how fast are you, and can you touch your toes?

I don't know but Mo Farah cannot cross his legs. I'm flexible and pretty slow.

This is a short clip from the same episode of the Graham Norton show with Mo. Can't find the part about his stiff legs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA2XQ5bvm8c

Anyone who isn't disabled should be able to touch their toes. How would you put your shoes on if you couldn't reach your own toes?

Cannot touch toes, I am decently fast but not Olympic trials qualifying fast

flex on em wrote:

Is there a connection between flexibility and speed?

Many runners are very stiff. There seems to be a connection between stiffer muscles and better running economy (more elastic return).

FWIW, I can put my palms on the floor with my legs straight, and 5k PR 19:4X... obviously, I am way too flexible. How do I get LESS flexible???

flex on em wrote:

Is there a connection between flexibility and speed?

Yes, but not necessarily toe touching flexibilty.

Poster of Relevant Links wrote:

FWIW, I can put my palms on the floor with my legs straight, and 5k PR 19:4X... obviously, I am way too flexible. How do I get LESS flexible???

Run more. No kidding. Stiffer muscles is one of the body's responses to running.

Poster of Relevant Links wrote:

FWIW, I can put my palms on the floor with my legs straight, and 5k PR 19:4X... obviously, I am way too flexible. How do I get LESS flexible???

Similar. My 5k PR was about 17:20, fastest 800 was 2:06 (and I'm a guy) fastest 200 in a relay was 25

I can almost put my palms on the floor with my legs straight. If I really practiced, I'd give it a month or two before I could actually do it. Even with years of no activity, it's easy for me.

sticky figure wrote:

Poster of Relevant Links wrote:

FWIW, I can put my palms on the floor with my legs straight, and 5k PR 19:4X... obviously, I am way too flexible. How do I get LESS flexible???

Run more. No kidding. Stiffer muscles is one of the body's responses to running.

sticky figure wrote:

flex on em wrote:

Is there a connection between flexibility and speed?

Many runners are very stiff. There seems to be a connection between stiffer muscles and better running economy (more elastic return).

So why do some people say that running economy is not very trainable? Are they just talking out of their hat?

eye see wrote:

So why do some people say that running economy is not very trainable? Are they just talking out of their hat?

Running economy is a poorly understood concept, including by yours truly. But it doesn't actually matter. Just follow a well rounded plan, and you will be faster.

Also you must not confuse development of physiological parameters like VO2max or economy in highly trained elites, with 18-20min 5k-ers. The former are maxing out various aspects already, obviously.

I'm sure you're right. It makes sense to me. So how much can those 18-20 minute 5k-ers improve? Is it just an unknowable thing? We have to wait and see, or can we point at someone and say, runner A has talent and runner B, not so much?

Back in the years when I ran no more than about 1000 miles per year and ran about 19-20min for a 5K I could easily put my palms flat on the ground with straight legs. 7 or 8 years ago I upped my mileage to where I've averaged between 2500 and 3000 miles per year with 5K in the high 17's and now I cannot come within 2 inches of even getting my finger tips to touch the floor with straight legs. Is it cuz I'm older or cuz I ran more?

I'm 50 and not only can I touch my toes, I can do a full split. I cannot, however, break 20.

jawbyhawger wrote:

Back in the years when I ran no more than about 1000 miles per year and ran about 19-20min for a 5K I could easily put my palms flat on the ground with straight legs. 7 or 8 years ago I upped my mileage to where I've averaged between 2500 and 3000 miles per year with 5K in the high 17's and now I cannot come within 2 inches of even getting my finger tips to touch the floor with straight legs. Is it cuz I'm older or cuz I ran more?

I can touch the floor with my palms, but then it's part of my job, so I've kept the flexibility. I don't think it's correlated with running fast or slow.

jawbyhawger wrote:

Back in the years when I ran no more than about 1000 miles per year and ran about 19-20min for a 5K I could easily put my palms flat on the ground with straight legs. 7 or 8 years ago I upped my mileage to where I've averaged between 2500 and 3000 miles per year with 5K in the high 17's and now I cannot come within 2 inches of even getting my finger tips to touch the floor with straight legs. Is it cuz I'm older or cuz I ran more?

It's because you don't stretch or do other tension releasing exercises.

Your muscles should be a little but not much stiffer than their natural tension.

I can touch the tip of my nose with my tongue.

I can't and have never been able to touch my toes.. Im at least 3 inches away with my legs straight.. 5k PR 14:50 within the last month.

The more I run and the faster I get, the less flexible I become.

we all can wrote:

Anyone who isn't disabled should be able to touch their toes. How would you put your shoes on if you couldn't reach your own toes?

It is understood that this means with straight legs (knees not bent).

I can not touch my toes today. I could not touch my toes when I was a gymnast and a diver and then not as a runner in high school and college. Basically, I have never been able to do that.

I have a high school son who is a way better distance runner than I was in high school, and he is thin and fit and he can not touch his toes either.

Being able to touch toes has to do with lots of parts of the body -- flexibility of back AND hips on down and then even length of arms (though the flexibility part is really the main thing). And, you can't just work on it and make it work either. You can work on it to get as flexible as you can be, but not everyone will be able to touch their toes with knees unbent.