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Cold muscles are prone to injury when stretched. Therefore it is best to do any stretching before running as part of the warm-up. The best approach appears to be using dynamic stretching to both warm-up and stretch the muscles. This dynamic stretching should start with a limited range of motion and build up over several repetitions until you are moving through most of your range of motion. The dynamic stretching should not have the goal of improving flexibility in the long term as this is best done at other times.
{{#evp:youtube|v0raLNhGKAc|Dynamic Stretching|none}}
==Mid-run==
Gently moving a limb through its natural Range of Motion can refresh the muscles. This is different to a traditional stretch, as you are not trying to extend a muscle past its comfort point. This approach is the basis for the [[Morton Stretch]].
|<html><div class="thumb"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:300px;"><img alt="" src="http://fellrnr.com/images/MortonS.gif" width="300" height="397" class="thumbimage" /> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"></div>An animation of the Morton Stretch. </div></div></div></html>
==Cooldown==
After the run, the muscles become delicate and stretching at this point can easily injure them. While stretching before a run does not reduce muscle soreness, I have found gentle stretching after a run can keep the muscles happier. This [[Cooldown]] stretching should not be performed with the objective of improving flexibility. Instead, the stretches should be short (5-10 seconds) and not to the Point Of Discomfort. Think of the stretches as allowing the muscles to elongate fully, rather than trying to forcibly extend them.