Do you take time to stretch?
Often the runners who stretch are the ones who have already faced an injury. So if stretching is an important part of rehabilitation, why not do it before you get hurt and save the medical costs and down time from exercising? I love the quote from Run Less Run Faster, “use stretching as prehab, rather than rehab.”
There are many benefits of stretching like improved performance, better range of motion, and joint stabilization but the key here is to AVOID INJURY! There’s nothing more frustrating for a runner than to be sidelined with an injury so incorporating the following key stretches will pay off big time.
Key Stretch 1: Standing Calf stretch – Stand on the top of a step or curb or against a wall and with your stretching leg straight, drop your heel towards the ground. You will feel this stretch in your calf muscle. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Then bend your knee so you feel the stretch more in your calf and also in your Achilles tendon. Hold this for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Key Stretch 2: Quadriceps / Hip Flexors – Step into a lunge then drop your back knee all the way to the floor. Keep your truck upright, your shoulders high, and push your hips forward. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with opposite leg.
Key Stretch 3: Lying Hamstring – Lay on the floor with the left knee bent and the right leg in the air. Hold the right leg behind your thigh just below your knee. Keeping your leg straight, pull your right leg towards your chest. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with other leg.
Key Stretch 4: Glutes / Piriformis – Lay on the floor with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Cross your right ankle on top of your left knee. Grab your left thing just below your knee and pull forward towards your chest. Hold stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat with other leg.
Key Stretch 5: Spinal Rotation – Lay on the floor with your knees bent and your back flat. Extend your arms out to your sides. With your knees together drop both legs to one side. Hold for 30 seconds. Bring knees back to the middle then repeat by dropping knees to the other side. Repeat stretch 2x per day.
Key Stretch 6: Low Back – Lay on the floor on your back with your knees bent. Grab your legs behind your thighs and bring your knees to your chest. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this stretch 2x per day.
Key Stretch 7: IT Band – Lay on the floor with your knees bent. Drop both knees to one side. Extend the bottom leg out straight then extend the top leg so it is perpendicular to the bottom leg. Reach opposite arm out to the side and look that way. This will enhance the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with other leg.
- Start on all fours in a squared table pose.
- Slide the right knee forward toward your right hand. Angle your right knee at two o’clock.
- Slide your left leg back as far as your hips will allow.
- Keep your hips square to the floor. If your hips are not square, there will be unnecessary force on your back, and you won’t be able to open the hips to their fullest.
- If you’re not feeling a deep stretch in your right glute, slide the right foot forward–little by little–toward your left hand. With practice, bring your foot parallel with the front edge of your mat
- Your right thigh should have an external rotation, and your left thigh should have a slight internal rotation. This keeps pressure off the knee cap.
- Depending on how you feel, you will be upright on your hands while sinking the hips forward and down. Level two will rest on their forearms, and level three will rest the chest on the floor with the arms fully extended in front of you.
- To get full release in the hips, breathe and release the belly. Stay in this position anywhere from 10 breaths to five minutes.
Pigeon Pose
Strong to the Core 
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