I had a lovely conversation with Matt Johnson of the Runner Academy podcast. He asked wonderful questions in our discussion, which ranged from yoga to racing and beyond. You can stream or download the podcast directly from the Runner Academy site or in iTunes.
Side note: if you look at the stellar roster of previous guests of the podcast, you’ll see that this is the only situation EVER where Peter Sagal will open for me, just as the list of members of the Runner’s World Advisory Board on the magazine’s masthead is the only place EVER where I will come in ahead of Joan Samuelson. I’ll take what I can get!
Sage Rountree is an internationally recognized authority in yoga for athletes and an endurance sports coach specializing in athletic recovery.
Sage is the author of six books, some of which include The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery, Racing Wisely and an upcoming release Everyday Yoga, which will be released in June 2015.
She also has a decade of experience teaching yoga, owns two yoga studios in North Carolina and is an experienced registered yoga teacher at the highest level with the Yoga Alliance.
Sage teaches both students and aspiring Yoga teachers alike with her students including casual athletes, Olympians, NBA and NFL players, and many University of North Carolina athletes and coaches.
Sage also competes in running races from the 400m to the ultramarathon and triathlons from the super sprint to the Ironman.
She holds coaching certifications from USA Triathlon, the Road Runners Club of America and writes for publications including Runner’s World, Yoga Journal, and USA Triathlon Magazine.
Sage shares her experience, study and teachings including:
- How she went from couch potato to runner, triathlete and yogi
- The intangible benefits of yoga that translate to improved running
- Her tips for incorporating yoga into your training if you are new to it
- Why yoga for running should be practiced quite differently from those who don’t run
- When you should – and shouldn’t – consider adding yoga to your training
- The 3 imbalances in runners that yoga can help address
- Advice for men to overcome stereotypes and intimidation of yoga being a predominantly female activity
- 5 suggested yoga poses for runners to get started
- How yoga can provide you the tools to help you execute at your best on race day
- How she approaches racing and what she does when things aren’t going well
- How listing your fears of racing ahead of time can help you address them in training
- Her strategy of splitting races into four quarters instead of halves
- When and what type of massage fits in best with your training and racing
Coaching Minute
Taking action on the things in your training that you are least confident about.
Success Quote
“If you’re scared to do something, it means you’re on the right track”
Links Mentioned in the Show
Podcast Awards – Nominate Runner Academy under Health/Fitness through Friday 2/6/15
SageRountree.com
YogaVibes – Use code ‘sagefreemonth’ for a free month of access
Racing Wisely – Get Sage’s book on racing