The Effect of 3"

I like numbers. Please allow me to put on my math geek hat for a moment.

I've been thinking about the importance of stretching recently. I don't do a lot of it, but the more I read of and about elite runners, they all swear by it. I don't remember where I saw it, but I was reading recently about the benefits of stretching and becoming more flexible and how being able to lengthen each step by just 3" would have significant effects on your race. So that got me thinking (and calculating). Here's what I found:

Let's start with a premise of 3.35 feet in distance for every step.

Inspired By The Inspired

My wife ran her first 5k on Saturday. She was convinced she was going to run a mile or so and then walk the rest of the way. A funny thing happened though, she saw people in front of her and was determined to keep up with them. And she did. I should also mention that she organized and hosted this race. It was a little family fun run starting at our church and winding through the neighborhood. A good time for all. Except for me maybe. My heart rate hadn't even come down yet from my 15-miler before I ran (literally) from my house to the church (longest .2 miles EVER) to babysit 8 kids under the age of 7 while their parents ran. I survived. Barely (the kids, not the run).

Sweet Dreams

I am a morning person. I always have been. I don't need alarm clocks, coffee, a splash of cold water or anything else to get me out of bed. I've been able to do this for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories include watching ESPN at 5am as a 4-year old (other kids grew up watching cartoons - I grew up watching sports highlights and classic college basketball games). I have siblings that can sleep past noon and wouldn't wake up if the house was being bulldozed. That's not me. It doesn't matter how late I got to bed, I'm up early. Call it a blessing or a curse, but that's the way it is.

This can make getting extra sleep difficult. If I want 10 hours, I had better be in bed by 8pm. Not always easy to do, especially with kids. However, as I've reflected on and reread Dr. Graham's chapter on sleep in his book Nutrition and Athletic Performance, I feel like I need to figure out ways to get more of it.