Best Post Run Stretches

After any workout, it is very important to stretch the muscles for flexibility, better blood flow, increase muscle strength, relaxation and above all to prevent injury. Stretching helps flushing out the lactic acid built up during workout and makes the muscles ready for future exercises. It's benefits cannot be negated if an athlete (for me any person who works out is an athlete) wants to have an injury free and life long exercise routine. As a runner, there are few stretches which I like to do after my run. These stretches, which I am sharing, are primarily for runners as they focus more on the lower body.

1. DOWNWARD DOG(Adho Mukha Svanasana) - An excellent stretch for calf, achilles, hamstrings, glutes, entire back and shoulders. Hold the pose for atleast 30 seconds and try to touch the heels on the ground keeping the knees straight. An interesting thing I noticed few days back is that my son also does this pose while playing and realised that it is common for kids to do. I guess small children are natural yogis.


2. STANDING TOE TOUCH - This stretch is also great for your hamstrings, calves, glutes, outer thigh muscles and lower back. Though it is tough to touch toes if you are a beginner but after regular practice you will be able to do it. Again hold this pose for atleast 30 seconds and do not bounce or give jerks. Keep it easy.

3. IT BAND STRETCH - This is one of the best exercise for opening up tight IT band. I love this exercise because of my IT band problem. It is important not to give jerks but hold the pose for around 30 seconds and change the cross over.




4. PIGEON POSE - Again a good stretch for hamstrings and has a very calming effect on the leg muscles. It also gives a good stretch to the glutes and the groin region. A number of running injuries can be avoided with regular practice of this pose.









5. SPINAL TWIST(Ardha Matsyendrasana) - Running puts a lot of strain on the lower back. This pose will give strength to your back by engaging it in a full range of motion. Also the crossover of legs gives a deep stretch to glutes and hamstrings. Do not give jerks while doing this pose and hold it for atleast 30 seconds.

6. COBRA POSE(Bhujangasana) - It is an excellent exercise for the back, stomach and groin region. Again hold the pose for atleast 30 seconds.








So, according to me these yoga postures are absolutely beneficial for any runner or for that matter any person who sits in front of computer all day long. I perform these exercise after my run as a part of cooling down. By the time I am done, I feel like I can go again for a run.

Signs Of Overtraining

I have increased my training volume since past two weeks or so( preparing for Mumbai Marathon ) and I have been feeling pretty flushed out. So, I read about the few symptoms which I was feeling and was shocked to learn that it was because of over training. Actually, in my enthusiasm to do well in Mumbai Marathon, I failed to increase my workout gradually ( training plan ). So, what are the symptoms we should look out for while training, which can help us to continue without getting injured.

1.  Waking up in the morning tired and even feeling more tired while going to bed.

2. Elevated resting heart rate, even in the morning.

3. Feeling irritable.

4. Unusually feeling more thirsty after waking up.

5. Reduced appetite.

6. Rapid reduction in weight.

7. Reduced motivation to workout.

8. Diarrhea.

9. Body parts and joints hurt ( it is not the normal soreness ).

10. Falling sick now and then.

11. Not recovering easily after workouts.

12. Not falling asleep easily or waking up frequently at night.

13. Headaches.

14. Loss of libido.

15. Inability to complete workouts.

Well, these were few symptoms I could compile and are the most common ones. Look out for these and you can save yourself from a extended lay off. It is best to cut down training volume or take a break altogether for a few days and eating healthy food to recover properly. As off now, what I have done is that I have not moved to my second week as per the training programme and continuing with first week. Also, I have put weight training on hold for sometime. It is important to remember to save the body for another day of workout instead of burning it out in enthusiasm.

Preparation For Mumbai Marathon

After my poor performance in Airtel Hyderabad Marathon in which I "hit the wall" at 25 km and somehow managing to finish it, this time I am determined to do better in my next marathon. So, few days back I enrolled for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon scheduled to be held on 20 January 2013.

I want to run 42.2 km in under 3hours and 30 minutes. That's my goal for Mumbai Marathon. Though I had taken little over 5 hours to finish Hyderabad Marathon :( , 3.30 seems to be bit ambitious. I don't think so. I know I can do it, provided I follow a structured training, rectify my earlier mistakes and this time I have got time in my hand. So, after scouring a number of websites for marathon training program, I finally found one, which is neither easy nor too tough. I guess it will help me achieve my goal as for previous marathon I trained myself on my own whims and that to for last around one and half months. Also, I have started with a little weight training on every alternate day. Below I have given my marathon training schedule for 16 weeks and keeping some cushion days for unforseen event or injury.

WEEK	MON	TUE	WED	THUR	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	8 k – E	Off	10 k – E	10 k – E	8 k – E	13 k	Rest
2	6 k – T	Off	11 k – E	10 k – E	6 k – E	16 k	Rest
3	10 k – T	Off	11 k – E	6 k – H	8 k – E	19 k	Rest
4	10 k – I	8 k – E	10 k – E	8 k – T	10 k – E	16 k	Rest
5	10 k – H	8 k – E	12 k – E	8 k – T	10 k – E	22 k	Rest
6	12 k – I	Off	12 k – E	5 k – E	8 k – E	16 k	Rest
7	12 k – T	8 k – E	11 k – E	8 k – H	8 k – E	26 k	Rest
8	10 k – I	11 k – E	12 k – E	10 k – T	6 k – E	16 k	Rest
9	10 k – H	11 k – E	12 k – E	10 k – T	8 k – E	29 k	Rest
10	12 k – I	8 k – E	11 k – E	8 k – E	6 k – E	16 k	Rest
11	12 k – H	10 k – E	14 k – E	10 k – T	10 k – E	32 k	Rest
12	12 k – I	10 k – E	12 k – E	10 k – H	10 k – E	16 k	Rest
13	16 k – T	Off	12 k – E	8 k – E	10 k – E	35 k	Rest
14	10 k – I	6 k – E	12 k – E	6 k – H	8 k – E	22 k	Rest
15	10 k – T	Off	10 k – E	8 k – E	6 k – E	12 k	Rest
16	8 k – E	Off	8 k – E	Off	5 k – E	Off	42.2

E - Easy run. It is run at a comfortable pace which is neither hard nor very easy.
T - Tempo run. It is run at a "comfortably hard" pace or at a pace in which one can speak in mono syllables.
I - Intervals.
H - Hill running. There are plenty in Hyderabad and near my house.
Sat - Saturdays are long run day done at a very easy, conversational pace.

In this program, there are plenty of long tempo runs thrown in, which I really need to do to improve my speed and endurance. I also need to increase my mileage and need a proper tapering plan. Nowadays, I am reading a lot about nutrition, be it pre, post or during run. I need to experiment with a number of food items to see which one works for me. If anybody has got some suggestion, please do share for my benefit and for others also. Till then, happy running.