is stretching before running necessary?

Different people are going to have different opinions on this. Throughout most of my research and education on running as well as my personal experience has told me that no, stretching before running isn't all that crucial.

The only time I would say that it's really important to focus on stretching is if you are prone to certain injuries or irritations. I have a tendency to get tight quads and this puts a lot of stress on my patellar tendon. If I notice after a few runs my tendon is getting irritated then the next few times I run I stretch beforehand.

It's more important to stretch after a workout than it is before. You should be doing some sort of a warm up before running so that's why stretching before, really isn't all that important. It's afterwords where it's going to have the greatest benefit.

The reason why many people think stretching before working out is so important is because they are thinking it counts as a warm up. It doesn't. Stretching isn't a warm up. While it can loosen some muscles to better prepare them for workingout, it can also tire some. It's much better to do a 2-5 minute warm up before running. If the muscles and joints are warm before running THAT is what prevents injury and will allow you to run at your full potential. So in jist stretching does not = warm up.

-Connor

Most current research suggests that stretching before running offers no protection against injury. Your warm up, not the stretching, is what protects you. Stretching muscles that have not been warmed up is a definite no-no.

Some research has shown a higher instance of running injuries in people who suddenly change their routine - such as going from fully stretching to no stretching, or vice versa. So if you decide to stop or start stretching, do so gradually over time, increasing or decreasing the stretching amount a little at a time.

It's your decision

but professionals and many people warm to loosen muscles and Warming up helps reduce your risk of injury and the aches and pains that come with exercise. The physiological reason to warm up is to assist your circulatory system in pumping oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. The idea is to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. A proper warm up safely prepares the body for the increased demands of exercise. Cold muscles do not absorb shock or impact as well, and are more susceptible to injury.

A warm-up helps you prepare both mentally and physically for exercise and reduces the chance of injury. During a warm up, any injury or illness you have can often be recognized, and further injury prevented. Other benefits of a proper warm up include:

Yes. Stretching out your muscles makes sure they are ready for exercise. If you don't stretch them, you might not be able to run as well and you might get muscle cramps. Stretching also prevents seizures and other things. :)

Yes it is. I mean your not going to fall and have a seizure if you do not stretch but to run longer and stay consistent, you need to stretch.

its a must. I would also suggest stretching afterwords