The "Flexible" Myth

Apologies for the delay.  Two words:  Finals week.

Now bend at the waist and touch your toes!  If you can't touch your toes, you're not flexible enough!  Heard that before?  Turns out, it's probably not true, at least if your passion is distance running.  Following is a discussion on the current scientific evidence relating to stretching and 3 myths about stretching that I for years thought were the gospel truth.

1.  Stretching or high flexibility improves performance in distance runners

2.  Stretching increases flexibility (i.e. makes muscles longer, loosens tendons, etc.), and increases range of motion.

3.  Stretching prevents injury

Now before all the yogis in the world conspire to offer a sizeable reward for my head, let me state that I think that stretching can be beneficial in certain applications.  In my experience, with proper application and technique, a little light stretching can be a very helpful part of injury rehab and will sometimes help little "niggles" feel better.   If yoga, weightlifting, soccer, rock climbing, or gymnastics are your passion, it is conceivable that stretching may range from important to an absolute must in those activities.  I am not any kind expert in those fields (nor am I REALLY an expert in any field, though I would like to think I am), so I will leave that discussion for others.

With that said, lets get on to Myth #1.

A cursory Google search of flexibility and distance running performance revealed a couple of articles and four independently conducted, peer reviewed studies dealing with the problem of flexibility and its effect on distance running performance.  Out of those four studies, three found a significant inverse relationship between flexibility in relevant muscle groups (usually tested using the sit-and-reach measurement) and running economy.  One of those three, conducted on collegiate distance runners, found that those who were the least flexible not only had the highest efficiency, but also had the best 10k performances.  The fourth study, which was conducted on collegiate women only, found no correlation.  By simple democratic process, it appears that, in general, the less flexible you are, the higher your running efficiency will be, and consequently the better your performance will be (especially if you happen to be male).  Although none of the studies formally proposed a theory as to why this is the case, most surmised that the gains in efficiency and performance of being somewhat inflexible are likely due to the increased ability of the muscle to efficiently store and release mechanical energy in an elastic fashion--much like a spring or a rubber band.  And, just like a spring or rubber band, if you stretch it beyond a certain point, it loses its ability to rebound as effectively, although the unstretched size and shape may remain the same.  Increased "flexibility" does not improve performance.  Indeed, it looks as if stretching probably inhibits performance in distance runners.

Myth #2

One of the main reasons that stretching was touted as essential before and after exercise was that it would "lengthen muscles,"  "loosen tendons," and "improve range of motion."  Long, loose muscles have been viewed as a sign of good fitness for years.  As it turns out, this Junior High P. E. assumption is false (don't worry, this one surprised me, too).  In a New York Times article on the subject, Dr. Malachy McHugh, research director at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital, NY, is quoted asserting that almost all flexibility is determined by genetics.  We may make small increases in our natural flexibility, but this takes months of concerted daily effort.  Now, someone will say that this is a bunch of nonsense, because "of course if you stretch consistently you will perform better on flexibility tests."  On the contrary, the "improvements" we see are only due to the fact that by stretching we are simply training our brain to accept the pain of the stretch as normal.  We are not actually increasing our muscle length or the ability of our muscles to stretch to a given point.  Indeed, by hard static stretching, it is conceivable that we are bypassing the safety net provided by the pain reflex to greatly lessen the margin between what our brain allows us to do with a muscle and what will ultimately cause that muscle to reach its breaking point.  Moreover, according to Dr. McHugh and others, the feeling of looseness, along with the tolerance we build to the stretch, are only short lived.  Some of the effects, such as the feeling of "looseness" last only minutes, while others, such as the tolerance to the stretch, may last a few days or weeks, but are ultimately short lived.  In other words, in order to effect an actual structural change in a muscle and supporting tissues, it takes weeks or months of stretching for hours to facilitate what little gain in actual flexibility can be had.  To put it bluntly, a stretching routine does not actually increase flexibility, nor does it increase range of motion.

Myth #3

There is one remaining myth remaining in our trifecta of misconception.  Does increased flexibility reduce injury?  To address this question, I again turned to the more trustworthy source of published studies on the subject.  Unfortunately, it appears that this area of research is much more clouded with many conflicting results.  One review stated that "good flexibility reduces the risk for injury" but provided no evidence to support the statement.  Another researcher concluded that the effectiveness of stretching in injury prevention depended upon the sport in question.  Most other studies were inconclusive at best.  Taking the available research as a body, it appears that there is little evidence to suggest a correlation between stretching or flexibility and injury avoidance in distance runners. According to the evidence presented, participants in high intensity sports that involve a large amount of jumping and bouncing, such as football, basketball, and soccer, tended to experience fewer injuries with increased flexibility.  Conversely, participants in low-intensity, repetitive motion activities, such as distance running, cycling, and swimming, did not in general see a reduction in injury.  However, for participants in all sports, the evidence suggests that warming up or "dynamic stretching" (i.e. lightly exerting the muscles through the natural range of motion prior to the intended activity--especially those muscles which will be used extensively) is effective at reducing injury.  This type of activity does not, however, improve performance in flexibility tests.  To sum it up, if we can draw any conclusion from the evidence, it is that increased flexibility has not been conclusively shown to reduce injury in distance runners.

This little study on stretching was really interesting to me.  I've never been much into stretching.  I never really felt it was that necessary to me, but I was surprised to find that there was a reason for that.  What are your thoughts?  Have you experienced a reduction or increase in injury after implementing or discontinuing a stretching routine?  Have you observed any increases in performance either way?  Personally, I have noticed a slight decrease in both rate and severity of injuries (mostly small "niggles") since I started running marathons, a period in which I also have abandoned stretching.  I am a much better runner as well.  But it is hard to positively attribute any of these improvements to my stretching habits, or lack thereof, since I believe it has much more to do with my increased training volume compared to my high school career (in which I did stretch).  Anyway, interesting stuff.  Let me know your thoughts.

Here are links to the studies I mentioned for your perusal:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19050648, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11774065, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16230980, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8784761

Ultrarunning Motivation

I love this video.  It got me out the door today for 18 miles when I was just tempted to bag the week after a rough couple of days.  Sometimes you just need a pick-me-up.  Enjoy:

Additionally, I am working on a longer post about stretching.  Hopefully it will be informative.  It should be up in the next day or two when I figure out how to neatly wrap it all up.  Stay tuned...

Put one foot in front of the other...

I had seen this before, but I ran across it again on a FastRunningBlog forum discussion.  I wholeheartedly agree:

"If the most common question I get asked is, 'How do I run a fast marathon?,' the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th ... most common questions have something to do with diet, running form, sleep, footwear, stretching, weights; anything but actual running. American runners seem to have an unending fascination with all these extra-curricular activities, yet we continue to get slower at running marathons ... If you want to improve your performance in the marathon, stop worrying about minimalist shoes, caveman diets, and new-age running form, and start worrying about getting out the door and running a little more than you did last week. High mileage works!"

--American marathoner Peter Gilmore

The post in its entirety (which I think is very instructive) originated from the Bay Area Track Club website and is titled "Get out the door!"  Thoughts?

Inaugural Sand Hollow Marathon Race Report

Left to right:  James Holt, myself, and Steve Hooper.  St. George Running Center Race Team sweep!

(Originally posted Saturday, March 26, on my daily training blog)

Woke up bright and early at 6 AM to get ready for the Sand Hollow Marathon.  Ate a banana and a slice of bread along with drinking some of my Revive/Emergen-C mix.  Drove down to the start with a half hour before the race.  The race was very small--only about 100 runners give or take.  Steve and some of the other SGRC guys were there, so I figured they were my competition.  The course was an out-and-back, going through the Hurricane Fields, making a large swing around Sand Hollow Reservoir, with a short section through a golf course community and then back the same way.

My dad is the worst early AM photographer.  But that's ok.  Maybe someone will think I ran drunk...

The gun went off, and away we went.  I wasn't sure how fit I was so I took off pretty easy, but still quickly built a little gap on Steve within the first mile.  I could still hear them talking behind me, but I didn't think they were racing that hard so I just settled into a nice relaxed tempo for the long haul.  My family was able to watch this race in its entirety, which was nice, and they were at many spots along the course. 
I did the same thing this race as TOU last year...only worrying about 5-mile splits.  My goal going into the race was 2:45.  The first 3 miles were expectedly slow, but I must have picked it up quite a bit because I was right on for my 5-mile split. 
Up until this point, the course was almost all completely flat through the Hurricane Fields with only one small hill, but shortly after the 5-mile mark the course climbs a long ridge before it drops steeply into the Sand Hollow basin.  This is one of the most beautiful portions of the course, and although the grade was mildly difficult I enjoyed this part.  These were my old stomping grounds through my stint in high school XC and track.  I lost some time on this section, but gained it all back and then some dropping into Sand Hollow down the hill that apparently has been named "Nemesis."  I must have been going faster than I thought, because I came across the 10 mile mark 3 minutes faster than my goal pace.  I was pleased at this, though, knowing the road back would be more difficult.  I was glad to have a little cushion.
The next 5 miles were more difficult, with rolling hills and several turns to take away momentum.  But I came across the half about 2 minutes ahead of pace at 1:19 and some change.  I forgot to look at my split for 15 miles, but I expect it was similarly ahead of pace.

Rounding a turn a little before the 22 mile marker.

 After this point, I settled in for the most difficult section of the course:  climbing back up out of Sand Hollow.  I was already beginning to feel the fatigue, but I was able to work through it and lay down some good solid miles before arriving at the base of Nemesis at mile 18.  This hill was a beast.  It climbs about 250 feet in just 0.7 miles.  Nothing compared to some of the stuff you face at races like Logan Peak, but at road-marathon pace and at mile 18 it presents a significant challenge.  After climbing hard for 100 meters or so, I decided the best plan of attack was just to last through it, going as slow as necessary, and worry about going fast again once I got to the top.  This worked nicely, and I was able to get a good tempo going again once the course turned downhill again.  The long downhill was very welcome and I was able to really put the hammer down on these miles.  I came across the 20 mile mark with a nice 4 minute cushion.
Immediately after the 20 mile mark, the course makes a final descent with the rest being level with only one short up-and-down hill at Angel Heights.  I wanted to just get through this section as fast as possible and get as far as possible before my tired legs gave out.  I kept waiting for that moment to happen, but other than a couple of lapses it never really came.  I was tired, but still had plenty of energy and spring in my legs to maintain a competitive pace.  There started to be some people cheering me on during the last mile and I really pounded it hard to the finish.  Finished in 2:41:22 in first place. 
My first marathon win!  Granted, it was a small race, not thousands of runners like the others I have done, but I was very pleased and I'll take a win anywhere I can find one.  I expected to struggle to clear 2:45 on this challenging of a course, so I was very happy to get a time that was only 3 minutes and some change off a PR.  The race was very well run for an inaugural running with only a few minor glitches.  The race director came up to me after the finish and asked how I liked it and if I had any suggestions.  I told him a couple of small things, but overall I was very impressed with how smoothly it was run.  The only big problem was the weather, which was very rainy for most of the runners--but of course that was outside of his control.  The weather was actually very nice for 24 miles of the race.  A tad chilly, but overcast and really not that bad.  The volunteers and other race officials were great.  Enthusiastic, courteous, helpful...everything that helps a runner have his best possible run.  Overall it was a very enjoyable race, and it was also a nice excuse to come down and enjoy the warmer weather and time with family.

The trophies were really cool!

My 2011 Race Schedule:

I'm so excited!


March 26:

This will be my "tune up" race for the coming summer season.  I'm pretty stoked for this one as it will be a great barometer to what I can do this year and also it's in my home town of Hurricane.  The course runs right past my house so my parents can sit on the front lawn and watch me suffer through Mile 23.

June 25:

This will always be one of my favorite races.  Took 2nd last year, so I'll be looking forward to a rematch with Cody (and anyone else).  28 miles, 7260" total vertical.  It's a beast, but hands down the most fun I've ever had in a race.

August 13:

Cody suggested that I try this one on for size.  He says it's the most beautiful course he's ever run.  At 31 miles over steep and rough Afton, WY terrain it will be a challenge, but I'm really looking forward to this one!

And finally....

October 1 2011:

This will be my "big" race for the year.  My goal is sub-2:30.  I ran this course in 2008 in my marathon debut (2:53:43, 47th overall), so it will be fun to see what I can do 3 years later.

I may throw some other races in as well, depending on how my training is going.  Good candidates include the NUTS Trail Half (Ogden, UT), Wasatch Back Trail Marathon (Midway, UT), the TOU Half (Logan, UT), Blacksmith Fork 15k (Hyrum, UT), Hurricane JEM Trail Marathon (Hurricane, UT), and others.  Here's to a great running 2011!