Being a runner is all about going fast. But what if the you could go even faster just by slowing things down a little?
If you can’t help but put on your flyknits to trip the light fantastic on a daily basis, then you’re well aware of the pain that can follow a long run. But instead of turning to your frenemy the foam roller or grimacing through the DOMS, try hitting the mat.
Yoga is fast becoming a runner’s best friend, helping to fight many of the aches, pains and full on injuries that a life of pounding the pavement can throw up. And many are making this transition from cushioned soles to foam mat.
“I used to run – a lot”, says yoga instructor Sarah Brill, “I just felt like my knee caps were hurting, and my hips, and I ended up tearing something.” It was whilst she was recovering from this one injury too far that she cranked up the frequency of her yoga practice.
“When I went back to other exercise I found that I was stronger,” Sarah explains, “I wasn’t getting injured as much, and if I was I was rebounding much quicker.”
Yoga, especially the variations such as Hatha where good alignment is key, is all about finding the correct position for your body and building the strength to maintain it. Regular practice will make you more aware of what muscles you need for each movement and will start to show in your running.
“Sometimes you’re running and you’re not really thinking about it and just throwing your body around,” says Sarah, “and that was when injury, pain or boredom happened. When I knew more about how I was moving my body or where I was placing it, it was much more efficient.”
The benefits for runners stretch from head to toe. The habit of controlling your breath whilst under strain is excellent for pacing and making sure you don’t overexert yourself in the early stages of a run. And whether you go in for enlightenment or not, the principles of mindfulness have been shown to keep you focused when the going gets tough.
But mostly it’s about just letting your body do more running. “Our runners who do yoga do it primarily to complement the training,” says Greg Drach, co-founder of the Midnight Runners, “but also as injury prevention.” The club now integrate elements of yoga into all of their warm-ups.
Repetitive strides cause your muscles to contract the longer you run (imagine that tight-leg feeling after a particularly long one) but with yoga you work to lengthen those muscles so they remain more pliable for longer – all the while building strength. You will soon notice that your ankles and legs feel far more stable due to all the tiny adjustments needed for balance in a yoga pose and how used to differing ranges of motion they now are – a real benefit if you train on tricky terrain.
By taking a few hours a week to treat the muscles that serve you so well out on the road you will see a drastic improvement. If you’re looking to see how far you can stretch your running here are the five moves you should be doing:
1. Pigeon Pose
A great way to open your hips and stretch your IT band: Come to all-fours and bring your right knee to your right wrist, bringing right ankle across your body. Pushing your left leg backwards, fold your chest over your front leg.
2. Revolved Side Angle
Take a deep lunge with your right foot, keeping your hips square. Take your right shoulder inside your knee and twist your chest to the left, placing your hand on the floor. This will stretch your obliques, inner-thighs and calves.
3. Deep Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back with both legs straight. Take a yoga strap (or a towel) and put it under the ball of your foot. Then, pull gently until your leg is facing almost directly upwards, making sure your knee is not locked.
4. Low Lunge Quad Stretch
Put your left foot forward with your right knee on the floor. Twist your chest to the left, reaching backwards with your left hand to grasp your right foot. You should feel a deep stretch in your quads and glutes.
5. Child's Pose
Sit on your heels with your feet hip width apart. Push your tailbone backwards and reach your hands in front of you. This is a great stretch for preventing back pain and tight shoulders.