It's finally cooling off in Austin. With cooler weather comes the start of all the marathon training programs in preparation for the Austin Marathon in February. And with cool fall weather and marathon training comes ... yes, the questions about stretching.

Stretching has become a panacea. So let's attempt to put a few things to rest with some good sports sciences evidence - though I suspect much of it may come as a surprise to many.

Let's start with a couple of interesting facts. Research on 5K runners has indicated that the fastest runners are the most inflexible. The increased passive muscle tension effectively gives the runner "free speed" because it's not requiring energy to produce it. Add to that the lack of research supporting the relationship between stretching and ---insert injury here --- [options include plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, IT band syndrome, etc]. So we have to assess stretching by starting with the questions "why am I stretching in the first place?".

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"I did this while running for president ... oh and I did this ... and this ... and I got all of these people involved ... and I did this while running for president ...

... oh and by the way, vote for Obama (said with a rather insincere look away from the camera)...

... but make sure that you realize that I did this ... and this ... and rallied women ... and did this ... and remember what we did when Bill was president ... and did more of this while I ran for president over the past 18 months ..."

That's about how Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention sounded moments ago.

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In the world of triathlon, it's all the rage.

Got aero?

It is a big trend in the triathlon community - the perceived benefits of aero tubing, aero helmets, aero bottle holders - you name it, aero is where it's at these days. Whether it's a more aerodynamic frame, or more aerodynamic bike fit/position, or a more aerodynamic helmet, "aero" is a huge catch phrase in the triathlon world. This focus on aero was once again brought to my attention at the Longhorn 70.3 half Ironman last weekend. As I was there supporting a number of athletes that were competing, I witnessed a lot of aero frames and helmets (or "coneheads" as one of my athletes calls them). In some ways, these struck me as frightening trends in that there is obviously a lot of talk and marketing dollars going into some of the beliefs held by triathletes these days.

And much of it revolves around the supposed benefits of aero on the cycling segment of the race.

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Yes, I would call it a fiasco.

And a nuisance.

And a strange twist of professional football history.

Brett Favre - the quarterback who had forged himself into the Green Bay Packers' history books. A man that could have retired as one of the legendary Packers, perhaps the greatest football team in the modern era. A quarterback that could have bowed-out gracefully after his 17th professional season.

But no, the ego won out.

There is a difference between "can he play" and "is it time for him not to play". Does he have more great seasons in him behind the New York Jets' offensive line, throwing to receivers that he doesn't have much playing time with? Will he still be a first ballot Hall of Famer? Will history still look back fondly? Or will he be remembered for his leaving the Packers, instead of what he accomplished with them?

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