Long yoga > long run

It’s Sunday. For those in the midst of marathon training, it should be (well it is for me) the long run day. I had every intention of getting out there to test myself, but was met with this deeper urge to get on my mat. So I traded my long run for a long yoga. A full 68 minutes of flexibility focussed flow on Alo, and wow, that was the kind of intuitive movement the me of 10 years ago would dream of.

I’ve been documenting the ways yoga plays a part in my marathon training, but today felt like the lived experience of all those reflections. Did I want to move today? Be challenged today? Meet my edge today? Yes. Did I do all of those things without leaving my mat? Yes.

I’m SO aware of the distance ahead of me, the noise around feeling ‘ready’ can feel overwhelming, full of comparison and ‘shoulds’. I’m training the way my body calls for, which today meant moving the way I needed to. It’s a long run not in the books, but a yoga practice I know from experience will benefit me when I DO get out there in the days to come.

Listening deep, adapting the plan, not scrapping the plan. Yoga and running go so hand-in-hand for me, so when one calls, I listen.

PSA: the long yoga didn’t need to be long. I just felt like I wanted an extended practice to really soften into and meet with the same intention as when I step outside for a run. An enduring exploration into my body and what it needs today, this moment.

The long runs will always be there, programmed in and scheduled. The long yogas will be where I find my centre, focus and restoration.