How To Warm Up For A Distance Run

We ran 120+ miles from LA to Palm Springs in the Lasso No Shortcuts TT. You may remember our recap of this race. Running 120 miles is arduous for anyone, especially when it comes to braving the 100 degree plus desert heat in California. From this experience, we learned a lot about what it takes to properly take care of your body before and after distance runs, and today we want to share what we have learned with you.

Warm up your ankle

11 Ways to Stretch Your Ankles - wikiHow Fitness

If you run long distances, it’s important to warm up your ankles before running. There are a few ways to do this, but we like to start with a dynamic stretch. This involves moving through the ankle joint in multiple directions — such as side-to-side, forward and backward — while keeping the rest of your leg still.

Next, do a lunge exercise where you focus on stretching out both sides of your body at different times during the movement (push one leg back while pushing the other forward). This helps build some of the tension in the muscles around your ankle.

Warm up your heelPlantar Fasciitis: Treatment options for your painful heel(s): Orthopedic  Center for Sports Medicine: Sports Medicine Physicians

Warming up your heel is critical because of plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an extremely common runners injury and it occurs in the plantar fascia, a small ligament near the heel.

Heel Raises: This is a great full-body warm-up exercise. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and slowly raise yourself on your heels, lifting each leg as high as possible without bending the knees or arching your back. Hold for five seconds, then lower slowly to starting position. Repeat 10 times and feel free to throw in some knee lifts and butt kicks for good measure!

Heel Walks: Another great full body activity, this one will help get blood flowing through the entire body. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and begin walking forward; keep your knees slightly bent at all times. As you walk forward lift up onto your toes as if trying to reach for something high above you; bring them back down almost immediately after raising them so that a slight amount of pressure remains on the balls of your feet (still keeping those heels off). Continue walking like this until tiredness sets in or until someone tells you how embarrassing it looks when they see you doing it!

Warm up the Achilles tendon

Achilles Tendon Pain: Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment | HSS

 

One of the most important parts of your body to warm up is your Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon is the connection between your calf muscles and heel bone, making it the largest tendon in the human body. It’s also a common site of injury, especially among runners, so if you want to avoid getting injured while running or any other sport that uses this muscle group (like tennis or basketball), then warming up before exercising should be high on your list of priorities.

The Achilles tendon can become inflamed due to overuse or incorrect training techniques. This inflammation will cause pain when walking or standing for prolonged periods of time—and it could even make running impossible!

Warm up your calf

Calf Stretch

In order to achieve the best performance when running, your calf muscles need to be warmed up. Your calves are used in multiple ways during a run and can get a lot of strain from doing so. For example, they are used when you run uphill or downhill, on uneven terrain, and even for simply standing still. This means that if you don't warm up your calves, you're risking injury and a reduction in your pace.

Warm up your shin muscles

Shin Splints

We're all familiar with the pain of shin splints, so warming up your shins is critical. One of the best ways to do this is to set down with your feet together and in front of you and then to point your toes toward you, away from you, and to each side for about 10-15 seconds each. Even circling your ankles in this posture will help to activate your shins.

Warm up the knee joint

Running Injuries, Pt 1: Tricky Tendons - Kinetic Sports Medicine and  Performance

Warm up the knee joint by stretching. Stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Do a few lunges to warm up your quads. Do a few squats to warm up the calves and glutes. Do toe touches with your hands on the wall for a couple minutes each side (a great way to get your heart rate up).

    Warm up your hip flexors

    Hip Strain | Symptoms & Treatment for Hip Flexor Strains | Buoy

    Your hip flexors initiate motion in your lower body. It's super important to activate your hip flexors before a run. Overstretching the hip flexor, however, can actually turn out to be a negative.

    • Pull your knee up to your chest
    • Hold for 15 seconds
    • Repeat with other leg
    • Repeat 3 times

      Plyometrics, Calisthenics, and Stretching

      When the weather gets colder, your body’s systems need to be working at their peak in order to keep you warm. The best way to do this is by increasing blood flow. This can be done through a variety of exercises, but we’ll focus on three common ones:

      • Plyometrics are exercises that use a forceful eccentric contraction followed by an explosive concentric contraction. They help improve explosiveness and power—two key components for running faster over longer distances. Examples include jumping lunges and box jumps.

      • Calisthenics are bodyweight exercises that promote increased strength through controlled movements rather than weights or machines (like a bench press). These types of workouts also improve flexibility and balance as well as endurance—all things essential for runners! An example would be doing pull-ups instead of a lat pulldown machine at the gym; it’s important not only because your muscles will get stronger but also because it helps keep your joints healthy so they don’t get injured during long workouts like those at the gym or on race day!

      • Stretching helps increase flexibility while reducing injuries such as runner's knee (which happens when there's too much stress placed on one part of your leg). If there's one thing all runners should do before starting any type of training cycle (whether it be running intervals multiple times per week), it's stretching!

      Put on your best socks.

      Lasso Performance Compression Socks 2.0 - Black Crew 4-Pack

      And finally we have to mention, Lasso Socks are one of the best tools for a runner. The knee length is great for after runs to maximize recovery. The compression in the knee length sock helps improve circulation and brings blood back to the heart.

      The compression pattern in both the crew and knee length sock will provide ankle support while you run, and the band that encircles the Achilles and the arch will help activate the plantar fascia as well as the Achilles. Now that you've learned a little bit about why we have to activate all these muscles before a run, it probably makes a lot of sense why we designed our compression technology the way we have.

      The simple truth is that Lasso Socks are designed to help you move properly to help reduce the risk of injury and improve performance and recovery.

      A warm-up is the best way to prepare your body for its workout. It will make sure that you don't injure yourself on the first mile of your run, and it can also prevent soreness after your workout or even muscle cramps which happen when you're running in a hard pace.

      Wear Lasso socks if you want to improve the longevity of your career as an athlete because they are made with a proprietary blend of fibers that move moisture away from your skin while keeping it dry and comfortable throughout every step of your run.

      The key to warming up is knowing what you are doing. It can be a little tricky, but once you know what exercises would benefit you the most and when it’s time to do them then it becomes much easier! If you are new to running or have any questions about warming up go ahead and ask us here at Lasso Compression socks. We would love to help out our fellow runners in this process so they don't get injured while running outside during cold weather months.