Coach, what time do we warm up?

It's one of the most vexing questions to hear from an athlete, and thus one of the more stress-inducing aspects of race day for the athletes themselves: When to warm up for their event? Typically for most running events -- especially anything from middle distance on up -- athletes like to go for a 15- to 20-minute run, followed by stretching, hard strides and more strides as race time gets closer. This has been de rigueur for as long as I have been around the sport as an athlete and as a coach. Like everything else that we assume to be true, it’s always good to assess and ask why we do things. “Because we’ve always done it that way” and/or “because that’s the way everyone else does it” are lazy thinking reasons. Thus, the blog post, to mull and discuss this; not to come up with conclusions, but just to launch the discussion because it’s fresh in my mind, after last Friday’s meet at Ocean Breeze and with another Ocean Breeze (Gotham Cup) in a few days (this coming Friday).

Let’s start with last week: The Spartan Invitational – and excellent, early-season, rust-busting meet for us, by the way – posed challenges for our athletes because instead of a “time schedule” there was simply an “order of events” that rolled, one event after another. When the inquisitive runner stopped by to ask, “Coach, when should we warm up?” it was a legitimate question with an elusive answer. Hmmm. Let’s see. There’ll be a lotta 200s, then there are how many sections of the 3k? Hmmm. Maybe start in the middle of that event. Or before this event. You get the idea. Not an easy question to answer. Most athletes would prefer not to be rushed prior to their event, frenetically looking for singlet, spikes and hip/chest number. That sort of adrenaline is best reserved for AFTER the gun goes off. But the flipside is equally vexing: Warming up too early. This happens with alarming frequency. It’s completely understandable, given the prerace-rush phobia, but the effectiveness of the “warm-up” must be questioned. Basically, it becomes a 2- to 3-mile run, more than an hour before you race. And then when you get on the starting line, you are not nearly as “warmed up” as you should be.

Sometimes, the venue can make a difference. Boston University (the Magic Carpet) is outstanding for keeping athletes loose and limber before the race. Even if an athlete makes the too-common miscalculation of an early warmup, it’s easy to overcome because the infield area can be utilized for additional warm-up, strides, etc. An athlete has no excuse to get on the line “cold” at Boston. Outdoor track meets (with the notable exception of Penn Relays) are usually the same, with most track stadiums having a turf infield where athletes can continue to warm up and do final stride-out runs, all the while keeping their racing uniforms and numbers within sight and ready to change into at a moment’s notice.

So, what’s the answer? There is no “correct” answer to this. As with many other things in our sport, go with what works for you. Many runners that we have coached through the years have sworn by the formula of starting a warm-up a full hour before the starting gun goes off. I’ve always wondered if that is too soon – again, the idea that it is almost just a separate run prior to your race and the “warm-up” aspect of the warm-up dissipates with the added time pre-race. Most athletes that have used the “hour before” formula have had great success with it. They believe in it. It works. And you know what? That’s good enough for me. If the athletes believe in it, then I believe in it. If the athlete believes it will work, then it most certainly has the best opportunity to work.

My best “answer” to this dilemma, and thus my best advice to runners, is to have several strategies in your toolbox. If the “hour before” works most of the time and makes sense, go with that. If it’s a shorter race that requires maybe a shorter warmup run and more dynamic pre-race work (more stretching and fast strides), maybe the warm-up start time should be adjusted. If there is a place to stay limber and loose right up until race time, factor that in as well. Weather is a factor, too. If it’s really hot and humid, a longer warm-up is not only unnecessary but may be detrimental. The idea is to break a sweat and get the body ready for a race battle. The key is the have a plan, be prepared and react accordingly. And remember: Your ability to race and race well is determined over your long-haul preparation, both mentally and physically. If you’re ready to rip, you’re ready to rip. As our indoor track schedule heads into high gear now, with hopefully most of the rust chipped off, it’s time to warm to the idea of better days ahead.