Best & Worst Running Advice

Running can be intimidating for the beginner or the seasoned veteran. Recreational runners and professional pacesetters alike all face common challenges, but the answers are found through trial and error. What works for one individual may not work for another. Here is a sampling of the best and worst advice I’ve received throughout my years.

Worst Advice:

1. If you want to be a “runner,” you only run

It’s a no-brainer that to become a better runner one must run. However, no mile marker magically transforms one into a ‘runner.’ Striding one mile or a hundred, you are a runner. Each step is a victory to be celebrated. While pounding the pavement is an academic way to train, it’s important to challenge oneself to activities outside of the realm of running. Fear not, lifting weights or hopping on a bike are complementary activities likely to improve and strengthen your running physicality as well as maintain mental well being. Balance brings betterment.  

2.Work through the pain

No pain, no gain. THE catchphrase of all athletic catchphrases. However, it’s vital to listen to the messages the body is sending. Being sore from a workout and experiencing pain are not the same. Yet, pushing through the pain is commonplace among runners. More often than not, many feel that getting a few miles under one’s belt will help ease the discomfort, and others fear that not maintaining mileage will impact their overall fitness or race readiness. Remember a few days off will not impact running performance, however, pushing through the pain may lead to (more significant) injuries resulting in longer stretches away from running.

3.You need to be “competitive” to enter a race 

Unlike other athletic endeavors, running is for anyone-any age, any fitness level. Each person has unique expectations or goals when it comes to the running experience. Running is truly personal. Celebrating these different goals at the finish line enhances the race day atmosphere, bringing racers and fans together. The true champion is not the person who crosses the finish line first; rather, a winner is the person who steps up to the start line.

Best Advice:

1. Fitness doesn’t happen overnight

 Patience, patience, patience. Running takes time and consistency…and a bit of reality. No individual can reasonably expect to jump to a 90 mile week from a 30 mile week in an overnight.  Too much too soon is a recipe for injury. Small incremental goals will help you reach that final outcome versus focusing only on immediately achieving the set goal. Lay a good foundation and build layers upon that. Conversely, fitness will not be lost overnight. A day off may be just what body and mind need to reach one’s peak performance. Training must be intentional, goals must be attainable and flexibility is a necessity.

2. Take easy days easy, don’t race them

Truth be told, I am the worst person when it comes to the advice to take a run at an easy pace.  My competitive nature has me in a high intensity mode, wanting to give a full blown performance all the time. Guaranteed I was a nightmare to many coaches. Like me, many believe that more miles, faster pace is the way to achieve great times. Sure, in the interim, positive results occur, but down the road, in the long run burnout, boredom, and injury emerge. One college coach pointed out that easy days serve an important purpose in training. Easy runs not only allow recovery, but it enhances overall fitness, sport enjoyability and longevity. There is a time and place for pushing the pace, just not everyday. Keep this in mind: variety is the spice of life.

3. Running is like taking a shower, if you don’t do it everyday you’ll stink 

At the beginning of each high school cross country season, my coach always bestowed the team with the following advice: “Running is like taking a shower, if you don’t do it everyday you’ll stink!” It’s a funny phrase, literally and figuratively. But truth be told, one shouldn’t expect to run a personal best (at a race) without putting any effort into training. Practice makes perfect. The “21/90” rule states that it takes 21 days to make a habit and 90 days to have the habit integrate into a lifestyle. Physically, muscle memory is built through repetition: thus, making the process of running easier and form effortless. Mentally, with the body ready to set course, the mind is at ease–confident, resilient, calm, focused–in other words, balanced.