What is the best bit of running advice you've ever received?

pconn062

Blatantly stole this idea from letsrun!

So as the title said, what is the best bit of running advice you've received from someone, a coach, running partner, a family member? How has it helped you?

For me the best advice I ever got was from my coach and it was about patience. He said don't think about how you will be running in 5 months time, think about how you want to be running in 5 years time. Really helped me put into perspective that running is a long term sport, with minimal improvements accrued over a long period of time. He also gave me the line "things will come to those who wait" which I now use as the title for my training log.

So any pearls of wisdom?

likestosmile

Don't run hard every day. Our bodies need time to heal &repair.

ger664

"There is always another race"

mossym

follow me:)

Ososlo

Use a foam roller and start and finish every run easy.

vitani

Best advice I got was when I was just starting out, and was told to keep every run slower than I thought it needed to be. It meant I finished the Couch to 5k programme quite easily and showed me that running didn't have to be that difficult.

Jmcmen

Don't take it out of the bag before mile 21
Once its out of the bag you cant put it back in

From a running legend

Easier said than done mind you

Ross Runner

When you run a big pb to liveoff it and enjiy it as much as yiu can......

frash

Ososlo wrote: »

Use a foam roller and start and finish every run easy.

Foam roller??

HelenAnne

'Racing is the best training for racing.'

Ososlo

frash wrote: »

Foam roller??

I was constantly getting knee pains and aches and spending a fortune on physio. A wise runner suggested it could be a tight IT band so i started rolling daily to massage the area and no more physio:)

frash

Ososlo wrote: »

I was constantly getting knee pains and aches and spending a fortune on physio. A wise runner suggested it could be a tight IT band so i started rolling daily to massage the area and no more physio:)

Thanks for the tip
I'm prone to a bit of knee pain myself but haven't been to a physio about it yet

Ososlo

frash wrote: »

Thanks for the tip
I'm prone to a bit of knee pain myself but haven't been to a physio about it yet

cool :-)
I have some really good u tube foam roller exercises if you want them to follow also. Will post link later.

Chivito550

The need for a weekly massage if you are really pushing yourself in training. Prevention is better than cure. Advice from our club middle distance runner/ masseuse.

Randymann's advice to get to the gym after I completed my first full season on the track with only bodyweight core work.

The need for core work. Still amazed at how many runners who think it is not important.

All the coaches at my club share this view. The need to race often. It's how you improve. You learn more from the mistakes you make in competition than from the good things you do from the safety of a training session or run. Picking selective races is risky anyway. You don't know what sort of weather you will get in one month's time. You could get a freakish -7.1 headwind like I got a few weeks ago and it's goodbye PB. Racing often softens these type of blows.

"Kick your butt, step over your knee". Those simple words from my coach and things just clicked one day with my stride length and the PBs came crashing down.

PaulieC

From the missus - "don't think you can just swan off running whenever you feel like it"

Ososlo

HelenAnne wrote: »

'Racing is the best training for racing.'

Hadn't heard that before but really like it! Makes a whole lot of sense.

morceli

You need to lose weight..

Sacksian

Various permutations of "training is training, racing is racing."

Also, said to me by an o70 runner: "you're only as good as your next race" - I liked the idea of a perpetual motivation to push on from either a good day or a bad day (and the dismissal of any previous accomplishments).

Peterx

"join a club" - offered by Gerry Brady after an IMRA trial race experience at Trooperstown

training with much better lads and working hard to try and make club teams brought me on immensely.

thewolf_ie

pconn062 wrote: »

Blatantly stole this idea from letsrun!

So as the title said, what is the best bit of running advice you've received from someone, a coach, running partner, a family member? How has it helped you?

For me the best advice I ever got was from my coach and it was about patience. He said don't think about how you will be running in 5 months time, think about how you want to be running in 5 years time. Really helped me put into perspective that running is a long term sport, with minimal improvements accrued over a long period of time. He also gave me the line "things will come to those who wait" which I now use as the title for my training log.

So any pearls of wisdom?

You won't mind me taking your coaches advice and passing it on! With reference of course!

RayCun

thewolf_ie wrote: »

You won't mind me taking your coaches advice and passing it on! With reference of course!

cheeky fecker, you're supposed to ask first

thewolf_ie

Chivito550 wrote: »

"Kick your butt, step over your knee". Those simple words from my coach and things just clicked one day with my stride length and the PBs came crashing down.

This relates to what I was going to post. My moto is if I'm getting injured I'm running wrong. Most if not all my injuries are due to poor running form. A lot of the time it is because of muscle weakness or tiredness. You need strength to keep driving your knees and kicking your butt! Oh and flexibility. Get strong (gym) and maintain the strength (gym).

thewolf_ie

RayCun wrote: »

cheeky fecker, you're supposed to ask first

Save it for the rant tread!

McDonnellDean

Just get out and run...

ultraman1

Dont be a lazy bollix....

beertons

"Hurry up to fk, and catch him/her"

drquirky

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

Steve Prefontaine

Ososlo

drquirky wrote: »

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

Steve Prefontaine

Jesus you must be really old if he was giving you advice:D

average_runner

Don't forget the wife, who is looking after your kids when ur out enjoying ur urself.

ThePiedPiper

Stop looking behind you, and just run as fast as you can! From my then 3-year old daughter/coach!

Also, Mrs RFR said after a by 3rd/4th brush with 3 hours, "Just go, find a marathon in a couple of months, do whatever you need to do, and run your bloody sub-3"..

pa4

Patience would be the biggest piece of advice.. it takes months and months of consistent training to see improvements. It won't happen overnight and don't try and over do it to get there faster.

Don't be afraid to take a day off. Get to know your body and if your feeling something coming on such as an injury/illness it can often be better by taking one day off rather than end up being out for 2 weeks or worse.

rom

"you are running too fast" and "you will run faster if you lose weight"

b.harte

"balance hills".
If you can make up time on the downs take the extra time on the ups. Think of the hill as a flat and run to the average pace.
That and shorter - faster steps.
Also "run loose" / "run relaxed"

It's only 10k, just run it as fast as you can.

Said to me by a much more experienced runner before my first outing, when I was hovering around and asking all silly questions about "how do you run the first 3k, do you save energy for the last k" etc.

strife

Just F'ing run and dont forget to smile, they both work incredibly well!

foxyboxer

"Start at a pace you know you can finish at for that distance"

plumber77

If you can't finish the race ahead of the ms you should give it up..I'm currently considering my future after frankfurt

TFBubendorfer

plumber77 wrote: »

If you can't finish the race ahead of the ms you should give it up..I'm currently considering my future after frankfurt

Are you going to ditch running or the ms?

plumber77

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Are you going to ditch running or the ms?

Did a list of the pros & cons of each option. Came down to basic economics in the end. Gonna miss her....

newballsplease

When i first started out i was trying to run up hills as quick as i could, basically so id get it over and done with!!

Someone advised me to slow down on hills!
May sound obvious now, but it certainly helped me.
Wasnt wrecking myself,and i felt i was able to run for greater distances, which in turn helped with confidence and fitness.

Duanington

"you ran how many miles last night???...there's something wrong with you"

conavitzky

Great advice given by another Boardsie when training for a 1/2 mara during the summer. "Keep a good consistant high volume of training.
Sessions shouldnt be killers. Just nudging you slowly in the right direction"

When training for my first ever marathon this year I got so many good tips and advice. The best thing I was told though was to expect niggly injuries during the training and to not let them get you down but to rest them. Normally I would have thrown in the towel with a few of the hip and knee pains I was getting but I stuck to it through that advice and completed the Dublin City this year.

ThePiedPiper

If you're pi$$ing blood, there's a chance you might be training too hard.... My mother-in-law's words of wisdom about 5 years ago.

rom

RunForestRun wrote: »

If you're pi$$ing blood, there's a chance you might be training too hard.... My mother-in-law's words of wisdom about 5 years ago.

Disagree. It a very common problem with runners. It is due to dehydration. The bladder walls rub and cause it. To stop it you ensure you don't completely drain yourself prior to going for a run. htfu

If you keep a detailed log you will see what exactly what causes this. Its not due to training.

ThePiedPiper

Serious? Only happened me that once, scared the bloody life out of me to be honest.

ecoli

rom wrote: »

Disagree. It a very common problem with runners.

It is? :eek::eek:

If you let yourself get to that point of dehydration training intensity is the last thing you need to be worrying about.

rom

ecoli wrote: »

It is? :eek::eek:

If you let yourself get to that point of dehydration training intensity is the last thing you need to be worrying about.

According to my doctor who worked for AI teams yes it is and nothing to be worried about if you get everything else checked out that it is not a kidney issue like I did. I believe the topic is covered in the Lore of Running also. I was worried about it initially but it happens due to lack of fluid in the bladder.

I have seen every specialist on this and no it is not a problem. My doctor advised me to run through it and don't stop should it occur when I ran Berlin in Sept. He does know what he is talking about and every urologist I went to does also.

Stopping running for a few days fixes it but it happened me during taper for Berlin. It is not due to training too hard as I was only doing 25 easy miles a week. It was due to me drinking 10 pints the night before and being dehydrated and then doing a tempo the following day so no fluid in the bladder.

Now I just googled it but not that I use letsrun for medical problems but I went to every specialist about this and people need to rule out kidney stones and if not then it's probably this. http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1490870

ecoli

rom wrote: »

According to my doctor who worked for AI teams yes it is and nothing to be worried about if you get everything else checked out that it is not a kidney issue like I did. I believe the topic is covered in the Lore of Running also. I was worried about it initially but it happens due to lack of fluid in the bladder.

I have seen every specialist on this and no it is not a problem. My doctor advised me to run through it and don't stop should it occur when I ran Berlin in Sept. He does know what he is talking about and every urologist I went to does also.

Stopping running for a few days fixes it but it happened me during taper for Berlin. It is not due to training too hard as I was only doing 25 easy miles a week. It was due to me drinking 10 pints the night before and being dehydrated and then doing a tempo the following day so no fluid in the bladder.

Now I just googled it but not that I use letsrun for medical problems but I went to every specialist about this and people need to rule out kidney stones and if not then it's probably this. http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1490870

While I get what you are saying about the symptoms not being a major issue my point was that chronic dehydration on a continual basis and trying to train while in that state can have repercussions on your health more long term (continually straining the kidneys etc)

rom

ecoli wrote: »

While I get what you are saying about the symptoms not being a major issue my point was that chronic dehydration on a continual basis and trying to train while in that state can have repercussions on your health more long term (continually straining the kidneys etc)

I agree. It happens like once a year maybe twice and it's just that I forget and go mad on the beer an then a hard run on the run the following day. One doctor said I should give up the sport as it was bad for me so I looked for many other opinions who all disagreed. Just shows why a sports doctor is very important for such questions.

TFBubendorfer

rom wrote: »

Disagree. It a very common problem with runners. It is due to dehydration. The bladder walls rub and cause it. To stop it you ensure you don't completely drain yourself prior to going for a run.

It's fairly common with ultra runners due to the long time on your feet and it's easy to fall behind in your hydration, but I wouldn't have thought it common for anyone doing more sane kind of distances.

I wouldn't be quite so casual, while an empty bladder is the most common cause for bloody urine, it can also be a sign of far more serious issues.

Happened to me once (in an ultra, of course). Scared the bejesus out of me because even a little bit of blood diluted in urine will look like a lot of blood. Mind, I still kept on running to finish the race.