Introducing Sage Rountree! Author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, writer, endurance athlete, runner, yoga teacher, spin teacher…all around busy girl and mother of two. I should say that I found Sage via Coach Al. In my marathon plan, he suggests using her podcasts on our non running days to stretch! Can’t believe I waited almost three months before trying them! They are wonderful, short, informative, useful, yoga poses set up specifically for athletes. (Blogged about it on Fitarella, too!)

Your most passionate sport and why/ how did you discover it??

My first twenty-five years were very unathletic; I took no time off
between college and grad school, and I spent a lot of time sprawled on
couches, reading. My exercise routine consisted of riding a hybrid
bike to campus. I became a runner because my husband and I had a big
chocolate lab who needed lots of exercise. I’d walk him in the woods,
and sometimes he’d take off and I’d find myself having to run to catch
him. Those running segments of the walk grew progressively longer,
until soon he and I were out there for up to an hour at a time. I’d
often let him choose which path to follow, and I got to know the woods
piece by piece. This is a great, organic approach to building love for
a sport. Take it slowly; build gradually; follow your mood, or that of
your dog.

Trail running is still my favorite sport, because it’s so much like
yoga. You have to focus; you have to balance; you will probably fall,
and it probably won’t hurt as much as you think it will. You don’t get
hung up about how far or how fast you’re going on the trail, because
each section has its own character. Being out there with nature is
wonderful, watching the seasons change, experiencing different weather.

How much time do you recommend in each areas- such as running, yoga, stretching?? (ex. as a phys ed teacher, I used to need to spend 1 hour outside of class to do the planning for the inclass time) So, if you were to go for a run, ride, swim- what do you think is an appropriate amount of time to stretch/do recovery from each endurance workout?

That depends on duration and intensity of the workout, as well as each
athlete’s history. Even five minutes of stretching consistently
applied five times a week can help. But we could establish a rule of
thumb. Let’s say someone is training for a marathon, as you are. We
could look at the long run mileage for the week–18, 20, 22–and
encourage the athlete to spend that many minutes each day focusing on
recovery, be it through foam roller exercises, stretching, or simply
resting in a supported backbend or with legs up the wall.

[Is that what you're going for? I'm happy to elaborate if you have a
follow-up question.] YES!

You are obviously incredibly talented and motivated and doing tons of writing, etc..how do you balance your own personal workout needs with family and work commitments and which part of your job(s) do you like the best?

I’m lucky to set my own schedule. Many of my work commitments involve
training, so I’m able to multitask. I get my workouts done and
practice yoga while my girls are at school. My husband and I get a
sitter and go on weekend bike-ride dates rather than movie dates.

When my older daughter was born, I quickly realized that if I didn’t
get dressed and put on makeup immediately after waking up, it wasn’t
going to happen at all. This applies to workouts, too: I put my
workout clothes on first thing in the morning, I wear them as I walk
my daughters to school, then I complete my training before moving to
my other tasks. Consistency is key in training, but my inspiration for
work comes and goes. There’s always something else work-related I
could be doing if I’m feeling uninspired. I can write, I can work on
my athletes’ training plans, I can sketch out new class routines, or I
can leave my desk entirely and do some yoga.

The best part of my job is seeing people move beyond the limits
they’ve set for themselves. Yoga students often feel afraid to try
handstand, for example; seeing them get into the pose is wonderful.
It’s great to see my athletes accomplish something new, whether it’s a
faster time, a longer race, or seeing my Spinning students get a road
bike and do a bike tour or some charity rides.

If you all have any questions for her, I’m sure she would be happy to answer them here! I’m inspired that she does all that! Would love to become a yoga teacher myself.

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