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Health Minute: How to Ease Into Your Run

Summary & Participants

Running is great exercise, no matter what your age. But before you start, watch some simple stretching exercises that can help keep you pain free and running for a long time.

Medically Reviewed On: July 08, 2008

Webcast Transcript

Jonathan Cane: Running is a great sport. It's one that you can do at any age, and one you can do almost anywhere, and it requires minimal equipment. But as great a sport it is, it's important that you do it properly and that you not be too aggressive.

You want to be sure you're in the proper footwear, and you want make sure you don't increase your mileage too much too fast. It's also important you keep adequate flexibility and strength in order to avoid injuries.

I'm here with Al Puma, who started running at age 49 and has been running for the last 27 years and still going strong. Al's going to demonstrate a couple of stretches that we do with runners to help address common sore spots.

The first one is a hamstring stretch. The hamstring is the muscle at the back of your leg. And hamstring tendonitis and strains are very common among runners.

Rather than doing the old fashion toe touch, where you bounce forward and lean forward from the waist, which can put some extra pressure on your lower back, Al's going to do a safer version by bending his knee, putting both hands on that bent knee, in order to protect the lower back while stretching the extending leg. He's going to hold it there gently for 20 to 30 seconds, never stretching to the point of pain.

The next stretch works on your iliotibial band, or ITB. The ITB runs down the side of your leg, from your hip down to your knee and is common sore spot for runners, especially as they increase their mileage or if they're running on banked surfaces.

The way to stretch the ITB is to put one leg across the other, push your back hip out to the side and then swing your arm over to make yourself into a giant "C." Once again, Al's not stretching to the point of pain, never bouncing the stretches, and holding it there for 20 to 30 seconds.

If you follow these precautions: Don't increase your mileage too fast and use proper footwear and maintain an adequate strength and strength program, you'll be able to have a long healthy running career just as Al has. Enjoy your run.