[CoyoteMark]

I am a beginning marathoner training for my second marathon- Big Sur in April. I have also practiced yoga (specifically "hot" yoga, bikram series) for several years, 3 days a week. For the most part I have found that Yoga is a great way to recover from runs and stay injury free, however last week I think I over did it- no injuries, but my legs were really wiped out on my long run on Friday:<br><br>
Sunday: Rest<br>
Monday: 3mi easy am; 90 min hot yoga pm<br>
Tuesday: 6mi tempo am; 90 min hot yoga pm<br>
Wednesday: 3mi easy am<br>
Thursday: 90 min hot yoga pm<br>
Friday: 9mi LSD am- legs felt like lead<br>
Saturday: Rest<br><br>
Is there such a thing as too much yoga? Are there good/bad times to do yoga (ie before/after LSD)? Are there particular poses to avoid or concentrate on?<br><br>
Thanks!<br>
Mark

 

[theia]

Do you always do your long run the morning after a hard yoga class (less than 24 hours recovery)? Have you recently upped your mileage?<br><br>
There are so many variables in what makes one run good and another bad. Overtraining, yes, but also diet, hydration, sleep, stress... If it happens more than once I'd worry about it, but just one bad run isn't necessarily indicative of a problem.

 

[Dougie Fresh]

Is that your normal schedule? Can you move that LSD from Friday to Saturday and give yourself a day's rest before? I'd have a tough time having 2 days off and then 5 straight days of hard workouts. I'd want a break during the week.

 

[CoyoteMark]

Thanks for the replies.<br><br>
I suppose I wasn't considering the Yoga class to be the equivalent of a "hard" workout, and therefore not requiring recovery time. The thought behind Yoga on Thursday was that is was part of the recovery process, preparing me for my long run on Friday.<br><br>
However I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that Yoga is more of a workout than I am giving it credit for. Granted, I sweat like crazy during Yoga and do strengthening poses as well as stretching poses, I just didn't feel that it was the equivalent of a hard run- LSD/Tempo/Interval.<br><br>
I generally reserve the weekends for rest and cross-training- XC and Telemark skiing this time of year.<br><br>
I skipped the Yoga on Thursday this week, and felt pretty good on my 11mi LSD today. I hate to give up too much Yoga, though- it is so good for my body in so many ways, and I do feel that the stretching poses in particular help me to recover from runs.<br><br>
Cheers! <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br>
Mark

 

[sistergoldenhair]

What about doing a gentler form of yoga emphasizing stretching vs. strength before the long run -- maybe a hatha class, a restorative or yin class, or a DVD?<br><br>
You might be dehydrating a bit in the Bikram studio. How hot is your studio? If you don't properly rehydrate before and after, that would impact a long run for sure.<br><br>
Also, how does the training program you are using compare to the one you used for your first marathon? How long ago was the first? What kind of base did you have going into marathon training, and what phase are you in in marathon training (how many weeks from your race?) If you've just increased any kind of activity, your body is bound to experience some fatigue as it adjusts and develops the new level of fitness. I don't know that you'd be clinically overtraining at this point (early?) in training, but it's not my place to say.<br><br>
Yes, yoga is a real workout. I did a heated flow yoga practice at a retreat last year and then used the 3 hour break between classes to run on a treadmill ... well I had to force myself to stay on that thing and stagger through a short easy run. It truly was a battle of wills. I was WIPED after hard sweaty yoga. And after the 3rd day of the retreat my muscles were shot. It really is a strength/endurance workout in disguise if you are doing one of the more active styles (which I would put Bikram in that category).<br><br>
I agree with Theia that it can be hard to pinpoint one factor leading to overtraining. You'll most likely have to try some tweaks and changes to your workouts, yoga schedule, rest, sleep, nutrition, running schedule, etc. and see how your body responds. Good luck.

 

[CoyoteMark]

<br>
Thanks for the input. After having a couple of weeks without the same fatigue I initially felt, I have come to several conclusions:<br><br>
1) My marathon training began the first week in January, and I hadn't done much running for the six months prior (although lots of backpacking, hiking and mountaineering). So, as Theia suggested, I think that I was adjusting to a higher milage/week workout and not necessarily over training.<br><br>
2) The hot yoga I practice is indeed the equivalent of a hard workout, similar to a medium length tempo run. I have moved around my yoga schedule so that I don't do it within 24 hours of tempo/interval/LSD runs. I am careful to hydrate well before & after yoga.<br><br>
Thanks to all for the input.<img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br><br>
Cheers!<br>
Mark