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Sage Endurance News
July 2009

Ironman Coeur d’Alene

In June, I crossed the finish line at my first—and probably last—Ironman race, in beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. If you’d like to get my take on the experience, please read my three-part race report. If you’d prefer to see me less self-aggrandizing and more flat-out humiliated, please take six seconds to laugh at my recent attempt to do a flip off a one-meter springboard. It’s already been watched twice as much as the start and finish videos from my race report. In my defense, I’m still recovering from my race!

Pose of the Month: Supported Bridge

Just like the reclining twist we looked at last month, bridge pose can be an active or a passive pose. As a passive pose, it is a nice complement to balance the heat of summer and to help you relax from summer sprint triathlon training. Here’s a nice supported variation of bridge that uses a yoga block; you could also use a very firm bolster or a stack of pillows. Place your prop against your sacrum (the bony back of your pelvis), and be sure it is firmly seated so that you can truly relax into it. For a deeper hip flexor stretch, you can move your arms and legs away from center. This is wonderful after spending time driving, sitting, or riding a bike.

Read all about bridge pose in The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. You’ll find it as a core-strengthening pose in the Core Flow episode of the Sage Yoga Training podcast. And visit my recent Q&A on the Athleta Chi blog to see some other good restorative poses.

Workout of the Month: Night Ride or Run

In the South in July, humidity is worst at dawn, oppressive during the day, and lightest in the evening. Why not take advantage of evenings, then, for a ride? Various mountain-bike groups run headlighted rides; ultrarunners are accustomed to suiting up with the Petzl headlamp and hitting the trail. If you’re on the road, be sure to wear reflective gear, a flashing taillight, and a good headlight, and consider sticking to bike paths and other areas away from motorized vehicles.

Here in North Carolina, there’s a Bull Moon Ride around downtown Durham on July 18, a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

Service Idea: Habitat for Humanity

Speaking of Habitat, why not see if there’s a project you could help on locally? You might wind up learning a useful new skill.

Teaching News

After enjoying more than 1,000 hours of teaching—many of them spent with many of you wonderful students—I’ve earned classification from the Yoga Alliance as an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, or E-RYT. This means that any classes yoga teachers take from me will count toward their own continuing education and recertification with the Yoga Alliance.

Since July can be an unpredictable month for class and workshop enrollment, I’d love any word-of-mouth promotion you can give my workshops in Colorado this month. Saturday, July 18, from 2 to 5 p.m., I’m leading a workshop on yoga for athletes at the Flatiron Athletic Club. We will not be doing three hours of vigorous yoga! Everything will include ideas for modification, and you’ll leave feeling very relaxed. Call 303-499-6590 to register.

Sunday, July 19, I head south to Colorado Springs, where I’ll teach coaches and athletes at the Olympic Training Center ways to include yoga as part of athletic training. This four-hour clinic runs from 1 to 5 p.m. and includes both lecture (with handouts) and practice. Both workshops are open to the public; USA Triathlon certified coaches will earn 5 CEUs for attending the OTC class. Sign up at Active.com.

More on all of these events at the Workshops page. You can see a list of my subs for the week of July 20 on my teaching calendar. They’re the same as last month, with the exception of the cycling classes, where Paula will probably lead riders through profiles based on some of the final stages of the Tour de France.

Just one more clinic to promote: July 26, Diane Shugars and I will lead an open-water swim clinic at Jordan Lake. Read more here, or call the UNC Wellness Center at 919-966-5500 for more details.

Get a preview of my YogaVibes class (soon available to stream online) by watching my short vignettes on the YogaVibes site. These change weekly; collect them all!

Teaching Teachers

If you are a yoga teacher interested in working with athletes, please join me in September for my first weekend teachers’ workshop, September 18–20, at the Carrboro Yoga Company. We’ll meet Friday evening, 6–8:30, Saturday afternoon, 1:30–3:30 and 4–7, and Sunday afternoon, 1:30–4. Cost, which includes a manual, is $195 if paid in full by September 1; $225 thereafter. You will earn 10 contact hours toward a Yoga Alliance recertification. Visit my Workshops page for details.

Writing News

The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga is here, and it’s beautiful. This spiral-bound, glossy, full-color book will help you get a home practice started—or help you include new routines in your current practice. You can find it at Amazon, bike and tri shops, and bookstores almost everywhere. It makes the perfect companion to The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga.

You can find a three-pronged approach to dealing with IT band problems in the August issue of Runner’s World. I’m a featured contributor for this issue; see the nice blurb on page 15. How cool to be right next to Benjamin Cheever!

More Online

I’d love to have you as a fan of my business and a friend on Facebook, and please follow me on Twitter.

Discounts, Sponsors, and Affiliations

If you would like a video for home practice, get a 10-percent discount off your purchase of the Athlete’s Guide to Yoga DVD through Endurance Films when you use the code SAGE108.

Rudy Project’s gear deal is about to come to an end. Here’s the scoop. If you have your eye on just one item in particular, write to me and I will share my generous pro deal discount with you.