after a cool-down walk that includes arm circles and shoulder rolls, plus some high-stepping (knees up) and hamstring curls to loosen everything up slowly, i have a post-run ritual of stretching that can be expanded or contracted depending on what i feel really needs it. always do: calves, hip flexors, piroformis stretch, hamstring stretch 1, hamstring stretch 2, quad stretch, holding each one for at least 30sec. will add IT band, inner thigh, lower back stuff if i think i need it.

i do all this in my kitchen, which is right inside my front door (no entrance hall or anything), so i'm usually prepping my post-workout meal/drink as i'm doing the stretches, and talking to hubby about the run (assuming he didn't chase me on his bicycle)...also rehydrating and having a smoke, though i don't recommend the last one ;)

basically, if you make it a habit (and anything repeated over 21 days becomes habit), you will keep doing it. if i don't stretch out well after a run, my hamstrings for sure will cramp when i sit down at the computer to log my workouts. i have nerve damage from sciatica down my right side, and stretching thoroughly helps prevent charley horses in my hamstring and calf.

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

Thanks! I think I need to buckle down....I have a habit of getting distracted. If I was out with one or more of the dogs, then I play a bit with the other, or go see the cats, or, or, or....

I was thinking of trying to do some yoga too. I generally don't like yoga b/c it reminds me of how inflexible I am, but - I know how dumb it is not to stretch.

Funnily, your post reminded me of another bad habit of mind - not having a post-run snack/protein. I know to do all this stuff, I just don't. I was talking to my boyfriend about this today at lunch, and said that last night I had some smartfood about an hour and a half after I was done my runs, and that that was okay b/c smartfood has protein (the cheese, if it even is real cheese) and he just stared at me and said 'you have the WORST training habits of anyone I've ever met'. And it is true I do have bad training habits, and I know better. Ack.

yoga is a good thing - when i'm feeling a bit overtrained, i do a day of either yoga or pilates. the one dvd i have (rodney yee's "yoga burn") whoops my arse - i call the instructor "rubber man"! but it's great for an hour-long stretching session.

knowing how little actual ability i have, i try to be very diligent about my workouts and nutrition. basically taking a low-power clapped out motor and trying to coax some performance out of it through maintenance and feeding it high-test fuel! *lol*

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

I had some pretty significant lower back pain a few weeks ago. I was probably running a little too hard and I never stretch, so while I laid off the running, I started doing this morning PBS show called "Classical Stretch". It runs in our area from 5:30-6am, and this lovely Canadian woman takes you through basic stretches and a little bit of core. The stretching has helped to relieve the back pain and I can really see where I've let my muscles get WAY too tight. Like you, I don't have the patience for stretching on my own.

I'm like you - I stretch and roll if something's screwed up, but if it's not - I don't. I really should keep rolling out my IT bands too.

I think I get PBS....I should check. And I think I have some pilates video w/10 minute workouts - dunno if that would really stretch, but probably better than I am now.

I can always think of something to do other than stretch. And with a little zoo, an excuse is always at hand :)

I would definitely recommend trying yoga. It can be boring during the class, but if you set aside time for it like any other workout, it's more likely to happen (at least for me), and you wind up missing how you feel if you don't do it. I usually take classes at my gym, but there are tons of really good videos too. The key is to focus on yourself and ignore everyone else - (hard, I know. I definitely find that getting a good stretch helps me with my other workouts, especially with my runs because I have really tight calves.

My coach insisted that I try yoga for 2 months. We are about 1.5 months in and I find that I like it and plan to keep going. And it does help with the flexibility and strength.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I refer alot of my patients to hot yoga, the heat helps relax/warm up the muscles, making the class more effective, that way you don't have to do it aslong or often i find, the other way to make streatching easier, is to have a massage therapist streatch you out after your massage, do 50 min massage get changed into shorts and a t shirt then have them streatch you out for the last 10 to 15 min, my tight or sporty clients love this, and again find it very effective becuse they can relax the tissue, and the muscle is already warmed up for them.

I've started yoga and am surprised by how much I'm loving it! I've never liked it this much before.

It's good too b/c my IT band is acting up again right now. Luckily with the fix to the downward tilt of my trainer I'm enjoying the bike more and can more happily sub it in for runs.

The only bad thing I've noticed with the yoga (other than that my one dog spent last night sitting next to me, licking my feet and farting) if that my bad hip pops quite a bit doing certain moves/stretches - it's more than just like cracking my knee or something, I can feel it moving around.

*lol* one of my cats loves to get UNDER me while i'm in bridge pose, or if i'm doing pilates, she'll get under my back/head while i'm doing crunches! and all 3 of them seem to think my yoga mats are beds for them - constantly chasing them off!

might want to get that hip checked by a doc...stuff shouldn't move around too much..

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

Yeah, I did the yoga before the cats come out for a reason! My friend's cat who lives with me would be standing on me! :D

I hurt the hip when I oh-so-cleverly decided in March that b/c there'd been no ice on the sidewalks for awhile, trails would be clear too, so I didn't bring my icers. The first 5k was all ice. But, since I'm stubborn, I still ran, and I had one epic fall where I landed squarely on my hip. Brutal. I mentioned it to my gp (who ran varsity x-country and still runs) when I was there about meds, and he said that I had bursitis in the hip, but that I couldn't make it worse, I could just stop it from getting better. I haven't gone to my sports med doc b/c I don't want to pay for physio and plus I don't want to hear that it could be something more than bursitis so I've fallen back on my standard 'if I don't go to the doctor, I can't really be hurt!!' operating mode that has traditionally stood me in such good stead through injuries like a partial patellar tendon tear, some head injuries though not technically concussions, that sort of thing. My big race is coming up at the start of July, I don't have time for a real injury!

I know it's the hip that sets off my IT band down in my knee, so I think the popping is a combination of the bursitis and screwed up IT band in the knee. I do feel movement though so I hope it's nothing more. It makes sense that it would all be my IT band though :)

I don't do a ton of stretching, but I roll around on a foam roller about fifty times a day. Music is good!

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

For some reason, 4 hour rides and 3 hour runs are fine, then I am too 'lazy' to stretch!
YOGA as has been said-awesome! even one class a week, all I have time for, helps. A ton.
And while I hate to spend time on stretching, I think now I get about 15 min a day in. I think it doesnt matter so much when you do it. If I am on an escalator (of course we'd rather take the stairs!, but I will take the escalator for this) I will stretch my calves by dropping my heels down on the way up. Showers and elevators if I am alone....stretch. (careful in the shower!) Bathroom break at work? stretch. It all adds up. Any sort of down time, stretch. Waiting for the train, look like a fool, stretch. Working it in over the course of the day I think just as good as devoting a block of time to it.