The thread where people give really bad running advice!

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  • Do mailbox peak 4 days after your first marathon as a good recovery hike. Those two should be done in the fasted state... I actually did exactly that.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    If you wake up nine days before a 5k with a pain in the base of your fifth metatarsal...(one that was preceded by absolutely no activity at all...and only hurts when you walk normally on it (but not when you run or walk on your forefoot)...and doesn't hurt at all for the first 10-12 steps after sitting for a few minutes)...

    ...you should go ahead and run the race. You'll probably be okay.


    Wait...this is actually what I'm doing with a race on Thursday morning...so I'll know just how bad this advice is in a couple of days.

    That ended up not being the bad advice I thought it might be. Race went fine. Could barely walk the rest of the day, but four days later, I'm more recovered than I was the day before the race. Unexpected...awesome, because human bodies are weird, but still entirely unexpected.
    Never mind what the race director says on the megaphone before the race, it's fine to be right up front as a walker. The runners can just go around you. Make sure you stay in a line with your buddies - don't want to get lonely!

    True story. According to the chip stats, I went four minutes after the gun. 20 finishers in either direction of my finish time went off about 30-45 seconds after gun. I thought 2/3 back in the pack was appropriate for my expected 8:30ish time. I was wrong. I ran a serious game of walker slalom for the first full mile...sidewalks, medians, grassy shoulders, I was all over them from side to side dodging angry walkers trying to walk SIX ACROSS with their buddies. I'm pretty sure I saw some of these walker groups holding hands. After the first mile, I then changed the game to runner slalom as apparently a bunch of 12-14 pace runners were smarter enough to start in front of the walkers. Somewhere around 2.5 miles in, I could run in a mostly straight line for the first time in the race.

    TL;DR - Next year, I won't necessarily be on the start line...but I'll be a whole lot closer to it.

    ETA: I actually LedOL as some of the walkers were audibly complaining about all of the runners passing them.

    I am legit curious as to why people try to line up so close to the start when they plan on walking. There were two families with little kids crowding the start line of my Turkey Trot (it wasn't a small race either, 2000+ people were there). The mother heard all of the people chatting about pacing, and times. She even told her kids to stay close to her so they didn't get run over by the racers. I couldn't help but think "Lady, why don't you get your kids out of here? Surely you are not planning on them running a 16-minute 5k. Maybe let that guy go ahead of you".

    Maybe she confused 16 minute finishing time with a 16 minute pace? :laugh:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    If you wake up nine days before a 5k with a pain in the base of your fifth metatarsal...(one that was preceded by absolutely no activity at all...and only hurts when you walk normally on it (but not when you run or walk on your forefoot)...and doesn't hurt at all for the first 10-12 steps after sitting for a few minutes)...

    ...you should go ahead and run the race. You'll probably be okay.


    Wait...this is actually what I'm doing with a race on Thursday morning...so I'll know just how bad this advice is in a couple of days.

    That ended up not being the bad advice I thought it might be. Race went fine. Could barely walk the rest of the day, but four days later, I'm more recovered than I was the day before the race. Unexpected...awesome, because human bodies are weird, but still entirely unexpected.
    Never mind what the race director says on the megaphone before the race, it's fine to be right up front as a walker. The runners can just go around you. Make sure you stay in a line with your buddies - don't want to get lonely!

    True story. According to the chip stats, I went four minutes after the gun. 20 finishers in either direction of my finish time went off about 30-45 seconds after gun. I thought 2/3 back in the pack was appropriate for my expected 8:30ish time. I was wrong. I ran a serious game of walker slalom for the first full mile...sidewalks, medians, grassy shoulders, I was all over them from side to side dodging angry walkers trying to walk SIX ACROSS with their buddies. I'm pretty sure I saw some of these walker groups holding hands. After the first mile, I then changed the game to runner slalom as apparently a bunch of 12-14 pace runners were smarter enough to start in front of the walkers. Somewhere around 2.5 miles in, I could run in a mostly straight line for the first time in the race.

    TL;DR - Next year, I won't necessarily be on the start line...but I'll be a whole lot closer to it.

    ETA: I actually LedOL as some of the walkers were audibly complaining about all of the runners passing them.

    I am legit curious as to why people try to line up so close to the start when they plan on walking. There were two families with little kids crowding the start line of my Turkey Trot (it wasn't a small race either, 2000+ people were there). The mother heard all of the people chatting about pacing, and times. She even told her kids to stay close to her so they didn't get run over by the racers. I couldn't help but think "Lady, why don't you get your kids out of here? Surely you are not planning on them running a 16-minute 5k. Maybe let that guy go ahead of you".

    Maybe she confused 16 minute finishing time with a 16 minute pace? :laugh:

    In the inappropriate-staged-walkers from my race's defense, there was no announcement made prior to the start of the race (except that people were on the wrong side of the start line. >4000 people through the start line in 5 min.

    ETA: For example, David and Sarah Fliesher...gun and chip time equal, so they were right on the start line...finished in 60:00:07. That's two of the literally >1000 people I passed that day. ( http://www.itsyourrace.com/Results.aspx?&id=323&yr=2013&e=5597&sort=&g=&age=&pg=176 )
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I still argue that it would make more sense to funnel/bottleneck the start to have more of a manageable stream...instead of the 12-across they had.

    It probably made things even worse that people were initially lining up on the wrong side of the start line as the course was backwards from last year.

    Nah, people are still stupid. "Let me and Bowser, my cute little puppy on a 25 yard retractable leash get up here at the front so we don't have to wait for all of these runners to get out of our way when they start the race."

    It was your first 5k and already you sound like an experienced road racer!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Ok. I'll admit this.

    In my first race, I was a walker. I finished the course in 37 minutes. Two runners came around me and one said something snide about walkers starting toward the back. The thing is that, when the race organizer made the announcement to line up at the finish line, I had been toward the back. Not completely behind the whole race, but in the last quarter. When the runner made that remark, I turned around and saw the hundreds of people behind me. That's when I learned to take my place at the third or fourth announcement.

    In the last race I was in, they had signs for runners, walkers and dogs/strollers. That helped some.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I still argue that it would make more sense to funnel/bottleneck the start to have more of a manageable stream...instead of the 12-across they had.

    It probably made things even worse that people were initially lining up on the wrong side of the start line as the course was backwards from last year.

    Nah, people are still stupid. "Let me and Bowser, my cute little puppy on a 25 yard retractable leash get up here at the front so we don't have to wait for all of these runners to get out of our way when they start the race."

    It was your first 5k and already you sound like an experienced road racer!

    It ain't rocket surgery. Efficient process design and optimizing results is what I do (or more accurately, it's who I am). This was comically ridiculous...which is why I laughed a lot during the first couple of miles. (I may or may not have said any or all of the following: 1. on your leftrightleftleftright, 2. meep beep, 3. bedoo, bedoo, bedoo, bedoo, bedoo...)
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I still argue that it would make more sense to funnel/bottleneck the start to have more of a manageable stream...instead of the 12-across they had.

    It probably made things even worse that people were initially lining up on the wrong side of the start line as the course was backwards from last year.

    Nah, people are still stupid. "Let me and Bowser, my cute little puppy on a 25 yard retractable leash get up here at the front so we don't have to wait for all of these runners to get out of our way when they start the race."

    It was your first 5k and already you sound like an experienced road racer!

    It ain't rocket surgery. Efficient process design and optimizing results is what I do (or more accurately, it's who I am). This was comically ridiculous...which is why I laughed a lot during the first couple of miles. (I may or may not have said any or all of the following: 1. on your leftrightleftleftright, 2. meep beep, 3. bedoo, bedoo, bedoo, bedoo, bedoo...)

    In your race, it might have behooved them to have chutes.
  • If you wake up nine days before a 5k with a pain in the base of your fifth metatarsal...(one that was preceded by absolutely no activity at all...and only hurts when you walk normally on it (but not when you run or walk on your forefoot)...and doesn't hurt at all for the first 10-12 steps after sitting for a few minutes)...

    ...you should go ahead and run the race. You'll probably be okay.


    Wait...this is actually what I'm doing with a race on Thursday morning...so I'll know just how bad this advice is in a couple of days.

    That ended up not being the bad advice I thought it might be. Race went fine. Could barely walk the rest of the day, but four days later, I'm more recovered than I was the day before the race. Unexpected...awesome, because human bodies are weird, but still entirely unexpected.
    Never mind what the race director says on the megaphone before the race, it's fine to be right up front as a walker. The runners can just go around you. Make sure you stay in a line with your buddies - don't want to get lonely!

    True story. According to the chip stats, I went four minutes after the gun. 20 finishers in either direction of my finish time went off about 30-45 seconds after gun. I thought 2/3 back in the pack was appropriate for my expected 8:30ish time. I was wrong. I ran a serious game of walker slalom for the first full mile...sidewalks, medians, grassy shoulders, I was all over them from side to side dodging angry walkers trying to walk SIX ACROSS with their buddies. I'm pretty sure I saw some of these walker groups holding hands. After the first mile, I then changed the game to runner slalom as apparently a bunch of 12-14 pace runners were smarter enough to start in front of the walkers. Somewhere around 2.5 miles in, I could run in a mostly straight line for the first time in the race.

    TL;DR - Next year, I won't necessarily be on the start line...but I'll be a whole lot closer to it.

    ETA: I actually LedOL as some of the walkers were audibly complaining about all of the runners passing them.

    I am legit curious as to why people try to line up so close to the start when they plan on walking. There were two families with little kids crowding the start line of my Turkey Trot (it wasn't a small race either, 2000+ people were there). The mother heard all of the people chatting about pacing, and times. She even told her kids to stay close to her so they didn't get run over by the racers. I couldn't help but think "Lady, why don't you get your kids out of here? Surely you are not planning on them running a 16-minute 5k. Maybe let that guy go ahead of you".

    Turkey Trots seem to be the worst races for this. My husband is one of the guys who lines up in the front (appropriately so). Last year, we participated in a large Turkey Trot where a mother and her young sons were lined up with all these guys who were going to be running sub 6 min miles. It didn't take more than 50 yards for him to see one of the boys go down. This year, different Turkey Trot, same story. The announcer even asked the mother with the kids what time they were planning on running, and they still didn't take the hint. I don't even have kids and it scares me to see the kids lined up in front of a mob of 4,000 people all about to take off running.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    If you wake up nine days before a 5k with a pain in the base of your fifth metatarsal...(one that was preceded by absolutely no activity at all...and only hurts when you walk normally on it (but not when you run or walk on your forefoot)...and doesn't hurt at all for the first 10-12 steps after sitting for a few minutes)...

    ...you should go ahead and run the race. You'll probably be okay.


    Wait...this is actually what I'm doing with a race on Thursday morning...so I'll know just how bad this advice is in a couple of days.

    That ended up not being the bad advice I thought it might be. Race went fine. Could barely walk the rest of the day, but four days later, I'm more recovered than I was the day before the race. Unexpected...awesome, because human bodies are weird, but still entirely unexpected.
    Never mind what the race director says on the megaphone before the race, it's fine to be right up front as a walker. The runners can just go around you. Make sure you stay in a line with your buddies - don't want to get lonely!

    True story. According to the chip stats, I went four minutes after the gun. 20 finishers in either direction of my finish time went off about 30-45 seconds after gun. I thought 2/3 back in the pack was appropriate for my expected 8:30ish time. I was wrong. I ran a serious game of walker slalom for the first full mile...sidewalks, medians, grassy shoulders, I was all over them from side to side dodging angry walkers trying to walk SIX ACROSS with their buddies. I'm pretty sure I saw some of these walker groups holding hands. After the first mile, I then changed the game to runner slalom as apparently a bunch of 12-14 pace runners were smarter enough to start in front of the walkers. Somewhere around 2.5 miles in, I could run in a mostly straight line for the first time in the race.

    TL;DR - Next year, I won't necessarily be on the start line...but I'll be a whole lot closer to it.

    ETA: I actually LedOL as some of the walkers were audibly complaining about all of the runners passing them.

    I am legit curious as to why people try to line up so close to the start when they plan on walking. There were two families with little kids crowding the start line of my Turkey Trot (it wasn't a small race either, 2000+ people were there). The mother heard all of the people chatting about pacing, and times. She even told her kids to stay close to her so they didn't get run over by the racers. I couldn't help but think "Lady, why don't you get your kids out of here? Surely you are not planning on them running a 16-minute 5k. Maybe let that guy go ahead of you".

    Turkey Trots seem to be the worst races for this. My husband is one of the guys who lines up in the front (appropriately so). Last year, we participated in a large Turkey Trot where a mother and her young sons were lined up with all these guys who were going to be running sub 6 min miles. It didn't take more than 50 yards for him to see one of the boys go down. This year, different Turkey Trot, same story. The announcer even asked the mother with the kids what time they were planning on running, and they still didn't take the hint. I don't even have kids and it scares me to see the kids lined up in front of a mob of 4,000 people all about to take off running.

    I'm doing a reindeer run (5k) with the kids on Sunday and we will be right at the back. I normally stay at the back anyway as I'm slow.
  • JerseyGirlinTN
    JerseyGirlinTN Posts: 144 Member
    ALWAYS trust a fart...

    Does something hurt? No need to see a doctor! Post something in an online forum to see what other runners think!

    The ONLY way to get better at running is to RUN MORE! Don't do ANYTHING other than running; no weights, cross training, or any other forms of activity.

    You used to run in high school, and now you're 30 years older and 50 pounds heavier? NO PROBLEM! You can pick right back up where you left off!!! 5 minute miles - here you come!

    If you walk at ANY point in your half or marathon, you have failed! You must turn in your bib and accept a DNF.

    EVERY run should be a PR. If it isn't, you aren't trying hard enough.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    You have to win the workout!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    You're not really a runner unless you've completed a marathon
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    The new years resolution runners are going to need some good advice...
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    The new years resolution runners are going to need some good advice...

    So true! Let's get the basics out of the way:

    1. Your first run ever for the new year needs to be a "long run" those training programs talk about. Get to it! 3 miles is NOT a long run. We need at least 6 miles out of you newbies.

    2. Still eating Christmas dinner leftovers? No worries. You can eat a big meal within 15 minutes of your run. You need the energy.

    3. Wear your brand new running shoes your mom/partner/relative bought you for Christmas. I know you haven't even tried them on to see if they fit, but what better way than on your first long run? Besides, they're in your favorite color, so nothing else matters!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    If you don't run EVERY DAY, you are a failure and you should give up.

    If you can't run more than 15 minutes at a time, you are a failure and should give up.

    Blisters mean that you are hard-core.
  • Myxalplyx
    Myxalplyx Posts: 129 Member
    Wear a Tyvek suit while running. It helps keep wasted heat energy recirculating to be re-used. It also helps recycle sweat and prevents dehydration.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Shin splints are your reward. No pain, no gain!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Can't decide whether to toe-strike or heel-strike? Do both! Toe-strike with your left foot and heel-strike with your right.
    I read it on the internets somewhere.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Wear a Tyvek suit while running. It helps keep wasted heat energy recirculating to be re-used. It also helps recycle sweat and prevents dehydration.

    It also blasts fat.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    Wear a Tyvek suit while running. It helps keep wasted heat energy recirculating to be re-used. It also helps recycle sweat and prevents dehydration.

    It also blasts fat.

    Make sure it is black especially if you are running down unlit lanes are night. See how many drivers you can scare by jumping out at them.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    Pain is gain! Tell your knees to get over it!

    I told myself this and at least for now can't run at all. Sigh.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Run WITH traffic! And earbuds!!!