MOMS ON THE RUN

The countdown is on for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend, Oct. 5-7, when 30,000 runners of all ages and paces will take to the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul to celebrate health and fitness. 

The Saturday events on Oct. 6 are an awesome experience for kids and family, but they’re also a wonderful occasion to gather your friends for a crisp fall morning group run. 

• With 10K and 5K options — and even the KARE 11 Family Mile — your whole crew can find the run that’s right for them, even brand new runners
• Participants earn a custom Brooks® short-sleeve technical shirts and finisher medals
• You’ll finish your race on the marathon finish line
• Enjoy a generous finish line walk-off and the lively 27th Mile
• Complimentary race photos, presented by Great Clips, to remember the day
• You’ll stride with thousands of other motivated Minnesotans doing something good for themselves 

This blog is the second in a series where our National Fitness Director, Olympian Carrie Tollefson, will be bringing tips for injury prevention and strength training to help improve our running performance. Today Carrie shares a great stretch to relieve our tight hip flexors and gluteus muscles. For more expert advice from Carrie, check out our first annual fall running retreat this October!​ 

If you are like most women, your hip flexors and glutes are extremely tight. This may not be a result of our workouts, but from our normal everyday activities. Our glutes and hip flexors have become shortened and tight from sitting at our desks or driving to and from work, grocery shopping, or those family road trips that we all love to do. Therefore, stretching a bit before and after activity is great. The pigeon pose is an easy stretch that will hit both targeted areas. Simply hold the pose for about 10-15 seconds and repeat 3 times on each side. You can shift your weight to find the right angle to meet your body's needs. ​

Minnesota is picture perfect in the fall. Franchise owner and Head Coach Stephanie VanHeel shares the benefits of running with Moms on the Run!

This blog is the first in a series where our National Fitness Director, Olympian Carrie Tollefson, will be bringing tips for injury prevention and strength training to help improve our running performance. Today Carrie shares with us one of her favorite stretches. For more expert advice from Carrie, check out our first annual fall running retreat this October!​ 

"I love the towel/shirt/rope stretch not only for my hamstrings and calves but because my knees always feel better after I have stretched the backs of my legs. Your knees take a lot of pounding and if your stride shortens because of the backs of your legs being tight, your quads then go into overdrive and can cause the kneecap to pull just slightly. The towel stretch is a simple assisted way to help you stretch on your own and get a little more range of motion while you are at it." Follow this video and repeat the stretch 3-6 times on each leg, holding for 5-6 seconds each time.  There are a lot of ways to stretch with assistance, so stayed tuned for other way to use the towel/shirt/rope!