Ouch

    I am almost embarrassed to confess just how tight and sore my hip flexers are after the half-marathon this last Saturday. I have never experienced anything quite like it. I now understand why older people with bad hips tend to sway or waddle when they walk. I have a pronounced waddle at the moment. Yes, they do loosen up after a few strides, but they tighten back up whenever I sit for a time. Which during the workday is most of the time. I approached this power-walked half as a training experience to fully understand the distance, time factors, and to just get an overall feel of what I will be getting myself into a little further into the racing season. I think the most valuable lesson learned is that I need to work on my hip flexers. I have known for a while that I lack flexibility, and am trying to increase dynamic stretching, and add some yoga at the end of every workout. But so often I am cramming in as intense a workout as possible into a narrow time frame before dashing out of the house to my next obligation. Inevitably, it is stretching that gets pared out. There is never enough time to get everything done that needs doing. Never, ever. My hip flexers have encouraged me to do some serious stretching over the last 48 hours, but whether or not I will keep up the pace is yet to be seen.