Lately it has dawned on me that I feel much more race ready after finishing a low intensity day than I do after finishing a warm-up on high intensity days. What I mean is that on the high intensity days I’m not feeling ready from a mental point of view - I’m just to aware of my surroundings (I thought of naming this thread: How to become race ready when you’re paranoid), but after a low intensity day I find myself strolling around with that blank, self-aware, “ready for anything” stare, slightly tired and slightly irritated, testosterone flowing.
Since we are looking at intensity * duration here, I guess I need to extend my warm-up by increasing the intensity more gradually than I do now. Usually I do 3 sets of 3 runs in flats, increasing intensity between each set, and then one or two runs in spikes (A very short warm-up, I know).
On a typical low intensity day I do a few tempo runs (4-8) followed by two rounds of a small bodyweight circuit (4 exercises each round).
You need ot follow the warm-up on the GPP DVD for speed work. do you have it? If you need it, E-mail Rupert at info@charliefrancis.com and we’ll get it, and whatever else you don’t have, out to you. It’s the least we can do for al you’ve done or us here
Thor,
what you are suggesting, i.e., a longer/proper warm up will probably help a lot! Also, have you raced so far this season? What was your warm up and how was the race? Sometimes things change on the day, although I wouldn’t just wait for this to happen…
I competed three times last week and what I learned was that on the day that I ran two races (an hour apart) the second race was my best ever. I was a bit tired and couldn’t think straight, but when the gun went everything just happened. That is what got me thinking.
Also, after a typical one race competition I feel really ready and confident the next day. I was thinking this had to do with wanting to revenge myself, but now I am beginning to think it has more to do with elevated testosterone levels (or something in that vein) that my warm-up should take care of.
I tried the warm-up from the GPP Essentials today and what a difference it made! After warm-up one I was feeling ready and focused and was really on during the rest of the warm-up (and the races that followed).