Kerry McCarthy is senior writer for Runner's World magazine. He has run 10 marathons, raced Usain Bolt and trained with Paula Radcliffe - but he hasn't been able to touch his toes since he was a child.Hello and welcome to our new Yoga for Runners

specific injuries and more.Olga's Hot Bikram Yoga studios in Fulham, Balham and London Bridge are firmly established destinations that reflect the ethos of Bikram Yoga, the UK’s fastest growing form of yoga. As you'll know from Kerry and Alex's posts in our

.Foundation buildingBikram is the perfect foundation for any sport, particularly high-impact ones. Its help in preventing injuries means you’ll be able to enjoy high-impact sports such as running, rugby and football for longer, which is why so many athletes make it a

Our first two blog posts introduced Bikram yoga, and now we're getting into the nitty-gritty of how the 26 specific postures in the Bikram sequence can improve your running performance.Practising yoga in the heat brings huge benefits

nerves by increasing circulation, strengthens the spine along its entire length and develops flexibility.""Runners often neglect their glutes, but having strong glutes can decrease the risk of lower back injury or pain, and give you power to sprint

under the 20 minute mark, I couldn't touch my toes, my ITB (iliotibial band, the muscle that runs from your hip to your knee on the outside of your leg) seemed to be made out of concrete and my balance was similar to that of a career alcoholic.To be a

with your health. A cold now would be as devastating as a serious injury. Even a very mild cold would still affect your running for a number of weeks. From personal experience, the two most important things that you can control are sleep and hydration

, this will slowly open up the hips while maintaining correct posture. Many runners have trouble with this pose at first because they get such tight hips, groin and hamstrings, but if they do it regularly they will see their running efficiency come on in leaps

group.Olga Allon, director of Hot Bikram Yoga in London says, "The power of Locust comes from your glutes, which protect your spine; many running injuries stem from having weak glutes. Locust can also help ease sciatic and disc pain."Runners can be lax

, this pose requires a strong core and an extraordinary amount of focus. Whether it's during a lung-busting 5K or a marathon, we've all had soul-searching, 'why am I doing this?' moments when running seems like a really silly idea. The previous four poses