PeachyDoodle Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 When you run in a timed race (5K or whatever), what, if anything, do you do to warm up beforehand? When I am running on my own, I usually do one lap at a brisk walk before I begin. But in the few 5K's I've run, I've been hesitant to do anything beforehand, because I am afraid of tiring myself (I already have to stop and walk a few times along the way). But it feels like it takes me a long time to hit my stride when I start cold, so maybe that's a mistake. I'm not going to be winning any prizes or anything; I just want to run my best possible time. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 When I go for a run I like to walk about 10 minutes before I start running, then it usually takes at least a mile of running before I feel like I'm running smoothly. In the past I was shy about warming up before races but I'm not anymore. For a 5k or 10k I will walk briskly about 10 minutes and then jog a real slow mile finishing 15 minutes or so before the race. Then I just keep moving around and try to stay loose before the race starts. For the 10 miler and half marathons I have run, I have just done brisk walking for 20ish minutes and let the first mile or so of the race be my actual warm up. I'm not sure what others do but this works for me. I usually finish in the upper 1/2 of my age group but I'm not fast by any means. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I walk and/or do a very easy jog. I also do a bunch of high knees, which is just standing in place bringing my bent knees up one at a time. (Does that make any sense?) It helps loosen up my hips. If my calves have recently been tight, I stretch them before the race. But it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I rarely enjoy that first mile. Even now, as I'm training for a long race and have done a couple 15 milers, during that first mile I am uncomfortable and thinking, "How am I ever going to run a marathon?" Then I get in my groove and the rest is gravy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Normally nothing. If I really want a good time I do quite a bit of jumping and some stretching before hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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