Changes

The value of a good warmup is often underestimated, especially in longer endurance events. A warmup is the gradual transition from being at rest to the required exercise intensity. If we go from standing to running at race pace, our oxygen delivery will lag behind our oxygen consumption as our heart rate [[Heart Rate]] gradually increases, causing an oxygen debt (see image below). This oxygen debt can be disruptive to our aerobic systems and impair performance. This rate of change of oxygen delivery is called [[VO2 Kinetics|V̇O₂ Kinetics]]. The warmup period also allows a gradual increase in muscle temperature, an increase in the oxidative enzyme activity, greater blood flow, and improved availability of fuel in a form that is usable by the muscles and improved [[Muscle Recruitment]]. It is only after this warm up that our bodies are ready to perform optimally.

* '''[[Massage]]'''. Some gentle massage[[Massage]], such as [[The Stick]], can help passively warmup the muscles, as well is detecting any potential problems before the workout begins. The psychological benefits of this gentle massage [[Massage]] should not be underestimated, especially before an important race.

* '''Slow running'''. The initial running should be at a fairly gentle pace and build up gradually. How long can you need to spend building up the pace will depend on your target intensity. If you're intending to run at an easy pace, then the buildup may only need to be half a mile or so. At the other extreme, if you're intending to do high intensity interval training[[High Intensity Interval Training]], then you may need to build up over 3 or 4 miles, with a final pace being reasonably fast (around 10K pace).* '''Dynamic stretching[[Stretching]]'''. Some dynamic stretching [[Stretching]] can help improve mobility and range of motion, while at the same time warming up the muscles. Ideally the dynamic stretching [[Stretching]] should be performed after the main warmup. However, it could be the earlier in the warmup if it's cold outside and you want to do this stretching [[Stretching]] indoors in the warm. In that case, I'd recommend doing the dynamic stretching [[Stretching]] after some air squats, and taking extra care to avoid overstretching injuries. See [[Stretching]] for more details.* '''Plyometrics'''. Plyometrics are short explosive exercises, and they tend to improve the [[Muscle Recruitment]] as well as building strength. Plyometrics have been shown to improve running economy[[Running Economy]], probably through the changes in [[Muscle Recruitment]]. Because of the short intense nature of plyometrics they should be done at the end of the main warmup. I would recommend some simple jumps, starting as a gentle bouncing and building up to a moderate intensity. The video below shows some simple air squats followed by plyometrics.

Warming up for the marathon is rather trickier than other races. One critical limiting factor for marathon racing is the supply of [[Glycogen]], so any warmup that uses glycogen [[Glycogen]] may impair performance. For most runners therefore the optimal approach is to use the first mile as a warmup. This means starting slower and building up to race pace over the first few minutes. For faster runners (sub three hour) there may be some advantage to a warmup before the race commences but this is a balance between being a faster in the first mile and possibly hitting the wall at the end of the race. Some gentle [[Stretching|dynamic stretching]] can be included before the race to help speed up the warmup process without significant glycogen [[Glycogen]] depletion, but care must be taken to avoid overstretching injuries.