Mid-Distance Runners: Post your Flexibility and Strength Routines here

plyos and hills

split squats (bulgarian) (quads, GLUTES, hams)

hamstring curls (band)

hamstring curls with a swiss ball

hills of course- I live in the NE

can you elaborate on how to do hamstring curls with a band and a med ball?

mmmm, I meant more like gym routines?

Lots of gym circuit training sessions of at least 2hours per session. 12x 400m steep hill climbs with jog recoveries.Ensure 20 min minimum of warm up and down.

Hard, tough, but worth the efforts

with the band you just attatch it behind you then lie down on your belly, making sure your hips are pressed into the floor and your back is flat. Attatch the band to your ankle or foot and pull it towards your butt. Do most of them just straight up but do a few where you twist your leg (rotate) clockwise or counterclockwise-to hit the outer or inner part of the muscle. Make sure the hips are pushed into the floor. If you dont then when running you may start to "sit back", which generally makes you slower.

The swiss ball curls are even better. They are a miracle worker for your stride. Lay on your back with the ball down by your legs. Place your heels on the ball, raise your hips and 'curl' the ball towards you, keeping your feet together and your knees together as well. At the top of the curl your body should be about 45 degrees with your head still on the floor. Hold the position for a couple seconds with your feet as close to your ass as possible and your knees squeezed together. This will probably hurt if done correctly, as you are using your hamstrings, groin and glutes. Then release the position and let the ball roll back away from you, but keep your hips as high as possible. Do both legs at one time in about 5-10 sets of up to 30, then try it with one leg at a time. This is even better because it is obviously more similar to the running action. How does this relate to running in general? It helps your legs extend farther behind you when you run, giving you a longer stride. And your hamstrings contract more powerfully during the recovery 'swing' phase of the leg, meaning that it gives you better turnover as well-a shorter lever swings better and faster with less effort. Also, if you keep your hips high throughout the curls, your hips remain more forward while running, meaning your stride is more explosive because you overstride less.

Don't have a swiss ball? What I do at night is lay opn my back and take one foot and push it forcefully into the mattress, raising my hips in a motion that is similar to running, only rotated 90 degrees. It isn't as effective as the curls with the ball but it sure beats just laying there.

try these 2 links:

weights (videos) -

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Athletics--Physical-Education-and-Recreation/PE-720Spring-2006/Video/index.htm

plyometrics (The Loughborough circuit Seb Coe performed) -

http://trackandfieldnews.com/technique/107-George_Gandy.pdf#search=%22gandy%20middle%20distance%20training%22

wake up, go out the door and run, stretching is overrated, have you ever seen a racehorse stretch

have you ever seen a greyhound stretch?

Dogs do stretch

Even if dogs didnt stretch... does not mean that it would not benefit for them to stretch.