Interesting... when I did the Vegas Half in december - I was dying after.. not the shin, the toe, yes... but my hip flexors were killin' me ! Odd.. because that just never happens. Other parts of my body hurt, but rarely rarely my hip flexors. So - do I need to stretch more ? before or after ? points to ponder... and in my pondering look what I came across :For a yoga-based workout, try Jill Miller's Yoga Link: Hip Helpers, a DVD that includes a 58-minute workout with unique exercises to challenge your core, hips and legs, and workshops on breathing and standing poses ($20, pranamaya.com).
I think I'm going to check into that... I'll keep you posted. I've never done yoga, but I have yet to hear one person say they don't like it.
Other tips:
Hip Flexor Stretch:
Sit in a high kneeling position. Bring your right leg in front of you, bending your knee into a lunge position. Keep your left leg on the floor behind you. With your torso straight, slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the left hip area. Hold 30 seconds or longer and switch legs. Repeat several times a week.
Hip Crossover Stretch:
Sit with both legs in front of you. Cross right ankle over left knee (pictured). Keeping your ankle in constant contact with the knee, twist your torso to the right, pressing your left arm against your right knee and moving your right hand behind your back. Hold 30 seconds or longer. Slowly return to your original position and switch sides.
Sit in a high kneeling position. Bring your right leg in front of you, bending your knee into a lunge position. Keep your left leg on the floor behind you. With your torso straight, slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the left hip area. Hold 30 seconds or longer and switch legs. Repeat several times a week.
Hip Crossover Stretch:
Sit with both legs in front of you. Cross right ankle over left knee (pictured). Keeping your ankle in constant contact with the knee, twist your torso to the right, pressing your left arm against your right knee and moving your right hand behind your back. Hold 30 seconds or longer. Slowly return to your original position and switch sides.
Read This. Running Well, a new book by Sam Murphy and Sarah Connors, offers tips on how to run smarter and faster while avoiding injury. Beautifully illustrated, Running Well devotes an entire chapter to cross-training and its benefits. $19, humankinetics.com
And there you have it... hopefully some tips that can help with the hip flexor stuff... as well as flexibilty in general.
xoxoxoxo
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