It’s important that all of your runs/workouts involve some form of stretching, along with a warm-up and a cool down. For the majority of runs, or any workout really, we recommend starting a warm up with an easy jog followed by some dynamic stretching. We listed some examples below but for a full breakdown on dynamic stretching - check this out.

DYNAMIC STRETCHES
Leg Swings
Butt Kicks (soft)
Knee Grabs

Stretching before a workout is just as important as the gentle, static stretching you do during your cool down after your workout. Always go slow and listen to your body. Start your cool down with another round of easy jogging (5-15 minutes) followed by static stretching - more on that here - and strength work.

STRENGTH ACTIVITIES
Squats
Planks
Leg Lifts

Now, let’s not forget foam rolling. This is another great way to help your body avoid injury and release tension in the muscles. You can do this before or after a run depending on how your muscles feel. It’s completely normal for foam rolling to hurt at first. But trust us, it’s a good hurt. The most common places for runners to foam roll are the glutes (aka your butt), hamstrings, calves, and quads. New to foam rolling and not sure what exactly you are supposed to do? This will help.