With some runners hesitant to brave the yoga studio – and the benefits unclear – I wanted to get a leading expert on the podcast to discuss yoga for runners.

Please say hi to Sage Rountree.

Sage isn’t just an internationally recognized yoga expert with the highest level of training possible. She hasn’t just worked with Olympians, NBA and NFL players, and collegiate athletes.

She’s also a running and triathlon coach and the author of eight books, including:

• The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: An Integrated Approach to Strength, Flexibility, and Focus
• Racing Wisely: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Performing at Your Personal Best
• The Runner’s Guide to Yoga, 2nd Edition

With a PhD in English Literature, race experience from 400m to the ultramarathon, and experience teaching yoga at venues ranging from the local Turkey Trot to the Pentagon, Sage has a breadth of experience unlike most other fitness experts.

She’s also the owner of the Carolina Yoga Company, the Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat; and the Carolina Massage Institute.

And she’s on the podcast to talk about the many benefits of yoga for runners.

Today I want to help you avoid the most common mistakes among new runners. These "unforced errors" derail your progress, invite injury, and make running harder than it needs to be.

Simply not doing the wrong thing can be the difference between success and failure.

It’s like Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz once said:

“It’s not the great play that wins the game. It’s eliminating the dumb play.”

Here are three of the most common mistakes I see beginners make with their running – whatever you do, avoid these at all costs!

For more on beginner running, get our Bonus Podcast for new runners at https://strengthrunning.com/new/

Pam is a Team Strength Running member. Every month, I get the team together for a live video coaching call. We talk about workouts, scheduling races, planning around vacations and injuries, and how to strategically plan a season.

I recently asked the team if anybody was planning a BIG goal and wanted to come on the podcast to talk more about how to achieve that crazy goal.

[These opportunities are only available to Team SR members. Learn more about the team here.]

Pam stepped up. She’s not new to running but wants to run a marathon even though she’s never run longer than about 9 miles. Her longest race has been 10k.

This is a unique place to be: an experienced yet low-mileage runner who wants to make the leap to running 26.2 miles.

We’re left with a lot of questions:

• How can this transition be done safely with as little injury risk as possible?
• Can Pam train for a marathon now or should she wait?
• How can Pam build her mileage over the long-term to make running her first marathon easier to achieve?

These are the questions we’re answering on today’s podcast episode about running your first marathon.

This is a behind the scenes coaching call that I occasionally do for team members, highlighting their unique goals and struggles and how they can keep improving.

The format of the call is three parts:

First, what is Pam’s background as a runner?

Second, what are her goals and current training like?

Finally, we strategize on how she can make those goals a reality.

To kick off 2018, we’re focusing on strength training for runners. And there’s an undeniable advantage from getting the fundamentals right before you learn how to start lifting weights:

Progress is faster (you get better sooner!)

Risks are mitigated (far fewer injuries!)

Results are more substantial (you get stronger!)

My goal is to help you limit the early mistakes as you start lifting weights so you can enjoy all of the benefits of strength training exercises:

• power
• fewer injuries
• speed
• coordination
• lean muscle
• efficiency

We cover a lot more on Strength Running’s free weight lifting ecourse here – don’t miss it!