I recently finished reading “The Runner’s Rule Book” by Mark Remy and the Editors of Runners World magazine.  I like running but don’t run enough.  I want to be a consistent runner but like anything, I want to do it the right way (and I’m confident these guys know what they’re talking about).  Here are the highlights of the book:

  • Try to eat some carbs and protein within one hour postrun
  • Stretch only if you want to.  If you do, stretch after you run – not before
  • Increase your mileage no more than 10% each week
  • Don’t run hard on back to back days
  • Keep your upper body relaxed during a run.  Imagine carrying a potato chip in each hand
  • Have a slogan or mantra ready for times of adversity, such as  “Adversity causes some to break, and others to break records” or “One more mile” or “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever”
  • There is no difference between running on concrete and asphalt (one is not more forgiving than the other)
  • Wear wool socks or synthetic, not cotton
  • Don’t put any running clothes in the dryer
  • If you’re going to buy running shoes, buy them in the afternoon because your feet swell during the day
  • Get to know “Pre” (Steve Prefontaine)
  • Shin discomfort while running is ok.  While walking, not ok.
  • Run facing traffic
  • For Pete’s sake, stand still at red lights
  • Having a million things to do is an excuse for running, not an argument against it
  • The best time of day to run is the time you’re most likely to actually do it
  • The more often you check your watch, the longer the run will last
  • Running with someone who’s faster?  Use the open-ended question to slow them down, “Say, how’s the job?”
  • You lose fitness faster than you gain it
  • If you can remove your shoes without untying them, they’re not tight enough.  And always go with the double knot
  • No one has ever watched “Chariots of Fire” from beginning to end.  Not even the people who made it