Supplementary work, especially core stability training, form drills, and flexibility exercises, is easy to skip when you’re tired and your main training goal is getting in your long runs and tempo runs. These extra sessions, however, will provide refreshing variety to your training. Even more important, by correcting imbalances and weaknesses in your body, they can contribute to better running form. With that improved form, you can train harder and longer at a lower risk of injury, and you will be able to maintain a more-effective running technique throughout the marathon. When scheduling your training, count time for these sessions as an integral part of your marathon preparation.
Flexibility Training
Marathon training takes a toll on the body. One of the greatest costs of all that mileage is a loss of flexibility. Improving your natural range of motion can improve your running technique and increase your stride length while reducing your risk of injury.
Tight muscles provide resistance that limits your ability to stride out. Stretching not only increases your muscle length but also improves the length of the connective tissue surrounding the muscle fibers. Your regular stretching routine before and after running helps maintain your flexibility but is unlikely to improve it. To achieve gains in flexibility, include one or two training sessions of at least 30 minutes per week devoted to flexibility exercises or yoga.
Always do your stretching when your muscles are warmed up. A warm muscle stretches more easily and greatly reduces the likelihood of injury while stretching. If you’re doing a specific flexibility training session, then walk, jog, or cycle for 5 minutes or so to improve the blood flow in your muscles. If you’re doing a normal training run, then warm up for 5 minutes and stretch before starting the run. We know you’ve probably heard this advice before, and you probably know some good runners in your area who pride themselves on never stretching, but there’s no getting around the facts: Even a small amount of stretching before running will improve the flow of your running and help improve your running form. After running, try to allow a minimum of 10 minutes for stretching your major muscle groups.
Stretching should be firm enough to create adequate tension in the muscle, but gentle enough that your muscles can relax. If you stretch aggressively, your muscles will tighten in a protective reflex to prevent straining or tearing of muscle fibers. You need to stretch gently and consistently to obtain improved length in the muscle and surrounding connective tissue.
There are several schools of thought on how long to stretch and how many times to repeat a stretch. The traditional recommendation is to hold a stretch for at least 30 seconds and to do each stretch once or twice. To strike an optimal balance between effectiveness and time-efficiency, we recommend holding stretches for 20 to 30 seconds and repeating each stretch twice.
Be sure to breathe while you stretch. Some runners inadvertently hold their breath while stretching, thereby reducing stretching’s effectiveness.
Two important areas for marathoners to focus on are the hip flexors and hamstrings. Your hip flexors (primarily iliopsoas and rectus femoris) are the muscles that lift your thigh relative to your hip. These are some of the strongest muscles in the body, and they tend to become short and inflexible in runners. Improving the flexibility of your hip flexors increases your thigh’s ability to move back relative to your pelvis, thereby allowing your stride length to increase.
Tight hamstrings restrict your stride length by preventing your thigh from swinging forward completely. The combination of tight hip flexors and tight hamstrings causes the familiar marathoners’ shuffle. Stretching your hamstrings consistently (a slow but steady process) will allow your stride to increase to its natural length.
The following program provides total-body stretches and is recommended if you’re serious about improving your flexibility. It’s ideal for after your run, or you can do it as a stand-alone session after a few minutes of walking, jogging, or cycling to warm your muscles.
Do each stretch twice. Perform the first repetition with a gentle intensity and the second stretch with a moderate intensity. Don’t stretch forcefully. If you don’t have time to do the entire program, then select the exercises that work your tightest muscles.
• Perform two repetitions of each stretch before moving to the next stretch.
• Breathe normally while stretching; don’t hold your breath.
• Don’t stretch an area that’s painful.
EXERCISE 1: BENT-LEG CALF STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of soleus (deep/lower calf) muscles
How to do it:
Stand an arm’s length away from the wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing directly forward. Slide your right foot back so that your weight is over your left foot, as shown. Slowly bend your left knee until you feel a stretch in the lower calf muscle. Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 2: STRAIGHT-LEG CALF STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of gastrocnemius (upper calf) muscles
How to do it:
Stand an arm’s length away from a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing directly forward.
Take one step and lean forward so that your hands are flat on the wall as shown.
Keep your back foot flat on the floor and your back knee straight.
Slowly move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the calf muscle of the back leg.
Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 3: KNEELING HAMSTRING STRETCH
How many: 2 repetitions of 20 to 30 seconds per side
How it helps: improves flexibility of hamstring muscles
How to do it:
Kneel on the floor.
Lift one knee and move it out in front of you so that the leg is straight and the heel is on the floor.
Your toes should be pointing forward rather than straight up at the ceiling. While keeping a slight arch in your lower back and the rest of your back as straight as possible, lean forward until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE 4: LYING HAMSTRING STRETCH