Stretching is an important for runners to increase mobility and decrease the chance of injury. Stretching should be done on warm muscles because stretching a cold muscle can damage it. So stretch a little after your warmup and stretch the most after your run. Stretching should be light and not painful.

Stretches

The following are important stretches for runners to perform and cover many of the basics. In addition to the stretches below, a complete list of stretches is available for those interested in stretching specific areas or looking to increase their stretching repetoire.

• Bridge Stretch
• Butterfly Stretch
• Calf Stretch
• Hamstring Stretch
• Knees to Chest Stretch
• Piriformis Stretch
• Pretzel Stretch
• Quad Stretch
• Toe Touch

Does Stretching Help?

For quite a long time, the prevailing wisdom was that stretching increases flexibility and flexibility reduces the chance of injury, but recently that has begun to be called into question. What is known is that a good warm-up before strenuous activity is the best way to prevent injuries, that stretching cold muscles is never a good idea, and that stretching after your workout can help reduce soreness, won't hurt and may even help.