Before you start to increase your mileage, be sure to add these two moves to your training routine.
If you’ve signed up for a spring 10K (or really, any race), this is the week you’ll start to emerge from inside the overheated yet cozy, treadmill-packed gym and head outside to go running in the fresh air.
And as you start to ramp up your training, you’ll want to keep pain (knees and hips, we’re talking to you) at bay. So we asked elite running coach Andrew Kastor—he trains the ASICS Mammoth Track Club and LA Road Runners—to share his tips for transitioning to outdoor running and higher mileage.
One of the main takeaways we got from Kastor: refresh your stretching routine. If you’re pressed for time, specifically target your hip flexors and your quads. “Stretching these two helps minimize injuries everywhere else in the body,” Kastor says.
To zone in on these hotspots, start with a modified crescent lunge, Kastor says, by keeping both toes pointing forward, leaning into your front leg to stretch the opposite hip flexor.
Target your quads by resting on the ground on your left side with your left leg in front of you bent at 90 degrees and right leg behind you, also bent at 90 degrees. Grab your right foot with your right hand and gently pull your heel toward your butt while using your left hand to keep your left knee pressing into the floor. (Kastor is demo’ing this stretch below.)
And while the weather can’t seem to decide between winter and spring, your #UpNOutforecast reads safer (pain-free) runs ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment