Category: Training and Racing
Watch: Using Meditation to Perform at Your Personal Best
You know that visualizing your upcoming event will help you perform better. But where do you start? In this YouTube series, I explain how to get comfortable—really comfortable—for meditation; how to turn your attention inward, quiet your mind, and focus on your breath; how to visualize the way your breath and body will feel as you race;…
Racing Wisely: Postrace Recovery
As the major spring running races wrap up, many of us have extra free time on our hands as we recover. Here’s an excerpt from my latest book, Racing Wisely, with ideas on when and how to get back into the swing after your key race. Returning to Training Whether you raced to your personal best,…
Download: Form Cues
I had a glorious run today, listening to the sound of my breath and my feet and the breeze in the trees. Occasionally I remembered to tune up my form. By the end of the run, I had an idea to capture that voice in my head, so I made you this present: a few form cues…
Racing Wisely: Managing Expectations
Here’s an excerpt from my latest book, Racing Wisely, that seems especially germane as we hit peak spring race season. As you plan your travel, you also need to consider who is coming with you, what their intentions are for the trip, and how you can preserve both your good relationship with your travel companions and your…
Sage Advice: Mudras for Attention
Sharon in Paris wrote: I am writing to ask you a very interesting question that a student posed to me this morning. I recently taught an apana mudra (index finger tucked, middle and ring touching thumb, pinky out) to facilitate deep breathing. I’m also a runner and one of my runner students asked me if…
Read: Balanced Breathing for Better Running
Get to know your breath and you’ll have a powerful tool for keeping yourself calm and focused on the run or anytime, as I explain in this piece at Competitor. Your breath can have a profound effect on your nervous system. Consider the admonition to take a deep breath when you are upset—this has a basis…
Read: 9 Yoga Myths, Busted
In the decade I’ve been working in the field of yoga for athletes, acceptance of yoga has grown exponentially. Once it was a hard sell to get athletes on the mat; now it’s mainstream. Some myths persist, though, and they are covered well in this piece at Stack.com that quotes me and several colleagues. Yoga…
Read: Are Your Hip Muscles out of Balance?
Are you sitting down? You could be contributing to hip issues, as I explain in this piece at Competitor.com: Most runners claim they have tight hamstrings. I see it all the time in the yoga classes I teach to athletes. But often, the problem is less in the hamstrings and more in the opposing muscle…
Sage Advice: Yoga During T2
Eleanore asked an interesting question: Is there a good pose to do during T2 [the second transition, from bike to run, in a triathlon]? Something to help facilitate the transition from bike to run? Not for a sprint tri, but more for longer distance races where an extra two minutes spent in transition might be regained…
Read: The Triathlete’s Guide to Massage
One of the sweetest parts of my job is researching recovery modalities, from napping to restorative yoga to massage. A current hypothesis is that it’s impossible to get too much massage; I’m deep in data collection. You need a massage, too. Here’s a piece I wrote for Ironman.com on massage for triathletes, but massage is…
North Carolina Literary Festival
If you’re in central North Carolina this weekend, join me at the North Carolina Literary Festival at N.C. State University, where I’ll speak at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday, April 6). While the title of my talk is “Intention and Goals: Tools for Your Personal Best,” I’m looking forward to talking about whatever will be most…
Watch: Wall Folds Yoga for Athletes Short Practice
My latest class at Yoga Vibes is a half-hour practice for recovery and release through the hips. Wall Folds: Yoga for Athletes Short Practice Yoga Class Description In this short online yoga practice for athletes and everyone, we use legs-up-the-wall pose as a home base for a series of stretches targeting the hamstrings and…