I have been running for over 15 years now-it has always been an “off again, on again relationship” due to knee pain. It always begins in my left knee which causes me to alter my stride, and then the rest of my lower body starts to fall apart. My knees click, pop, and lock, and then I freak out and desperation sets in.
After spending way too much money on the latest and greatest support shoes, chiropractor visits, knee braces, athletic tape, and sports medicine doctor visits I decided to give yoga a try. I mean at this point, why not? I have to admit: I was a bit of a skeptic. I am a high-strung person, so I prefer fast-paced, high-intensity workouts. I thought yoga would be slow and boring.
Tracie recommended a few poses for me that I began working on to open up my hips and increase my flexibility a while ago. I started incorporating them into my daily routine, along with daily leg extensions to build quadricep strength. But I was still having pain, so Tracie sent me a video of a flow for the abductors/adductors. I added that to the mix and began doing the full video three times a week (and sneaking in some of my favorite moves from the video with my daily workouts). The flow was not boring at all; in fact it is probably one of my most challenging workouts because it is targeting muscles that I have clearly been neglecting. I couldn’t believe how sore I could be without running!
Now, although I am very slowly building my mileage back up, I feel like a whole new runner! I can feel the difference in my stride and can feel improved stability in my hips and knees. My knees still pop occasionally, but have not locked up at all since I started incorporating yoga into my workout regimen. I truly believe that without Tracie’s intervention, I would not have the physical strength or mental confidence needed to take on the challenges of the races I signed up for this year!
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