Running Advice from North Face Ultra Runner Rory Bosio

Photo used with permission by The North Face.
Think racking up 26.2 miles in a marathon is impressive? Allow Rory Bosio to knock you off your high horse: as a North Face ultra runner, she consistently finishes 50- to 100-mile races on steep, mountainous terrain—and she kicks most of her competitors’ butts in the process. She placed second at the prestigious Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run last June in California, and she placed fourth at the famed ultra-race North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Europe’s Alps in September. But take a quick glance at the Tahoe, California-based athlete and you’d never know she’s logged some serious hours on the trails—no laboring gait, no aching knees. She’s quick and light on her feet, with enough energy to work as a pediatric emergency room night nurse after a day of training. And her secret isn’t really a secret at all—it’s yoga. More inspiring pics after the jump!
“Running is obviously one of the worst sports for flexibility,” Bosio tells us, “lots of contracting and compacting of muscles and joints. Yoga counteracts this by elongating muscles and improving balance, flexibility, and equanimity.”

Photo used with permission from The North Face.
After a nasty crash during the first 50km race of her career left her with an IT band flare up, Bosio turned to yoga to rehabilitate her injuries. “My head was in the clouds, probably daydreaming about Alex Trebek (what a dreamboat) and I wasn’t paying attention to the trail,” she remembers. “I tripped over a rock. I did a lot of specific IT band stretches since it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox after I injured it.” Since then, Bosio has relied on counterpoint stretches to loosen up in what she calls “balancing a scale”—stretching out quads to fix tight hamstrings and practicing back bends and upper body stretches to remedy a sore back. “Yoga helps me maintain what little flexibility I do have, which is great for my running stride and balance on more technical terrain,” she explains. “I know lots of runners who get deep tissue sports massages to iron out all the knots accumulated from running. I do this, too, but I’m surprised more runners don’t incorporate yoga into their routines. It serves a very similar purpose as the massages.”

Photo used with permission from The North Face.
For runners short on time (something Bosio is no stranger to), she suggests focusing on hips and glutes because tight muscles in those regions can affect the entire lower body, citing Pigeon Pose, Downward Dog, and Triangle Pose as some of her favorite yoga moves. “If I don’t stretch for a few days, my muscles feel like a can of sardines, all wadded together, which affects my running form, making me more susceptible to injuries,” Bosio says. “Sometimes the positive effects on my state of mind last longer and carry over into the rest of my day, which is icing on the cake.” This originally appeared on GrindTV.com. See more of my Grind articles here!