How to Warm Up for Better Workout and Race Performances
Warming up is an important part of any run. Whether you are running easy or hard, you will have a better outcome if you take the time to warm up beforehand. Yet many runners, probably a majority of weekend racers, either warm up too little or not at all. The result is a higher risk of injury during the race, and a lower output in terms of performance. If you want to get more out of your races and workouts (when simulating race conditions), look at your warm-up practices for areas to improve.
Lack of warm-up generally happens for two main reasons. First, runners might think that they will use up too much of their energy before racing. In fact, as long as the warm-up is appropriately tailored for the race distance, our bodies actually can output more energy after a warm-up due to our priming of energy systems and metabolism. Second, runners might shortchange themselves in terms of the time available before their race or workout, and so they will need to jump right into the hard effort. This, of course, can be solved by simply planning ahead to allow the right amount of time for the workout.
While you can tweak the specifics of your warm-up to suit your workout or race needs, the general elements should be included, in the following order:
There should be an inverse relationship between the race distance and the total warm-up time. So, you should warm up significantly longer before a 5k than before a marathon. But, you should maintain each of the elements of the good warm-up routine to ensure that you prime all of your systems before racing. For my athletes, I recommend about 25-30 minutes of easy and progressive running before a 5k (with the final 5-10 minutes progressive), and less than 10 minutes in total before a marathon (with a gentle progression for the final 2-3 minutes). Just keep this concept in mind: Harder/shorter races require more of a warm-up, longer races require less.
Since you are simulating race conditions in terms of intensity and pacing during your workouts, it’s important to complete a warm-up. You get the same benefits (better performance, less chance for injury) when you warm up before a workout, and you also provide an added bonus: Building a consistent routine helps you learn how to get your brain into “race mode” so that you can perform better from a mental standpoint when it counts. Building that habit will put your mind at ease during races so that you can run your best.
I personally like to finish up my easy and progressive running, change into my race gear (flats, singlet, etc.), get a final sip of drink, then complete drills and skips. These moves are important to ensure that your joints are mobile, and they are a chance to practice (through over-emphasis) good form one last time. Just a few minutes of rehearsal will lead to better form, and therefore more efficient running which translates to faster race times. Here is the list of drills I suggest, in order (complete 25-30 meters of each):
When all is said and done, building a repeatable warm-up routine will help you run better workouts and better races. You’d never see an elite runner start a race without a proper warm-up, so take a page from their book and you’ll be really happy with the results.
Have something to say? Leave a Comment