MOfWC, that is amazing!!! Congrats. 
I never stretch. When I ride my bike, I just ride pretty slowly until my legs feel “warm.”
But then again, I have the most inflexible muscles you’ve ever seen. It would probably do me some good to stretch when I’m good and warm (as opposed to before exercise). Probably won’t happen, though.
Finished my 16 mile run. Sub-70, humid but oh so fresh and lovely. I stopped at mile 15 to nibble on some juicy blackberries for a minute. Even including that, I averaged 8:15. So much better than a week ago!
That’s a really awesome time, Bunsen. You must be flying!
BB, how do you run that fast for that long? Seriously, that’s a hefty clip.
Must be the Huma gel I ate after mile 9! My running does not really look fast, and I do huff and puff… My running speed is highly temperature-dependent. Today’s weather was just perfect, although I slightly overdressed. I wore my Lulu tee over the stripey bra, and by mile 4 I regretted that decision, but I did not want to stop to take it off.
Great run, Bunsen.
Thanks, all. We are proud of her and love seeing the confidence she has gained as she has become an athlete along with her other talents.
So happy for your daughter, MOfWC! I bet she was an athlete to begin with, she just did not know that
I am so thankful for your Huma gel recommendation! This stuff is several orders of magnitude better than the horrid Gu stuff I ate previously.
Starting jogging today! one of the 3 mile walk.
A fresh article on dynamic stretching (the study group was pretty athletic though):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25932984/
I bet for the huge majority of us, stretching makes no significant difference. My dynamic stretching today involved jogging across the parking lot to be able to cross the street before the light turned red. 
Couldn’t pull up anything but the abstract without subscribing :(. Wonder what was actually done as “dynamic stretching”. Was it “dynamic warm up” utilizing movement patterns simulating the run or static “ballistic” stretching of single muscles. Really tough to tell from the limited description of “10 repetitions as quickly as possible for five muscle groups in lower extremities”. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21373870 and http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/pre-exercise-stretching-and-performance for some interesting insights.
Also of note is that what was measured was high intensity (90% VO2 max) in highly trained athletes that could only be maintained for relative short duration (13-15 minutes). Assuming the “dynamic stretching” involved dynamic movement patterns simulating the event (which I suspect is the case) as opposed to ballistic stretching, the outcomes seem consistent with the earlier literature summarized in the IDEA article I linked.
MNK, I found the abstract through RunnersWorld write-ups on the dynamic (moving) stretching vs static stretching so I assume it was the former. I was planning on getting a copy when I’m on campus next week to see what the big deal was.
You’re probably right BB. “Dynamic Stretching” is a term of art in the fitness industry and world of exercise science but the description in the abstract created some ambiguity. No doubt the full document will spell out in detail exactly what both study groups did. Let us know what you find out! I found the IDEA article to be interesting in it’s summary of different stretching modalities and the circumstances in which they could have utility.
So happy for your D, MOWC. I have a feeling we’ll be feeling much more from her!
Tough weekend here. Ran on Thursday - did a Reformer class Friday and Saturday did a short run followed by a combo yoga/Pilates class, which is a lot of fun as it’s followed by a beer or kombucha at a local brewery. I’ve developed a large knot in the calf muscle in my previously non-problematic leg and as a result even walking is painful. I’ve preceded running with foam rolling and followed up with more foam rolling, but at this point I haven’t had a longer run since early July. Marathon isn’t going to happen this year. I’m feeling a little discouraged but I just don’t want to risk further injuries that would jeopardize even my everyday activities.
I haven’t read most of the studies on static/dynamic stretching. I’m curious if they were conducted on younger/elite trained athletes.
I know that a lot of bodies are different and I wonder if these studies have been done on the older runner. I remember at 18 I could go on a15 mile run at a moments notice. I think I’ve been relatively injury free because I have a regimen of primarily dynamic stretching. I do some static calf and hamstring as well.
MoWC, congratulations to your daughter. She has really accomplished a lot for a “non” athlete!
sabaray, I’m so sorry to hear about your injuries. I had terrible problems with my calves and the thing that finally helped them was active release technique from my chiro.
What I’ve noticed over the last 5 years is that most of my injuries have been the result of the shoes I’m wearing. Over time, certain shoes have caused tendonitis in different body parts. I switch shoes, the tendon recovers, I try the shoes again, the pain comes back. But since tendonitis develops over time, I don’t immediately realize the shoes are a problem.
Sabaray, this tough and omg, painful! I’m sorry this has happened but think you are wise to choose the road that allows for varied activity and at this point, not putting all your efforts in one basket - running - at the risk of losing out on other activities you enjoy. Don’t look too far ahead and see what the upcoming weeks bring you - and methods to help with your current issues.
Yesterday was gardening day - four hours of weeding, turning over dirt, pulling/trimming plants, replanting and mulching - in the hot sun! Outside of that I did mange to get in 10,000 steps outside of the gardening. I’ll call it a win.
I’m so sorry, sabaray. I know it’s a big disappointment. I hope the calf knot will resolve. That sounds terrible. Why did that develop?
5 miles this morning were really tough. I think the triathlon yesterday really wore me out- coupled with the 7 hour drive home. The heat bothered me this morning and it was just a big struggle. I was soaked. 34 mile week, though, which is good.