running, continued.

In case you missed my awesome running schedule, here it is again, in a much more pinner-friendly form.

Now that you are confident in your ability to begin running and make it a welcomed part of your weekly workout routine, we need to talk about stretching.

Stretching, be it super annoying and kind of time consuming, is extremely important to your body when you do all forms of exercise, but it is exceptionally detrimental to the runner's body. Static (still, not moving) stretches should be held for 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the stretch and how you feel in it, and static (moving) stretches should be counted in repetitions (reps) and can be anywhere from 2-10 reps depending on your level of activity and soreness. 

I have found that the verdict is still out on whether one should stretch before or after a workout. Google it. Some people feel you should not work out on cold muscles while others say you definitely should not stretch a cold muscle. I stretch after I run, but I use my first half mile to one mile to build up to the pace I will carry the remainder of the run. I'm not sure the level of truth here, or if my reasoning makes sense to any one other than yours truly, but I feel like gradually warming up the muscles will let me run further and longer than I would be able to had I gone balls to the wall straight out of the gate. 

Some people chose to stretch the entire body beforehand, run how they chose, and stretch again. I call these people over achievers. Who has that kind of time? The following is a chart of some simple stretches that will have you ready to go after your run and help relieve soreness in the beginning. You'll still be sore, it's part of the running thing, but this will help. 

Enjoy, friends!