Alright ladies, there is a method to all of this running madness. I promise. There has been so much controversy between different studies on, warming up before you run.

Should you or shouldn’t you?

Well as I have dug deeper into this research, my conclusion is it depends on what type of training you are doing. So if you are planning on doing hill sprints or Fartleks, then yes, warm up for 10mins before you start. If you are going for an easy run, then you can start with a very easy slow run.

Here are a few reasons that science says it’s worth it;

• Greater efficiency of joints,, muscles, tendons and ligaments
• Greater range of motion
• Increase oxygen availability
• Release of stored fat for energy
• Creates a routine for mental preparation

What type of warm-ups should you be doing?

Any dynamic stretching, foam rolling before you run (yes, crazy right?!). You can pick 4-5 of these for your warm-up.

1. Full Leg swings – all directions
2. Deep Squats with full leg stretch upwards
3. Lunge w/ rotations
4. Walking on toes/heels
5. Butt kicks

Base Training 101

Base training is a bit like us; it’s the average, the majority, the vanilla part of training. Embrace the base! I know you feel like giving it your all on every run (race pace), but the facts is you will burn out and maybe cause an injury. You need to build a solid foundation first. The biggest thing we want to achieve during base building is a more efficient aerobic system. This means that your heart won’t need to work as hard at any given pace and will be prepared for hill sprints, and more speed.

Base building can be around six to twelve weeks. Here is what a general base plan looks like and one that you can follow:

• Generally no speed work
• Easy kilometres to build your aerobic capacity(run/walk when needed)
• Your Heart rate no more then 55-65% of your HRM( heart rate max)
• A long run, usually half of your goal distance or less
• Strength training 2-3x a week
• Cross-training to shore up other muscle weaknesses( yoga, cycling, swimming, rowing, Pilates)

– Coach Steph.