Good day to all the troops in Captain Cut Off's Platoon! As always I hope that your training is progressing well. Training is the key to success in March in a fun and injury free manner.

By now you have hopefully found a training schedule and are getting into the groove of your weekly maintenance and your weekend distance work. In this edition I would like to discuss an important aspect of training that can often be overlooked....warm-up/stretching and cool-down/stretching.

Typically your body will appreciate and benefit from proper warm-ups and cool-downs. The basic idea here is to prepare your body for the transition from inactivity to activity and back to inactivity. Before beginning your run take 5-10 minutes to properly warm up and then again to cool down upon completion. To warm up simply walk or lightly jog to get your muscles and joints working, moving and ready. This does several things. It gets your blood pumping and supplies your muscles with oxygen. It also raises the temperature of your muscles for optimal flexibility and efficiency. This will also slowly raise your heart rate here at the beginning. Now that your body has warmed up, it is OK to do some dynamic stretching. These are stretches that are completed while moving. Some examples include movements that provide controlled range of motion involving legs, arms, and torso (Knee ups, lunges, hip circles and twists, high steps, etc). Properly done, this warm up and dynamic stretch will get your body, and mind, ready for your run/walk. Upon completion it is just as important to cool down and help your body and muscles prepare for recovery. A proper cool down gradually reduces your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature of your muscles. Typically a few minutes of walking will accomplish this nicely. Once your heart rate is down it is OK to perform some static stretching. These are stretches that are performed while the body is at rest. This is accomplished by holding a stretch in a challenging but comfortable position for a period between 10 and 30 seconds. Some examples of static stretches common for runners/walkers include quad, hamstring, and calf stretches.

As a word of encouragement let me just add that while stretching is a good thing, it should be done when your muscles are warm. Avoid bouncing. If it hurts, stop!

Continued well wishes on your training!

Next edition...gear and apparel.