Skip to main content

Running Rules and Observations

This is where I'll compile some observations and "rules" not taught in running clinics but gathered from my experiences and from what I gather from reading through blogs and forums:

On Running
  1. "If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." - John Bingham, running writer and speaker
  2. Running is the cheapest sport without the 4 pairs of running shoes; color coordinated cap, singlet, running shorts and socks; race fees; Garmin; iPod; power bar, gel, beans; Gatorade; breakfast after the run; breakfast after the race; running books and magazines; trip to the doctor; trip to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hongkong, New York, Boston ...
  3. Loops are run counter-clockwise.
  4. Chocolate and colas are great after a long run.
  5. Burning calories are more fun than counting them.
  6. Borrowed from running friend Liza's blog post. Liza's Theory of Relativity in Run-Walks - Five minutes running takes much longer than five minutes walking. The corollary to that is -- Five minutes walking goes much faster than five minutes running.
On Running Gear
  1. Running shoes can last until the next time you find a good excuse to buy new ones.
  2. If minimalist shoes are supposed to give you as close an experience as running barefoot, how come they are so expensive?
  3. Petroleum Jelly - the duct tape of running.
On Races
  1. Their Garmins are more accurate than the race organizer's Garmin.
  2. They will complain that the course was short (see #1) but will also complain how long or far the lines to the loot bags are.
  3. In a race, the best motivation for a runner to continue running is a photographer.
  4. Runners' weights and sizes are erratic. They will be L in one race, M in another then XXL in the next.
  5. The guys on stage who lead the warm up exercises should be packed together like the runners in the start corral.
  6. The last two kilometers are always longer than the first two.
  7. Your position in the race is directly proportional to the number of cups scattered around the water stations.
I'll be adding to this list as I continue to understand the intricacies of running ...

Popular posts from this blog

2011 in Review

These are what happened on my second year of running. I finished my first marathon! I did it on Dec. 4, at the Quezon City International Marathon. I also did my first 6K, 16K, 21K and 32K. My goals for this year were to do a 21K and a marathon. DONE! I improved my personal bests on the 5K (0:33) and the 10K (1:16). I did a total of 14 races this year: 1 5K, 1 6K, 4 10Ks, 1 16K, 5 21Ks, 1 32K, and 1 42K I helped my wife finish a half marathon - something she said she would never do. I ended last year at 186 lbs. It didn't change this year. My waistline didn't change too. I thought that after training for and finishing a marathon, I would at least have a normal BMI. Oh well. I still have plantar fasciitis and for the first time I have a dead toenail (on my big toe; from my marathon). About my running gear: I retired my Mizuno Wave Elixir and Nike LunarGlide, and replaced them with the New Balance 870 and Nike LunarGlide 2. I bought 2 new Nike running shorts, 2 New Balance c...

Brand Diversity

When I got back from a run this evening, I noticed I was wearing an Adidas cap, an Apple Nike watch, a Reebok shirt, New Balance shorts, Saucony socks, and Hoka shoes. Brands were well represented.