Track tips

JillC

New Member
Hi,

I'm new here and was wondering if anyone had any tips for stretching/warm-ups for track runners? I'm going to try out in the fall and would like to get a head start.


btw Cathie, you've got great nails! What do you do with them?
 
Hi, Jill,
Welcome to this forum. I am not Cathe and perhaps she'll have something to add later. I'm a former track "star" ;) from the old days of 20 years ago. Provided things haven't changed too much in the world of running, I will give you a bit of advice. Start competing with yourself. Find out your time for the various races, like 100 m dash, 400 m dash, 800 m, etc. You can probably research times in your district and find out what kind of times will earn you a place at a track meet. Find out what races you would be able to be competitve in. Then work on strength, endurance and form. Weight training would also be excellent for you, 2 or 3 times per week.
As for stretching and warm ups, I usually run a light jog for one or two laps and then get some good stretching for the hamstrings, quads, calves, inner and outer thighs and glutes. Then some runs like high jogs or butt-kick runs, shuttle runs, or football runs to work on the explosive leg muscle fibers. Beyond that, practice your races and running lengths longer than your races.
Best of luck to you!!! Cathe will have to tell you about her nails. ;)
Amy
 
Thanks for the tips! I've been working a bit on my endurance, and was considering heading up to the "hills" to do some long distance work. I'm just waiting for a smog-light day.
 
>Hi,
>
>I'm new here and was wondering if anyone had any tips for
>stretching/warm-ups for track runners? I'm going to try out
>in the fall and would like to get a head start.
>
>

I'm obviously not Cathe. but try www.trackfitness.com It was recently recommended in a magazine I read. I'm not into track or running, but they ranked it high...
 
My only tidbit I would add about running on a track is about keeping "track" of how many laps you've done. I really don't enjoy running on a track, but I was trying to rehab and only could go 2 miles at a time. Rather than keep count in my head, I decided to run a lap in each row... the tracks (?) on the high school track by my house are numbered 1-8, so I would just run around once in 8, then in 7, and so forth until I was done.
I know that wasn't really what you were asking for, but I thought I was oh so inventive to come up with that anti-counting scheme...
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on the smog-free day... ;)
 

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