What To Do Before a Run: Essential Pre-Run Routine Tips

At the beginning of my running career, I would wake up every day, throw on my running clothes, and walk out the door to begin my morning run.

Well, I don’t know if age caught up with me or what, but that is simply not a possibility anymore if I want to have a successful workout.

Now, I wake up at least an hour before every run, fuel up, warm up, and then get on to my planned workout for the day, much better prepared than my rushed starts in the past.

To be well-rounded athletes and excel as runners, we must take the time to include other components into our training schedule, such as adequate rest, healthy nutrition, strength training, etc.

Our focus today is on our pre-run routine. Many people, like I did in the past, don’t think much about what to do before a run and just hit the pavement without another thought.

As a certified running coach and competitive runner myself, I’ll explain why it’s important to have a pre-run routine, what it should include, and what to do before a run to ensure a successful session.

What Should I Do Before A Run?

#1: Fuel Up

No matter what type of run you tackle on any given day, going out on an empty stomach doesn’t enhance your performance but is more likely to hinder it. Especially if you are gearing up for a high-intensity workout, or preparing for race day!

You want to feel energized and ready to enjoy a great session. You can’t possibly do that with hunger pains and low energy from your 8-hour fast while sleeping.

If you run in the afternoon or evening, you have most likely already eaten a couple of meals and are ready to go. However, you will want to fuel if you are a morning runner or have eaten lunch four or five hours beforehand and are already hungry again before your workout.

What should you eat before a morning run?

For sessions during the week such as a hgh-intensity interval session or tempo run, consume a light snack that includes carbohydrates¹Murray, B., & Rosenbloom, C. (2018). Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. Nutrition Reviews, 76(4), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy001 to give you the energy you need to perform.

Here are some examples:

• A banana
• ¼ cup of oatmeal with some milk
• A slice of toast with honey
• Peanut butter chocolate chips balls (these are my personal favorite….see my easy peasy, no-bake recipe below) 
• A carb-heavy energy bar

The general rule in that you consume something you are used to and that won’t cause you any gastrointestinal problems during your run.

Quick Recipe Idea: Peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls

1 cup rolled oats
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
Chocolate chips to taste!

Mix all the ingredients and roll them into eight balls. Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they are ready to go!

It’s best to try to eat at least half an hour before your training session. Ideally, I shoot for an hour to give my body time to digest.

If you have trouble consuming solid foods before working out, you can always try a tall glass of orange juice which is full of natural sugar, carbohydrates, and vitamin C.

Another alternative could be an energy gel or an electrolyte sports drink with carbs.

If you are fueling up before a long run, you will want to increase your carb intake and eat a full breakfast a couple of hours before to ensure that your glycogen stores are topped off.

This could be a bagel with honey, two slices of toast with jam, or a bowl of oatmeal.

Also, make sure your hydration is on point.

Related: What To Eat Before A Run: The Best Pre-Run Snacks For Fueling

How To Warm Up Before Your Run

Whether it be because of lack of time or disinterest, runners tend to skip warming up more often than not. If you happen to fall into one of those categories, I hope to change your mind today and convince you to incorporate a dynamic warm-up into your pre-run routine so that you can begin reaping the benefits.²Herman, S. L., & Smith, D. T. (2008). Four-Week Dynamic Stretching Warm-up Intervention Elicits Longer-Term Performance Benefits. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(4), 1286–1297. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318173da50

What Are The Benefits of Warming Up?

Our legs are often beat up, tired, or stiff from the previous day’s workout, so it’s important to activate our muscles to get the blood flow going and snap them out of “heavy leg mode”.

Warming up will loosen you up, alleviate tightness, and mobilize your joints. 

Warming up will also gradually raise your heart rate and increase your body temperature to prepare you for your run.

If I begin my workout straight away and forgo my warm-up, my heart rate tends to spike more quickly than if I’m properly warmed up. (This is especially important to do before races!) 

If you ease into your workouts with a warm-up, you’ll see how you’ll be able to boost your performance in each training session you do. You’ll also reap the most critical physical benefit of which is becoming more resilient against the risk of injury. 

While you’re warming up, take advantage of the time and mentally prepare yourself for the workout. Think about the objective of the run and what you need to do to get ready to go. 

How much time do I need to warm up?

You need as little as 10 minutes to warm up, that’s it! (Unless you are a more experienced runner and would like to add more jogging to the beginning of your workout).

You can include 5 minutes of light cardio and 5 minutes of activation and dynamic stretching to warm up. You’ll be good to go!

If you live in a colder climate, you may need a tad bit more time to heat up those muscles, so see how you feel, and if you need to extend your light cardio to 10 minutes, go right ahead!

My Pre-Run Routine

Cardio – Start By Jogging

I begin my warm-up routine with a light, 5-10 minute jog.

This should be done at a leisurely, comfortable pace that raises your heart rate just slightly.

At the end of my jog, I usually add in a few 10-second strides to pick up my feet, accelerate my cadence and adjust my running form. 

If you prefer to do a different type of cardio to get yourself going, anything will do. You could hop on a stationary bike, row, walk or use an elliptical machine to get those muscles nice and warm. 

Now that our muscles are warm, let’s continue on to our pre-run stretching activation exercises.

What Are Good Warm-Up Exercises To Do Before A Run?

Dynamic activation exercises help prepare your body for the stressors of your workouts. A proper dynamic workout is good for getting your body warmed up for the range of motion you will need while running. 

It’s imperative to keep moving during these exercises and switch legs or positions constantly. You should not do static stretching before a workout; you want to leave that for your post-run routine.

Here’s a quick sequence I do before each training session. I perform each exercise for 30 seconds.

#1: Butt Kicks

Butt kicks activate your hamstrings, glutes, and quads while bringing your heart rate up simultaneously. 

1. Stand with your feet hip-length apart. 
2. Bring your left heel up to your buttock by contracting your hamstring. 
3. Alternate rapidly with the right leg and then left again. 
4. Pump your arms as if you were running.
5. Do this at a quick pace. 

#2: Frankenstein Walks

Frankenstein walks actively stretches out your hamstrings and calves, two of the tightest muscles for us runners. 

1. Stand with your feet together. 
2. Extend your right arm straight in front of you. 
3. Kick your left leg up and try to reach your right hand. 
4. Alternate legs and arms.

(Note: Do not bend at the waist, but let your legs come up to you.) 

#3: Hurdles Hip Opener

Hurdes will help open up your hips for better mobility for your training runs.

1. Stand with your feet hip-length apart. 
2. Lift your right leg, bent at 90 degrees, straight out in front of you.
3. Abduct to the right by opening your leg outward as far as possible. 
4. Bring your leg back to the center.
5. Repeat with your left leg. 
6. Alternate legs. 

#4: Dynamic Quad Stretch

This not only preps your quads but lengthens your hip flexors. Standing on one leg also works your stability. 

1. Stand on your right leg
2. Using your left hand, take your left foot and pull it up toward your butt. 
3. Hold for 2 seconds
4. Repeat with your right leg. 
5. Alternate legs.

#5: Knees Hugs

Warm up those quads, hamstrings, adductors while at the same time continuing to work on your stability. 

1. Stand with your feet hip-length apart.
2. Lift your left knee up to your chest.
3. Press your knee against your chest.
4. Hold for 2 seconds
5. Repeat with your right leg.
6. Alternate legs. 

#6: Tabletops

Tabletops will activate and stretch out those glutes.

1. Stand with your feet hip-length apart.
2. Lift your left leg, keeping your knee bent at 90 degrees, and place your left ankle on top of your right knee. Your shin should be parallel to your hips
3. Place your left hand on your left knee. 
4. Gently push your left knee downward, keeping your back straight. 
5. Repeat with your right leg. 
6. Alternate legs. 

#7: Walking Scoops

For me, this is the hardest one. As runners, our hamstrings are always very tight, so try and get them loosened up before your next run with this exercise. 

1. Stand with your right leg forward and your left leg back, both heels touching the ground. 
2. Bring both arms to your back heel, and in a scooping motion, move up towards and past your toes. 
3. Take a step forward and repeat on the other side. 

#8: Inchworm

The Inchworm is a great exercise to continue loosening up those hamstrings and activating your entire body. 

1. Stand with your feet hip-length apart.
2. Reach your hands out in front of you toward the ground.
3. Bend your knees slightly and place your hands on the floor in front of you. 
4. Walk with your hands outward until you have reached a plank position. 
5. Then walk your feet forward in small steps until you reach your hands. 
6. Stand up and repeat. 

#9: Bounds

Bounds activate your leg muscles while also working on stability and power. 

1. Balance on your left leg. 
2. Launch yourself upward while bringing your right leg up to waist height along with your left arm. Really explode off the ground with each rep.
3. Repeat on the right leg. 

#10: Toe and Heel Walk

Last but not least, let’s get some mobility in those ankles! This joint constantly gets jammed up from the impact of running, so it’s a great one to loosen up before your workout. 

1. Alternate walking on your tiptoes and your heels.

A few extra exercises you could alternate in are walking lunges, leg swings, and high knees.

Ready to go!

Your muscles are warm, your heart rate is up, and you should now feel primed and ready to go for your workout!

By warming up correctly, you’ll feel a remarkable difference in your workouts and even prevent potential injuries; it is definitely worth taking the time to do it!

Now that you know what to do before a run, what about after a run? Keep reading for our post-run routine:

The 12 Best Post-Run Stretches: Our Essential Guide

References

• 1
  Murray, B., & Rosenbloom, C. (2018). Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. Nutrition Reviews, 76(4), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuy001
• 2
  Herman, S. L., & Smith, D. T. (2008). Four-Week Dynamic Stretching Warm-up Intervention Elicits Longer-Term Performance Benefits. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(4), 1286–1297. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e318173da50