A runners case for dynamic stretching

The evidence seems clear that stretching isn’t very useful for runners. I like doing it anyway.

Before I go for a run, I like to loosen up my body with a few dynamic stretches. I start with some gentle high knee hugs, and then do 10 leg swings forward and back before finishing with 10 sideways leg swings. 

The key word is “gentle.” Like many runners, my body often feels stiff and tight, especially in the morning when I do most of my runs. The last thing I want to do is overextend or strain my muscles before they’re ready to engage. 

It’s a short routine that takes no more than a minute or two, but it accomplishes several things. First, it puts me in touch with my body: what hurts, what feels good, etc. Second, it settles down some of my pre-run anxiousness so I can be in the proper headspace to remain loose and relaxed when I start moving.* 

*To be absolutely clear, I consider the first 5-10 minutes of my runs, taken at an easy, relaxed pace, to be my “warmup.”

I never thought I’d be one of those guys doing old man stretches, but here we are. There was a time when I was more self-conscious about things like this, but now I really don’t care. After doing this little routine in front of a 20-something runner a few years ago, he looked at me like I was from outer space. I just laughed and said, “Someday you will too.” 

Actually, he may not. It seems that stretching doesn’t serve an actual purpose for runners in terms of performance or injury prevention. If you’re one of those people who don’t currently stretch, there isn’t a compelling reason to start. 

Not me, though. I’m all in on stretching before and after my runs. In fact, I’ve become a serial stretcher, so much so that it’s now a vital part of my self-care. Remember that pre-run anxiousness I mentioned? Hold that thought, we’ll circle back to it.  

We should clarify a few terms first. Dynamic stretches, like those described above, are active movements designed to engage a full range of motion. Along with a few of my own twists and variations, the vast majority of my stretching is dynamic. 

Static stretching, on the other hand, is when you isolate a particular muscle and hold the stretch for a period of time. You may remember static stretching from gym class. I didn’t like it then and I’m not a huge fan of it now. 

There’s evidence that static stretching before you run can actually decrease strength and impair performance. Out of habit more than anything, I sometimes incorporate some post-run static stretching on the theory that my muscles are sufficiently warmed up for it to have a positive effect. Honestly, it doesn’t do a lot for me. 

One day I came across a walking stretch routine that’s like a hybrid between dynamic and static methods. I’ve spent a fair amount of time trying to find the original routine online, but I inevitably get lost in a blizzard of other routines that are just variations of stuff I’ve found somewhere else. That’s happened to a lot of the exercises I’ve found online over the years. C’est la vie. 

The routine, as best I can remember, includes high knees hugs again (love those,) oil drillers, and the old quad stretch where you pull one leg back while balancing on the other foot and extending the opposite arm. Yes, I have toppled over like a weeble-wobble a few times. The idea is that you hold each stretch for only a breath or two and then walk a few steps between reps.

One thing I like about the walking stretch is it forces me to find balance without the aid of a tree or the side of my car. I’ve been doing those moves after my run, and I return to them throughout the day when I get up from my desk, or transition into doing something active with my 7-year-old. 

All of this is different from my post-run recovery stretch that incorporates yoga elements along with a few moves that fall under the category of active isolated stretching (AIS). It sounds like a lot of stretching, but it doesn’t take that much time. The post-run routine, for example, takes only about 10-15 minutes from start to finish.

I can’t say that all this stretching does anything for my performance, but it has made me more flexible. I like that feeling because I can be a terribly inflexible human being, both physically and emotionally. 

I’m not particularly limber and there are times when I’m stretching that I feel like a walrus in a straitjacket, flopping and flailing to get into position. Yet, there are other times when I feel connected to my body in a way that’s cosmically liberating. That’s rare, but it’s a lovely goal.    

Stretching does more than relax my muscles. It relaxes my mind, especially when I’m able to connect to the breath, as they say in yoga. For me, a relaxed mind leads to a relaxed body, and that helps aid my recovery after a hard run. It also makes me a far more pleasant person to be around, no small thing in our age of quarantine. 

Like a lot of people, I suffer from anxiety. As a first line of defense, I’ve learned the value of deep breathing in stressful situations. Those deep breaths in conjunction with moving my body help release the tension in my body, and ultimately, helps ease the feelings of anxiety in my mind. 

I’m pretty confident that stretching doesn’t help my running like a series of strides aids my running economy. It’s not a 1-1 relationship. I am fairly sure, however, that a more relaxed me is a better runner and most definitely a better human. So, I’m going to continue to stretch.  

To be a runner is to have an opinion about stretching, so let’s hear it . What, if anything, do you stretch before and after your runs?