Flexible Routine A Regimen Of Warmup Exercises Will Keep Your Running Machine In Tip-Top Shape For Bloomsday

Stretch or die … stretch or die … stretch or die.

If only runners would heed physical therapist Chuck Strickell’s advice, maybe he could catch his breath this time of year.

“People say, ‘I bet you get a lot of runners in your office after Bloomsday.’ No, I get them before - runners who think they can go out and train any way they want, then two weeks before the race they’re all busted up and it’s too late … they can’t compete.” Strickell knows the running community from mandible to metatarsals. For years, he’s led the team of physical therapists who cater to the pre-race muscular needs of the elite athletes who travel from all over the world to run in Bloomsday.

But the bread and butter of his Spokane Valley practice are the 30-, 40- and 50-something jocks who insist on abusing their bodies as if they were still invulnerable teenagers.

“Some of these guys got by for 20 years without stretching, but now they’re running into problems,” observes Strickell. “Their bodies don’t have that nice, youthful elasticity they once did. Sooner or later these runners start experiencing more injuries, and those injuries take longer to heal.

“The solution starts with flexibility,” he tells his patients, over and over. “Stretch or die.”

That doesn’t mean everyone who laces up a pair of Reeboks and jogs around the block needs to go through a 15-minute warmup ritual, says Strickell. “That would be ridiculous, because they’re not pushing themselves.

“But if you’re running five miles a day - really punching it and throwing in some hills - and you’re not stretching, that’s when you get hurt,” he warns.

“People spend $150 on shoes and don’t stretch, and wonder why they’re not running well. Yet if they’d spend half that and stretch properly, they’d enjoy their running a lot more and have fewer injuries,” Strickell predicts.

“Anyone who hopes to run Bloomsday in under an hour - maybe even under 90 minutes, depending on your condition and age - is a serious runner, and should routinely stretch before each run.”

Unfortunately, sincerity without proper technique doesn’t count for much when it comes to stretching. And a no-pain-no-gain attitude can cause more damage than not stretching at all.

“A lot of people who stretch - particularly high-school athletes - don’t have a clue what muscles they should work and how it should feel,” he says.

Fortunately, developing a good warmup routine is easy. It starts with a few jumping jacks or running in place to get blood flowing to the major muscle groups.

Next come the stretches. Strickell recommends four: a standing hamstring stretch; a lower-calf stretch against a wall; an upper-calf stretch, also while leaning against a wall; and a free-standing quadricep stretch, where you pull your heel toward your buttock (see illustrations).

How much should you stretch each muscle?

“I hate to say six seconds or 10 seconds or 15,” says Strickell. “In general, you should stretch until it feels good and loose, so that both calves, both quads and both hamstrings are in balance.”

Strickell uses the analogy of automobile tires.

“If your tires are out of balance when you’re just going to drive around town, it’s not such a big deal,” he tells runners. “But if you drive long distances at high speeds and your tires aren’t balanced, you’re going to have problems. In distance running, your legs react the same way.”

For instance, if one calf is tighter than the other, a runner may lose five degrees of motion range. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough to force a change in stride, causing problems higher in the leg, even up into back muscles.

So before beginning your run, take inventory as you loosen up, making sure everything feels right. Pay particular attention to muscles that have given you trouble in the past.

The whole routine - both warming up and stretching - shouldn’t require more than five minutes, Strickell says. But you’re not done yet.

Monitor muscles during your training runs. If a calf or hamstring starts tightening up, stop running and stretch it out, always trying to achieve that muscular equilibrium that allows you to maintain good technique.

“There’s a difference between hard pain and soft pain,” says Strickell. “Some pain you can run through, and it will go away.” But if the pain persists, cut your run short.

After every run, walk quickly for five minutes. That keeps your heart rate high enough to pump the lactic acid from your legs and accelerate healing. Then stretch for another five minutes, again taking a mental inventory of how each muscle feels.

On race day, no exceptional stretching should be necessary, Strickell says. Just stick with your warmup routine, listen to your body and have a great run.

And if you see any of his patients on the sideline, bite your tongue … don’t say it … they’ve heard it before. “Stretch or die.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Preparing for Bloomsday