Warm up the engine · Hybrid Racer

Warm up the engine

Hi everyone — I’ve got a question that’s been coming up more and more as I look back at races.

No matter how well the rest of the race goes, the first run loop often feels the most chaotic: higher anxiety, breathing that won’t settle, and heart rate that feels disconnected from what I can hold later in the race.

I’ve experimented with short, intense warm-ups as well as longer, more progressive ones with changes in intensity, but I still haven’t quite found the right focus. As I get older, I definitely feel like I need more time to “warm the engine” 😄 — but how much is enough, and when does more become too much?

From your experience, how do you approach pre-race warm-up to reduce that first-loop disruption?

• What key elements do you prioritise (physical, respiratory, psychological)?

• How close to race start do you like athletes to finish warming up?

• And how much of this is solved by the warm-up itself versus an intentional strategy for the first minutes of the race?

What principles help athletes arrive at the start line calmer, more settled, focused on the task, and able to find rhythm early?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

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