A lot goes into a proper running training program in addition to the running. In order to be successful, you need to pay attention to the volume and intensity of running, nutrition, clothing, hydration, rest, and more. Do we really need to add stretching to that list?
As if running miles upon miles wasn't time consuming enough, it turns out that a proper warmup and cooldown are also an integral part of proper training.
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't personally cut corners. Time is a limited resource after all. Still, a 30 minute run becomes 45 minutes if you warmup and cooldown, or an hour if you add in 15 minutes of strength training.
It took me decades (!) to really realize that a proper warmup and cooldown can do a lot to avoid aches and pains, or sometimes even injury, and that it's worth doing and not breezing through.
Luckily, I'm here to deliver a shortcut (sort of). If there is one thing that runners regularly include in a workout program that I'm okay with cutting, it would be stretching.
What is the Purpose of Stretching?
Many doctors recommend stretching both before and after exercise because the exertion can shorten your muscles. We want to be able to move through a full range of motion and not feel tight, right?
Flexibility Versus Mobility
Flexibility is the ability to achieve large ranges of motion in the joints. It’s passive.
Mobility is the ability to move through a normal range of motion with strength. It’s active.
Runners don't need a lot of flexibility. By moving one foot in front of the other quickly you aren't going through an extraordinary range of motion and in a lot of cases an extraordinarily wide range of motion would actually be harmful to a runner. Do your running injuries happen when you exert yourself into the limit of your range of motion or when you're in your normal range of motion. Most of the time it's the latter. Let's leave the funny bending your leg over your head stuff to the yogis and the gymnasts.
Dynamic Versus Static Stretching
Keeping in mind the above about wanting to maintain mobility, stretching may actually work against our goals. The tightness we feel is actually not so much the muscles themselves but knots in the fascia surrounding our muscles. And what happens to a knot when you pull it? It becomes even tighter!
As part of a warm-up routine, adding in dynamic stretching can help you move through a proper range of motion. A proper dynamic warm up will have your muscles primed for work, including your heart. Here is a demonstration of a great set of warmup exercises that include dynamic stretch work. If you make time for a dedicated session, you can do the entire video, which also includes strength work.
We want to increase elasticity in the muscle tissues but not lose the tension that will keep us speedy and moving effectively. Holding static stretches will elongate the muscles, which actually makes it harder for them to contract and powerfully work. We don't want that.
In fact, some of the best ways to improve mobility aren't stretching by any stretch! (Sorry.)
Trail running, foam rolling and sprinting drills are terrific ways to improve mobility without holding any poses.
Stretch Before or After a Run?
We've established the benefits of a dynamic stretch element in the warm up before a run. After the hard work is done, a lot of runners dig into more of the static stretching to restore muscles and maintain flexibility. The thing is, exercise, especially hard workouts, develop small tears in the muscle tissue. Aggressive stretching can make these tears even larger. Therefore, I advise a mobility routine that takes place at a different time than a hard workout. Use the time you might spend static stretching after a run for a dedicated mobility session later on in the week.
When Else You Should Stretch
All of this advice is highly individual. First of all, you should always follow the advice of a medical practitioner. Some of us may have an injury history or a spot that we feel needs to loosen up before we can comfortably continue to run. If you have a spot that you feel needs to be stretched, by all means do so. Learning your body and what feels good and allows you to perform your best trumps any article you read on the internet, every time.
But just holding some forward bends is probably a waste of your precious time.