I love reading training plans and logs of what people do to get ready for a race or how they stay fit. That’s partially why I put my running workouts in public so people can figure out any mysteries. Maybe they can borrow something to put it in their own plan? Maybe they can take something I do and make it better?
As mentioned, I like this stuff and I don’t plan on stopping running or training . Not ever. It’s pretty much what keeps me going from day to day, so quit? Nah. Can’t do it.
Some days, though, it gets hard. Ten to 13 miles a day will do that. There are days where it feels like it will be impossible to run a step. Other days, I think it’s time to bail out after a jog to the end of the block. But for some reason I keep going and it gets better. Actually, it becomes fun. Quit? Hell, I don’t want to stop!
Getting to that point takes a lot of work. I’m old and I’ve been pounding out the miles for the last 25 years. It used to be that I could run twice a day, eat a couple cups of rice, get some sleep, and head out to do it all over again the next day. These days, it takes every bit of knowledge I can muster. Diet, sleep, massage with those thera-gun things and Pro-Tec Orbs are in heavy rotation. But the thing I can not skip is the 15-to-20 minutes I spend doing yoga.
Yeah, that’s right, yoga. Runners have been bending and posing for a long time, and though I dabbled with it for the past decade, I never dived in. I am, admittedly, as flexible as a rock. That has always been the case even when doing pre-game and pre-practice stretching for football, basketball, and baseball. I always looked at stretching like using dental floss — a little bit goes a long way.
But after years of threatening to become a yoga practitioner, I’m all in. Admittedly, I am a novice and still as flexible as a rock. However, the practice has cleared my mind, given me something to work on, and, amazingly, increased my flexibility just a little bit. It has become so enjoyable that I’m up to two sessions of a simple yoga routine per day.
I don’t even know the proper names of all the poses, though I have been sure to include poses that work on my balance, back, arms, and core all while stretching my legs.
So, for all those who look to see what other people are doing, here’s my yoga plan that I go through everyday (sometimes twice a day) that seems to work very well for an aging long-distance runner.
Here it is:
1. Plank - 1 minute (I started at 15 seconds and built up, pushing to 2 minutes)
2. Child pose (knees together)
3. Frog pose (knees far apart)
4. Cobra
5. Cobra with legs lifted and arms back
6. Upward facing dog
7. Table
8. Balanced table (left leg up, toes down and right arm extended; switch)
9. Cat poses (I usually don’t do these — I really can’t do them)
10. Table
11. Downward facing dog
12. “Hanging man” and slowly roll up
13. Standing: legs far apart, toes pointed out, and bend, touching the ground
13a. Same but lean and reach toward right knee/ankle; then left ankle
14. Keep legs apart, and lift right arm, leaning left and touch ankle; switch arms
15. 4 Warrior poses - arms outstretched, then one arm pointing forward and another back; bend the front knee; arms up, back legs lift
16. Mountain
17. Tree - both sides
18. Sit down, legs straight, forward reach
19. Butterfly pose (bottoms of feet together)
20. Lie back
21. Bend knees, feet on the floor, knees together, drop knees to right and head looks to left; switch
22. Lift feet up and repeat 21
23. Knee hug
24. Baby pose (lie on back and grab toes)
25. Bridge with arms extended behind head and arms behind back
26. Corpse pose
That’s it. I’ve been doing this routine every day for two months, and mostly outside. Every so often a few visitors join me (socially distanced, of course), and they have fun with it, too. It’s a great way to get the blood flowing in the morning before a run, and it’s a good way to unwind at the end of the day.
So, get on it! Better yet, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or anything else, send them my way. The aim is to keep at it and keep going, so let’s work on it.