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Complete these 4 Stretches Before You Run

Help prevent injury and add these 4 stretches before you run

Aside from losing weight and lowering your blood pressure, running is an activity that comes with numerous benefits. It can help improve both your mental and physical health. Just like other exercises, you need to warm up your body before you begin. A great way to do that before running is to stretch. We breakdown why injuries happen and advise that you complete these 4 stretches before you run.

Regardless of how beneficial running can be, more than 65% of runners get injured every year. This stat might seem discouraging, but the good news is that you can avoid these running injuries. One of the primary reasons why people get injured after running is because their muscles were overworked or overstretched. When the muscles in the legs are stiff and tight, running might be a bad idea as it can lead to injuries. In order to avoid getting injured, the muscles should be first stretched properly. The best way to avoid this is by completing these 4 stretches before you run. If you do become injured, see Dr. Allen and the experts at Ascension Seton Sports Performance.

Pro tip: don’t begin marathon training without these 7 essential items!

  • Single-Leg Deadlift 

This exercise is an effective means of stretching every muscle within the hips and hamstrings. To do this, get into a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Place your weight on your right leg and gradually raise your left leg out behind you and make sure it’s straight. As you raise your left leg, simultaneously hinge at your waist. Doing this correctly gets you into a T shape.

  • Hip Flexor Stretch 

A tight hip flexor can cause injuries while running. This exercise can help avoid that injury. Get into a lunge position with your front knee at 90 degrees. Then gradually straighten your back leg and then raise your arms. Hold in this position for 10 seconds and change legs.

  • Walking Lunge 

This exercise helps avoid injuries in the knee and thigh region. Get into a standing position, then move your right leg forward. Bend the right leg until the knee is at 90 degrees and the back knee is almost touching the ground. Stay in this position for 5 seconds and then move forward with the left leg. While doing this, place your hands on your waist.

  • Calf Raise 

This is another helpful stretching exercise that can help avoid injuries while running. This exercise targets muscles in the calf region. To do this, stand straight and gently push through the balls of your feet till your heels are high, and you are standing fully on your toes. After standing on your toes for 5 seconds, slowly return to your initial standing position.

Avoiding injuries that are caused by running is possible, but only with the right stretching. Completing these 4 stretches before you run is very important. Especially for people that haven’t engaged in running for a long time or engage in activities that require less movement. If you have an injury or what to become a better runner, email Ascension Seton Sports Performance today – sportssci@ascension.org.

Austin Marathon Gives Receives Grant, Unveils New Name

Austin Marathon Gives continues support of various Central Texas nonprofits

Austin Marathon Gives presented by the Moody Foundation, formerly Austin Gives Miles, is the philanthropic program of the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour. The new name and logo stem from the growing partnership between the Austin Marathon and the Moody Foundation. Since 2014, Austin Marathon Gives has raised $3.8 million for numerous worthy Central Texas nonprofits. Through their grants, the Moody Foundation has given $1.2 million to the program since 2016. The 30th annual Austin Marathon, owned and produced by High Five Events, will take place on February 14, 2021.

“As our Central Texas communities continue to grapple with the effects from COVID-19, supporting our local nonprofits is more important than ever,” said Ross Moody, trustee of the Moody Foundation. “The Moody Foundation is honored to partner with a program that invites the community to give back to more than 25 local organizations through the iconic Austin Marathon, elevating the impact and reach of our single gift.”

Supporting Central Texas

Austin Marathon Gives will receive a grant from the Moody Foundation for the sixth year in a row. The grant will match donations raised, up to $10,000, for each participating organization. Money raised annually through the program significantly impacts a wide array of local nonprofits. Earlier this year, 25 nonprofits fundraised $702,500 and recruited more than 800 runners. 

“The growth of this partnership has had a tremendously positive impact on the Central Texas community,” said Jack Murray, co-owner of High Five Events. “Austin Marathon Gives is proud to continue working side-by-side with the Moody Foundation to make our community a better place for everyone.”

The Moody Foundation, based in Galveston, Texas, has funded projects and programs that better communities throughout Texas. The grant will match Austin Marathon Gives’ donations and has a positive impact on the Central Texas organizations and their specific causes. One of the Moody Foundation’s areas of support – community development – directly aligns with the goal of the Austin Marathon: to better Central Texas. The Austin Marathon is excited to expand the Moody Foundation relationship and knows the positive effects will be far-reaching. 

The Austin Marathon will celebrate its 30th year running in the capital of Texas on February 14, 2021. Austin’s flagship running event annually attracts runners from all 50 states and 35+ countries around the world. The start and finish locations are just a few blocks apart. They are within walking distance of many downtown hotels and restaurants. The finish line is in front of the picturesque Texas State Capitol. The Austin Marathon is the perfect running weekend destination. Austin Marathon Gives presented by the Moody Foundation is the perfect way for runners to get involved and support the Central Texas community. Registration is currently open.

Ride and Run Austin with Project Connect

How Project Connect can help make Austin an even better city

For the past several years, High Five Events, owners and producers of the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon, have worked in tandem with CapMetro. We’ve partnered to ensure that runners and fans can move about promptly and safely on big race days. But our partnership with CapMetro goes beyond that. High Five Events and CapMetro have a shared vision of what the future of Austin can be—cleaner, safer, faster, more equitable. We believe Project Connect will achieve that

Austin runners number in the hundreds of thousands. Most of the time our daily run starts and ends right outside our front door. But it’s beneficial, even essential, for fitness, training, and emotional health to have some variety. The solution is to run through any of Austin’s iconic environs like circling Ladybird Lake, flying past foliage on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, or tackling the difficult terrain of the Brushy Creek Trail. 

Bettering Austin

If you’ve been a runner here for a few years, you know that those places are harder and harder to get to. It takes longer to get there and back, probably longer than the run itself. Austin traffic pollutes the air we breathe. Traveling, whether by car or on foot, is not as safe. Traveling by rail will help to reduce traffic fatalities.

If runners across Austin support Project Connect and Prop A, we’ll all reap the same benefits. More access to trails, greenbelts, and parks. Cleaner, more breathable air. And a safer run or bike ride along often-used corridors. A good example of improving safety is the planned construction of a new bridge over Ladybird Lake. The plans will reduce foot and bike traffic along Pleasant Valley Road and Longhorn Dam.

Thinking about the future

Austin’s runners often travel on weekends to events around the country and that, too, will return once the pandemic is over. Project Connect makes getting to the airport much less of a Heartbreak Hill, no matter where in Austin you live. 

For running families, our children are facing a real challenge if they want to continue to live here. Two million additional people will move to Austin by 2040, four million total. Austin can certainly remain the best place in the country to work and live. However, we need to think about what life will be like in 20 years if we don’t act now to solve our traffic problems. 

If you want to learn more about Project Connect and how you can offer your support, visit TransitNowATX.com

High Five Events has long worked with CapMetro and the City of Austin transportation department to create event plans and race routes that minimize disruption to the transportation network. CapMetro planners collaborated with High Five Events on the redesign of the Austin Marathon route, which was introduced in 2018. The new route resulted in a significant decrease in the number of affected bus stations and allowed for less disruption to the overall bus network.

Booty Bands: 4 Reasons Why You’ll Love Their Benefits

The resistance from booty bands can make you a stronger runner

Booty bands: funny name, legit benefits. Running by itself is great. But if that’s all you do you might experience burnout or have an overuse injury. That’s why we’re always talking about cross-training! The benefits runners can see from cycling, swimming, and yoga are endless. Now you can add booty bands to the list! They’re inexpensive, lightweight, and you can work out with them anywhere. We breakdown what they are, talk about their benefits, and provide some of our favorite workouts. They’re especially helpful for first-time runners!

Booty bands explained

https://youraustinmarathon.com/booty-bands-benefits/Booty bands are small loop bands that can be made from different materials including rubber, cloth, and elastic. These bands usually come in sets with different weights and resistance. They can add additional resistance to natural movements like squats, lunges, slides, and kicks. While they are great for targeting your core and lower body, they can also be used for shoulders and arms. Also known as resistance bands, mini bands, butt bands, and hip bands. They’re a great compliment to your training, especially when you’re increasing your mileage.

Do they work?

Heck yeah they do! Once you work out with them you might realize that you’ve been slacking on working out certain muscles. Because of the added resistance, you will use more stabilizing muscles and feel the burn. They’re one of the simplest additions to your training/workout routine. They’re also great for preventing painful injuries like shin splints. Pro tip: add these endurance circuit workouts to your training too!

Benefits

  • Inexpensive
  • Easy to use
  • Durable
  • Lightweight and easy to pack/store
  • Adds a variety to workouts
  • Great for different levels of fitness

How to use them

Search booty band workouts on Google. You’ll discover so many options that you could literally do a new one each day. That is how versatile they can be. Here are some that caught our eye and that we added to our own workout lineup:

As you can see, we still take cross-training seriously. If we don’t have time to rock climb or ride our bike, we bust out our booty bands. There are times where we even add them to our warm-up routine. Do you already use booty bands and have a favorite workout? Let us know in the Austin Marathon Facebook Group or on Twitter!