The shakeout run: what is it and should you do one?
Elite athletes have been including a shakeout run in the race-day routine for years, but why?
Professional runners and competitive recreational runners have been doing shakeout runs on the mornings of their races for years, but you may be wondering why. After all, it does seem counter-intuitive to run before your race begins rather than to conserve all of your energy for when the gun goes off, and if you’re doing a warmup later anyway, what’s the point? There are many reasons why a pre-race shakeout run is a good idea, and you may want to consider doing one before your next race.
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What is a shakeout run?
A shakeout run is a short, 10- to 15-minute jog that is done the morning of your race, which you can think of as a precursor to the warmup you’ll do later. Advice on when you should do one varies, but ideally it should be done between two and two and a half hours before your race. If your race is in the morning, it should correspond with your wake-up time, since it typically takes about that amount of time for you to be fully conscious and ready to run well.
Some people may also do a shakeout run the day before a race, especially if they’ve traveled to the course and arrived the day prior. In this scenario, a short shakeout run can help you get some blood flowing after sitting in a car for a long period of time. Either way, the shakeout jog should be a very easy, relaxed pace — just enough to get your legs moving and your blood flowing, without causing stress or inducing fatigue.
Why should you do a shakeout run?
As we already mentioned, a shakeout run can help to get the blood flowing to your muscles and loosen them up. It can also stimulate your central nervous system, and help kickstart the process of getting your body warmed up and flexible, which ordinarily can take several hours. Additionally, it’s a great way to wake yourself up, especially if your race starts in the morning. The last thing you want to be doing is standing on the start line yawning, and a quick shakeout can get rid of morning drowsiness.
For runners who choose to do a shakeout the day before the race, this short, easy run provides an opportunity to have a glance at the race course, particularly if you’ve traveled to the race and are unfamiliar with the area. Many runners like to do their shakeout near the finish line, so they know what that last few kilometres of the course looks like to help them mentally prepare to grind to the finish.
More than likely, you are probably feeling a bit nervous before your goal race, and a shakeout run can also help release those feelings before your race. Those few minutes of easy jogging give you an opportunity to collect your thoughts, breathe and refocus that nervous energy.
Finally, an early morning shakeout can be a great way to get things moving so you can use the bathroom before the race. Sometimes, all it takes is a short jog to get your bowels going, and every runner’s fear is that they’ll be rushing to find a toilet minutes before the start of the race. A short jog a few hours before your race can help prevent that from happening.
It may seem counter-intuitive to run more before your race, but trust us — a pre-race shakeout is a really good idea. Give it a try before your next race, virtual or not, and see if it works for you.
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