Get Your Muscles Ready (Warming-Up)

Before you begin warming up everyone should wait until the entire team is ready and outside, unless they’re a deliberately late. Start off by running 4 laps at a reasonable pace that everyone can stay together. The pace should be fast enough to bend your knee and stride. A stride is how far apart your leading leg is from the other. Your leading leg is normally found by standing straight up and falling forward to see which one you catch yourself with. After you run the laps, stretching is next in even lines. Each stretch should last at least 15-30 seconds a piece. If needed depending on how often you stretch your muscles, a second time can always loosen the muscle more. Be sure not to over-stretch your muscle. After stretches, comes agilities, which are drills that help loosen your legs. Agilities should be down 30 to 40 meters out so that you have enough space to extend your leg.

As far as your arms are concerned, they should be in “pick an apple put it in a basket motion”. Your arms are in L-shape while your hands are flat, palm showing, straight up but to feel natural figure out how you would rather have your hand. When your hands are flat out, the track community says you go faster because there is no tension. When your hand is in a fist its thought that it takes away from the power of your running because it takes more energy to make a fist then to leave your hand free.

When at a meet it is best to act like you have sense and stretch properly. When the meet is at an indoor track, since the track is half the size of a normal track, warm up laps change. It is still the same amount (4) but that equals 2 laps on a regular track, its best to do an extra 2 laps at a slow cool down pace.  To prevent cramps during a race or an event stretch slowly for about 15 seconds to wake the muscle up. It isn’t good to just sit around while you’re waiting for an event, unless of course you’ve just finished. When warming up by yourself at a meet try to separate yourself from everyone unless you’re doing a relay and practicing hand-offs. Separating yourself helps you focus on what race you’re going to do. Usually sprinters and those who do field events have to stretch more because their muscles are constantly in use or bursting with strength at incredible speeds. Distance runners jog at a really light pace in place while shaking their hands, and bending down touching their toes to get themselves ready.

*This blog is from an elementary to high school level perspective, at the college level things become more complex.