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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 ...

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