IMPORTANT RUNNING TIPS FOR EVERY RUNNER TO KNOW

1. Eat to run.  Eat a good high-protein breakfast, then have a light lunch.  Run on an empty stomach at least, preferably three hours after your last meal.  Save the carbohydrates for the meal after the run to replenish the muscle sugar.
2. Drink plenty of fluids.  Take sugar-free drinks up to 15 minutes before running.  Then take 12-16 ounces of easily tolerated juices, tea with honey or sugar, defizzed Coke, etc. before setting out.  In the winter that should be all that you need.
3. Run on an empty colon.  Running causes increased peristalsis, cramps and even diarrhea.  Have a bowel movement before running and particularly before racing prevents these abdominal symptoms.
4. Wear the right clothes.  In the winter this means a base of thermal underwear followed by several layers of cotton or wool shirts with at least one being a turtleneck.  Wear a ski mask and mittens.  Use Nylon if necessary to protect against wind and rain. In the summer the main enemy is radiant heat.  Remember to wear white and light clothes and use some kind of head covering.
5. Find your shoes and stick to them.  High-arch feet do better with narrow heels.  Morton’s Foot (short big toe, long second toe) may need an arch support in the shoe.  If a shoe works, train in it, and wear it to work.
6. Do not bounce or overstride.  You should lengthen your stride by pushing off, not by reaching out.  Do not let your foot get ahead of your knee.  This means your knee will be slightly bent at foot strike.  Run from the hips down with the upper body straight up and used only for balance.  Relax!!!
7. Belly breathe.  This is not easy and must be practiced and consciously done just prior to a run or a race.  Take air into your belly and exhale against a slight resistance either through pursed lips or by a grunt or groan.  This uses the diaphragm correctly and prevents the “stitch.”
8. Run against traffic.  Two heads are better than one in preventing an accident.  Turn your back on a driver and you are giving up control of your life.  At night wear some reflective material or carry a small flashlight.
9. Give dogs their territory. Cross to the other side of the road and pick up some object you can brandish at them.  Never try to outrun a dog.  Face the dog and keep talking until it appears to be safe to go on.
10. Learn to read your body.  Be aware of signs of overtraining.  If the second wind brings a cold, clammy sweat, head for home.  Establish a DEW line that alerts you to impending trouble.  Loss of zest, high morning pulse, lightheadedness on standing, scratch throat, swollen glands, insomnia, and palpitation are some of the frequent harbingers of trouble.
11. Do not cheat on your sleep.  Add an extra hour when in heavy training.  Also arrange for at least one or two naps a week and take a long one after your weekend run.
12. When injured find a substitute activity to maintain fitness.  Swim, cycle, or walk for the same time you would normally jog.
13. Most injuries result from a change in your training.  A change in shoes, an increase in mileage (25 miles per week is the dividing line: at 50 miles per week the injury rate is doubled), hill or speed walk, or a change in surface.  Almost always there is some associated weakness of the foot, muscle, strength/flexibility imbalance, or one leg shorter than the other.  Use of heel lifts, arch supports, modification of shoes and corrective exercise may be necessary before you are able to return to pain-free running.
14. Training is a practical application of Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome.  Stress is applied, the organism reacts, and a suitable time is given to reestablish equilibrium.  Then stress is applied again.  Each of us can stand different loads and need different amounts of time to adapt.  You are an experiment of one.  Establish your own schedule; do not follow anyone else’s.