Running

[Matt Chung]

> Does the elephant walk get easier over time? 

Not sure if this is helpful or not but speaking from my own experience, it (elephant walk in this case, but generally applicable to many other stretches, if not all) may not get easier but gets less difficult, if that makes sense. And this reminds me of the following quote from @Kit_L, which has and continues to resonate:

Quote

One day you’ll be doing something, and you will realise that you are (say) touching your toes with straight legs while sitting on the floor, something you could not do a few months ago, but everything feels the same

Source: https://kitlaughlin.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1570-the-secrets-of-stretching/

[Gareth O Connor]

Kit will the bodyline series build some muscle?

[Kit_L]

Not so much as it will build practical strength. Hypertrophy and whole-body strength are related, but not closely. I can elaborate.

Just try the BodyLine material, and feel what's sore over the next few days, and you will know how it will work for you.

[Gareth O Connor]

How often a week should I do it?..twice?

[Kit_L]

Yes.

[Gareth O Connor]

Haven't stretched in a few weeks took a bit of a break.Did the quad-wall hip flexor stretch tonight felt a good stretch in the right leg with plenty of shaking.

[Gareth O Connor]

I have started hanging again for my shoulders.When I used to hang I could feel my right shoulder but not my left,now my left shoulder is starting to awaken I can feel it now

[Gareth O Connor]

Ran a race Sunday,I ran the 10k in 53.17 my pb so far.Felt sore today,went for three walks,body feels better.Will take a few more days before I stretch again...need to be fresh

[Kit_L]

Congratulations on your PB. Next time, if you can muster the energy, stretch the big items as your cool-down. Despite what the science seems to show, my personal experience is that if you can do this, DOMS is significantly reduced. On the subsequent days, gentle swimming or walking is perfect.

[Gareth O Connor]

The big-items as in hip flexors and hamstrings?

[Gareth O Connor]

I think you're right re.active recovery.Before I would take a few days off where I'd do nothing exercise wise I don't think passive recovery works I went for a long walk the day after the race,my body felt nice and limber during it

[Kit_L]

The big four: calves, hip-flexors, hamstrings, quads (or one of the quad–hip flexor combination exercises, so only three, if time is tight). Should take no more than ten minutes.

[Gareth O Connor]

I'll give that a go

[Gareth O Connor]

@Kit_L Kit how do I take my pulse?

[Gareth O Connor]

Quad wall hip flexor stretch last night and bent leg hamstring stretch tonight,my hamstrings are tight,there was some shaking however I did half a dozen breaths breathing through the discomfort 

[Kit_L]

4 hours ago, Gareth O Connor said:

@Kit_L Kit how do I take my pulse?

Simple. Two fingers of one hand on the inside, thumb side of wrist. Don't press too hard. As soon as you feel it, start counting. Most runners count for 15 seconds, and multiply by four: beats/minute.

Alternatively, two fingers on side of neck in front of sternocleidomastoid; same counting system.

Resting pulse rate is taken first thing in the morning, and you'll need to do it several times just in case you're anxious about the outcome – thinking about your pulse will cause it to rise. In my day as an athlete, I would base my training on that day's pulse rate (but I had years of records as to what my resting pulse rate was; you'll need to know what it is before using this technique and you'll need weeks of measuring to get that baseline 'normal') – if it was up more than a few beats a minute on my normal, I would have a lighter training day. Your pulse is an absolutely accurate way of measuring the extent to which your body is accommodating the load you're putting on it over time.

[Gareth O Connor]

Went for a run at 8 this morning with a few from the club did 8 miles at around 6.20 km pace.I've an 8k race next Sunday so I want to have fresh legs leading into that.Stretched after..quad wall hip flexor stretch,my quads don't feel as sore as usual afterwards

[Gareth O Connor]

Did an 8k run tonight with the group.We went around in 43 minutes so we were  going a nice clip.Jogged a few laps after to bring the heart rate down and to flush the waste products (hydrogen ions) out of the system.Probably was close to the anaerobic threshold during the run,going for 40 minutes on Sunday in the 8k race

[Ned]

That is a pretty good pace.  I hope Sunday goes well for you.

[Gareth O Connor]

My best 8k was 41.19.Thanks,I hope it goes well too

[Kit_L]

Stay as relaxed as you can (check how high you're carrying your shoulders from time to time) and you will go well.

[Gareth O Connor]

Thanks,I'll put that into practice.It seems relaxation improves many different things

Edited October 31, 2025 by Gareth O Connor
Too short

[Kit_L]

Being able to be genuinely relaxed in daily life is the greatest gift you can give yourself, I believe.

[Gareth O Connor]

Feeling at ease in one's body beats having lots of money

[Gareth O Connor]

My PB for the 8k was 41.19 I ran it in 40.38 Sunday