Running Tips
ruiper.es
ruiper.es
A decent warm up routine may happen to involve some active stretching but that's through necessity of moving in a good range.
An example being people that flair their lower leg outward from the knee as they run being correlated to acl problems. People talk about tight calves, tight quads etc but ultimately its caused by a dysfunction of glute control which can't be improved via stretching.
Also a related side note, you should almost never stretch your hamstrings, especially if you are sat a lot. That compounds the issue you'll (and most of us) likely already have with long loose hams. Couch stretch hip flexors and strength hams instead.
Another running myth that gets brought up in the post is the “lactate threshold.” The misconception comes from the “acid” part of “lactic acid”. We’ve come to believe that your muscles producing acid will cause them to feel like they’re burning. They’re burning because they’re tired and hitting their limits, nothing more. Lactic acid is just an extra source of energy. The way you train probably doesn’t need to change, but science behind “lactate threshold” is wrong.
What science do you think is "wrong"?
I consider that pain to be a mild injury, since it gets in the way of my daily running routine.
"Have you ever regretted going on a run?"
Invariably, the answer is no. It's amazing how effective this is at getting you to just suck it up, no matter how cold it is outside, and get running. You'll be glad you did.
In the summer i wish i'd gone biking instead, in the winter i wish i was skiing.
I have certainly regretted going for a run (and broken off the run after a few hundred meters). Not often, but at least twice. It's no surprise that I stopped running some time after that.
When I'm cooling down and that niggle I ignored really starts to set in as I realize that I'm not going to run again for two weeks, then... yes
no affiliation and i've never used those but there you go. aside from the shoes very warm gloves and a balaclava.
warm glove hack: get dish gloves and wear them under whatever mittens. your hands will sweat and the dish gloves will contain the warm sweat. it's quite gross but quite effective.
that's true but benefits far outweigh that cost; primarily that you don't need to constantly wash your mittens.
Personally, for -30 to -10C I wore running shoes with spikes that slip over the shoe to stop slipping. For body warmth I wore thermal underwear underneath some running shorts and then two long shirt layers (wool or something insulating) and a thin/thick jacket depending on how fast I was going to run (slower = bigger jacket). I protected my face/neck with a buff and a warm hat. For hands I wore mits, not gloves (keeping fingers together for warmth).
Another trick I used is to do pushups before going out to pre-warm yourself and to ensure that you don't have too many layers. After all that, its important to fall into the right running pace where you are not too hot or too cold.
I also like snowshoeing up mountains, although you should really take all the same precautions you would when backcountry skiing, so it's hard to fit it into routine training.
my reasoning for the first is you will have an easier time drifting away and enjoying the running for its own sake (rather than as a chore) if you do not try to distract yourself.
my reasoning for the second is running for time is like a prison sentence that you need to bear while running for distance is a goal you can accomplish (or fail to accomplish). my runs to work used to take ~1 hour and on the days that i couldn't make them because of inclement weather i ran on a treadmill. i never made it the full hour on a treadmill.
these two tips help you overcome the greatest (and most important) hurdle to becoming a runner: enjoyment.
edit: i guess one corollary of the running for distance thing is that you don't need to stress about speed; i often tell myself "you don't have to be fast you just have to finish". so when i get gassed in the second half of a run i slow down to compensate. that finish spurs you on the next time and naturally you'll get faster (well to a certain point - if you're really trying to get good then you need sprints/intervals/etc but then you don't need my advice).
Be cognizant of your turnover (stride rate): https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20787354/increase-you...
Engage your glutes and abs when running
If anyone here is looking to start running as part of a New Year goal, I'd suggest not getting too discouraged with all of the stuff that seems complicated about running. It takes a while to get your body used to it.
When I was 17, I made it a goal to try and run a mile without stopping at the track. Once I hit that goal, I stopped because I thought other people were judging me. It took me ten more years to go for another run, but by that point I'd stopped caring as much about what other people thought. Now I've made it a habit, and enjoy all aspects of the sport.
Also when I get really tired, it helps me dissociate myself from the feeling in my legs because instead of thinking "ow my legs hurt", I can think "thank you, pony, for being so strong and working so hard for me!"
23. Running technique: you want to distribute forces on all 3 joints. Use elasticity from tendons and binding structures to capture breaking forces and bounce back.
24. Take it very easy when you start out, change ground, or shoes.
1.) Understanding the importance of rest. The FIRST method described in “Run less, run faster” really changed how I structured my weekly training regimen and drastically reduced my injuries
2.) Getting a Stryd footpod to accurately measure my pace even during fast changing interval sessions. It’s still magic to me how a footpod can be that accurate
I'm not super gung-ho though - I think I run 20 miles a week maybe - just 5 or 6 days. And I always take a day off. But it works for me.
Recently I have signed up for longer races and slowed my pace down. I find it is good practice for impulse control. When I get bored at work or at home, I quickly open a new tab or pull my phone out of my pocket. I would rather just be bored for a moment and stay on task.
I think running long distances can help me a lot because I do get really really bored out there, but there is not much to do but keep running.
The focus on consistency and slowly gaining a relatively large training base often puts people in a much better place with their running as the spring comes around.
I am skeptical of this claim. Most of us have heard about running in different shoes though.
GP and later a podiatrist both said they wouldn't have recommended running had I asked. Been dealing with tendonosis ever since.
I have a problem with keeping motivated though. I can prepare for a race for 3 months, then right after, I rest for 2 months, basically losing all progress. Anyone dealt with this successfully ?
How many of you have ever gotten what's called a "runner's high"?
FWIW, I do most (80%?) of my running at a 130bpm heart-rate and typically don't get the runner's high when I'm working out more intensely (the other ~20% of the time).
I don't know that I would run as much as I do if I didn't get the runner's high, although I didn't get it regularly when I began. One big takeaway I got from reading one of Lydiard's books was that when you're building your base you basically can't run too slowly, but it's very easy to run too quickly.
If you run too quickly you risk injury and burn-out which interferes much more with making progress as a runner than if perhaps you're not running quite fast enough to get the maximum adaptation for your effort.
It never lasts and I wouldn't really describe it as a high. Closer to an out of body experience I think.