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.