
Running Tips - RPeres
https://ruiper.es/2019/12/31/running-tips/
======
weego
There's interestingly no correlation between reduction in injuries and
stretching. Unless you have a training incident that leads to an injury, 'wear
and tear' injuries likely come from muscle imbalances and activation
dysfunction than lack of stretching.

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.

~~~
baron816
I get into a lot of fights with people about how stretching is a farce since
yoga is so popular.

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.

~~~
dogmatism
What are you saying? One can be more specific, but there certainly is a
physiologic definition of lactate threshold. It is the output (running,
cycling, rowing, skiing, whatever, can be defined as performance as % of
VO2max) at which blood lactate begins to rise above baseline. More
importantly, maximal lactate steady state is the rate at which lactate
production equals clearance. Above that and you'll blow up soon. Yes lactate
can be converted back to pyruvate and used for energy, but above MLSS, it
accumulates more than is reconverted, and energy stores will run out.

What science do you think is "wrong"?

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ganonm
I've been a lifelong runner and a great psychological trick I've shared with
people to help get you into your shoes and out the door is this:

"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.

~~~
Tomte
That may be so for passionate and experienced runners.

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.

~~~
newscracker
Yup, that works only for those who have run before and like running. For
anyone starting off and/or not really fit enough to run for a few minutes
without difficulty, it's easy to give up quickly. Walking is a less strenuous
activity for such people (though getting out to walk may itself be a difficult
action to take).

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clarry
What do runners do when it's -15degC outside and roads are coated with
slippery ice and snow? I don't get enough exercise during winter :( Running is
nice because you can start at your front door, but most winter sports seem to
require hauling gear to an appropriate venue (thinking about skiing and
skating as the most obvious examples).

~~~
throwlaplace
[https://www.moosejaw.com/product/stabil-icers-run-
crampon_10...](https://www.moosejaw.com/product/stabil-icers-run-
crampon_10368717)

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.

~~~
amphibian87
can confirm but I use latex or nitrile disposable gloves. they def stay warm
but also your fingers will wrinkle from the sweat.

~~~
throwlaplace
>will wrinkle from the sweat

that's true but benefits far outweigh that cost; primarily that you don't need
to constantly wash your mittens.

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throwlaplace
i used to run 15 miles a day 3 days a week (7.5 to work and 7.5 back). best
piece of advice i can give to someone starting out 1) don't use music and 2)
don't run for time but run for distance instead.

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).

~~~
JshWright
Yeah, obviously YMMV (quite literally, in this case), but I definitely relate
to both of those (especially not listening to music).

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ErikAugust
A couple missing from the list:

Be cognizant of your turnover (stride rate):
[https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20787354/increase-
you...](https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20787354/increase-your-stride-
rate/)

Engage your glutes and abs when running

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jefflinwood
Those are some nice tips!

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.

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mathieutd
The best running tip I've ever had is "run tall". Most people tend to slouch
forward at the hip which prevents some muscle groups from engaging. Made a
world of difference for me.

~~~
bonniemuffin
My version of "run tall" is "pretend you're riding a pony". Your hips and legs
are the pony, and your torso is riding it, and it works for me as a cue to
remember that my torso should stay tall and upright.

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!"

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rectang
0\. Do less than you think you're capable of, especially if you are a novice,
or if you are coming back from injury or a long layoff. You will hurt less and
enjoy yourself more... so you'll keep running!

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z3t4
22\. If you get injured - apply pressure. Have an elastic band aid in your
training bag or pocket at all times. Applying pressure on an ankle tear will
shorten healing time to 1-2 days vs weeks if you let it bleed and swell.

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.

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thesumofall
I do a lot of running with 1-2 marathons a year. Two recent things had a big
impact on my running:

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

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starpilot
If you just want to get started running, you don't have to pay attention to
any of this. Just download a couch 2 5k app and spend $100 on running shoes. I
run a 10k in an hour with moderate effort, 90% of the tips listed don't matter
to me (though I've heard of most of them).

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hackeraccount
The only running tip I have is to think of miles run like a bank. Every time
you go out you're putting money into the bank. When you skip a day you're
taking money out. Everyday you skip it's a little bit harder when you go out
the next day. So be jealous of the opportunities to go out. Don't cheat
yourself by skipping but put a few more pennies in the bank instead.

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.

~~~
RPeres
This is a great analogy!

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chadlavi
Oh, it's tips about running. I'm embarrassed to admit that I assumed it was
going to be a blog post about running some software I hadn't heard of yet
called Tips.

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wootie512
I am testing out if running can help me improve my focus.

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.

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PaulDavisThe1st
A bunch of us do the Slowtwitch 100 Runs in 100 Days challenge in the winter.
You just have to run a minumum of 30 minutes or 3 miles (whichever is the
shorter), one run for every day. If you miss a day, you can do 2 runs on
another day.

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.

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clumsysmurf
> Have more than one pair of running shoes with different drops.

I am skeptical of this claim. Most of us have heard about running in different
shoes though.

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OldGuyInTheClub
Tip 0) especially for older people: Get an ok from a physician before starting
on a running program. I horked both Achilles pretty badly a few years ago by
trying a walk-->run progression I found on the web. Didn't rupture but came
pretty close.

GP and later a podiatrist both said they wouldn't have recommended running had
I asked. Been dealing with tendonosis ever since.

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Raed667
Nice tips ! I have been running for a couple of years now averaging 1000km /
year.

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 ?

~~~
dcolkitt
I don't think there's any silver bullet. But what helps me is pre-scheduling
my runs or exercise in my calendar at the beginning of the week/month. That
kind of tips "default-mode" into just listening to the calendar notification
and doing the run.

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nateburke
The foam roller is a tool I wish I had used 20 years ago. Thanks for sharing
these tips!

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pmoriarty
A question for all you runners:

How many of you have ever gotten what's called a "runner's high"?

~~~
nmdeadhead
I get the runner's high most days when I run (and I typically run 6 or 7 days
a week), starting about a half hour in. I feel very comfortable physically and
mildly euphoric mentally. I hear more in the music I'm listening to than I
normally do and I tend to feel very good about people (both others and
myself).

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.

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usaphp
The best advise I got was “it’s better to run 300 meters every day, than 5km
once a month”.

~~~
jjeaff
Interesting. Is there any evidence for that? It definitely makes sense, but I
wonder if 300meters is enough to make a difference.

