Stretch

Injury prevention should hold a prominent place on every runner’s table. One injury could potentially ruin an entire training plan. Also, as we carry onto our non-running, normal daily routines we have to be conscious of soreness and making sure are bodies are able to function. At the same time as preventing injuries and reducing soreness, runners try to challenge themselves as much as possible within these limits. One simple activity worked into a normal running routine could address all of these; injury prevention, soreness, and performance. I am talking about stretching.

I always feel the itch to just get out and hit the road. There was a period of time were I did away with stretching all together, thinking that it wasn’t an efficient use of my time. I found that my performance was poor and my recoveries were much harder. I also noticed a slight pain develop in my hip. Through research, I was able to isolate the muscle group causing my woes and find a stretch to address the problem. Every since I have resumed my stretching routine, the slight muscle pain has not revisited me.

There are plenty of resources out there listing stretches for runners. I’ll leave you to research those. Find something that works for you and “run” with it. If you’re feeling especially sore in a certain muscle group, try and find a stretch to address your problems. It will pay off. You’ll see improvements in your form and balance and be less susceptible to injury. On top of that, you’ll feel better the next day! So, take 10 minutes before and after a run to stretch properly even if it uses up some of the time allotted for your run.