For any avid runners who are thinking about increasing their total mileage, it is important to also include a few exercises and stretches for optimal performance and recovery. A common complaint from runners when they start to increase their distance is pain in the knees, hips and ankles. Typically, if an issue begins arise in one, it will also appear in the other joints over a period of time.
The reason for this pain tends to be a combination of weakness and tightness in different areas of the legs. If we take a look at the hips, we want to relax the hip flexors and strengthen the gluteus muscles. These two tasks paired together will help with decreasing pelvic tilt and indirectly avoid any odd movements of the knees.
When we look at the feet we want to strengthen the muscles that support the arch of our foot as well as decrease tension in the calf and plantar fascia. This allows the foot to avoid being overly flat on push off but also allows for the force to be absorbed that comes from the ground when the heel and rest of the foot makes contact. The exercises below should be done after 5 to 10 minutes of a light warm up and should not cause any pain at any point.
Ensure you are breathing deeply throughout all the stretches and exercises. Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor and a mini band above or below your knees.
Squeeze your glutes and push the band out to the side with your knees. Lift your hips off the ground until there is a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for a moment and lower slowly. When at the top make sure your low back is not doing all the work by not flaring out your ribs and keeping them tucked in tightly. In a half kneeling position, have one foot flat on the floor so the knee and the hip is at 90 degrees. Keeping your chest up, open up your hip so you feel a slight stretch in the front of the bottom leg.
