Loosen Up

Many of us, myself included, have taken up running again! Now that Moriah is 6 months old, I love to hit the pavement. Warming up before running is something that I often have questions about. I know it is necessary, but when and how, for how long?

Here is what I found:

Coach Jenny, from Runner's World says:

Sretching cold muscles can increase the risk of injury. Think of a piece of gum. Put it in your mouth and chew it for 10 minutes - take it out and stretch it. Voila! It stretches with ease. Take that same piece of gum out of your mouth and put it on a table and then try and stretch it 10 minutes later when it is cold. It stretches with resistance and snaps. Muscles work very much the same. We do know they extend more easily while warm versus cold and that flexibility exercises are vital for runners.
That being said, both sides are right and wrong at the same time. It is best to stretch when the body is warm and that can be defined by the point at which you begin to perspire. That may take 5 minutes some days and 10 others.
For the sake of time efficiency and getting the most in with the least amount of risk, I believe the best stretching strategy for runners is the following:

Arm up with 5 minutes of brisk walking. It gradually diverts circulation to the working muscles, increases heart rate and breathing. It is the best way to prepare your body for the upcoming run.

Take the next 5-10 minutes and run at a very easy pace continuing to increase heart rate, breathing and circulation.

Then work into your planned running regimen

[easy, long, speed...]

Cool down with easy 5 minutes of running and then 5 minutes of walking. This is the exact opposite of the warm up. The cool down is very important as it returns your body back to its resting state.

Finish with flexibility exercises to improve/maintain range of motion in your muscles, joints and tendons.

Check out a great flexibility program for runners HERE

I felt like this answer was right to the point and it was understandable to me! I am expecting that if we take extra precaution to warm-up correctly then we'll continue to avoid and keep running!