Warming Up and Cooling Down

Isn't it hard enough to get up early in the morning to go for a run? Do I really have to warm up, stretch, run, and cooldown? Heck, can't I just run and be done with it?

I hear ya...

I feel this way sometimes, and it's something I have to fight often. Most times, I'm pumping myself up to go for a run, telling myself that it's all worth it, but there are times when I'm tired and lazy that I tend to stray, lose focus, etc. It happens to all of us. We have good workouts, we have awful ones sometimes.

But, when I'm doing well, I usually go through my routine. Warmup. Stretch well. Run. Cool down, stretch again, ice up. Let me take your through my routine.

Warmup. Nothing spectacular here, just a very slow jog, could be in place, could be just a walk from the car to the track, could be a few miles or laps, just something to get you warm. You don't want to stretch cold muscles.

Stretch. In the early morning, I like to do "joint rotations" and "dynamic stretching". It works well for me. I start with my ankles, rotating them in a circle in both directions, with foot pointed forward, then sideways, then backward. Then I rotate my knees, hunch down, hands on knees, and make small circles with your knees. Then hips. Hands on hips, do a hula, both directions, then go forward and back. Then more hips. I lift up one knee sideways, and rotate my foot in a circle so that my knee and hip get rotated, do both sides. Then more hips. Face a wall or fence, hold onto it with your hands for balance, kick one leg left and right repeatedly, then the other. Then turn sideways to the wall or fence. Kick one leg forward and back repeatedly, then the other. Then my shoulders. I do arm circles, backstrokes, frontstrokes, and "huggers". Give yourself a hug, right arm over left, then switch, and repeat, like Michael Phelps does before he swims. Then neck. Rotate that big head of yours in a circle, both directions. Then left and right. Then front and back. Finally, elbows, wrists, fingertips ... get them all rotated. Do more static stretches, if needed. For me, I do calves, hamstrings, and quads. After this, I feel really good, ready to roll...

Run. That's the easy part, eh? Start slowly, then get into it.

Cooldown. Your last few miles, or after your run, bring it down. Catch your breath. Slow it down. Feel good.

Stretch. This is the most imporant. If you have an inversion table, use it, even for a few minutes. If not, do some leg drains. Lie on your back, prop your legs up and just hang out for a few minutes. After that, spend some time doing some nice static stretches.

Ice. If you have any injuries, ice up for at least 15 minutes, then take off the ice for at least 5 minutes before you move around. My bum achilles always needs ice after a run.

That's my routine, when I'm doing well. It keeps me fresh and makes my runs a lot more consistent, and prevents further injury. It does take a bit more time, but the investment is definitely worth it.