The Golden Rules of Running and what I think of them

There are certain accepted truths in running that have been around for years. Probably nearly all of them were first thought up by a runner or group of runners, then an exercise science PhD gave an endorsement, and now we are expected to believe. I will list a few and close with my own thoughts. Most of those PhDs don’t have nearly 90,000 running miles.

The 10 percent rule. Never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% because you’ll likely suffer an injury due to the sudden change. Generally, this one is good because none of us really need to go overboard. A gradual increase is fine. I’ve experienced injury on increasing too fast. Shins hate the idea.

Wait at least two hours after eating before going for a run. I suggest waiting longer than that. In fact, don’t eat big meals if you have a run coming in the next 4-6 hours. Just regular small complex carbohydrate snacks will level your blood sugar and not cause distress. Once I ate three bagels on the way home from work, then ran 8 miles. I will never forget that run!

The familiar food rule. If you want to experiment with new foods, don’t do it with a run or a race coming up. The same goes for trying a new drink. Some foods or drinks just don’t sit well when the body is working hard. You won’t have to be running very long before you know what makes you strong and what might cause distress. I love to share my Powerade nausea NYC Marathon experience.

The 10 minute rule. There has been a group of trainers around for years that expect runners to walk and jog slowly for 10 minutes ahead of beginning their run, and they want the same as a cool down at the end. This one won’t work for me. It takes less than half a mile to get warmed up on most days and I want to take advantage of all the time I have for the run. Often the best part of the run is toward the end, so let it fly.

The race recovery rule. One of the oldest rules around is how quickly you can race again after a hard effort. The rule is one day per every mile raced. For the 26.2 miles of a marathon, the rule states you should take it easy for the next 26 days. Running is fine, but not running hard. I came from the old school on this. We raced every weekend, marathon or not. Legs and other body parts didn’t work as well, but you got tougher.

The seven year rule. No matter what the age of a beginning runner, this rule suggests that improvement is possible for seven years. Someone in their mid-50s might take up running and get serious and keep getting faster for about seven years. The same for any age. I believe this one is true. We have several examples locally, but it all depends on the effort expended in training.

The 10 degree rule. Actually, I heard it’s 20 degrees. Most new runners haven’t figured out the layers of clothing that will work at various temperatures. They definitely don’t want their clothes to make them hotter. So, the simple rule of thumb is to dress for an air temperature of 20 degrees warmer than it is.

The 20 mile rule. Lots of coaches say that marathon training needs to only reach 20 miles one time. I disagree. The race is 26.2 miles and your mental self needs to be confident that 26.2 miles is doable. Yes, if you just want to survive the marathon, the extra 6.2 is not going to matter much. But if you want to do your best, then train closer to the distance and then it’s not a big leap from 24 miles to the finish line. That worked for me.

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