QT: Maintaining Flexibility in Your Running is Often a Necessity (Best Of-ish)

Usually, the post for the “Best Of-ish” Episodes is simply copied/pasted from the original post and I embed the new audio file here. When I first broached this topic back in October of 2015, my post writing wasn’t as “developed” as it is now. So this is the old post with a few new bits added in as well…

I’ve talked a lot about the need for runners to work on improving their flexibility.

As a whole, we are incredibly inflexible.

But as it turns out, our inflexibility often relates to more than just our hamstrings, calves, and hip flexors.

Your Training Plan Shouldn’t Be Etched in Stone

Another area where we as runners need to work on maintaining flexibility is our training schedule.

Be honest for a minute, how many of us (myself absolutely included) are in such a routine when it comes to running that we almost don’t have to think about it anymore?

Here’s my regular routine:

• Tempo run on Tuesday
• Speed work on Thursday
• Long/easy run on Friday solo on the trails
• Long/easy run on Saturday with the Pack.

(LOLOLOLOL! This looks nothing like my current day training schedule! So much can change in a handful of years, eh?)

I’m trying to add an additional easy run on Monday too, but I haven’t quite made that a true part of the routine just yet.

But what happens when you can’t follow your “normal” plan? What happens when your wife asks you if she can run with her girlfriends on Saturday instead of Sunday, meaning you have to run on Sunday (solo, btw) instead of running with your friends on Saturday?

You know what happens?

You say no problem dear. You have fun, I’ll get the baby ready on Saturday morning, and I’ll be fine running solo on Sunday.

Why? Because as much as I like following my routine and my preferred training schedule, maintaining flexibility in training is vitally important.

Flexibility in Your Running is Helpful

A willingness to be flexible in your running doesn’t only apply to your weekly running routine.

You also need to demonstrate that you can be flexible during a run, from time to time.

More than likely, we’ve all had days where we weren’t really feeling it at the start. But once we got going, everything sort of loosens up and we are good to go.

But on the days when things don’t improve, what do you do?

Stubbornly stick to the schedule and do the prescribed work out as written?

Or adjust the workout based on what your body is telling you at the moment?

Life Finds a Way

Ok, maybe not in the same way that ol’ Ian Malcolm meant in Jurassic Park, but we all know that shit happens from time to time in our lives.

As runners, a variety of things can force our hand and change our training schedule: family commitments, issues at work, weather, injury, and race to name just a few.

So we might as well accept the fact that things are going to come up on occasion and roll with the punches as the situation determines.

Remember to work on the flexibility of your training plan (and in your hamstrings, dammit!) the next time life gets in the way, and you’ll be better off because of it.

I promise.

Being flexible with your running plans isn't always easy to do, but it's often required. #runchat Click To Tweet

How Good are You at Maintaining Flexibility in Your Running When Life Happens?

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