Sometimes a pain creeps up on you out of nowhere, like with pain behind the knee. Race walking sometimes aggravates this area, and it sneaks up so slowly you don’t actually realize it until too late.  Avoid this potentially painful problem by adding the stretch below to your warm-down routine.

In a seated position, place the first leg straight in front of you.  Next, bend the non-stretching leg outwards with your foot alongside the first thigh, forming a triangle.  Keeping a straight back, bend from the hips and lean towards your toe.  If your hamstring flexibility allows, pull your toes towards your body as I do in Figure 7-11a.  If you lack flexibility in the hamstrings, you will not be able to reach your toes.  Use a towel like Jack to extend your reach and get cracking on those hammies!