Stretching

It's very important to make sure that you stretch if you are having any pains in you body while running. Many people could prevent injuries if they would stretch more often. Complete Book of Running by Amby Burfoot states; "A very common and nagging injury, shinsplints are an inflammation of the tendons on the inside of the front of the lower leg...an easy preventive measure is to stretch and strengthen the tendons" (Burfoot72-73). One way to help strengthen your tendons is to do leg lifts.

(Photo taken from Complete Book of Running)

The photo shows a diagram of a man doing lower leg lifts to help strengthen his tendons. I found this exercise very helpful, after trying it out for myself. I noticed that it reduced the pain I was having while running.

Have any of you experienced injuries due to not stretching enough?

Citations:

Burfoot, Amby. Runner's World Complete Book of Running: Everything You Need to Know to Run for Fun, Fitness, and Competition. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 1997. Print.