Do you warm up your car?

I like to help promote self-care, and stretching is a huge part of my personal routine. Is it part of yours?

Last week on Running Sucks

Thursday’s profile was of Erik Valiente, who has been leading Blacklist LA for the past 11 years. A true community leader from the beginning, he’s a true example, and it was a pleasure to sit down and speak to him about all things running.

What are run clubs for? Ask Blacklist LA

What’s Erik’s advice to make running suck less? Warm up and slow down!

“Dynamic stretches before to get the circulation going, get the heart rate a little bit up. Just wake up the body, you know? And slow the pace down. I let my body dictate the pace, and by the third mile, I get into my groove.”

What are examples of dynamic stretches?

• Hamstring scoops

• Knee hugs

• Torso twists

• Arm circles

• Hip rotations

• Side lunges

• Leg swings

• Running in place

“I recommend folks do four to five of them before they run, which only takes five minutes, and then it should feel smoother than when you start from zero. If you warm up the car, you gotta warm yourself up!”

We all warm our cars up before driving them, right? It gets the engine oil warm and fluid so that it can protect your engine and improve fuel economy. From that, I’m sure you can build your own analogy for what dynamic stretches can do for your body.

What’s your favorite stretch? Mine has always been a supine twist. My lower back and hips have always been tight, so a deep twist feels wonderful. Time for a quick yoga class, actually!

---

Last week in my running life

I had a pleasant week of rest and easy(ish) runs after the half. I also ran with Andrew Chen, whose menswear brand I featured in September, as he led a run from the new 3sixteen store in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s a very nice store.

Why on earth is a menswear brand hosting runs?

I do enjoy running through DTLA, especially when the route takes in things like the brutalist (concrete) Sixth Street Bridge. Many thanks to whoever took a photo of the back of my t-shirt. I really like the print, but it’s on my back, so I never see it.

A few photos I took on the 3sixteen run. Did I do laps of ROW DTLA until I got the mileage up to 3.16? You bet I did.

I also shared a virtual conversation with the mighty Jonathan Levitt as we battled my silly little dog barking at the kind men installing my new bathroom (please upgrade your subscription — I’ll dedicate a tile, a tap, a toilet to you) to record an episode of the For The Long Run podcast. It was great fun because he’s a master interviewer. You’ll find a link to the episode right here when it goes live in a few weeks.

---

Last year on Running Sucks

It’s been 12 months since I posted the last of my series on running slowly, featuring Celina Stephenson. Since this conversation, Celina moved from Dublin to London to be a full-time running influencer, and has helped a community of young women find others who do not love the pressure of running fast. It’s been so cool to see it happening in real time.

The Girl Gang Defending Slow Runners

Also in the series was a chat with @runswithemily (still the no.1 article on the site), zone 2 running guru Matt Fitzgerald, and Slow AF run club maestro Martinus Evans. If you’re interested in running differently, you’ll get some insights from all of these amazing people.

---

Running Sucks Haiku of the Week

To London, I fly.
But I want to run with you,
Or eat bags of chips.

I’m going to be in London over the next couple of weeks, so if you would like to meet up for a run or for a bag of chips, I would love it if you dropped me a line. Let’s have some fun. Maybe a bag of chips after a run?!

I’m not talking about fries or crisps. I’m talking about chip shop chips — the only foodstuff completely unavailable to me in Los Angeles. I did read something a long, long time ago about how it’s the differing starch content of the potatoes that make those fluffy thumbs of potato completely impossible to recreate on this side of the pond, but I digress.

See you soon, London.

---

Housekeeping

WIN - To win a $50 Janji gift card visit the Competition page and enter your name. PLUS get three extra entries every single week if you upgrade your subscription. Supporting my independent journalism is just a bonus.

BUY A RUNNING SUCKS HAT! - I’ve put Running Sucks x Fractel hats in the mail to California, New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Rhode Island, England, Wales, Germany, and now Alaska. I love it.

$$$ - Upgrade your subscription for just $50 (JUST $1 A WEEK!) and you get guaranteed entries to the weekly competition. You can also tip a one-off $5, if that’s more your thing.

CONNECT - Instagram / Strava / LinkedIn

Thanks for reading
- Raz x