My run warmup routine

The other day a Facebook group I follow exploded with a discussion about what to do before a run workout. I was not surprised at the variety of what people shared, or that much of what was described does little to help and could even be harmful. I have witnessed the same kind of thing where runners gather. The two most egregious mistakes I see amateur runners make are to just start running cold, or a warmup consisting of a series of quad stretches, grabbing their shoe and yanking it up to their buttocks. No wonder their knees hurt!

There is an opposite extreme, warmup routines that take as much time as the run itself. Maybe you have all the time in the world, but I don’t. I need time to warm up, but it needs to be quick. One more dislike: I do not like laying on the ground, especially before a run.

The goal of a run warmup is to activate the nerve and energy systems that will be used during the exercise. There are a number of chemical processes that take place to fuel the muscles. Some work in parallel, some in series. There are nerve synapses that need to fire with precisely controlled timing, thousands if not millions of signals set off by your thought “Let’s go!” It takes time to get all this working smoothly. Running places extremely high loads on our bodies, notably the knees, ankles, and metatarsal bones. When we take off running without waking up the associated energy systems and nerve pathways we run the risk of injury. Pun intended.

Here is how I warm up for a run. Exercise descriptions follow. I begin before I push the start button on my watch, but the much of the routine happens during the workout's warmup period. That way I feel like I am saving time.

Before start

1. Leg Swings
2. Ankle Lifts and Heel Drops

After start, during first five minutes on the clock

1. March Drill
2. March Drill with Ankle Lifts
3. Sky Reach
4. Side Bend
5. Brisk 1Z walk for balance of 5 minutes

For long runs I use a 9/1 run/walk (creates ten minute blocks). I complete the above exercises during the first five minutes, then run for the balance of first nine minute minute interval (roughly walk 5 run 4). No strides here, the goal is to focus on fat burning for long duration fuel efficiency. We want to avoid activating the high energy systems.

For quality workouts (LTHR intervals, hill repeats, etc.) five minutes as above followed by ten minutes 2Z with two or three strides near the end to kick start high energy systems.

Exercise descriptions

Begin by finding a spot on the sidewalk with a pole you can hold. Avoid mud, broken glass, etc.

Leg Swings

1. Stand facing and to the right of the pole.
2. Grasp pole lightly with left hand.
3. Lift left (inside) knee so that foot 6-12 inches off ground.
4. Gently lift the knee a little, then push the leg back behind you.
5. Continue for 6-12 reps gradually increasing force and speed. Use more energy to throw your leg back, just enough to recover forward.
6. Repeat on the opposite side.

Do not lock your knees. Do not think about swinging your foot. Muscle activation is above the knee, primarily hamstrings and glutes. Do not go for maximum range of motion.

Ankle Lifts and Heel Drops

1. Walk around to the curb side of the pole.
2. Place balls of both feet on the curb so that both heels are hanging over the edge. Grasp the pole lightly to steady yourself.
3. Slowly lift with feet (calves) as high as you can go, hold, then down slowly and hold.
4. Repeat 6-12 reps.

Watch out that shoes do not suddenly slip off the curb, stop and adjust as required.

March Drill

1. Set left foot on ground.
2. Lift the right knee so that the thigh is parallel to ground.
3. Pause for one second (balance!).
4. Step out with your right foot and repeat on the opposite side.

It helps to hold the opposite arm straight out in front.

March Drill with Ankle Lifts

Same as plain March Drill except lift heel of planted foot as lifting knees rises. Pause one second (freeze) standing on the ball of the foot. Balance is tricky. Exaggerated arm swings help.

Sky Reach

While walking, reach one arm up and stretch as if to touch the sky. Alternate arms. No special coordination with feet.

Side Bend

While walking, reach both arms up then slowly rock from side to side. Focus on lengthening rather than compressing.

Conclusion

I learned these drills from Bobby McGee. It can take a little time to get comfortable with these. No problem, just start with leg swings and add the next exercise when you are ready. Follow the order presented here. Eventually this will be such a habit that you won’t have to think about it.

The biggest obstacle to doing these is when you run with a group. See if you can lead the rest of the group into doing them together.