What to avoid before a run

A pre-run routine is as important as the run because it not only helps you achieve better performance but also prevents you from injury. What to do exactly? Read on to learn some things you should avoid doing, and start your journey as a happy runner.

Dehydration or over-hydration

50% of the human body is made of water, which works to support basic functions like respiration and digestion, and keeps every running motion smoothly. This is why you should drink enough water before each run, or you may experience headaches, dizziness, or even fainting.

The other side of the extreme — over-hydration — is harmful as well. One obvious result is it will make you look for a bathroom throughout your running. In addition, no one wants the sloshy feeling in the stomach.

Eating too much

Everyone knows it is not good to run right after eating. However, it is worth mentioning here again. After eating, most of your blood flow is transmitted to GI system (gastrointestinal system), but if you go out for a run right away, your exercise will take much blood flow away, leaving you with crampings, side effects, and more. Morning running would be best because it requires no food intake, however, if you decide to run in the afternoon or evening, it’s best to fuel yourself first with a proper amount of food. Eating too much won’t necessarily cause side effects to run, but remember not to run until at least 1 hour later.

Static stretching

It is taught since childhood that you’d better do static stretching as a warm-up before a run. However, it is wrong all these years. Static stretching lengthens your muscle within 30-60 seconds, but at the same time, it sends signals to your brain to protect your muscles from being overstretched. This, in turn, will limit your performance during running.

The recommended warm-up is dynamic stretching, such as lunges, butt kicks, high knees, and arm or leg swings. There are more dynamic stretches for you to explore, of course, just make sure you do a series of motions in a short time to lubricate your joints, preparing your whole body for the upcoming exercise.

Set your expectation too high

Last but not the least, don’t set your expectations way too high. If you are struggling with a certain pace, take it easy, just slow down. In addition, running for a certain period of time beyond your capability won’t necessarily make you more powerful. On the contrary, you may overheat your body, lose your fluids too quickly, and get dizziness.