We hope you enjoyed a nice, long holiday weekend. Did you get a chance to get out and run? The correct answer is yes! J. What do you do before you run…

 

Back in the day (before cell phones and the internet even) we were encouraged to stretch really well before running. Coaches would frown upon you if you didn’t properly stretch. But guess what? Stretching before you warm up can actually CAUSE injuries, rather than preventing them. It’s important to warm up before starting your run. A fast paced walk, some careful lunges or high leg kicks. If you need to stretch out a particular muscle, warm up a bit and then stretch. Even more beneficial is stretching after the run. At that point your muscles are nice and warmed up and more flexible and it’s a safe point to stretch them out.

Have you been running all along, or did you start after signing up for this year’s My Dogs are Barking 5K? Either way, how about an easy workout? It’s a four letter word really; H-I-L-L. Running uphill may not be your favorite or easiest thing, but a hill work out does some amazing things for your running. It’s probably the one workout that has so many benefits. Turns out the best things in life aren’t free. If you want the rewards, you have to hit the hills.

But for our beginner runners (congratulations again! yay you!!!) before even starting your first hill workout, try taking your next run to a hillier course. Imagine a roller coaster of sorts, some up some down some up some down, this is an excellent way to prepare a beginner runner for a hill workout.

How do you run a hill workout? How the heck do you get up a hill? Well, here is another plug for running with your dog. I have a dog that will help me up a hill from time to time. Man’s/Women’s best friend indeed!

But if your dog looks to you for encouragement, or they stayed home all together, remember this;

·         Keep your back straight. Try not to bend over. I know it can be a struggle sometimes…

·         Head up. Keep your eyes focused up and ahead on the goal (the top of the hill).

·         Shorten your stride. No one is sprinting all out here, no need for a nice long stride. Keep them short and simple.

Mostly importantly, remember everything that goes up must come down. Hurray for downhill's.