Warming Up


Warming up is so important for a race because it prepares your muscles for the race by increasing the blood flow to the legs, and expanding the muscles. Warming up your muscles allow them to work much better than cold ones. Here are a few points about warming up.

The Warm Up

  • 1 hour Before the Race

    • Begin jogging about 50 minutes to an hour before the start of the race. Your warm up jog should be about 15 minutes to get your muscles warm and ready to stretch. Make sure that you keep the pace light and try to avoid steep uphills.

  • 30-40 minutes Before the Race

    • After your warming up jog, do some light strides and begin stretching Stretching lengthens the muscles and also increases blood flow to the muscle being stretched. Stretch for 15-20 minutes. Also, try to sip some water during this time to ensure that you are fully hydrated.

  • 15-20 minutes Before the Race

    • After stretching, do some more light strides and/or drills. Go to the bathroom one last time if you need to. This is also a good time to put on your spikes.

  • 5-15 minutes Before the Race

    • Make your way over to the start line. Do a few more strides. You should be mentally prepared to destroy the competition at this point.

  • 0-5 minutes Before the Race

    • Do one or two moderate to fast paced strides to get ready for a quick start. Make sure to take about a minute before the gun to collect your thoughts and breathe easy. Keep in mind all of the awesome training you have done. HAVE CONFIDENCE!

  • 0 minutes before the Race

    • RUN FAST

What to Eat Before the Race
About 2-4 hours before the race make sure to eat! Fasting too long can lead to fainting. Also, be sure that you don’t eat later than an hour before a race, unless it’s something very light. Eating too late my lead to gut aches. Some good things to eat before a race include:

  • Bananas
  • Power Bars
  • Bagels
  • Pretzels
  • Raisins
  • Oranges

To find out when and what you should drink, see my water page. It is essential that you drink plenty of fluids before a race. It is impossible to run at your best when you are dehydrated.

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