Any run should begin with a warm-up and conclude with a cool-down. These two exercises will help you train for your best performance during a run and heal after your race.

Benefits of a Running Warm-Up

Before you use your muscles for intense exercise, a healthy warmup dilates your blood vessels, ensuring that they are well supplied with oxygen. It also increases the temperature of your muscles, allowing you to move more freely and efficiently.

The warmup also helps to reduce tension on the heart as you begin your run by gradually raising your heart rate.

Benefits of a Running Cool-Down

The cool-down ensures that blood circulation is maintained in the body. Since your heart rate and blood pressure can drop quickly when you stop abruptly, you may experience light-headedness. Slowly winding down causes them to collapse eventually.

Although it’s common knowledge that cooling down helps work the lactic acid out of the muscles and prevents delayed onset muscle soreness the next day, a study has shown that this is not the case.

A healthy emotional adjustment between a vigorous run and the conclusion of the run is the cool-down.

Stretching Before or After Running

Stretching used to be a part of any warm-up and cool-down routine, but research shows that it doesn’t have the advantages that were once assumed. Static stretching hasn’t been shown to reduce damage or delayed onset muscle soreness before, during, or after exercise.

There’s some proof that dynamic stretching after a warmup can help with results. Stretches that carry the muscles to their entire range of motion are used in this form of stretching. Dynamic stretching drills often mirror the performance you’ll be achieving during your run.

Stretching cold muscles is never a safe idea, so do that when you’ve warmed up or during your cool-down.

How to Do a Proper Warm-Up

Warm-up by following these steps:

• Warm-up for your run by doing 5 to 10 minutes of mild aerobic exercise to loosen up your muscles. Warming up for a run can involve fast walking, marching, jogging slowly, or cycling on a stationary bike. Make sure the warmup isn’t rushed.
• Do walking lunges, jumping jacks, or opposite toe touches before your run if you like doing dynamic stretches or workouts.
• Start your race. Instead of running, begin by jogging slowly and steadily increase your pace. You should be able to breathe freely. Slow down if you find yourself running out of breath. This is an important part of determining how hard you can go, and it’s easy to get off to a fast start.
• When you first start your run, pay attention to your running posture and shape. Before you speed up, make sure you’re using the right strategy.

How to Do a Proper Cool-Down

Take the following steps at the end of your run:

• Cooldown by walking or gently jogging for 5 to 10 minutes after the race. Your breathing and pulse rate can return to normal over time.
• To rehydrate, drink water or a sports drink.

Stretching Tips for After Your Run

Stretching can be done during your run or as a single task if you believe it would help you. The hamstring stretch, quad stretch, calf stretch, low lunge stretch, IT band stretch, butterfly stretch, hip and backstretch, arms and abs stretch, and triceps stretch are popular post-run stretches. For optimal stretching, follow these guidelines:

• When stretching, avoid bouncing. Each stretch should be kept for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Don’t flex if you’re in agony. Don’t stretch past the point where you start to feel muscle tightness. You can never stretch to the point of discomfort or push through muscle resistance. You will increase the stretch when you feel less discomfort until you feel the same slight tug.
• Be sure both sides are stretched. If you have tightness in your left thigh, don’t stretch it. Make sure both sides are stretched evenly.
• Take a deep breath and don’t hold your breath. Relax and take long, deep breaths in and out. Be certain you’re not holding your breath. Breathe deeply from your belly button.

Long Distance Running has few words for you

The scientific community is only catching up to what runners have been doing for decades (and their coaches have been teaching). Warming up is helpful, so you should usually miss it if stretching doesn’t work for you. Have fun with your race.