Week 2

So you're thinking about running, but not sure how to take the first step. My name's Brian Patterson and I'm here to help. 

Intro Music

Welcome back to Brian's Run Pod with me, Brian Patterson. I hope the last episode gave you a flavour of what’s to come in this podcast.  Today as promised we are going to be talking about different aspects of running.

The subject of our podcast today is the WARM UP!

Now according to Runtastic.com who might I add are not a sponsor of the show.  They list the following as the main benefits of running.

So what are the main benefits of the warm up:

1.    Raise your body temperature.

2.    Enhance Muscle Performance

3.    Boost Heart Function

4.    Improve the load distribution in joints.

5.    Help prevent Injuries

6.    Increase Coordination and Control

Raise your body temperature – 

Dynamic warm-ups before workouts raise your body temperature by heating up your muscles. They also boost your metabolism and accelerate the supply of energy to your muscles.

Enhance Muscle Performance

As your muscle temperature rises, your muscle viscosity (or resistance) decreases. This results in faster muscle contraction and relaxation, which enhances your performance.(2)

Boost Heart Function

Your heart also benefits from warming up. The exercises increase your cardiac output and respiratory minute volume (RMV), thus expanding your VO2 max.

IMPROVE THE LOAD DISTRIBUTION IN JOINTS

Contrary to previous belief, new research has shown that even short-term exercise like warming up can help build joint cartilage. The thicker layer of cartilage increases the load-bearing surface and distributes loads more evenly.

HELP PREVENT INJURIES

Warming up properly has been proven to minimize the risk of injury. It increases tissue and muscle flexibility and prepares your body to perform fast and explosive movements. Plus, you are less likely to pull or tear a muscle.

Increase Coordination and Control.

As an added advantage, warming up improves your mental focus and speeds up your reaction time.

Now, I know that we want to get out the door and get on with doing our running.  So lets us not be too impatient.  The important thing on this journey is to make this new hobbie sustainable.  It is as much a success when you can say that you have run lets say 2 to 3 or even 4 times a week for 6 or more weeks.  Your goals don’t have to be about losing weight or having a better cardiovascular function.  Although, all these things are a bonus.  It is about being able to sustain it in the long term.  No warming up for maybe 5 to 10 minutes can help.

How should I warmup.

Stretching used to be part of every warmup and cool down, but the evidence doesn't find that it has the benefits it was once thought to bring. Static stretching before, during, or immediately after exercise hasn't been proven to prevent injury or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Tips for Warming up.

Now we have gone over the whys and wherefores’ of warming up. What are the tips for warming up.

a)    Sleep – Before doing any exercise after a long day it is important that you have had enough sleep.  Remember in my previous episode I mentioned the quote “Sufficient sleep today is like investing in tomorrow.”  Also, it means you are likely to complete the warmup properly.

b)   Prepare a playlist in advance- Sometimes having different music to listen to can help spice up your warmup/ run.  Or better still have a playlist just for a warmup and then another for the run.  Some streaming services do specific running playlists but the music might not be to your taste.

c)    Never start with sprints – Use gradual movements initially and the gradually increase your heart rate.

d)   Get mind prepared – Think about what you are about to do.  Start off slowly.  Maybe gauge whether this is a good time of day for you.  Some people are morning people and some like to do exercise in the evening.  I remember 10 years ago or longer I would think nothing of doing a 10 to 15k run at around six in the morning.  Nowadays, I can’t do that.  I do find that now I am better mentally at getting myself out the door after work.  It’s like over time my motivation has shifted throughout the day.

e)    Before I get on to exercise- Make sure you have all the tech, keys and proper running gear with you.  If you are planning to go out first thing in the morning then make sure you have the kit laid out.  As you don’t want to be ruffling through drawers first thing in the morning as this might wake up other members in the household!!

Warmup

So we are ready for the warmup and have all our gear on.  What are we going to do:

a)    Hip movements – Move your legs out to the side and make circular motion with your legs.  This will help improve the flexibility of your hips and gate.  Do this out to the side and the do this from the outside in.  There is a great video by Ben Parkes showing you how to do this.

b)   Leg swings- Lean on to wall and swing one leg from the side and then into the middle.  Just an aside there was an old comedian who had television programme on the BBC and part of his intro was to go the corner of a shop window (Where the glass meets at right angles). Then put his put his arm and leg out to the side. This gave the illusion of him having both arms and legs out. Anyway I thought this was hilarious at the time and so this exercise reminded me of that sketch.

c)    Heel kick- On the spot do heel butt kicks.  So this is a quick action and will get your heart rate going.  Basically you are trying to kick your bottom with your heel.

d)   Forward lunges – If you can do forward lunges.  So take one leg forward and bend your knee.  So you are lunging forward.  Then again the same for the other leg.  So do this a few times.  Now you should start to notice that your heart rate is beginning to rise.

e)    Now you may have noticed we have not included any static stretches.  Now when I mean static stretching I mean standing still and performing stretch for one part of the body be it head, arms or legs.  I think the idea nowadays, is to perform more dynamic movements to get your body ready for the exercise get your blood to flow to all parts of the body.

f)     How long should I warm up?  Will this is dependent on how long your run is going to be.

a.    5k will 10 mins.

b.    10k maybe 5 to 10 mins.

c.     If you are following a programme then the first part of run will act as a Warm Up.  So for instance if you are doing a speed session the first 500 to 1000 metres are a warmup period.

When do I know I am warmed up?

If you break a sweat, you can be pretty sure that you are properly warmed up. However, always make sure to take the air temperature, humidity, and intensity of your warm-up into consideration.

Unfortunately, there is no one-plan-fits-all approach to warming up. So, if the above warm-up exercises leave you feeling cold, try these instead:

a)    Use resistance bands – Maybe look up on Youtube best warm up exercises for runners.  https://www.runtastic.com/blog/en/resistance-bands-warm-up-exercises/

b)   Or look at how other runners do their warm up.

How is my training going?

Well, I have told you from the beginning this podcast is about my journey.  This week has been quite intense.  I have been doing tempo runs – which I will cover at a later stage.  Also, I have been doing some interval training.  Then finishing off the week the week with a relaxed 3k run.  At the end of the week I was beginning to feel tired.  So was not looking forward to my 10k on Saturday.  Anyhow, mind over matter I thought.  So warmed up and started my playlist and began my run.  4k into the run I was not feeling the love for the run.  Still feeling tired and just trying to think of things to help me relax.  Then the doubts start creeping in.  

“Like if I make it to 5k shall I stop.  No let’s keep going.  I am determined to make to 10k”.  Little did I realise in my plan that I am supposed to do 11k.  Anyhow, I go to 6k and decided to stop.  After the wave of disappointment that I did not accomplish my goal. I realised that I had run 4 times this week and run nearly 20km.  So all in all I did not need to beat myself up about it.

I think we do need to take running into a proper perspective.  We are not professional athletes and don’t have the privilege of training in the morning having a rest and the training in the afternoon.  Most of us have jobs that are either demanding or stressful.  So by missing out on training goal or a week in our schedule is ok.  Your body is the best judge of how your training is going.  So by taking a rest will help reenergise your mind and body.

Although, it is vitally important that you get back into your running.

Tip of the week.

Now this tip of the week is for Apple Watch Users.  Now thinking about it this could be applied to Google wearables or even Garmin Watches.  It is really important that you keep your running tech up to date.  On the Apple watch you go to the Apple Watch App on your iphone and go to General – Software Update.  This will check if they are any updates for the watch.  If they are then it is important you take it off and place it on the charger.  Now as of this time we are on Watch OS 9.1 .  This OS will only apply to apply watch 4 and above.  Another tip make sure you have enough space for the update.  If you don’t, then you may have to take some photos off or even some downloaded songs.