Can Yoga Make You a Better Runner with Lindsay Junk

Extra Kick Podcast Lindsay Junk Can Yoga Make You a Better Runner

Can Yoga Make You a Better Runner?

Yoga practice has been around for thousands of years and yet, there are still questions about its benefits and usefulness for runners who inevitably would rather be running than doing much of anything else with our training time. Can doing yoga make us better runners?

The short answer is, of course, YES. The real question is “How will yoga make us better runners?”

Photo of Lindsay by Kate Kwon

Today we have Lindsay Junk, marathoner, triathlete, and president of YogaSix yoga studios who will share her thoughts and describe specific yoga poses that benefit runners. The good news is, there are a few poses we can all fit into our busy schedules, and for the even more ambitious runners, several longer sessions per week can provide an enormous impact to your running.

Lindsay also has a background in nutrition and personal training as well as her experience as an endurance athlete, has already completed 2 marathons in 2019 and we’ll find out what else she’s been up to for her own fitness.

Questions Lindsay is asked:

2:24 First Four:

  1. How old are you?
  2. Where were you born?
  3. Where do you live now?
  4. What is your favorite race distance?

3:38 What is your fitness background?

7:30 When did you do your first marathons?

8:07 What time would you like to do for the NYC Marathon?

9:28 Can yoga make us better runners?

11:02 How does yoga fit into your training regimine?

12:44 Have you increased your ability to push harder with more power?

14:02 When did you add yoga to your training and why?

15:39 How has it helped with injury prevention?

16:03 Does yoga enhance other training and how should we fit it into our schedule?

17:22 What is the best type of yoga for runners?

19:26 Is Hot Yoga helpful for runners?

20:40 Are safety precautions like hydration reviewed with YogaSix members?

21:19 Where are YogaSix studios located?

22:15 How do YogaSix studios compare to 24-hour gyms for hours?

23:17 Is there consistency between YogaSix studios?

24:36 How many days a week are yoga sessions optimal for runners?

25:17 Why is studio-led yoga better than YouTube videos?

28:15 Could you describe a series of yoga poses and how does an hour session transpire?

28:47 (Lindsay describes Crescent Lunge)

30:08 (Cobbler’s Pose)

31:57 (Pigeon Pose and Supine Pigeon / Thread The Needle)

33:45 (Downward Dog)

35:20 (Legs Up The Wall Pose – for recovery and relaxation for insomnia)

36:03 (Tree Variation)

37:35 (Wide-Angle Forward Fold)

39:06 How does meditation fit in with yoga sessions?

39:59 Any final thoughts?

44:49 Final Kick Round:

  1. What is your favorite local training run or outing (location, starting point, parking, distance, terrain and safety issues)?
  2. Favorite book(s), video or resource?
  3. Who or what would you like to have featured on the Run To The Top podcast?

 

Quotes by Lindsay:

“Yoga increases your flexibility; it also increases your mobility. So to go through a flowing sequence that does that for your entire body is really important. For me, that’s what helping with injury prevention.”

“I don’t think that just doing yoga would have been enough for me. I certainly needed to do the running and some of the strength training that helped. But I wish I could have gone back in time and had this knowledge when I was competing at a higher level.”

“One (yoga session a week) is going to give you improvement. Two would be fantastic. And if you can get in there three times, it’ll significantly change your running. But even just going once a week should make a pretty solid impact on performance.”

“It’s unlikely that you’ll hurt yourself, but if you want to maximize the benefits of each pose, it’s good to do it right and the teacher is there to make sure it happens.”

“In the L.A. marathon, there were certain poses that I just stopped in the middle of the race and did because I didn’t want to seize up.”

 

Take a Listen on Your Next Run

 

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Mentioned in this podcast:

Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community

RunnersConnect Facebook page

Dang Bars

Carbona Homepage

YogaSix homepage

Video Demonstration of Crescent Lunge

Video Demonstration of Cobbler’s Pose

Video Demonstration of Pigeon Pose

Video Demonstration of Downward Dog

Video Demonstration of Legs Up The Wall

Video Demonstration of Tree Variation with props

Video Demonstration of Wide Angle Forward Fold

The Strand Trail in Redondo Beach

Book: Can’t Hurt me by David Goggins

Kelley Turner, National Director of Education for YogaSix

 

Follow Lindsay on:

Instagram

YogaSix Instagram

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