

Warming Up Before A Race

Stretching before a run?

Do you warm up before a race?  If so what do you do to warm-up?  I confess that I thought those runners running before a race were maniacs.  Why aren’t they saving their energy for the race?   Walking to the starting line and maybe to the porta potty has been the extent of my warm ups.  However, any competitive runner will tell you that warming up is key to achieving peak performance.

A good warm up gets blood flowing to your muscles, increases heart rate, and helps to prevent injury.  It makes sense, especially for a race.  To go from standing around to race pace is hard on your body if not properly warmed up.

So what is a good warm-up?  According to a Runner’s World article by Bob Cooper that depends on what are you doing.  For a 5-K race the recommendation is to walk or lightly jog for 15-30 minutes and then do 8 x 100 meter strides.  A stride is where you build up into your race pace over the first 20 meters, then hold the pace for about 60 meters, and bring it back to a shuffle gradually over the last 20 meters.

I am going to do the Runnin’ of the Green 4 mile race on Saturday and plan on attempting a pre-race warm-up and then can see for myself whether it helps.

Colleen Morrissey Wheatley