Running 5Ks & New Year Resolutions — The Power of a Proper Warm Up

Running coach Harry Morgan from the Jog On YouTube channel recently shared some valuable advice about the importance of a proper warm-up before running a 5K. According to Harry, running 1KM or so as a warm-up can help shave time off your 5K. The logic behind this is simple: during the first kilometre of a 5K, you are getting into your rhythm, but if you start already in that rhythm, you are likely to go faster.

This seemed counterintuitive to me at first — surely you'd just exhaust yourself. But after trying it a couple of times, it definitely works.

If we start setting up our resolutions in November or December, we can get a head start and build momentum before January arrives.

And it struck me that the same goes for New Year's Resolutions. I used to start my resolutions in the chill of January and found it challenging to build momentum — perhaps that's why many of my resolutions tended to fizzle out. However, in 2022, I decided to change my approach. I set up my 2023 resolutions for writing and translation in the last few months of the year, building up a head of steam before January rolled around. And as we shift into February, I'm up and running and confident I'll stick to my goals.

Running can teach us a lot about life, and the connection between improved 5K times and successful New Year's resolutions is just one example. By taking the time to warm up properly and start early, I feel we can set ourselves up for success, both on the running track and in our personal lives.

P.S. I, Jeremy Kuhles, am determined to run a sub-20-minute 5K this year and would like to remind myself to warm up properly before each run :)