According to the Journal of the Strength and Conditioning Research, a study of 8 collegiate distance runners found a strong inverse correlation between sit-and-reach flexibility and running economy. In other words, the more flexible the runner was, the worse their running economy (energy used at a given velocity). Or, as the study puts it...
"...the less flexible distance runners tended to be more economical, possibly as a result of the energy-efficient function of the elastic components in the muscles and tendons during the stretch-shortening cycle."
Link to the abstract
It's a small study, but if larger studies confirm that flexibility negatively impacts running economy, it's another reason not to engage in sessions of pre-workout static stretching.
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