Sage Rountree: Yoga for Athletes, Training for Running and Triathlon | Blog
Donation-Based Yoga
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending class at cambio., a donation-based studio in Colorado Springs. The class was billed as "Crosstraining Yoga," appropriate for runners and cyclists, so I brought a copy of The Athlete's Guide to Yoga, although I felt unsure whether that would be an appropriate donation in exchange for class. Was it too egocentric? Would cash be better?
But my donation was well received, and I was honored by the studio owners' enthusiasm. All three of them were present in class, which was lovely: the room was warm (but not hot) and humid, a welcome climate for my North Carolina–based body after spending a week at altitude. We had fun with hip openers, and I learned a few wonderful new moves to work the hips and chest from a prone position. Thank you, Austin, Amber, and Cassandra!
The concept of donation-based yoga is growing, and it's a good one. The owners tell me that in the month they've been open, they've received artwork, electrical work, and cleaning services in exchange for class. What would you give in exchange for a good class?
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On Breathing
Here's a video that just went up on Competitor Running, part of a series I'm doing for the site. Check it out: Matt Fitzgerald, one of my favorite writers, is doing a great job loading the site with interesting information, and another of my favorite writers, Kristina Pinto, has moved her blog to the site. You'll hear my take on breathing during running, and you'll also hear my neighbor's very loud standard poodle barking in the background. If you've wondered about the location of the rock I love so much, now you know: it's directly across the street from my house.
Up here in Colorado Springs, I find myself out of breath climbing the stairs to my dorm room at the Olympic Training Center. My running this week is all very light (as it should be anyway, as I continue recovery from Ironman Coeur d'Alene). But my yoga practice seems to be unaffected by the thinner air, which makes sense. While my practice has a lot to do with breathing, it has very little to do with cardiovascular exertion.
Getting to know your breath across your various paces isn't hard. You can get a handle on it in five minutes' time. But it is a powerful tool, one that will stay with you even when your heart rate monitor battery dies or your GPS unit refuses to work on a trail. Go study your own breath, and let me know how it affects your running.
July 21, 2009 07:49 PM
| Training and Racing, Yoga
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Down with OTC
Birds fly over the outdoor pool at sunset at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. You can see the athlete center behind the pool, and the Front Range behind them.I'm here for the next few days working with USA Triathlon. Today, I taught a lovely group of coaches how to incorporate yoga in endurance sports training. We had a practical session in the Judo/Tae Kwon Do gym, which was great for yoga, no mats needed.
The campus is hosting some interesting groups this week. I saw junior boxers, blind athletes, and a group of South American fencing coaches at brunch; a car with a skeleton (sledding) sticker on it in the parking lot; and synchronized swimmers at practice in the main pool. I'm looking forward to the sights tomorrow will bring.
July 19, 2009 09:18 PM
| Training and Racing, Yoga
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Colorado Workshops
Later this week, I'll head to one of my favorite places, Boulder, Colorado. It's like Chapel Hill dehumidified, amplified, and slammed up against a beautiful mountain range. I'm looking forward to leading some of my book models and Twitter friends in my workshop on yoga for athletes at the Flatiron Athletic Club on Saturday, July 18, 2–5 p.m. If you live in Boulder, please consider joining us (and if you have friends there, send them my way). I think folks can be intimidated by the idea of a three-hour yoga workshop. No need. Only a small portion of the practice will take much energy, and even then, I'll show modifications. You don't need any previous yoga (or heck, even sport) experience. Just bring a yoga mat or a towel, and I'll take care of the rest.Details and registration: http://flatironathleticclub.com/yoga.htm
The next day, Sunday, July 19, I head to Colorado Springs for a stay at the Olympic Training Center. That afternoon, I'm leading a clinic for coaches and athletes on incorporating yoga as part of training. We'll review the various styles of yoga, discuss athletes' particular needs, learn how to periodize yoga so it complements training, then move to an easy practice so we can feel some of the ways yoga makes athletes better. USA Triathlon and USA Cycling coaches will receive continuing education credits for attending, but you needn't be a coach to come and learn. We're meeting in the OTC aquatics building, 1–5 p.m.
Details and registration: http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1755946
July 13, 2009 07:43 AM
| Training and Racing, Yoga
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The Bodhisattva at the Bobbi Brown Counter
Wes and I stopped by a makeup counter at a department store in Charlotte over the weekend. The clerk was a wonderful man, very easy to talk to. After only five minutes, in talking about his job, he voiced an issue I consider often.
"It feels great to make people feel good about themselves," he said, referring to giving women makeovers. "They leave here happy. But sometimes I think, 'Come on, lady—there are people starving all over the world, and it takes you twenty minutes to choose a lipstick!'"
This is another expression of the question that underlies my Ironman Coeur d'Alene race report, now posted on my website. Are my actions performed out of self-interest, or am I serving others?
July 6, 2009 04:48 PM
| Training and Racing, Yoga
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