A few months ago at Kezar Stadium in SF, Adidas invited us to do some run training with all-star athletes: pro marathoner Neely Spence Gracey, Olympian Dominique Scott-Efrud, and Team USA middle distance runner Brianna Felnagle.
The one thing they said that really struck a chord with me? "We don't run to warm up; we warm up to run." It's a fact that so many runners, myself included, totally neglect — running warmups are so important. Think about it: every time you go to a group fitness class or do a workout video at home, there's some kind of warmup, right? So why do we bypass this when we go for a run? As the athletes emphasized during our training, "Running isn't a warmup."
So what is an appropriate running warmup? Their categories of emphasis were "agility, stability, and mobility." Here are some moves we did with pro runners before going for a jaunt around the track.
Walking Hamstring Dips
Walking Standing Kicks
Heel Raises