A stretch of the body (and mind)

                I recently stopped stretching because I had read several articles that proclaimed that there was no measurable benefit or correlation with injury prevention in athletes who stretched versus those who don't. What a stupid idea. Just because scientists couldn't perform an experiment that could show the effectiveness of stretching doesn't necessarily mean that a good daily stretch is a waste of energy/time. Most running injuries are tendon-related...and guess what? The tendon is part of the muscle! So to keep the tendon healthy, you have to keep the muscle healthy. I can just imagine the amount of stress a tight muscle would put on the tendon that attaches it to the bone.

              The reason why stretching has been downplayed by "recent studies" is that it's a very difficult thing to quantify, and injury prevention is about as black and white as life itself. So many factors affect performance and one's risk for injury; the exact cause is super difficult to pinpoint. Although overuse injuries seem to happen all of a sudden, they usually have roots that are devilishly deep. They are the result of the pounding and pulling of the muscles over miles and miles of running. The tighter you allow your muscles to become, the more they pull on those oh-so fragile tendons (well, at least mine are, anyway). It doesn't take a doctorate degree to realize that.

          I don't think that stretching will solve all of my (or your) problems, but I think that it is definitely worth it, even if there is no evidence to support it. Our routines should not be governed by the latest research or the newest trend. Perhaps they can be used as guidance, but at the end of the day, you must do what works for you. You do not resemble any of the 200 subjects that scientist used, so don't train like them.

              The second part of stretching is allowing your mind to stretch. Believe that anything is possible; that no goal is out of reach. Distance runners are made over years of training, not weeks or months. How do you know you've reached your limit if you never try? Never give up on the notion that you can go faster still. Realistic goals are great, but not near as fun as those pie-in-the-sky aspirations. The key is believing in yourself, and realizing that other people believe in you too.

"This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last"

      Friday I had a spectacular run. My legs felt terrible, my stomach was about to explode, and it was warmer than the weather than I usually run in. No, I didn't feel awesome like I usually do, but this run wasn't great because of how I felt, it was great because of how I thought. I had a great internal conversation with myself, remembered some great times in my life, and came up with a new running/life mantra (you got it, the title!) . I found myself grinning from ear to ear a couple times. People we're probably thinking I was crazy, laughing and running like I was. Oh well.

                 One of the biggest things I thought about was how far I've come since this time last year. At exactly this moment in December 2010, I was probably freaking out over my chem 1 and calc exam, wondering how on earth I was going to pass each class. I was getting my first taste of finals week and the city-wide stress umbrella. I was just starting to run again after being injured almost all of last fall. Just to look at the contrast was cool in itself.

                But of course, the best thing to come out of the run was this: "This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last." This little quote can mean nothing or everything to you, depending on how you look at it. I take as saying "Look, things aren't looking too peachy these days, but you've been through it before, and it shows that you have the strength to do it again." It's great for both life and running. In life, you go through  peaks and valleys, and you have to remind yourself sometimes that whatever the case may be, you've most likely been through it before. And therefore, you can weather the storm again. In running, training is supposed to be the hard part. Racing is easy. You've been through it all before and probably up to 10 times worse. If you hit a rough spot in a race, bring up a memory of when you had the best race of your life or the hardest workout of your build-up. Also, know that you're strong  enough to do it again, because you survived it the first time. Confidence is key.

Lately I've been stressed out with exams and my legs have felt like lead. But this isn't the first time, and it sure as heck it won't be the last.