New York Times To Stretch or Not to Stretch? The Answer Is Elastic has an intriguing monologue about whether an athlete can get anything out of practicing yoga.
They're (athletes) like one of my running partners, Claire Brown, a 35-year-old triathlete.
"I always feel like, well, athletes should do yoga," Claire said. "It's supposed to be really good for running, and when I do it regularly, it does loosen up my hips and make me feel better for running."
Yet she puts off going to yoga.
"It shouldn't feel like an obligation, but it always does," Claire said. "The good classes are often an hour and a half long, and I'm thinking: 'I could be running, I could be biking. But here I am, stretching and breathing.'
"Isn't it funny, though, that something that should be calming can actually cause stress because you think you have to do it?"
The crux of the article is about the lack of scientific evidence about the value of stretching in preventing injury -- and in many people's minds, yoga is synonymous with stretching. Claire obviously attacks yoga with the same vigor as she applies to her sports conditioning. If she's really after stretching, she would be better off just putting together a routine of exercises that address that need and cut out all the extraneous material that makes yoga more than an Eastern equivalent of calisthenics.
This evening, I was suddenly inspired to stand in tree pose (Vrksasna) as a preparation for heading to bed, a different meditative pose than I usually take. I concentrated on how my feet were supporting me, serving as the foundation for my limbs and torso. It made me sense viscerally what "four corners of the foot" really means. I could feel all four points on the sole of my right feet and the tension of strength that held them together. As I moved into the pose on the left side, I became aware that I was really not standing on the ball of my foot; it was more accurately a midline of the foot, thus turning the base into a narrower and, therefore, more unstable platform. I pressed more firmly into the ball of my foot and immediately felt the shift towards a broader base. As I've been running regularly over the past month, I've become more conscious of my overpronation and literally walking and running on the outside edge of my feet. Now I walk around purposefully pressing in the balls of my feet. That refreshed awareness paid off tonight in understand a structural weakness in my tree pose.
Since becoming aware that I have (nearly) flat feet, I've switched my running shoes to Brooks Beasts, started doing some simple exercises to strengthen my arches and generally paid more attention to how I walk and run, feeling how my feet strike the ground and trying to correct my stride. It had gotten so bad that I gave up wearing about three pairs of shoes (Rockports so they were not cheap shoes) and switched to shoes that were roomier (wider and more toe room). The old pairs felt as if they were squeezing my feet and I frequently removed them at work because of the discomfort.
One of the exercises I've been doing over the past three weeks is what I call "tiger claws." In my bare feet, I curl my toes and then release them under for sets of 20 repetitions. Several sets of instructions called for me to stand on top of a towel and try to pull it up under my feet, but I found that I did not have the strength or flexibility to pull a towel so I just claw the ground my my toes.
Well, today I tried on one of those shoes that did not seem to fit me anymore and, low and behold, the shoe felt fine. I wore it for a day and did not have any more discomfort than you'd ordinarily have from a days of walking. The next day I tried out another of those discarded shoes and they also fit fine. I don't know whether it's my exercise that have reverse the deterioration of my arches or whether it's the supportive running shoes.
Labels: running
Last weekend I walked into Metro Run and Walk and asked to be fitted for some running shoes (as opposed to walking into a discount shoe store and walking out with a pair that seemed to fit me comfortably). After watching me walk and job around the store a bit and asking me about how much I had been running, the young sales woman told me that I showed signs of some serious overpronation and needed as much support as any running shoe could give without adding orthopedic supports. In other words, when I run, my planted foot rolls inward and flattens out the arch, which in turn puts a lot of stress on the lower leg muscles and knees. In the end, I paid a pretty penny for a pair of Brooks Beasts (appropriate name). I figured that if it kept me from getting shin splints or other injuries, it was money well spent.
Once home, I examined my feet more closely and came to the conclusion that I am heading in the direction of having flat feet. If in my early stages of learning yoga, I complained about having stiff ankles and feet, I now have gone the other direction of not having tensile strength in the arches to hold up under the stress of running. I guess this news is just another sign of aging -- the body parts will wear out over time and no amount of restorative practices of yoga will return them to their youthful flexibility.
This condition does not mean I will stop running. I will just be more careful, concentrate on keeping good form and listen closely to what my body tells me. I am going to do some exercises meant to deal with fallen arches and see what happens. I am told that it's really hard to reverse overpronation.
Labels: conditioning, health, running
I did five miles of running on the Mall at lunch time, into the cold winds coming off the Potomac. It was the first outside run that I've had since before Christmas, though I did make it to the gym for the treadmill several times. I thought I has not lost much strength over the holiday break, but I felt exhausted by the time I got home.
I am still concerned that the pounding of running will erase the benefits of my yoga practice. I remembered an interview that I heard on NPR about chi-running, a concept started by athletic trainer Danny Dreyer. I looked up his website and found his approach to be a technique that melded well with yoga and mindfulness. The technique combines "the inner focus and flow of T'ai Chi with the power and energy of running to create a revolutionary running form and philosophy that takes the pounding, pain, and potential damage out of the sport of running."
I ordered his book and DVD. Expect reviews shortly after they arrive in the mail. Meanwhile, you can check out what other people think by consulting news links or by reading a collection of longer articles. You can get a clear idea about the program by going through a few of these online resources. This NPR story is a good start.
I joined with my workmates running on the Mall at lunch hour. The four of us did about five miles in an hour, including warm-up and cool-off. Because of travel, work obligations and bad weather, we had not followed through on our two-days a week commitment. It's been three weeks since I ran so I was a bit hesitant about how much I could tackle, but I got through without undue duress. There was certainly nothing left in the tank in the final stretch. We noticed that there are fewer runners on the Mall in December than November. I had four layers of clothing on to ward off the cold — the wind on the Mall can be brutal.
Post data: the day after, I can say that my thighs and arms/shoulders are sore and stiff. I slept like a log last night. I've allowed myself to talk myself out of doing yoga and running too often recently because rational excuses are available during the holidays.
Labels: conditioning, running
