‘Tis the season for holiday-themed 5K/10K and other races out there! These races can be fun for really the entire spectrum of runner — from kids who want to try their best to jog for 1 mile all the way up to elite runners who are trying to win some cash at their local Turkey Trot 5K (if you’re in Detroit Metro, we HIGHLY recommend you sign up for The Mighty Gobbler 5K/1mile fun run – it’s the best around town and you get to skip the insanity of downtown Detroit parking and traffic on Thanksgiving Day!).
Between running these races ourselves and working with endurance athletes across the spectrum of athleticism — we are often underwhelmed with the amount of preparation that we see athletes take action on…
If you can wake up, bust out a 5k PR, and get home for morning coffee without any preparation whatsoever — good for you! You can skip this article and check some of our others out here.
But if you’re like the vast majority of individuals who feel a bit lost at how to prepare their body for that big morning race, then we’re going to lay out a simple & organized approach — just for you:
HERE’S A VIDEO OF EACH OF THE MOVEMENTS, BUT A MORE THOROUGH DESCRIPTION IS BELOW (KEEP ON SCROLLIN’!)
Boost Your Mobility
When most people think of “doing mobility exercise”, stretching comes to mind. But the role of typical stretching in a warm up is weak – we find (and so does loads of Exercise & Sport Science published research) that dynamic warm-ups do a heck of a lot better in preparing our body for upcoming hard work.
In case you need a refresher on why stretching and tendon health are enemies, please read these few articles that will get you up to speed:
We recommend a little emphasis on mobility prior to a 5k because:
(1) It prepares muscle, tendon, nerve, and other connective tissue to move through a range of motion that you maybe didn’t wake up ready for…
(2) “Motion is lotion” — moving the joints that are about to be stressed from the upcoming running gets them literally warmed up — more blood flow, better fluid exchange between tissues, and more flexibility.
(3) If you’re like most people, sometimes you’re not at your most mobile time of day first thing in the morning (when many 5K races begin). So a little mobility work goes a long way to shake off that rust first thing in the a.m.
There are a million and two dynamic warm-ups that already exist out there, so let’s keep it simple — and effective by doing 30 to 60 seconds of each of the following (you can check out the video to see a demonstration of each!)
- Sciatic Nerve Scoops / Hamstring Scoops
- Open the Gate <> Close the Gate
- Butt Kicks
- Brisk Walking
Wake Up Your Muscles
(especially a specific few…)
Now that your ankles, knees, and hips know what kind of mobility they’ll be required to work through during the race, it’s time to work on STABILITY.
Time and time again, we see athletes and weekend warriors over-emphasize stretching in their warm-up, neglecting to actually wake up the muscles that will be doing the bulk of the work during the run.
No more! You don’t need to get a heavy weightlifting session in before a 3.1 mile run, but a little strength training and muscle activation work goes a looooong way (no pun intended…) to prepare your body to perform (and recover!) at its’ best on race day.
We like bringing a mini band with us because it packs easily and can be an incredible stimulus for getting hip and thigh muscle online and ready for the run.
(affiliate link)
When doing this strength circuit, aim for 2 rounds (or “2 sets”) of each exercise, with quality as your focus and completing about 12-15 reps each.
- Banded Sidesteps
- Banded 3 Direction Taps (Single Leg)
- Single Leg Deadlift (Bodyweight Only)
- Reverse Lunge
Most Importantly…
Physical Therapy, Endurance, Running Articles
‘Tis the season for holiday-themed 5K/10K and other races out there! These races can be fun for really the entire spectrum of runner — from kids who want to try their best to jog for 1 mile all the way up to elite runners who are trying to win some cash at their local Turkey Trot 5K (if you’re in Detroit Metro, we HIGHLY recommend you sign up for The Mighty Gobbler 5K/1mile fun run – it’s the best around town and you get to skip the insanity of downtown Detroit parking and traffic on Thanksgiving Day!).
Between running these races ourselves and working with endurance athletes across the spectrum of athleticism — we are often underwhelmed with the amount of preparation that we see athletes take action on…
If you can wake up, bust out a 5k PR, and get home for morning coffee without any preparation whatsoever — good for you! You can skip this article and check some of our others out here.
But if you’re like the vast majority of individuals who feel a bit lost at how to prepare their body for that big morning race, then we’re going to lay out a simple & organized approach — just for you:
HERE’S A VIDEO OF EACH OF THE MOVEMENTS, BUT A MORE THOROUGH DESCRIPTION IS BELOW (KEEP ON SCROLLIN’!)
Boost Your Mobility
When most people think of “doing mobility exercise”, stretching comes to mind. But the role of typical stretching in a warm up is weak – we find (and so does loads of Exercise & Sport Science published research) that dynamic warm-ups do a heck of a lot better in preparing our body for upcoming hard work.
In case you need a refresher on why stretching and tendon health are enemies, please read these few articles that will get you up to speed:
FIX YOUR ACHILLES TENDON WITHOUT STRETCHING
IT’S OK TO STOP STRETCHING YOUR TENDONITIS…
We recommend a little emphasis on mobility prior to a 5k because:
(1) It prepares muscle, tendon, nerve, and other connective tissue to move through a range of motion that you maybe didn’t wake up ready for…
(2) “Motion is lotion” — moving the joints that are about to be stressed from the upcoming running gets them literally warmed up — more blood flow, better fluid exchange between tissues, and more flexibility.
(3) If you’re like most people, sometimes you’re not at your most mobile time of day first thing in the morning (when many 5K races begin). So a little mobility work goes a long way to shake off that rust first thing in the a.m.
There are a million and two dynamic warm-ups that already exist out there, so let’s keep it simple — and effective by doing 30 to 60 seconds of each of the following (you can check out the video to see a demonstration of each!)
Sciatic Nerve Scoops / Hamstring Scoops
Open the Gate <> Close the Gate
Butt Kicks
Brisk Walking
Wake Up Your Muscles
(especially a specific few…)
Now that your ankles, knees, and hips know what kind of mobility they’ll be required to work through during the race, it’s time to work on STABILITY.
Time and time again, we see athletes and weekend warriors over-emphasize stretching in their warm-up, neglecting to actually wake up the muscles that will be doing the bulk of the work during the run.
No more! You don’t need to get a heavy weightlifting session in before a 3.1 mile run, but a little strength training and muscle activation work goes a looooong way (no pun intended…) to prepare your body to perform (and recover!) at its’ best on race day.
We like bringing a mini band with us because it packs easily and can be an incredible stimulus for getting hip and thigh muscle online and ready for the run.
(affiliate link)
When doing this strength circuit, aim for 2 rounds (or “2 sets”) of each exercise, with quality as your focus and completing about 12-15 reps each.
- Banded Sidesteps
- Banded 3 Direction Taps (Single Leg)
- Single Leg Deadlift (Bodyweight Only)
- Reverse Lunge
Most Importantly…
Perhaps the MOST important recommendation for how to prepare your body for a 5K is this — put in the hard work for weeks/months BEFORE the race to ensure that your body is ready to rock.
One of the most common ways that running-related musculoskeletal injuries happen is one of the most simple ways out there: “the terrible too’s”. That is —
TOO MUCH
“I’m running a 5k tomorrow but haven’t run more than a mile in the past 2 months…”
TOO FAST
“My training pace is 12:00/mile but what the heck let’s try a 7:30/mile pace on raceday!
TOO SOON
“I meant to start my 5K (or whatever race goal really!) 2 months ago, but life got in the way and I couldn’t get to it until 2 weeks ago…”
So if you have a race in mind — good for you! I love it. I’m on your team! But make a plan to gradually get your body used to the stress you’re about to throw at it — and stick to that plan! It’s the surest way to make sure your race goes smooth, that you have a great time, and that you avoid the pitfalls of injury along the way!
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