Karen Dubs (aka 'Flexible Warrior): Profile of Success
NAME: Karen Dubs
DOB: 12/17/1968
TOWN: Parkton MD
OCCUPATION: Yoga for Athletes
YOUR SPORT: Athletic Yoga is a sport all its own! Also, running, indoor and outdoor cycling and recently swimming!
MOST SIGNIFICANT ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENT:
I had Lyme's Disease about nine years ago and had to give up teaching and most exercise, including running, for a year due to the extreme fatigue (this, by the way, is when I started yoga). After my energy started to return, I trained for The Father's Day 5K and ran in honor of my dad, who died when I was seventeen. I've certainly run longer and faster races, but that race will always stand out in my mind as significant.
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER MULTISPORT?
I have been running and cycling for years and became friends with a lot of the multi sport athletes that take my yoga classes. I went to watch them race and cheer them on and felt very inspired. Coach Troy also encouraged me to train for Irongirl, and it was THE BEST RACE I've ever participated in. I smiled from ear to ear from start to finish and am thankful for all the encouragement I got from my multi spor
t friends.
|
|
HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK WITH TRAINING?
"Balance" is a key word in my life. It's actually the meaning behind "Flexible Warrior" -- The balance of opposites. My work is training other people, so making time for my own workouts and goals is my biggest challenge. I love having a race date and weekly goals to post on my fridge, but when the race day is over I feel happy to look back, smile, and also enjoy my workouts without a goal. My husband is my biggest fan and supporter, but he is always particularly psyched after race day is over too -- and I actually sleep in to 7am on a Saturday!
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF 'FLEXIBLE WARRIOR'?
I've been athletic and participated in sports (basketball, volleyball, track) my whole life, so when I started teaching yoga, it was natural for me to teach an athletic style. The Yoga trend started to catch on, and athletes started to flock to class. Next thing I knew I was teaching yoga for The Baltimore Raven's Football players. One Sunday while I was watching the game, the word "warrior" kept running through my mind ('warrior' is the name of a strength building yoga pose, in addition to meaning 'the fearless competitor'). And I thought, no matter what kind of athlete you are -- a professional football player, a recreational marathon runner, a golfer … -- the balance of opposites -- being both strong and flexible can help an athlete be their best. The words "Flexible Warrior" came to me and I immediately ran to my computer, "googled" it and bought the domain name -- and that Sunday, Flexible Warrior was born. A few weeks later I met Troy Jacobson, and a few months after that I was filming Yoga for Triathletes! I have been very fortunate to have a lot of support from local athletes who faithfully attended my classes and training sessions and helped with the pose sequences for the videos. I feel like that is what makes the Flexible Warrior videos unique.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE ATHLETIC AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS?
In my yoga practice, one of my biggest challenges is "being present". Many athletes can relate to this. We are always about "what's next". The minute I crossed the finish line at Irongirl, someone asked me "what race are you doing next" -- and I couldn't help but laugh! I will continue to race. I will DEFINITELY do Irongirl again next year (it rocked!) I'm honestly not so concerned with increasing my speed or distances -- Corny as it sounds, I just want to enjoy the journey and the positive energy. As for professional goals, more Yoga for Athletes DVD's will likely evolve. I'd love to have a fleet of Flexible Warrior racers out there, loving and craving their yoga workouts as much as any other training session!
WHAT FITNESS ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO BEGINNERS?
Add "flexibility" and "yoga" to your training calendar! If you do this early on, you'll prevent injury and be a more balanced athlete. I lot of athletes wait to add yoga until after they have an injury, or when they are already so tight from long mileage. If you start early on you can save yourself a lot of aches and pains (preventative maintenance!) Also, most importantly -- HAVE FUN and ENJOY THE JOURNEY! Be grateful for your body that is carrying you all those miles.
To learn more about Karen's DVDs, visit www.spinervals.com
|
About Coach Troy
