Warming up is very important and should not be overlooked. It serves to warm up your muscles and joints before making an effort. It is important not to start running cold. You should therefore always have a short routine of a maximum of 10 minutes.

Here is a list of warm-up exercises you can do before starting to run:

1. Getting started: 2 minutes

• Brisk walk: 30 seconds
• Light jog: 1 minute
• High knees: 30 seconds

2. Joint mobility (2–3 min)

• Ankle circles: 10 per side
• Hip circles: 10 per side
• Inner and outer adductor openings: 10 per side

3. Activation (3 min)

• Heel-to-butt kicks: 30 sec
• Alternating small forward lunges: 8 per leg
• Light squats: 10 reps

4. Running-specific (1–2 min) For runs that start at high intensity, I recommend adding this last section to get your heart rate up before the effort begins. Your body will already be in the right mode to tackle the first kilometre quickly.

• 3 progressive accelerations of 15–20 sec (finish at ~70–80% of max)
• 30 sec of walking or jogging between each