I’ve said it in the past but I think many beginners overthink running. I can say this because 5 years ago I did the same thing.  Asking, “What do I wear? Should I run this way? Do I really need gadgets?”  I think it’s great to ask fellow runners those questions and read up on what the experts recommend. But ultimately the answer comes down to you gotta find what works for YOU.

Quite often in my life I find myself going against the grain.  It’s not that strike out to be different.  I just am. I guess it should come as no surprise that the same can be said about my running life. What am I talking about?  Well, let me share….

I do not have a shoe rotation
Gasp! Ya’ll already know I’m a Mizuno Maniac so it should be no surprise that I wear either my Wave Riders or….Wave Riders. Actually that’s not true.  Now that I’ve ventured into trail running the Mizuno Wave Ascends are my trail shoe of choice. Back to the point. Experts say you should have a different shoe for each activity you do. For instance speed work vs track vs road vs cross training.  You get the idea.  The thing is, I just run.  I don’t do any fancy training. Some days I push myself harder than others but that’s the extent of my “speed work”.

Not only do I not wear different shoes but I also don’t rotate any different pairs of Wave Riders.  I tend to wear one pair start to finish instead of going back and forth.  I’ve thought about rotating between 2 pairs but have yet to try it.  However, I do keep close attention of the distance and length of time I’ve logged in a shoe and change them accordingly.

I do not have a foam roller and have never tried using one
This is one of those things that has grown in popularity over the past several years. Prior to that I had never heard of it.  I have no doubt in my mind that foam rolling works for people.  From what I can tell it looks like balance and coordination would be of great assistance in order to use one. Quite honestly I don’t want to worry about hurting myself attempting to gain relief for aching muscles.

I will admit that I do own The Stick.  Although it’s come in handy a few times  it’s often too intense and uncomfortable to use for my personal taste. Not to mention a rolling pin works wonders too.

I don’t stretch
This isn’t 100% true. Before every run I do a few quick seconds of static stretching but I don’t spend several minutes prior to pounding pavement. Believe it or not there are arguments on both sides of the story as to whether stretching really helps or not.  Because of my lack of athletic ability and tight muscles I would spend a significant amount of time stretching when I first started running. Now that I’m “looser” I don’t feel a difference when I do stretch vs when don’t.  I have found that the first quarter mile of my run my calves burn until they get warmed up.  So instead of stretching I start out my runs at a slower pace and then increase as I warm up.

I only hydrate with water during workouts
Given my history of kidney stones, no matter how short or long the distance of my run I ALWAYS run with hydration.  I have dabbled in trying things like Nuun or Cytomax, but so often I find that I cannot stomach them during my workouts. I have not really mastered my fueling during long rides and runs which definitely didn’t help during my attempt at training for a Half Rev3.

Experienced runners: Have you ever found that some running “rules” don’t work best for you either?

Beginner runners: What running rules have you wondered about or questioned?

Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)