Racked Stretch is helping marathoners in New York keep their mobility
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Training and long runs are key to building endurance for marathon runners but just as crucial is stretching, it's something many may take for granted or may not being doing effectively.
"If you're not stretching properly or you are stretching too aggressively or the static form, where you are holding the stretch for a long period of time, your body starts to react the opposite way. You start to tear things, you start to strain things and that's exactly what we're trying to avoid," said Dr. Keren Day, Racked Stretch.
While stretching before a marathon is important for our bodies it is equally important to stretch after.
"That's actually when the stretching is extremely effective, because remember after a marathon, usually you're getting up the next morning and things are a bit stiff. That stiffness can last for long periods of time, you know, some people are sore for two to three weeks after a marathon," Dr. Day said.
While stretching is beneficial to runners, it's certainly not limited to runners as Dr. Day and Dawn Fichot created Racked Stretch after Fichot's personal battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma and a decrease in mobility.
"Once I got the all clear, and finished my treatments and started exercising again, I was able to get back my strength and my endurance fairly fast, but I could not get my mobility back," Fichot said.
"This is what we're doing, we're trying to spread the word so that more people are doing more stretching and keeping their agility if not increasing their agility," Dr. Day said.
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