Stretching

Lets do a quick little quiz. Shall we?

Q: You are getting ready to run and just changed into some athletic clothes. What do you do next?

A: Stretch

Q: You just finished your run and walked over to your kitchen to grab a water bottle. What do you do next?

A: Stretch

Q: You are sitting at your desk and your hamstring is feeling a little tight. What do you do next?

A: Stretch 

Okay, I think you get the point now. Stretching is a very critical component when it comes to staying active and healthy, but it is often overlooked in the daily life cycle of the average runner, or all athletes in general for that matter. 

Stretching can relieve that seemingly ever present soreness that permeates through your body the day or two after a particularly taxing workout. It can also be a relaxing way to unwind and care for your body after pushing it to the limit. If the comfort that stretching brings is not enough to get you to consider taking the time to stretch, how would you like spending seven weeks of your already short season on the sideline? Stretching is a very easy part of living the anti-injury lifestyle and can help keep you injury free so that you can reach toward your goal of having a successful and complete season, no matter what sport you are in. Injuries are the unfortunate byproduct of competitive sports, and nothing can ensure that you can be 100% injury free, but why wouldn't you want to take any precaution you could against cutting you season in 1/2 (or worse depending on the injury)? Everyone has a predisposed illusion of how their season will go before it starts, and I have a lot of confidence when I say that I don't think being injured is a part of anyone's plan. 

There are few excuses when it comes to not stretching. I mean really, it takes around five minutes tops to quickly run through and release the tension in each part of you leg, so don't say that you are too busy! Think about this the next time you are chilling on the couch after school/work eating some cheerios and watching Grey's Anatomy (fortunately stretching is one of the few tasks that can easily be done while watching McDreamy dissect an inoperable metastatic brain tumor from a 7 year old boy). So unless you are medically unable to pull back your leg a little until you feel the tension, stretching can only be beneficial, as long as you do not force the stretch too much, because that can be harmful. I suggest just pulling back until you feel the stretch, but do not go until you feel too much discomfort or pain, a little stretch is just fine and people are at a spectrum of flexibility. 

If you still aren't certain whether or not you will stretch before and after your next run, take the time to look at these websites to discover some of the logical reasons why stretching is a nearly essential part of the process that keeps your body active and healthy. These websites can also give you a few stretching tips. 

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/cardio/the-importance-of-stretching-for-runners.html

http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/essential-runner-stretches#1