Archive for Rules of Running
7th Golden Rule of Running: Recovery Times
Posted by: | Comments(This is number 7 in our periodic series of the Golden Rules of running: time-tested guidelines and best practices that experienced runners have agree work for them.)
The Race-Recovery Rule
For each mile that you race, you should plan to allow one day of recovery before returning to hard training or racing.
That means no speed workouts or racing for six days after a 10-K or 26 days after a marathon. The rule’s originator was the late Jack Foster, the masters marathon world record holder (2:11:18) from 1974 to 1990. Foster wrote in his book, Tale of the Ancient Marathoner, “My method is roughly to have a day off racing for every mile I raced.”
So when you run in a race, whether it’s a 5K that you do with your girlfriends, or a grueling marathon that taxes and challenges every fiber of your muscles, you’ll want to keep this in mind. Give yourself time to recover. This rule has been proven and tested by runners of all ages and at all levels.
The Exception: If your race effort wasn’t all-out, taking fewer recovery days is okay. But don’t race back to the starting line before you (and your coach) are ready. And consider when you are taking those days off, you are doing it in-step with Foster, one of the great masters of running.
#6: Familiarity Breeds… a Good Run!
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(This is Rule #6 in our periodic series, “The 25 Golden Rules of Running: proven, time-tested rules of running that have worked for thousands upon thousands of runners over the miles.)
Don’t eat or drink anything new before or during a race or hard workout. This makes sense. At times of stress and great importance on what you put in your body, put things that you know will be easy to digest, will be familiar and comfortable in combination with your body’s digestion and needs, and will be less likely to come back on you in unhappy ways.
Stick to what works for you. “Your gastrointestinal tract becomes accustomed to a certain mix of nutrients,” says Dallow. “You can normally vary this mix without trouble, but you risk indigestion when prerace jitters are added.”
The Exception: If you’re about to bonk, eating something new is probably better than eating nothing at all. And have a great run!
#5 Running Through the Pain? Don’t do it!
Posted by: | CommentsThis is one of our periodic series, The Rules of Running; tried and true rules of running that have been tested over and over by runners. Today’s offering:
The 2-Day Rule
If something hurts for two straight days while running, take two days off.
Two straight days of pain may signal the beginning of an injury. “Even taking five days of complete rest from running will have little impact on your fitness level,” says Troy Smurawa, M.D., team physician for USA Triathlon.
The Exception: If something hurts for two weeks, even if you’ve taken your rest days, see a doctor. And follow your doctor’s advice. If he says “take time off,” then take time off. Doing as you are advised now can save recovery time down the road. If you continue to exercise on an injured limb, muscle or tendon, you could do serious, long-term damage requiring more extensive recovery later.