Taking care of your feet is one of the most important things for runners to do. Now add in touring Disney Parks around a race weekend and you’ve got some tired feet! Well Danielle is back with some easy stretches to take care of your achy feet…this is a good one!
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Hi Everyone!
I’m back with another Yoga for Runners tip and today I’d like to talk FEET!
As runners we put a lot of pressure on our feet (literally!). Throughout the course of training we get blisters, we bruise and lose toenails and many of us have/ will discover a ligament in our feet call the plantar fascia.
Of course we should all be doing things like making sure we’re wearing good sneakers that are the right size (be sure to get measured at your local running store!) and spending a few extra dollars on good running specific socks, but other than that we rarely give our feet the TLC they deserve!
Even if you’re diligent about doing some warm up and cool down stretches do you really think about stretching your feet??!
Here are a few stretches that will keep your feet happy and on the run pain free! (**These are great for non-runners as well, we all spend so much time on our feet!)
The above arch stretch can be VERY intense if your planter fascia are tight – take it SLOW! You can begin just by holding it for a couple of seconds and repeating it a few times, over time as the fascia loosen you will be able to hold it comfortably for longer (trust me, I almost screamed the first time I did this!). You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, NOT PAIN. If this is too intense, you can begin with a less intense version below:
If your hands don’t comfortably come to your feet to gently pull back on your toes you can use a towel or a yoga strap to help. Loop a rolled up towel or yoga strap around your feet and gently pull back on the ends until you feel a stretch in your arches.
And now that we’ve stretched the bottom of our feet, let’s not forget the top!
Take a minute or two to do some of these stretches even while watching TV at night and your feet will surely thank you!
P.S. – if you do experience arch pain one of my favorite ways to help relieve it is to keep a few golf balls in the freezer and then use them to roll under my foot, not only are you getting a gentle massage to help loosen the fascia, but you’re “icing” it at the same time!
Hope these help and until next time, happy running!
As usual if you have any questions about incorporating yoga into your running routine please feel free to leave a comment here or you can find me at www.LiveRunGrow.com or on Twitter at @dnardi710.