Managing Muscle Tension

From Running Times online…

Managing Muscle Tension

Maintaining the right muscle tension can help you run (and race) faster

By Steve Magness

As featured in the March 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

Mention the word "tension" to any regular runner and negative thoughts are sure to ensue. Whether it's associated with tightness in a muscle or stress in life, tension doesn't bring happy thoughts. Yet having enough muscle tension might be the difference between running a PR and feeling flat on race day.

We've all shown up to a race having tapered our training, thinking we'll have lots of stored energy and be raring to go, only to find we're sluggish once it's time to run fast. It's as if our legs have become nonresponsive, like our muscles aren't firing as fast as usual and we lack that extra oomph of power.

What went wrong? The common explanation is that we didn't taper enough or we needed more recovery. The more likely answer is that our resting muscle tension was too low.

Read on here.