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Yoga Journal's Makeover Blogs
: Edith Chan
I ran a marathon last week and discovered just how little endurance training one can (or cannot) get away with when it comes to running a marathon. In preparing for this event, my run training has been extremely minimal. For the last two months, I ran only twice a week—one longer endurance-building run on the weekends, and one short interval-style workout midweek. The longest run I did was 18 miles. While the running has been minimal, I maintained a consistent yoga practice throughout this time—public classes 1-2 times per week, home practice 2-3 times per week, and then a longer private lesson with Jason once every two weeks. From the perspective of conventional marathon training programs, I knew I was grossly under-prepared. But I was also eager to see if yoga might enhance my performance.
A marathon is 26.2 miles, and the longest training run I did leading up to this event was only 18 miles. As it turned out, I had a superb race—that is, until about mile 20. That's when I completely hit the wall. I was holding a consistently fast pace, feeling fit and strong, and running better than ever. But fatigue started to creep in during mile 19, and at mile 20, I bonked. My legs started getting extremely sore. With 6.2 miles still to go, I suddenly felt like I had nothing left in me.
Luckily I was accompanied by three excellent friends—my training partner Ryan and my friends Craig and Jim who are both highly experienced marathoners and ultra-distance runners—who used every trick in the book to keep me going. Craig is doing a 100-miler ultra-marathon later this yea, and Jim is a true veteran more than 40 marathons under his belt and finish-times under 2 hours 50 minutes. Craig and Jim had both taken time off from running and were just "easing back into training" by doing this marathon at my snail's pace! So when I started to get extremely fatigued, Craig and Jim gave me pep talks, mile after mile. They motivated me all the way to the finish-line. Thanks to them, I had no choice but to keep going even though my legs were screaming in agony.
After the race, my friends remarked on how my running form looked excellent and relaxed, with efficient biomechanics even when I was in complete agony. For this reason, they kept coaching me to pick up the pace because they were convinced that I had more left in the tank. And despite the fact that I had bonked at mile 20 and crawled at what felt like a snail's pace for the final 6 miles, it turned out I still broke my personal record by several minutes! (With a finish time of 3 hours, 42 minutes.)
Hindsight is 20/20. If I could prepare for this marathon all over again, I would have started training two weeks earlier to allow for two additional training runs of, say, 20 miles and 23 miles. My endurance fitness was simply insufficient leading up to this marathon, and yoga is not going to give me that extra fitness. But I would not have traded the yoga for anything. I believe the training plan of running and yoga was an ideal balance. I attribute my greatly improved running biomechanics entirely to my yoga practice. Now more than ever, I am convinced that yoga will be an indispensable part of my training program for my first Ironman triathlon.
This week my partner Dave and I have been visiting his parents in Stillwater, Oklahoma (home of Oklahoma State University). I went online to search for yoga in Stillwater and found the website of a teacher named Carol Bender ( www.benderyoga.com). I giggled and thought "Bender. What a great name for a yoga teacher!" Then, I decided I had to try her classes.
Since San Francisco is sort of a mecca for yoga in America, I've been spoiled by our choice of wonderful studios and brilliant teachers of every flavor of yoga. So I was curious to see what one could find in a small town like Stillwater, Oklahoma. There's not a whole lot to do around here. So beside raiding Dave's parents' very well-stocked fridge, and helping with small tasks in his dad's beautiful organic vegetable garden, "Bender Yoga" was to be my big adventure for the week.
To my pleasant surprise Carol's classes were absolutely superb! She has a wonderful presence and energy about her. The small class size (5 to 7 people) created an intimate environment and opportunity for individual guidance. I attended two of her classes (at two different locations) and loved both of them. It appears that her classes were attended by a small loyal group of regulars. Carol welcomed this out-of-town visitor with warm open arms, and I had the most wonderful practice. Then the big shocker was the low-low price—the Tuesday class was $5 and the Wednesday class, regularly $7, was free for first-timers!
Afterward, I reflected on what a labor of pure love it is that Carol teaches these phenomenal yoga classes for such tiny fees. In San Francisco, her classes would be $12-15 or more each and probably attended by many more students. Clearly Carol does not teach for the money. (As it turns out, thanks to my google-stalking skills, she is a professor and research scientist at OSU with a rather impressive Curriculum Vitae.) Money aside, it occurs to me how much easier it is to maintain a high level of yoga practice in a place like SF with its popularity and abundant choices of studios, workshops, conferences, teacher-training programs, etc. Yoga is clearly thriving in San Francisco, but not nearly the same in Oklahoma. To me, Carol is a hero for bringing such quality yoga instruction so lovingly to this small town.
Carol, if you're reading this blog, thank you for having me in your wonderful classes and thank you even more for bringing the joy of yoga and meditation practice to your community! You're a gem!
For the past month, Jason and I have been working on arm balances. He's patiently helping me improve my handstands, forearm balances, and headstands. He has also introduced me to poses such as Tolasana (Scale Pose), Bakasana (Crane Pose), and Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose).
Because my lower body is well-conditioned from years of cycling, running, and rowing—and also thanks to Jason's precise teaching style—standing poses have come along smoothly thus far. While there are always more subtle layers to study, I find I can respond quickly to instructions regarding the lower half of my body.
The arm balances are a whole different story! They are a lot of fun, but they don't come to me naturally at all. I find myself alternating between enjoying the fun new shapes and getting frustrated with my obvious ineptitude at the poses! When we practice arm balances, my scrawny upper body gets tired more easily compared to my big legs in the standing poses. I also notice that arm balances and inversions are a great challenge to my core strength. Often my body fails me before my mind does. So I cannot just push myself harder, which is still my initial response as a competitive athlete. It is a serious lesson in patience.
Also, since these poses are unknown territory, I find myself coming face-to-face with quite a bit of fear. In Crane Pose I am not even two feet from the ground, but somehow not being on my big sturdy legs is a scary proposition. Or, perhaps, I'm scared of looking like a fool and falling on my face (or butt). The point is I'm encountering fear—a totally irrational kind of fear. (Jason even put a bunch of blankets all around to soften the landing if/when I fall. Too bad he can't pad my ego with blankets too!)
So it has been both interesting and surprising to discover these emotions. Jason says that my Bakasana technique is good enough to just practice at home and get more familiar. As it turns out, it is with frequent practice that these emotions are being dissolved away as we speak.
At this point, it has become evident that the learning process is never-ending. For me, the physical benefits of yoga are being outweighed by the emotional/spiritual benefits of gradually letting go of expectations, the drama, and the competitive ego. Whether it be lessons for the mind, body, or spirit, the journey appears to be infinite. If this is what a beginning practice offers, I can only imagine what a lifetime of study could bring!
We're almost three months into this yoga "makeover" now, and there have been countless little "ah-ha" moments during the practice. In private lessons and group classes alike, there are always new difficulties and challenges to face. This is clearly a never-ending learning process, so I decided early on that I'm in no hurry. Interestingly, the more I maintain this unhurried (but curious) attitude, the more wonderful and juicy the practice becomes! Yoga is teaching me to approach difficulty with a more peaceful mindset. With that perspective, I'm starting to see just how much unnecessary drama and suffering we create for ourselves in daily life! I'm realizing how much easier everything would be if we could practice that inner peace as we navigate life's challenges.
Originally, I worried that yoga would be yet another element added to my already jam-packed training schedule. Now I see yoga as a path of simplification, a shedding of unnecessary parts. It's a return home to a more natural way of being. Pure, simple, and blissful.
There are so many interesting experiences in this practice, sometimes I am not sure where to begin with my blogs. Being that I am the "athlete" in this makeover program, perhaps the readers might like to know how yoga is affecting my current marathon training.
With yoga practice four times a week plus full-time work, I am now only able to find time for my run training twice a week—one shorter interval-style workout and one longer endurance-building run. Despite such minimal training, I am experiencing some rather obvious improvements my running! My hips feel more open, my torso much more lifted and elongated. I am discovering a better sense of leaning with my body weight and using the field of gravity to work for me during the running stride.
I also find myself more able to incorporate subtle changes in technique inspired by a variety of running books I've read over the years as a curious athlete. Micro-changes which only made sense intellectually now suddenly make sense experientially. The result is an overall feeling of increased ease and fluidity. Even during my longer runs when I am extremely fatigued, it seems my running form is not falling apart the way it used to. Yoga is truly great stuff for athletes!
Another interesting piece is that my left knee has been feeling slightly tweaked during my yoga practice at times for months now. It's just a minor discomfort, but it never felt uncomfortable or painful during any of my sports training just during yoga. During a few of my private lessons, Jason taught me modifications to relieve the discomfort. Then, finally, last week when I ramped up to a 2.5-hour long run, the knee was suddenly painful during the last half hour. I was limping by the end of that run. In the past, I might have left it alone and ran a couple more times, only to seek treatment if it continued to stay painful. This time, because of my increased awareness from months of noticing the knee being slightly off in yoga, I got acupuncture and bodywork treatment immediately, followed by repeated self-treatments. The knee healed quickly and hasn’t acted up again since.
So as an athlete, I am finding that yoga practice is an extremely valuable way to check-in with the body, to experience it in a full range of positions and notice if something is out of balance. In the future if something feels slightly off, I don't need to wait until it becomes a pain or injury to actively correct the problem. Prevention is best, and with this recent experience of my knee pain, I now see yoga as an excellent tool for BOTH early diagnosis and self-care in the context of preventative medicine.
After taking months away from racing, I did a triathlon last weekend, and it was on extremely minimal swim/bike/run training. For the past two months, I've done only three workouts a week—track practice on Tuesdays, indoor spinning class on Thursdays, and then either an easy run or bike outdoors on Saturdays. Swimming has been virtually non-existent (twice in 2 months). However, I have been quite consistent with my four-per-week yoga practice—group class once a week, private lesson once a week, and home practice twice a week. Naturally, I was a bit nervous about competing in a triathlon on such a tiny amount of swim/bike/run training. So I arrived at the race with no expectations for myself, except to simply enjoy the beautiful weather and a fun day outdoors swimming, biking, and running with many friends.
To my great surprise, I had one of my best performances in years! The most significant change was how much smoother my swimming stroke had become. I had planned to just "get through" the one-mile swim with minimal effort, as if it were a gentle warm-up or cool-down. I even paused occasionally to alternate from freestyle to breaststroke. Perhaps because of my non-competitive mindset, or perhaps because of yoga-induced physical changes, it was truly remarkable how different my body felt in the water—so comfortable, free, and easy.
I thought back to my lesson with Jason on Down Dog a month ago, the way those micro-adjustments gave me the sensations of a straight line of action from hips, to torso, all the way to the arms and hands. Combined with other commonly practiced poses like Parsvokonasana (Side-Angle Pose), it seems I've learned how to integrate my whole body in a more intelligent way. Previously, in my effort to reach for a longer freestyle swim stroke, I would lose power and feel disjointed. Now I understood how to reach from my hips and torso (rather than from the shoulder socket) and create more length without sacrificing power. When I finished the swim, I was shocked to see that I had achieved one of my fastest one-mile swim splits ever, with seemingly no effort whatsoever!
The bike and run legs also went smoothly. Overall my times were quite respectable and far faster than I had dreamed with such minimal training. Better yet, all three sports felt smoother and more effortless than ever before. While my muscles did not feel as strong and powerful as they did years ago when I trained and raced more competitively, I found the sensations of swimming, biking, and running more enjoyable with the new changes in my body. At the end of the race, I felt I could have easily continued for longer distances without fatigue. This is especially encouraging as I prepare for an Ironman Triathlon next year.
As I write this blog, I am overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for this opportunity to integrate yoga into my life. Yoga fits so beautifully into my sensibilities as a practitioner of Holistic Sports Medicine. Already, this experience has greatly enhanced my ability to help both myself and my patients. Looking forward to my Ironman training, I am now convinced that yoga can (and will) play a vital role in creating a smart, well-rounded training and self-care program.
This week at my private lesson, Jason and I addressed my difficulty expanding and contracting the breath at the middle bandha. So we worked on opening and releasing the upper abdomen, ribs, flank, etc. with a short, task-focused asana practice before the pranayama practice. This, combined with consciously maintaining a relaxed attitude, was extremely effective at releasing the blockages I've been feeling during my pranayama practice. Interesting, rather than the middle feeling tight today, the throat felt more locked up. It seems the blockages are gradually moving up (and out)?
Last week, Jason designed a new home practice for me with a focus on side bends, replacing the restorative and inversion-based practice I had the first month. I'm very happy to report that this side bend sequence has greatly relieved my chronic backache. It opened up much of the locked up sensations I've often felt in the low back since my rowing injury 10 years ago. So while this new sequence takes quite a bit longer than the previous one, I make it a priority to make time for it.
The side bend practice also prepared me for starting a pranayama practice this week. I discussed the results of last week's exercise physiological testing with Jason. And he thought it was interesting that the tests concluded I had mild obstructive lung disease because of a slow rate of air-flow. In yoga (and in qi gong) it is considered ideal to breathe long, slow, smooth breaths. So the idea that I should strive to force air in and out quickly is a bit counter to Jason's yogic (and my qi gong) sensitivities.
During the pranayama practice, Jason taught me to breathe deeply into my perineum and sense my tailbone, pelvis, and pubic bones expand and contract with each breath. I achieved this easily due to my qi gong experience. (However, it's worth noting this awareness had taken months to achieve in my early qi gong practice.) Next, we practiced dividing my torso into thirds, breathing into my low abdomen, then into my ribs, then just the chest. I am told that these are called three locks, or bandhas, in pranayama theory. I found it easy to breath into the low abdomen due to my qi gong background. But the middle level ( i.e. upper abdomen/ribs/flank) felt rather inaccessible for me. I found myself straining and trying to muscle through it. The more I muscled, the more difficult it became. Finally I surrendered (and almost gave up) for a couple breaths and, once I let go completely, it suddenly became much easier.
At the end of the session, Jason advised me to be aware of the sensations of strain and to pause if I find myself forcing my way through rather than relaxing during the exercises. He warned that, as an athlete, I may have an unconscious habit of muscling through difficulty from years of sports training. When I got home, I reflected on this simple piece of advice and realized just how significant it is, in yoga, in sports, AND in life. How wonderful it is to master the ability to stay relaxed and calm even at times of discomfort or challenge. What a beautiful thing, to carry oneself always with this kind of ease, flow, grace and finesse regardless of the circumstances!
On Friday I visited Cal State Sacramento’s Human Performance Testing Laboratory to be tested for various sports performance markers by Dr. Roberto Quintana, a professor of exercise physiology. The purpose was to have some baseline benchmarks for comparison to after this six-month yoga makeover. Although the most information will be gleaned when we compare the before and after test results, there were a few things we found that were already quite interesting.
Dr. Quintana began by performing a lung function test on me, in which we discovered that my functional lung volume (the maximum amount of air I can forcibly inhale and exhale) is about 25 percent greater than average for my high and weight! However, we also discovered that I have mild obstructive lung disease. The test showed that although I can breathe a large total volume of air, the rate at which the air was able to flow in and out of my lungs is slow and obstructed. It would take more detailed testing at a pulmonary clinic to determine if it is due to asthma, my seasonal allergies, or other factors. I grew up around cigarette smoking parents and grandparents, so I have a feeling the second-hand smoke might have something to do with this obstruction.
We also tested my cycling performance on a stationary bike and running on a treadmill. In both cases, I wore headgear and a nose clip so I’d breathe into a mouthpiece connected to a machine analyzing my breath content for oxygen and carbon dioxide. With both the bike and the run, I performed four 10-minute intervals at a pre-set speed or power output, each interval harder/faster than the previous one. The computer analyzed my oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide output, and Dr. Quintana asked me for my perceived effort on a scale of 20 during each 10-minute interval. At the end of each 10-minute test, we pricked a finger for a blood sample to check my blood lactate levels and find out when I reach various thresholds such as aerobic/lactate threshold and my Maximum Level Steady State threshold.
Besides finding my thresholds and noting my perceived efforts, the tests also provided raw data for Dr. Quintana to calculate my efficiency—how much energy is actually transformed into propelling my body vs. wasted on inefficient biomechanics. These markers will be most interesting when we retest in a few months and see if yoga enhances my efficiency.
While we never performed the well-known VO2Max test (popular amongst endurance athletes as it gages a maximal rate of oxygen uptake and predicts a person’s athletic potential), we did measure my VO2 during each of these sub-maximal 10-minute efforts. Based on these VO2 measurements, we have a decent idea of where my VO2Max may be, which can predict my performance potential. This is a round-about way for me to say that the tests indicated that I have a relatively high VO2Max consistent with a regionally or nationally competitive runner. And I have the potential to run quite a lot faster than I had previously thought possible. To be specific, the predicted mile, 5K and 10K race times were ones I have already met in the past, which gives me confidence the numbers are true. However, the predicted marathon time is far faster than I ever dreamed possible for me. Granted, I am not a real runner, but it's still encouraging to break out of my preconceived limitations. I had assumed that a 3-hour 30-minute marathon would be my best hope, but the tests showed that, with appropriate training and without some of the running inefficiencies caused by biking and swimming, I have the potential to run a blazing fast 3-hour marathon!
So, with pranayama practice, I hope that some of my breathing obstruction will be removed, and perhaps my functional lung volume might become even greater. Also it will be interesting to see if yoga asana practice helps me bike and run with greater efficiency and less effort to achieve something closer to my physiological potential. This is definitely a to-be-continued story. Stay with me to find out what interesting changes we discover in a few months.
This week at my private lesson with Jason, we focused on inversions—handstands, headstands, and forearm balance. In the group classes thus far, my handstands against the wall had come along relatively easily. But I knew there was much more to learn in order to balance without the wall. During this private lesson, Jason greatly improved my technique and alignment by helping me incorporate the sense of firmness and stability of standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) while upsidedown in Handstand. By incorporating these sensations, I found I had tiny fleeting moments of balance without the wall’s help.
In contrast, headstands and forearm balances were quite a bit of a struggle. Jason helped me to counter the tendency for my pose to collapse in these poses. We worked on shrugging the shoulders while standing and in forward bends. Then we experimented with expanding the palm and fingers. Immediately I noticed the sensations of strength and expansion in the hands directly affected the strength, broadness, and stability in the shoulders and neck. Jason gave me directions on a handful of micro-changes that made it feel more comfortable and stable. I must say that I still do not feel like I "get" these poses. But Jason’s steady and non-judgemental way of being has helped me not to get frustrated or be too hard on myself. So I’m staying patient and hope these inversions will gradually unravel their mysteries to me with consistent practice.
It was only two days after this lesson on inversions that I took my California Acupuncture Board examinations in a large cold cement hall at the Sacramento Convention Center. Although I had dressed in layers, I found myself getting quite cold, and the brain began to stagnate midway through the mind-bending 5-hour exam. Fortunately, my newly acquired handstand skills came to the rescue! I found a round of handstands in the back corner of the hall to be just the perfect remedy for warming the body and un-clogging the mind. And, as it turned out, I did very well on the exams. Not only did yoga keep me sane while studying for the boards, it came in handy during the test itself!
After observing me in a few basic poses, we found that my Downward-Facing Dog revealed an obvious problem, probably related to my old rowing injury. In the posture, I have a substantial hump in my low back.
At home, I tried to do Down Dog in front of the mirror and attempted to force the hump down. The result was an increase in discomfort and locked-up sensations in the low back. I knew there must be a better way.
So this week at my private lesson, Jason worked patiently with me. Rather than forcing the low back flat, he taught me how to lift and lengthen my abdomen, torso, and ribcage. In order to do so, I found that I had to awaken my core, which I came to realize was quite lazy and probably a major factor in my back compression. Also, using the help of straps, I learned to create a sense of strength and stability in my shoulder girdles, which had been hyper mobile and overstretched in this pose. With a series of micro-adjustments, the pose felt much milder, more comfortable, and balanced. When I looked in the mirror to my side, I was pleasantly surprised to see that these mini-changes led to a beautiful line from my hips to my hands. For the first time, I felt the integration of the whole body in this pose, rather than disjointed parts of the body doing separate tasks.
It is also interesting to note that in my free-style swim stroke, I've often felt as if I had too much slack in the shoulders from attempts to lengthen my stroke through reaching the arms. Whenever I worked on reaching for a longer stroke, I felt that I was losing power at the beginning of my pull. This Down Dog lesson taught me that there is a way to create length by integrating the whole body but still maintain a sense of strength and stability in the shoulder and arms. I hope to apply this lesson in upcoming months as I work to improve my swimming technique.
This week at my private lesson with Jason, we practiced a sequence of poses that would become my first month’s home practice. The sequence is mainly restorative with some inversions, which should counter-balance the stresses of my athletic training and enhance the recovery process.
After Jason ran through the sequence with me, it completely allayed any worries I had of not being able to stick with a regular home practice (well, at least the first month!). The sequence he designed for me is so simple, so gentle, and feels so "right." It’s also worth noting that my weekly lessons with Jason take place on Friday mornings, which is usually when I am most tired and sore from my Thursday evening bike workouts. After my session, I found myself significantly less sore and fatigued than usual. It truly felt like my batteries were recharged!
The sequence is as follows:
1. Virasana (Hero Pose) for two minutes
2. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose) on a bolster for five minutes
3. Supported Adho Muhka Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) with head on a bolster for two minutes
4. Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) against the wall for two minutes
5. Headless Sirsasana (Headstand) a hybrid between forearm balance and headstand against the wall for one minute
6. Supported Balasana (Child's Pose) with bolster for two to five minutes
7. Supported Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose) using a bolster and strap to enhance hip rotator stretch for two to three minutes
8. Chair twist (slowly twisting from lumbar, lower thoracic, upper thoracic, then neck) for one minute
9. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) on a chair for two to three minutes
10. Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) using the chair and blankets for support for 5-10 minutes
11. Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall) legs supported with straps and lumbar supported by bolster for 5-10 minutes
Thus far, I’ve practiced this sequence twice at home. The first time was rather disjointed because I had to go all over the house gathering the appropriate props! The second time went more smoothly since I knew which furniture items and props were necessary. As I got used to doing the sequence, I noticed myself wanting just one more element—an adductor/groin stretch. Coincidentally, at Jason’s Saturday morning public class, we did some Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bends). My body told me loud and clear that this was exactly the missing component in my home-practice sequence.
When I chatted with Jason about this one missing piece, he encouraged me to pay attention to my body’s needs! He recommended that I insert a couple minutes of Wide-Legged Forward Bends in my home practice sequence. He explained that his goal is to help me become attentive to these signals from my body and to recognize the therapeutic sensations of each of the poses, so that after our six-month program, I could start to create my own home practice sequence. With my background in sports and holistic medicine, I am especially eager to learn all that he has to teach me.
For this yoga makeover, I have committed to practicing yoga four to five times a week for six months (one private lesson, one public class, and two to three home practice sessions each week). And I have a secret! Even though I’ve been a life-long athlete, I am actually quite lazy by nature! So I can’t help but be slightly concerned about my ability to stick with such an intensive yoga practice on top of an existing swim/bike/run schedule. But they say that "if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten." Yoga, besides being a valuable self-care practice in and of itself, can greatly enhance my swimming, cycling, and running so why not dive right into it and see what happens?
Up until now, I have been practicing yoga about once a week for a few months and have already experienced great benefits. It was raining cats and dogs here in San Francisco; the rain sometimes turned into hailstorms. Unable to do many of my outdoor rides or runs, I decided to replace them with yoga classes. I bounced around local yoga studios trying different instructors and found a high concentration of wonderful teachers at The Mindful Body. Then, I came across Jason Crandell’s Saturday morning class.The clarity of instruction, the energy and dedication of the students, and Jason’s light-hearted humor made for the most fun and enjoyable experience. By this time the weather had cleared up and my triathlete friends were out riding bikes every Saturday morning. But Jason’s class was so wonderful I decided to give up the group bike rides in order to attend it. Each week, I discovered a little bit more freedom, ease, and comfort in my body that clearly enhanced my athletic training. In time, a few of my friends were willing to wait for me to ride later on Saturdays, and some even joined me for morning yoga as a pre-ride warm-up!
So you can imagine my excitement when Jason approached me with the idea that Yoga Journal might offer me six months of yoga training with him to see how it could help my athletic performance!!
Well, here we are at Week 1 of my yoga makeover journey. I met with Jason for my first private lesson, where he guided me through a series of beginner-friendly poses and evaluated my areas of freedom vs. restrictions. We chatted about my athletic training schedule and concluded that my biggest area of need was recovering between hard workouts. Also, we must counter-balance the effects of hours on the bike, which often cause an old back injury from my collegiate rowing career to flare up. Next week, Jason will introduce me to a primarily restorative sequence, which will become the framework of my home practice for the next month.
Triathletes are possibly the biggest overachievers I’ve ever been around. Think about it, one sport is not enough. They have to do three sports all in a row—swim, bike, then run! While triathletes have all types of personalities, they are largely united by a fire in their bellies, a drive to persevere through mental and physical challenges. Of course perseverance is a good thing. But sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad. In the sport of triathlon, I have seen how for many athletes, myself included, what starts out as a healthy challenge can become an unhealthy obsessive-compulsive attitude, eventually leading to injuries, illness, burn-out, or worse. Going into my ninth year as a triathlete now, I’ve watched many athletes come and go because of this tendency to do too much.
For me, it was love at first "tri"'. I spent my first few seasons racing every other weekend, traveling for national and world championships, addicted to the exhilaration of getting fitter and faster. I found myself chasing after better race results and a collection of silly trophies and medals. Over time, my body started sending me signals that it had had enough of the traveling and racing. My energy, mood, and health were on a constant rollercoaster ride, and my sports performance suffered from racing and training too aggressively.
Eventually, I paid attention to these signals, raced less, and gave myself time to rekindle my fundamental love for the outdoors. I began to reconnect with the simple joy of swimming, biking, and running with my friends, the reason why I got into the sport in the first place! It was clear that my enjoyment had little to do with the trophies or medals.
During this time of transition, I also began graduate school to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM’s most fundamental principle is about maintaining balance between yin and yang, stress and recovery, work and rest. This basic philosophy was brought to light for me during my clinical training, observing how long-term imbalances led to illness and disease. In time, I came to see my athletics in that same light, and understood that my athletic longevity and sports performance depends on a balanced approach to my training and lifestyle.
To help create that balance in my athletic training and self-care, I looked to practices like QiGong, TaiJi, and very recently, yoga. I have just started studying yoga, and already, it has given me valuable tools for maintaining the sense of balance that I’m seeking. With practice, I know yoga will help me be more attentive to my mind-body needs and take corrective actions before small imbalances become big problems.
Perhaps more importantly, yoga is teaching me how to slow down and experience my mind-body in a completely non-competitive way! I am finding that, by removing the competitive ego, I can better pay attention to and respect early signs of overtraining, injury, or illness. This non-competitive attitude has started carrying over to my athletics. I find that I’m inclined to focus more on swimming/biking/running with ease and fluidity, rather than how fast I can go or how hard I can push myself. In this way, every single training session can be juicy and rewarding in its own right, instead of being a chore in my quest for narrowly defined goals like a podium stand at the next race.
I hope that athletes everywhere will benefit from my six-month experiment with Yoga Journal to uncover what a consistent yoga practice could do for training. Thanks for reading!
Edith Chan has been competing in triathlons (swim-bike-run) since 1998. She is actively involved with the SF Tri Club and coaches their popular indoor cycling program. In 2007, Edith plans to complete her first Ironman distance event (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) at Ironman Austria.
Under the tutelage of Jason Crandell, she is exploring how a consistent yoga practice can enhance recovery between workouts, prevent injuries, and instill a sense of balance and sanity while training for one of the more insane athletic endeavors!
After studying math at Harvard and a four-year stint in cubicles, computers, and stock options, Edith surprised everyone but herself when she decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a traditional Chinese healer. She went on to complete a four-year graduate program in Chinese Medicine and is now a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist in private practice in San Francisco. She also specializes in orthopedic bodywork for injury rehabilitation. While she's only a beginning yoga student, she views yoga, along with Taiji and qi gong, to be indispensible in her ongoing education and self-care as a practitioner of holistic sports medicine.
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