At some point, I'll actually get to the running part.

When I was young, I did very little stretching before running. I may have gone through the motions, imitating other runners, but it was all for show. I didn't really work at stretching anything.

Then, one day as I was running, the front of my leg tightened up. It didn't hurt much but the pain returned the next time I ran. After that, I began stretching that specific muscle group before running. It helped.

And I was good for a few years - stretch the quads, go for a run.

Until my shoulders and back started aching. You wouldn't think you'd need to stretch your upper body too much when you're running, but it turns out you do. Another stretch.

Once again, I was good - stretch the quads, stretch the back, go for a run.

I think my calves were next to complain. I recall this being the most sudden and jarring pain, bad enough that I couldn't finish the run. Yet another stretch.

And I had a new routine - stretch the quads, stretch the back, stretch the calves, go for a run.

This served me well for a number of years. Sadly, one day as I was finishing my run I felt a twinge in the back of my leg. Before long, my hamstrings were crying for help. I added them to the mix.

At this point, I felt like I had everything covered - stretch the quads, stretch the back, stretch the calves, stretch the hamstrings, go for a run.

After a couple of years of running, my inner thighs realized everyone else in the leg was getting attention and demanded some as well. It was true, I'd neglected them too long. I remedied the situation.

My present routine is stretch the quads, stretch the back, stretch the calves, stretch the hamstrings, stretch the inner thighs, go for a run.

Some days, I spend more time stretching than I do running. This wouldn't concern me if I thought I was really done adding stretches. History tells me this is likely not the case. In fact, I have a new pain that's been showing up despite all my current efforts. The pain seems to be in my hip, or maybe my butt, or maybe my upper hamstring. Anyway, I haven't quite figured out how to contort myself to stretch it. When I do, I guess I'll add it to the mix.