Some triathletes choose to warm up right in the water before a race. This works in warmer weather, but it can cause your muscles to tighten up even more when you leave the water to prepare for the start. Here is a warm up that you can do out of the water, when it’s just too cold to spend too much time in before the race.

Swing your arms forward and backward, alternating from right to left.
Swing your arms horizontally from side to side (again alternating from right to left). Rotate your shoulders forward and backward a few times.
Jog in place.
Spin on a trainer.
Repeat arm swings and shoulder rolls.
Stretch (your regular routine)

Right before the race, be sure to immerse your whole body in the water so you won’t be too shocked by the temperature. This will help you get a good start to the race. You don’t want to be sputtering and gasping right out of the gate.

If you do this pre-race warmup, you will be primed and ready to put all those hours of training to the test!