Adina Crawford: Yoga Can Make You a Better Runner - 06/24/2020

Adina Crawford - Yoga Can Make You a Better Runner

 


Running dramatically changed Adina’s life, transforming her from
a non-athlete to a source of fitness inspiration. One of the keys
to Adina’s athletic ability and mental strength is yoga, a
practice she believes everyone can benefit from.


 


Adina shares with Coach Claire her approach to yoga in the
classes she teaches, how to get started, some of the best poses
for runners, as well as some helpful tips. She talks about what
mindfulness means to her, as well as the benefits of cross
training. Most of all, she teaches us that with a positive
attitude and a willingness to try something new, it’s never too
late to transform your life.


 


In addition to being a runner and cyclist, Adian is also a
certified PYTT 200 and 50 YSTT yoga instructor specializing in
Vinyasa, Sculpt, and Restorative. She is a mentor, motivator,
advocate, and community influencer who serves as an ambassador
for Black Girls Run, HoneyStinger, Nuun,  Black Girls Do
Bike (Shero), and ZOOMA National. She is also a FitPro for
Athleta and serves on the Board of Directors for Black Girls Run
Foundation.


 


Adina has a fitness blog and has been featured in various online
articles, podcasts, and participated with the Brooks Running shoe
campaign. In addition, she has taught at various locations
including Lululemon, Athleta, private events, family reunions,
private schools, and local fitness centers. 


 


In 2016, Adina completed her first Marathon (Chicago), numerous
half marathons, several indoor triathlons and cycling events in
various cities. She is recognized as a strong motivator and
advocate for health, fitness, and wellness to her communities.
Her goal is to bring more diversity and awareness to the mat and
spread the love of all the benefits of yoga coupled with other
activities. YOGA IS FOR EVERY-BODY.


 


 
Questions Adina is asked:

 


2:07 You are a runner, a cyclist, and a yoga instructor. 
How do those three activities complement each other?  How
did you get started?


 


3:09 How does yoga balance out running and cycling? What kind of
yoga are we talking about?


 


3:32 Walk me through restorative yoga. If I show up at your
class, what are we doing if I’m a total newbie?


 


4:48 You've been quoted as saying yoga is for every BODY. What do
you mean by that? 


 


5:47 How did you get started in yoga?


 


6:15 One thing I have heard people say is that you don’t want to
be too flexible as a runner because you want those tight springs
so that you can run fast. So some of the athletes that I’ve
coached have been sort of hesitant to get super flexible. What do
you think about that?


 


7:07 How have you changed your practice with the whole pandemic?


 


7:59 What do you use yoga sandbags for? Can you go into detail
about that?


 


8:40 What are some of the best yoga moves for runners?


 


9:48 With pigeon pose, a lot of runners are really tight in their
hips. I know that you can do a couple of variations on pigeon
pose that can kind of hit you in different spots. Can you talk a
little bit about that? Your hips, or sometimes it hits you more
in the hamstrings. Can you talk about some variations for the
hips?


 


10:56 You touched a little bit at the beginning talking about
mindfulness. Can you talk about the benefits of mindfulness with
yoga and how it relates to running, and how it’s different than
the mindfulness you might experience on a good run?


 


12:02 Can you talk a little bit about breathing? I know breathing
is really important in yoga, and obviously it’s important in
running too. Can you talk a little bit about what we’re supposed
to be doing when we’re breathing?


 


13:16 Are there any other breathing techniques that we can use
when we’re not practicing yoga or when we’re not running? Just
anything else besides the deep breaths? I know several yoga types
have different kinds of, you know, quick breaths in and then
quick breaths out, and I’m not super familiar with it, so I was
wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that?


 


14:49 Another thing kind of related to mindfulness is the idea of
being present. If I think about running or if I’m in a race or
something like that and if I let my head get too far ahead of
worrying about, “This hurts. I should slow down,” or “I should
stop. I should quit,” your brain goes a mile a minute and a lot
of people who practice yoga have a better time with staying
present. So how do you teach your students to stay present and
what’s a good practice for someone who’s new to this?


 


16:07 Do you have specific thoughts about how to build your
confidence? Because I know sometimes if you’re on a race for
example, you might not have so much confidence that you’re going
to get to the finish line in the time that you want, or whatever
your goal is. Do you have a confidence practice?


 


17:03 You started running a little bit later in life. Can you
talk about your running journey and how that all started? I think
it’s an inspiring story.


 


18:31 How did you get started; what was that first day and first
month like?


19:44 Where does yoga fit into your running journey?


 


20:56 I find the mindfulness stuff the hardest part of it, not so
much the physical stuff. Do you have any tips for that?


 


22:30 I often think if we thought of running more like yoga, that
we’re just practicing every day, I think we’d be a lot less hard
on ourselves.


 


23:40 I love that you look to gratitude. Gratitude certainly
helps us put things in a little bit more perspective, don’t you
think?


 


23:55 Are gratitude and having a grateful heart things that you
talk about in your yoga classes too?


 


24:52 Do you think doing yoga is efficient enough for a runner’s
strength training or do people still need to lift some weights
too?


 


25:45 I would love to hear some success stories about some of the
people that you've inspired to get moving through running and
yoga.  Do you have any of those for us to hear?






Questions I ask everyone:


 


28:03 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first
started running, what advice would you give yourself?


 


28:22 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?


 


28:37 Where can listeners connect with you?


 
Quotes by Adina:

 


“You make yourself available, you learn those poses, and you can
do it.”


 


“Mindfulness in my view is a nice little mental health tool to
carry with you.”


 


“Breath is the foundation of yoga.”


 


“I know that it is all about me when I’m on that pavement so I
can’t compare myself to the next person or next person.”


 


“Rejoice in the fact that you are able to move.”






Take a Listen on Your Next Run


 


 


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Mentioned in this podcast: 

 


Yoga Sandbags


Fleet Feet


Black Girls Run


Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community


RunnersConnect Facebook page


claire@runnersconnect.net


 


Follow Adina on:


Facebook


Instagram






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