Trail versus Concrete for Barefoot conditioning.

Great, BL, now you are going to incite the stretching controversy! Lol. Good thing I have to go to an appointment right now, but I'll be back!!! :)


I assume he us talking about dynamic stretching versus static stretching, but maybe not, don't wanna put words in his mouth.

I like dynamic stretching and warming up, helps my old creeky joints :)
 
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That's what the pro trainer sites say.

Sounds like you were a natural runner in high school, until your awful accident. So you already know more about running than most of us here.The whole 'go slow' approach may work for some, especially recreational runners, but most training programs involve a mix of aerobic, tempo, and interval work.

I had the same problem about uneven foot landing. Then I spent a week trying to correct it, and I did. It helps to run on harsh surfaces like chip seal. I also think doing strength training, as I suggested to you on another thread (you're setting a record for newcomer posts!) was part of the process in correcting my landing/form. Although there's some controversy about what a proper landing is, I think you want to aim for a flat-foot landing at slower paces, with the forefoot landing just a split-second earlier than the rest of the foot. At faster paces, of course, the forefoot landing becomes more prominent.

For me, the ideal aerobic pace is about 8-9mm. That's when my form feels really smooth, although my form at 10mm pace has improved considerably over the last couple of years too.

For running surfaces, trails are king, but if you're stuck in the middle of a city like me, concrete and asphalt surfaces are fine. I do think there is a greater tendency for repetitive stress injuries with more uniform surfaces, but given enough time, and stretching and massaging maintenance work, I adapted to running half-marathon distances on urban surfaces just fine. The key for me is stopping to stretch and/or massage when the legs start to feel tight and wound-up, as well as massaging the lower leg and feet before a run, and stretching out the upper leg after a run.

I read an interesting study a while back, that seemed to indicate that we all have a kinda perfect target zone for the max aerobic efficiency, that balances pace with oxygen consumption, and depending on the runner, this is usually between 7 and 8 mm pace...makes sense to me...when I was younger I could run pretty effortlessly at around a 7 minute mile pace indefinitely, and would only be limited by glycogen depletion or dehydration...granted I rarely ran more than 10 miles back then though...I was focussed on the 800 and Mile races back then.
 
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I assume he us talking about dynamic stretching versus static stretching, but maybe not, don't wanna put words in his mouth.

I like dynamic stretching and warming up, helps my old creeky joints :)


I do some 'stretch' oriented running drills before and after every run.
 
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I stretch by contracting the antagonist muscle, only. I am the only person I have ever met who does this. Yes, I HAVE met myself! :)
 
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I assume he us talking about dynamic stretching versus static stretching, but maybe not, don't wanna put words in his mouth.

I like dynamic stretching and warming up, helps my old creeky joints :)
Nope, static stretching too. Like most pro athletes. If you can get by just doing dynamic stretching, or no stretching, that's great. For me, I really like putting one of my feet up high on a guard rail or wall or something and stretching out the hammies. I also like stretching the ITB and piri formis. Does wonders for me.

There is no stretching controversy, just a few studies that indicate that stretching before a run, when the legs are cold, may be bad for you, and, for high performance runners, may negatively affect one's elastic recoil. Oh yeah, there's also a certain web-savvy chiropractor who has targeted the barefoot runner community as a potential market niche for his practice, and has resorting to name-calling slogans to drum up business.

For recreational runners interested in preventing injury, stretching after the legs are warmed up, or even before, lightly, can be an essential element in staying loose and limber. There are several members here who gave up stretching, only to find themselves more injury-prone. So, as with everything else, figure out what works for you, and then ignore everyone else. The heath/fitness/nutrition industry is full of contradictory findings and flimsy evidence and infomercial-level sloganeering. My rule is go with the pros, where the stakes are high and there's a lot of money spent squeezing out that last 1-2 percent of performance potential.

Also, I have recently found that stretching out my shoulders and pecs alleviates a problem I've had in my left shoulder for many years. Ironic that someone who has benefited so much from stretching out the lower body and back would have ignored this possible cure for his shoulder. Dumb.
 
I will only do two static stretches for the most part now a days and that is only after a run, although sometimes it's a half hour or more after the run. I tend to get tight hamstrings and tight calves so I have to focus on those two areas. I don't stretch every run either, I do it on an as needed basis. Seems the better I get at running the less I feel tight and the less stretching I need to do. I do massage out my calves periodically too which really helps and I also will take a hot bath shortly after a run sometimes too. I tried doing the ice baths afterwards, but it really didn't seem to do anything for me other than freeze the man-bits. The hot bath on the other hand seems to be really good at loosening up any tight muscles I may be developing.

Oh and I was one of those people Lee mentioned up there that had stopped stretching completely and had developed plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis. It took me 2-2.5 years to finally get mostly over those. It took a lot of stretching, physical therapy, and several docs that wanted to cut my heels open and do surgery (no way in hell was I letting them do that). For me, there is no discussion about what I need to do to keep my body loose, to all the people that follow all the latest and greatest studies, well, they may never get it right for everybody. Each individual has had their own experiences in life that has shaped how their body has formed and developed, so that means what works for some may not work for others. My advice is to do what works for you and to hell with anyone that says you should do things differently.