does everyone who has graduated???????

[carerof]

Does everyone who has graduated still complete the warm up and cool down walks??? I do the warm up but i have started to run for the first part of the cool down section, is it ok to do this??

[Pigivi]

I always walk back home, and if I am somewhere by car I would walk for at least 2 or 3 minutes and then stretch before driving wherever.

You shouldn't really go from running to a full stop - I don't know the physiology of it - but if you stop abruptly after a longish or fast run your legs will scream! (but maybe you can get away with it if the run is very, very slow)

Happy running!

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

I always do the walking at either end. Maybe just habit but it seems to work for me.

[Bonniesingh Graduate]

The warm down walk will also allow your heart rate to slow down gradually.

[CookieRunner]

Not graduated yet, but my comment may still be relevant...? I find the cool down walk very boring after the exhilarating run, but after an ankle ligament injury my physio told me it is very important to cool down to prevent future injuries, as well as stretching after the cool down walk (but no need to stretch before). So yes, I force myself to do it! I suppose you can injure the huge range of muscles, tendons and ligaments at any time (Olympians often seem to do so!) so I think the advice still applies, even after graduation...

[Rignold]

No, I don't bother with either on a normal run. If I am dong a race I warm up before hand - by doing a bit of gentle jogging, but given that 'gentle warm up jogging' pace is pretty much the same as my standard daily 'easy run' pace, there is no need to do it on normal runs. Similarly at most workouts where you need to warm up first, t is easy pace jogging you do to warm up, with a few high knees and bum kicks thrown in. Warming up for the warmup seems excessive.

The 5 minute top and tail druing the programme is because most people doing C25k have been out of the exercise loop for a long time (or never in it), and is a sensible precaution. Once you have got used to running there is no real need for it.

That said, of course, if you like doing it or feel it s beneficial to you, then there is absolutely no reason not to.

[Sparkyifhungry Graduate]

I do a bit of dynamic stretching (flailing of arms and legs) then a short power walk to focus the mind before. Afterwards I just walk for a song then do some static stretches. I'm afraid to miss out the warm up/ warm down for me could be a false economy and whilst I'd love to miss it out and dive straight in I definitely don't want to hit the injury couch so for me it's a must.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

I do a little warm up walk and warm down walk, just because my body seems to like it. I've mis calculated runs and ended up on my front doorstep and then I always feel like I've missed something. I like at least a couple of mins to think about the run before I walk through the door to the mayhem of life inside.

[dagshar Graduate]

I do a warm up walk of about 3-5 minutes depending on exactly where I am starting from - mainly because we live at the bottom of a hill, so I always walk up to the top of the hill or thereabouts first (I can't exclude hills from my run as it's not exactly flat here, but still prefer to start off a little easier). At the end it depends again on what I am doing....yesterday I walked home at the end of the speed podcast, sometimes I run right up to home or stop not far off and walk the last couple of minutes. I'll make sure I don't stop and sit down though, so walk around (mixing my chocolate milk) and do some gentle movement exercises and some stretches.

[Mary_O Graduate]

I do. I have to be careful with my joints (hypermobile) so I make damn sure I'm properly warmed up before running. Still remember (before c25k) getting off the sofa to grab something quick for work, and spraining my ankle because the angle wasn't quite right.

[Noaky12 Graduate]

I still do the 5 mins at either side as I'm a bit scared not to & it mentally prepares me.

For the walk home it helps cool me down & i just do it from wherever my run ends whether its 5 mins or more. I then stretch when I get in too.(but can't claim that they are dynamic stretches like Sparkyifhungry does!) ☺

[poppypug Graduate]

I have about 5-10 minutes warm up walk, and then the same for the cool down walk.

Just long enough for everything to settle down again , and I can tell Im still alive ha ha xxx

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

The received wisdom used to be that cooling down brings the body back into balance (homeostasis) and reduces the lactate levels in the blood, which can be the cause of cramps (I believe). This article gives some info, but very little fact. scienceofrunning.com/2012/0...

It is certainly worthwhile doing a warmup on a cold morning, just to get muscles working before pushing them hard. I occasionally start off at a gentle jog if I have already been active. Cool down, like stretching is debated quite fiercely. Again, I normally do, but have not suffered any bad consequences of not doing so. I also still stretch after (nearly) every run, since that made a significant difference in the early days, even though many feel it is unnecessary.

You won't suffer any major calamity by not doing it, but it would be worth noting any change in how you and your body feel for the next 24 hours or so. Listening to your body is the number one rule.

[davelinks Graduate]

I usually do the walks, and don't stop suddenly at end of run, I slow right down to a fast walk.

But on one occasion at a Parkrun, I just did plenty of stretching before and after and was OK..

[Coddfish Graduate]

I find both very important to avoid stiffness and potentially injury

[jenman1 Graduate]

I always do a warm up walk for at least 5 mins, and always have a long warm down walk, I find my heart rate comes down, it seems to stop me getting stiff after a run, sometimes I walk back the distance I have just run. The amazing thing is (fingers crossed) I have not had any injuries since starting this journey in April and graduating in June, I now run 3 times a week, 2, 30 mins run and a good 5-6 k run of a weekend.

I sorted out another issue this week, I found I was getting out of breath at the start of a run, read somewhere you shouldn't run your pace straight away, but build it up, stopped me struggling to breath and managed to run quicker overall.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

I've been running for two years and always warm up for 5 minutes (10 in cold weather) with a walk and a few lunges, etc and walk immediately after a run to keep everything moving. I then stretch for 10 minutes when I get home. It suits me, it might not suit everyone but all our bodies are different and you should do what feels right for you.

[carerof Graduate]

many thanks for all the replies. Like most of you i have a series of stretches that i always complete after running, and that coupled with 2.5mins of cool down wall seems at the moment to be fine for me. Happy running, cooling down and stretching to everyone.

[GoogleMe Graduate]

I have absolutely zero interest in fannying about with any pre or post running stretches, so I always start and finish with a walk. I reckon it has psychological benefits.

(I do stretching, in the form of yoga, at other times...)

I suspect that you do need to do one or the other ie if you are not going to do the walk sandwich, you'll need to do the stretches afterwards.

[Tomas Graduate]

I reckon the walks served me well when I did the programme, they served me well when I trained for a 10 k, they continued to serve me well when I trained for a HM, so I see no reason to stop now. But I have added static stretches as part of my post run routine and feel that it makes me less achy the next day.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

I live at the top of a steep hill, so always walk down until I find somewhere relatively flat to run. This of course means I have to walk back up to my house, not much of a cool down really!