#78 - Warm-Up, Don’t Wear Down! The Benefits of An Easy Running Warm-Up (Keep Calm Awards)
So it is race day and you are wondering if you should just go to the starting line and take off or do some sort of warm-up that you see others are performing. If you are with a group of friends, it is easy to just fall in line and do whatever it is that they are doing. If you are alone however it may be confusing as to what you should be doing. In this week's blog/podcast I (Coach Tadris) will discuss how you can warm-up for the race and not wear out. This will not be a step by step guide. I will share my experience with various warm-ups I’ve seen and tried. Then you will be able to see what works best for you. Just like sneakers, there is no one size fits all approach.
(In this weeks podcast, you will hear our Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 2020 Awards. Hear our amazing members talk about each other and how they felt to recieve their award.)
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We start with a quote from a World Champion Marathon Winner:
“At most, jog easily for 15 minutes before a race. Then stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and lower back. With about 15 minutes to go, maybe do a few strides. But no more—you’ll warm up plenty in the early going.” —Mark Plaatjes, 1993 World Championships marathon winner
With this thought in mind, the running tip here is to warm up, don’t wear down.
For those that are new to running, you may wonder; What does wearing down mean?
There are several methods in which people warm up before an event. Some of those methods can be exhausting and have your energy spent before the race begins.
Run A Mile Before Event:
Before a half or full marathon, I’ve seen runners that thrive off of running an easy mile before the race. For a few races, I have done that also. I thought it was crazy at first. I used to think that It was bad enough that I had to run 13.1 miles but you want me to add another mile on top of that!
I’ve seen runners before a race event sprinting all out. This is called the striders. Opening up your hips and striding out to open your body up. At times this is done after the person may have already run their determined easy jog.
I’ve seen runners break that warm-up mile into quarters. Slow jog the first quarter-mile, and slowly increase speed until that last quarter mile where they are into full strider mode.
An Easy 10 Minute Walk
When I first started the Keep Calm And Run To The Best You Program our warm-up before 5k’s was just a 10-minute walk. This is all a beginner needs for their first 5k.
The Insanity Warm-Up
A few years into the program I started to fall in love with this Beachbody Insanity workout which included a 10-minute warmup. The 10-minute warmup included jogging in place, jumping jacks, high knees, mummy kicks, Heisman jumps, followed by butt kicks x3. Then the workout would go into a six-minute stretching routine. (I loved this warm-up and it helped me with running strong out of the box.) Yet, some of our members wanted to kill me because they wanted to go lay down afterward. While others felt it helped out tremendously.
One thing I appreciated about the Insanity warm-up is that you should NEVER stretch a cold body. You must warm up before any stretching so as not to pull anything.
Jeff Galloway (First Mile Warm-Up)
I had the opportunity to meet former Olympian Jeff Galloway in 2015. Since meeting Jeff and incorporating the run, walk, run into my program, I have been in touch with him to ask his opinion on a warm-up I should do before my half marathon. I was shocked at his response: “Walk three minutes up to the starting line as your warm-up.” My response: “Wait What?!”
Jeff Galloway said: “Use your first mile as your warm-up, if you run, walk, run at 2 minutes running with a 30-second walk break, then for the first mile run at 60 seconds running with a 30-second walk break. (Repeat that for the duration of the first mile)
I thought to myself, that was crazy! I had to try it, and to my amazement, I completed the first mile in 9 minutes and 21 seconds. At the time I was a 9 minute per mile runner so I was afraid it would slow me down and I didn’t want to do it. Instead, it worked out very well.
A Few Striders
Jeff Galloway on another occasion said that it was ok to do a few acceleration and cadence drills. For those that practice the run, walk, run you may be familiar with these drills.
Acceleration Drill: Set a timer for 15 seconds/ 15 seconds. For 15 sec walk, 15-sec jog, and 15-sec sprint. Repeat this 2-3 times.
Cadence Drill: Set a timer for 30 seconds/ 30 seconds. For 30 seconds count how many times your right foot touches the ground, when the timer goes off walk for 30 seconds and keep that first number in your head. Upon that timer going off again for 30 seconds count and try to match or beat your first number. Do this for 2-3 rounds.
3 Benefits To An Easy Warm Up:
Less Mental Energy Used
Muscles Are Ready, Not Overworked
More Energy In The Back Half Of Event
Our Current Routine
What we have been currently doing as our team warm-up before races.
Easy run/walk at 30/30 for 5 minutes away from the starting area. Then we make a u-turn
We perform 2 acceleration drills, followed by 2 cadence drills.
Dynamic stretches include leg swings, hip opener swings to the side, toe touches, quadriceps pulls, knee pulls, and shoulder swings. (None of these stretches are held as a static stretch. These stretches are in a flowing motion with a slight pull of the knee up to your chest and an additional pull for a deeper stretch. This should take about 2-3 seconds as it’s pull-pull and releases. repeat these stretches, doing 2-3 rounds per side.)
I hope that you found this article helpful. Please listen to the podcast as I may go deeper into each topic in this article. What warm-up do you find most helpful for you over the years? Please comment below or email me at coachtadris@gmail.com
We leave you with this quote:
“Once you find a warm-up routine that works, repeat it as habitually as possible.” - Ted Corbitt
Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 2020 Awards
Lisa Diaz came in March 2020 and blew us all away! Running (5) 5k’s
Jen Burke took 2020 and improved in more ways than one! Our 2nd longest member, Jen didn't always put everything together. Well this year, Jen have been focusing on her eating more real foods, and intermittent fasting. This has shown in her running improvements.
Norm McCoy joined our program late 2019. In 2020 he soared to be voted the most determined member. Norm is relentless on the track or race course. Norm works hard every week. Norm was nominated for every awards due to his hard work ethic.
Marie Geary pictured in the center had taken 2020 to focus on her own health. In the last 4 months, Marie lost 43lbs! No wonder she gets our best transformation award.
Chris Ballard has been inspiring us for years now. We are proud that the members votes Chris as the most Inspiring member. Chris is selfless always showing up to support her team. Chris is in the medical field and does shift work. Chris has 3 teenagers, a husband and dog at home and sometimes shoes up on 3 hours sleep. With all those responsibilities, she runs for her, not to be fast, not for personal best, but for peace of mind. Thank you Chris for inspiring us all!
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Thank You!
Remember, we are just one run or walk away……
So Keep Calm And Run To The Best You My Friends!
-Coach Tadris
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