No matter where you are in your training block, warmup drills are essential if you want to maximize your performance.
It’s not even a question of whether they are necessary. The drills you do to prep your body before your run are absolutely necessary!
We have too much information out there about pre-run warmup routines to skip them. Take 5-10 minutes before your run starts to get in the drills you need to do to prep your body. That’s all it takes.
Could it take longer? Sure. But it doesn’t have to.
A warmup routine is going to get your body prepared for the run, workout, or race that you’re about to do. If you aren’t properly warmed up, you risk a strain, pull, tear, or just as bad: a poor performance.
Running drills are a great way to get ready for a run; they help loosen your muscles up, yes, but they also reinforce good running posture, which will help you at the end of workouts and races.
You see, a tired body resorts to its most natural running form, so if your running form is less than desirable, it will naturally mimic that form. But if you’re consistently and constantly tweaking and reinforcing good running form, when you’re tired, your body will remember proper running mechanics.
Still not convinced? Warmup drills will:
- Help you loosen up your muscles (especially in the winter)
- Continue working on running form
- Increase and improve your range of motion
- Activate sleepy muscles (hello glutes!)
If we spent just a few minutes before our run making sure we were ready to go, we’d potentially have fewer injuries each year and be able to train more consistently.
Here are three very easy drills you can start to incorporate into your routine:
- Over 30 meters, walk and alternate pulling a knee up and into your chest.
- Over 30 meters, walk and alternate pulling your heel to your butt.
- Over 30 meters, walk on the balls of your feet, trying to be as tall as you can be.
Need a full list of drills to do before your run?
Leave a comment or send me an email, and I’ll send you the pre-run drills I do that have helped me break 5 minutes in the mile in 24 different calendar years.
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