If you could give one piece of advice to a newbie runner, what would it be?

Make sure to buy good shoes, don’t skimp. Go to a running specialty store, if possible. — John Hutchison

Shut up and just run… — Eric Ellis

Don’t be intimidated by veteran runners. They were once where you are….and they all want you to succeed. — Tim May

Don’t let anyone talk smack about how far you went or how long it takes you….you are out there…you rock. — Christine Vassen

I agree with John – get good shoes. — Chris Borgia

Don’t run with Heather Cass! — Renee Clark Napierski (Editor’s Note: This is a neighbor friend who is not a runner….yet. I may convert her one of these days….)

Pace yourself. — Jack Byers

Stretch. Build your core. And, most of all, have fun!  — Tom Church

Listen to your body. — Ginny Sackett

I’ll second that. Listen to your body! And run for whatever reason gets you out there. Enjoy every bit of it. — Jim Lang

Don’t try to bump your miles up too fast!!!! — Sarah Rose

Go get fitted for real running shoes. Spare no expense for your feet! — Eloise Hawking

People often tell me they can’t run; they feel like they are going to die after a hundred yards.  So I tell them yes, you CAN run; you just need to find your pace.  Find a pace where you can sustain four strides (foot falls) on you inhale and four strides on your exhale.  Slow down as much as necessary to hold that stride count.  Many beginning runners have only run 50 yards sprints (in grade school), so they try to go all out.  Four strides is very sustainable and gives them the sense that running is possible. — Jason Robertson

Find an experienced running partner with slightly more ability than you.  They will get you out the door on a more consistent basis and teach you many of the running basics.— Mike Vieyra

If you injure yourself don’t try to keep running. R.I.C.E. (Rest, ice, compression & elevation) if that doesn’t work see a doctor. — Amy Calhoun Morrow

My advice is often “get the proper running shoes.” — Kim

1) Make your easy days easy and your hard days hard, and rest between.

2) Run to be seen, always run against traffic. Runners make ugly hood ornaments.

3) Be patient.

4) Wave or in some way acknowledge other runners or walkers as you pass.

5) Buy the best gear you can afford.

6) Tie your shoes

7) Enjoy running for what it is, remember what it was like to run as a kid – just run for the joy of it!

8) Everyone started with a walk and progressed to a run.

9) Everyone jiggles somewhere.

10) Hills make you stronger. Seek them out.

11) Join the ERC.

12) When you being to enter race, be sure to thank the race director and the volunteers. even if its a simple wave to the road marshal on the corner. if the event didn’t play out as expected and you have constructive feed back for the race director – reach out to him or her the NEXT day. and if you email it, be sure to give your name.

13) Volunteer once in a while. you may find it just as rewarding and challenging as actually participating in the race itself.

— Chuck Orton (Editor’s Note: Yeah, I know No. 6 is aimed at me, my friend!)

My turn

You know I’m just like Chuck O. (did you know we were running partners for a few years?!) and, I can’t just give ONE piece of advice!

Here’s my top 10 list for newbies:

1. Invest in good shoes, a good sports bra and at least one set of technical (moisture-wicking) running clothes.  (Tights and sports bras, while pricey, will last years if properly cared for.)

2. Don’t run until your gasping. Run at a pace at which you can hold a conversation, but not sing. Never should you be gasping, unless you are going uphill or racing.

3. Sign up for a race. It will give you a reason to keep running and you’ll meet people who share your enthusiasm and want to help you. Also, it will probably will change your life forever. Seriously.

4. Don’t be afraid to talk to veteran runners. 99.9% of us love newbies and we especially love answering your questions.

5. Runner = a person who runs. If you are running, you are a “real” runner — there’s no other criteria.  You count.

6. Rest days are important to allow your body time to heal & rebuild itself stronger. I know you get all jazzed and want to run every day. Just don’t.

7. Don’t be afraid to run in inclement weather, you’d be surprised how pleasant it is to run in a light rain or 8 inches of snow.

8. Don’t overdress. You should be cold when you start.

9. Make friends. Join the Erie Runners Club and “like” their Facebook page. Once you find friends who run your pace, start a weekly group run. Or join in one that exists — request to join the ERC Running Groups list on Facebook.

10. Avoid striking the ground with your heel or your forefoot first. Aim to land on the middle of your foot. Also, your foot should land below your hips – not out in front of you.

Worth Reading

* One Tough Mother shares running wisdom from Bart Yasso’s recent Twitter chat (Don’t ask me…I don’t know what a Twitter chat is either).

* There is such a thing as waterproof winter running shoes. Who knew? Oh, right, this blogger who reviewed them. (Why don’t I get  cool stuff to review?)

* 8 Cardio Myths that are making you fat (If I had a dollar for every person who thinks marathon training will help them lose that last five pounds….)

* Slow cook some Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps

* Get off the scale!

Video of the Week

T-shirt of the Week

This is the only way I’ll ever have six-pack abs:

Get it here, but I have no idea how much it costs because it’s all Russian. I wouldn’t buy it.

Worth reading

* Sandied. A runner struggling with advanced breast cancer reels from the 2012 NYC Marathon’s cancellation

* Runner’s World’s top 10 Stories of 2012

Tips/Advice

* What to do with your Big Ass Key while you run (why didn’t I think of that?)

* 3 Ways to Enjoy the Treadmill

* Need a pick me up? 8 Energizing Drinks for Runners

T-shirt of the Week

I know this is true for me & my crew…..

Available here for $26.99.

* How running explains the world

* Test your Survival Skills with this Outdoor Magazine quiz. (Let’s just say I’d be dead 10 times over)

* CrossFit Endurance’s Unconventional 12-Week Marathon Training Plan (hmmm….very interesting)

  “Brian MacKenzie has a few pointed words about your endurance workout. “If you’re running five miles a day at the same speed and think you’re getting a lot out of that, you’re sorely mistaken,” says the founder of CrossFit Endurance. “If you’re not trying to improve, what’s the point?”

* Race registration insurance sparking debate

* 5 vitamins that speed muscle recovery

Video of the Week

Cheetahs on the Edge–Director’s Cut from Gregory Wilson on Vimeo.

T-shirt of the Week

Available here for $26.

There is a group of runners trying to get a Team In Training Team started here in Erie. If you’re not familiar with TNT they are an endurance training program that coaches people of all abilities to do endurance events and during that process the participants raise money for cancer research for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Ever dreamed of running a marathon or a half marathon but not sure where to start?  Is someone in your life impacted by cancer and you wish you could do something, but not sure how to help?  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Erie branch of Team in Training for marathoning has some answers for you!

Join our team and we’ll train you every step of the way to completing a marathon or half marathon while fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  One of the races we’re training for is the Pittsburgh Marathon and Half Marathon in May. Our experienced coaching staff will provide you with a detailed training schedule, twice weekly group runs and training sessions, fundraising assistance, advice on proper clothing, shoes, nutrition, hydration, injury prevention and cross training.  We’ll be at your side every step of the way to offer to answer questions and share advice.  We welcome all abilities and ages!

We’ll be having an informational meeting on Saturday, December 15th at 10 am at Achilles Running Shop located at 2309 West 12th St.  We kick off the meeting with a short run followed by the information session.  For questions or if you are interested, but can’t attend please call 412-395-2879 or email Chelsea.Trimble@LLS.org or visit www.teamintraining.org/wpa

After reading SAUR’s 15 Unwritten Rules for Runners, I asked area runners to ask me what they would add to the list:

When running a country route, do a drive by first–not for mileage—to look for unleashed farm dogs. I have found people with shepherds and pitbulls rarely put them on leashes….and they aren’t interested in the least in dog biscuits. — Eloise

Don’t draft—-running so close on my heels that I feel the need to pick up my pace even more to get out of your way! Kept it up in one training run only to have that person tell me they “loved” my pace after I got to the end of my run—thought I’d choke them if I had any energy left! — Sarah Rose

My addition would actually be directed to walkers who walk the same race that runners run in.  Walkers, please…..don’t walk 4 and 5 across during a race where people are also running.  Nothing sucks worse than having to slow your pace or stop completely because walkers are hogging up the lane.  Actually this can apply to runners as well, I suppose.  Thank you. — K

Worth reading

* Best Winter Running Gear of 2013

* Race Bib Keepsakes (5 cool ideas….Christmas is coming!)

* Why We Freeze After a Run

* Proof that runners—even elites—can learn to love winter

* 8 Tips for Overcoming Exercise Addiction (Yes, there are worse things to be addicted to, but….like any addiction it will take over your life. Trust me.  I can pick ya’ll out of a crowd of runners, too. You can’t kid a kidder).

“Wanting to exercise all the time: Yeah, yeah, it’s the problem everyone wishes they had. But the compulsion that drives someone to be a gym rat is hardly enviable. First, just like eating disorders aren’t about the food, compulsive over-exercising isn’t about the fitness. People used to say to me, as I walked in the gym for my second or third workout of the day, “You’re so passionate! You must really love Turbokick/Zumba/Weight lifting/Running/Acrobatics with flaming hula hoops on a high wire!” And while I did – and do – genuinely love working out, my exercise addiction had zilch to do with love. It was 100% fear-based. I was afraid I’d get fat. I was afraid of being weak. I was afraid of being at home alone all day with my four very young children. I was afraid I’d never be good at anything again, ever (black-and-white thinking for the win!). But most of all I was afraid of being left alone with my own thoughts. What I really loved about my chronic overexercising was that all the pain and sweat made it so I didn’t have to think about what was really bothering me.”

* Meb wants to take Bolt down a notch

* Petraeus’ downfall started with a run (Not judging. I honestly don’t care who either one of them sleeping with…and I don’t get the outrage over it all, but I’ll also say this…Broadwell is one fast mistress & as the Wall Street Journal puts it: She’s Faster Than You).

Perhaps Petraeus never saw this eCard:

Quote of the Week

While I take offense to the “real runner” comment here )because if you run you ARE a “real” runner), the sentiments are right on. Seriously people…you have to stop.

T-shirt of the Week

Available here for $20

I asked area runners, what’s the best running advice you’ve ever gotten?

You can run through any injury as long as you use common sense and moderation. — Tom Toale

My dad told me alternate hard day, easy day and take Sundays off. Don’t run over 1000 miles a yr. I don’t even run! Lol — Karen Vrenna Coccarelli

Have fun. — Pat Krott

Everyone is welcome / invited — Christine Vassen

Increase mileage by no more than 10% a week or you’re looking for an injury!! PLUS–the most helpful invention for runners—Body Glide!!!!!! — Sarah Rose

To start! It’s life changing! — Karen Groshek

Poop before you run!  LOL — Tracy Jenks

Never start a race at full speed…save your energy. — Michelle Hetrick

When running in the woods (where there could be bear, coyote, etc.) make sure there is at least one runner slower than you. — Cyndie Zahner

Enjoy your friends or those you run with, but know how to be alone and trust yourself while you push. — Greg Cooper

Listen to your body…easier said than done, but great advice. — Ginny Sacket

Don’t stop to walk unless you have picked out the point you are going to start to run again.  — Amy Cronk

Run barefoot! I would have quit running years ago if I hadn’t given up the shoes. — Tom Madura

Have fun! — Dennis Albrewczynski

I’ve gleaned lots of useful tips from runners, doctors, magazines over the years, but one of the most important lessons came from a running partner who had many more years (and miles) on his running shoes than me who insisted I take rest days when I was training for a marathon.

There was a time that I never took rest days. Never. Like never ever (sorry, listening to a little too much Taylor Swift lately) On my “rest days” I’d walk — 4 to 6 miles — because I was afraid I’d gain weight if I missed workouts.

Exasperated at my refusal to take a real rest day, he simply said….”Why are you running a marathon? Is it to lose weight or to accomplish 26.2 miles? You have to decide because you really can’t do both. Which master are you serving?”

Some of the other sage advice I’ve gotten:

* Write the date you bought your shoes on the tongue of your shoes with a Sharpie marker so you know when to replace them.

* Buy two pairs of shoes if you run consecutive days so you can switch them out (and you often get free shipping).

* When it’s dark or at twilight, sunset….Wear a reflective vest/coat or consider yourself roadkill.

* Carry a flashlight. When a car comes, turn it on and aim it at your feet, so the light shines on your moving feet and doesn’t blind you or the driver.

* “Real” running clothes are worth every dollar.

* Yak Trax work.

* Listen to your body…it will tell you everything you need to know (But, like Ginny said above, heeding what your body says is the hard part).

* When you run in a group, establish an order so you know who jumps in front of who when a car comes and you have to go single file.

*Big race at PISP? Stop at the Ranger Station for your final pit stop (and avoid the porta-john lines).

* Run your own race.

* You don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yourself.

* Shake out your shoulders/arms in a race. Runners have a tendency to tighten their muscles and “hunch up” when under stress. Shake out every mile or two.

* Train at a pace that allows you to talk, but not sing. Race at a pace you can’t  have a conversation.

* Never engage (flip off, yell back, etc.) an angry driver. They have a 2,000-lb. vehicle that can definitely outrun you.

This week’s Runners Notes question was inspired by a SAUR post entitled “20 Things No One Tells YOu About Running” .

I asked readers to tell me….what would you add to the list?

Sometimes running is a love/hate relationship and that’s OK. —Linda Straub

I would add that if you are a road runner, you will probably be sore after your first trail run. — Kim

I’ve learned that no matter how much cross training you do , you’ll always be sore . But , come race day, you’ll feel like a superstar , and you’ll forget how sore you were. — Anonymous

No one tells you about bra burn or that the shower after the marathon is really the most painful part and that you’ll hurt walking down stairs for four days after a marathon.  — Cyndie Zahner

 

Here’s what I would add to the list:

1. It improves your math skills. Calculating pace, mileage, and exactly how any &*^% tenths of a mile you have to run to be done with this ^%$# race, practically makes you a mathematician.

2.  You can chafe in places you never even know you had. But, when you get in the shower, you’ll become keenly aware of exactly where those places are.

3. Your running friends will become family. Better yet, they become family you want to spend time with.

4. Training for a marathon will not help you lose weight. Most people who train for the big 26.2 gain a few.

5. You don’t have to love the marathon. In fact, you can totally hate it. It’s OK and it doesn’t make you less of a runner.

6.  You can’t judge a runner by appearances. A thin (and/or ripped) runner does not equal a fast runner.

7.  It can warm your heart to winter. There’s nothing cooler than sweat running down your back on a 30-degree day while the huddled, bundled masses drive by looking at you like you’re insane. Joke’s on them.

8. Runners get to see a whole new side of the places they visit. The best way to explore any place is on foot. I’ve run on islands in the Caribbean, through ancient ruins in Mexico,  and right down the middle of deserted big-city streets.  I will never forget running on Bourbon Street in New Orleans at 6 a.m. — it’s a whole new, fascinating world (that smells like a combination of vomit, stale beer and urine, but…you know…)

9. You’ll become a sunrise (or sunset) connoisseur.  You’ll see (really see) and appreciate what most of those people buzzing by in their cars won’t ever even notice.

10. Piling on the mileage does not make you a better runner. It makes you a tired, over-trained runner who, sooner or later, will end up with an injury.