So, I did the half marathon! Months of training (albeit less so the past few weeks eep) finally put to use. I ran it in 2 hours 24 minutes (including a stop off for a wee!) which is better than I expected, especially considering the course. We ran through London, the half way point was inside the Wembley Stadium, and doubled back to the starting point. There were so many hills, like ridiculously steep hills, and we had to do them twice due to the course! Running through Wembley was awesome, me and Chaz did a jump at the half way point and only realised afterwards it was on the big screen. Awkward haha! I know a lot of people finish a half marathon and think about doing a full marathon next, but for me it’s the opposite. I’m going to work on increasing my speed and getting a good time for 10k, which I need to organise and sign up for one in summer to keep me motivated. It’s not so much the half marathon itself that put me off, just the relentless training! I prefer weight training as my main focus and with this much running, who has time? Anyway, I’ve had this week off exercising as I’ve been so busy but I’m back on Monday with a new training plan (which I’m really excited about) and some new gym wear! I love a refresh of routine, and new gym stuff really motivates me.
Today I wanted to talk to you about the importance of cooling down and stretching after a work out. It’s something I used to not care about, it felt like an unnecessary 10 minutes at the end of a work out but since running it’s something I’ve had to take seriously. In the past, sore muscles was a sign I’d worked hard, so even though it was painful I felt almost proud of it, but being sore while training for the half marathon meant I couldn’t train as hard so I started stretching out and honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t beforehand!
Image source
Benefits of stretching
Increases the blood supply to the muscle, delivering more nutrients and oxygen. This helps to break down built up lactic acid (which I talked about here), meaning you’re less likely to experience muscle soreness after a work out.
Exercise can actually cause your muscles to shorten over a long period of time (eep!). Stretching counteracts this by forcibly lengthening, and essentially ‘loosening’, the muscle. It’s also a good way of counteracting poorly aligned muscles, such as hunched backs from your office job.
– Stretching improves your flexibility and encourages a wider range of movement in your joints. Over time, obviously. Increased flexibility then goes to decrease your chance of sports injuries, and also increases your athletic performance. 10 minutes after your workout doesn’t seem so unnecessary now, eh?
Stretching is a good way to calm the mind and allow you to really get in tune with your body. Not in a hippy dippy way, but it’s good for pinpointing where hurts or is stiff!
How to stretch
You’re not meant to stretch when your muscles are ‘cold’ aka if you’ve been sitting around doing nothing. There’s a lot of internet debate about whether or not you should stretch before a work out, I personally prefer to but I make sure I warm up first with 5 – 10 minutes of light cardio and only stretch lightly. I find it helps limber me up. After a work out, stretch the muscles you’ve used (I’ve linked to some good resources below) and hold each stretch for 20 – 30 seconds.
My favourite resource for finding new stretches is Pinterest (of course!), if you’re looking to add some stretches to your workout I’ve linked to some Pinterest ones I’ve found! Yoga sequences are usually full of stretches too, so if you’re looking to stretch to be bendy definitely try yoga!
Legs –here
Back – here
Neck, shoulders and arms – here
Do you stretch?
