, none of whom have perfectly flexible yoga bodies. Now you can experience the joy of finding a perfect modification for your tight hamstrings. You can find poses that give you relief. When a runner student comes to you and asks for help in the coming years, you'll know exactly what will help! |
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| These are the thoughts I can throw for you and your friend to consider:
1. You should not feel extremely tired or exhausted on a regular basis whether it is due to running or yoga exercise or a mix of the two. You should feel energetic in general. Otherwise, you must increase the rest a lot. If that is not possible, you must cut both or eliminate one.
2. Out of the two which are more important to you should get more attention. But, that does not mean only time. It means what is your current background in both. To give an example:
your priority is becoming good in Yoga, your background is better in running, then you should do twice yoga that of running.
ETC.
3. It is not that running makes the hamstrings tight, but it is that Yoga makes you flexible. Thus, if hamstrings are becoming tight, yoga has to increase over the running.
Best Luck with your triathlon, I mean Yoga, Running and Rest.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Triathletes, both new weekend warriors and long term, crazy, wacko Ironmen/women need yoga. Plain and simple. And I get to call them wacko because I am married to one  I also agree strongly with Jean that not every teacher needs to be able to perform gymnastically perfect poses. Check out the stories of Matthew Sanford:
http://www.matthewsanford.com/ |
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| Wow! Thanks so much for all of your input.. I really appreciate that you all take the time to give some words of wisdom and it shows that you all are really passionate about yoga personally as well as others' success in yoga practice and life balance... seems to coincide with the overall yoga mentality. I have forwarded the link to her and will follow up on the this thread to let you know how it goes. Thanks again!
Kate |
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| when i did triathlon training years ago, i found that it did have an effect on my yoga.
but i didn't see that as negative. the movement of the body had this result. the yoga helped work out the kinks of the process.
what i discovered, mostly, was how the intensity had to fluctuate. when i was just training, i would focus more on the yoga and give it more of my "all" when practicing. when i was prepping for a race, i would focus more on my training, and my yoga would become more 'supplemental' to that.
i stopped training a while back due to the loss of the pool. i'd like to start again, but i'm afraid of our local pool's chlorine and it's possible relationship to my fertility. so, i'm waiting on that a bit.
anyway, yoga is meant to enhance one's life. if triathlon is what you want to do, then yoga facilitates that. and as tourist said, everyone could benefit from yoga!
btw, which distances are you training? i raced a sprint, started training Oly, before i had to beg out due to no pool. |
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| kulkarnn - 2007-10-17 9:31 PM
These are the thoughts I can throw for you and your friend to consider:
1. You should not feel extremely tired or exhausted on a regular basis whether it is due to running or yoga exercise or a mix of the two. You should feel energetic in general.
Just one caveat: when in the main part of a training program, it is common to experience some lingering fatigue; runners call it "the valley of fatigue". It shouldn't be too extreme.
This is what your taper period allows you to exit from.
I know that during this phase, the "one legged balance" yoga poses were more difficult than they normally are.
Also, I stay away from "hero" and excessive number of "frog" repetitions.
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| The benefit of yoga for runners in stretching the hamstrings is extreemly important for the runner's performance and their general health. Tight hamstrings can reduce range of motion and cause a variety of problems including back pain. (Every time you bend forward, you can bend as far as your hamstrings allow, and then must bend from the lower back. Since the lower back then works as a fulcrum, it has a lot of pressure centered on it. This often leads to back injuries.) The point of yoga is to stretch the muscles, not how far you can stretch them. The ideal is what works for you right now, not what works for your teacher or someone else. If you cannot stretch your hamstrings as far because of your running, so what? There must be a balance between flexibility and strength. There is no point of trying to achieve super-flexibility as it can stretch the ligaments leading to instability of the joints. The right level of flexibility for you is the level that works best for your entire life, not just your yoga classes. |
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| Hi Kate,
A really good post. It looks like a ot of mindful feedback as well. Here's my take on your inquiry.
Some people are runners. They have a body type, a build, and endurance. In that respect, those people can run, and run, and run. In this country we've twisted the paradigm. It should be Train to run. However, for most people it is Run to Train. The point is that human beings should "work out" to prepare themselkves to run. This would include assessing their running mechanics and training the legs, among other things. Instead people simply trot out to run so they can lose weight. The fallout from that approach can be deleterious.
I would caution my students on looking at one or two people and saying "well she does it (yoga and running) and therefore so can I or so can anyone. It's fallacious thinking. What works for you (and your friend) might be very different.
Movements of the Hip
The other element here is simple anatomy. The hip joint has six basic movements; flexion, extension, internal rotation, external rotation, abduction, and adduction. The activities you mention primarily use two of these movements - flexion and extension. Cycling, running, jogging, cross-country skiing, walking, and swimming are all flexion/extension activities. Note that swimming would depend on the action of the legs.
Yoga, on the other hand, tends to address these other four actions that you're neglecting in your activities. So the examination of good versus bad here depends on whether your yoga practice is COUNTERING your activities or COMPLEMENTING them. In your case, based on what you've shared, it's COUNTERING. What you are getting in yoga is trying to mitigate the flexion/extension abuse being levied by your activities.
In this way, Yoga (when the hip compendium is fully worked) is good for runners and cyclists so that they don't become so imbalanced in the hips that injury is manifested. But it is not the sort of "good" for runners that means you go out and trim 2 minutes off your time because you have a yoga practice. It's possible but not inherent.Two diffferent sorts of "good".
Hip Flexors Connect to Back Issues
In addition, the tightness of the hip flexors can radically effect the orientation of the pelvis. When the pelvis is adversely effected from the nature of the hip flexors there is a propensity for low back issues. Again, a yoga practice that opens the hip flexors might mitigate such results.
Pavement Pounding Equals G-forces
Finallly there's the issue of the joints (other than the hips) invloved in running. Different than walking because in walking the load is gradually shifted from one leg to the next while in running the full load is taken by the leg on each stroke - there is no gradual transition. For some, wiith poor mechanics, this sort of pounding can, over time, adversely effect the integrity of the knees and ankles. In this case there isn't much that yoga can "do" as long as the student continues the pounding. Though mechanical correction in the running stride can be improved and I highly advocate that as well as a fit kit for those who cycle.
Your friend may have a tougher time "doing" many yoga poses as a result of activities which tightent he muscles commonly needing to be open for a deeper asana practice. But so what. If she doesn't mind then there's no reason I'd tell her to quit either. If she's hurt or ill, that's a different story.
Edited by purnayoga 2007-10-18 2:39 PM
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Are Athletics Bad for YOGA?
