Should you stretch before a run? That question, which has
prompted countless academic studies, debates and inter-running-
partner squabbles, is now at the heart of a notable new study
published in August on the Web site of USA Track and Field, the
sport’s national governing body. The study, one of the largest
of its kind, involved almost 1,400 runners, from age 13 to past
60, who were assigned randomly to two groups. The first group
did not stretch before their runs, while otherwise maintaining
their normal workout routine: the same mileage, warm-up (minus
any stretching) and so on. The second group stretched, having
received photographs and specific instructions for a series of
simple, traditional poses, like leaning over and touching toes,
that focused on the calf, hamstring and quadriceps muscles. The
volunteers were told to hold each stretch for 20 seconds, a
technique known as static stretching. The entire routine
required three to five minutes and was to be completed
immediately before a run. The volunte