Running Manual
Warm-up, cool-down
Dynamic stretching
Example of a general warm-up
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imple examples of a pre-running dynamic stretch are five slow squats to stretch
the adductors and glutes (groin and backside), five lunges on each leg to stretch
the quadriceps (front of the thigh) and five ‘Russian walks’ on each leg (scraping the
bottom of the shoe down an imaginary wall from as high as possible) to stretch the
hamstrings (back of upper leg). Leg swings can also be used, basically swinging the
leg from the hip through its natural movement.
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bringing the knees
halfway up to
the waist while
running forwards
and backwards.
Ensure the arms
move the thumb
from hip to lip.
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Squats, run a few steps,
then repeat.
Mobilise the upper limbs for one to two minutes
by moving the arms through a series of planes of
movement. Examples are punching to the front, floor, sky,
left and right, performing bench press, shoulder press, biceps
curls, upright rows and lat pull-downs in the air, and lastly
swimming strokes – front crawl, back stroke, breast stroke
and reverse breast stroke – also in the air.
Walking lunges, run a few
steps then repeat.
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Dynamic stretching
➜ Gently
Run slowly between two points (even if only 5m apart).
While running mobilise the upper body’s joints. Although
running appears to use only the legs the upper body must still
be mobilised, as the arms drive the body when running. This
is especially important during sprint events.
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Stop running between the two points at one end and
mobilise the neck by looking up, down, left and right.
Following this, continue to run backwards and forwards
between the two points. It’s now necessary to mobilise the
lower limbs further by:
Hamstring stretch (Russian) walk,
run a few steps then repeat.
➜ Gently flicking
➜ Gently flicking
Calf stretch
walk.
Second pulse raiser
Following the dynamic stretch it’s imperative to
raise the pulse again and develop the warm-up.
The dynamic stretch allows more ballistic exercises
to be performed such as sprints, strides, hops and
jumps. These should be performed for 2–5 minutes
to ensure the onset of sweating and that the
neuromuscular pathways are firing.
Where possible perform the most suitable
exercises for the session ahead – for example, for
a sprinting or plyometric session some hops and
jumps, but for a marathon some plain running,
pushing the pace to slightly faster than that which
will be used for the event, with perhaps a few
short sprints.
Ideally your pulse rate at the end of the warmup should be around the same as that expected
during the actual event. When warming up for a
hard run or a race the warm-up should finish by
running at a speed equal to (for a sprint) or quicker
than (for a longer run) during the event itself, but
for a maximum 20–30 seconds. Not only does this
ensure the body is warm, but it also ensures you
feel psychologically and physiologically comfortable
at that speed prior to attempting it competitively.
the heels halfway
up to the rear,
again while
running forwards
and backwards.
Each should be
done two or
three times.
the toes out to
the front while
running forwards
and backwards.
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Dynamic stretches and warm-up
routine can be performed on a
treadmill or outside prior to run
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To raise the heart rate (thereby ensuring the body
temperature is raised to gain all the benefits of the warmup), increase your running pace between the two points and
repeat some of the exercises above – toe flicking, knees to waist
and heel flicks, but this time all the way through the full range
of motion. Perhaps perform the exercise slightly easier the first
time, but increase the pace the second and third time. The heart
rate should now be raised considerably and hopefully sweating
should have started. If a further pulse raiser is needed, run back
and forth between the two points to get the heart rate up and
induce sweating.
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