By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As in every aspect of our functional lives, we pick up bad habits while running. Some are silly or quirky, while others derail important areas of our lives. They become unnoticeable the longer they remain unidentified, so we become immune to them.
We’ve heard about Major League pitchers getting drilled because a certain move telegraphs their next pitch; or public speakers who get stuck repeating verbal fillers as they deliver a speech; or job interviewees who undermine themselves by constantly apologizing before answering a question. Those are just bad habits, all of which can be overcome.
Runners are no different.
These are seven bad habits to consider and analyze whether they are sabotaging your progress as a runner.
1 – Diminishing your accomplishments: If you are training for a marathon, running “just 10 miles today” is an easy day. But running 10 miles is running a lot of miles. Take your car and drive 10 miles from your house, and see how far it is and how long it takes. It is a matter of presentation. Be proud of your accomplishments, whether the medal is around your neck or you are training to earn it.
2 – Refusing to embrace rest: Working hard is essential to maximize your running potential. Recovering so your body can adapt to the stress of those hard workouts, so you can do it again and get better, is equally important. If you return to grinding while unrecovered, you will overwork an unprepared body and get injured. Never feel guilty for “executing” your day off as written, or for taking an additional one when needed. Resting is not a sign of weakness, but of mental strength.
3 – Believing you are not a real runner: Do you run? Then you are a runner. You are not a marathoner if you don’t complete a marathon, but there is no pre-qualification in terms of time or distance to define you as a runner. The only qualification needed is to run. So, stop feeling guilty because you think you are slow, or because you don’t run what you feel like far enough, or because you take walking breaks. None of that matters. You run; you are a runner. Done!
4 – Comparing yourself to others: If you’ve read my blog before, you have seen this one: Stop obsessing about what your friends are doing. Avoid overthinking what others share on Strava or Instagram. Don’t worry about how fast your friend is running his mile reps. Worry about you, what you can do better, and how you can become the best runner you can be. That last sentence says “you” four times. It is on purpose, because your running is all about you.
5 – Running while injured: This is non-negotiable. If you are injured, you don’t run. I am not talking about aches and pains, or little niggles here or there. I am talking injured. Not all injuries require a bone sticking out of your flesh. If you compensate your mechanics to avoid pain, you change not only the way the body was designed to move but also the way your body is used to move. This guarantees that something else will get out of whack. And then, instead of taking two or three days now, your body will force you to take two or three weeks (if not months) sometime later.
6 – Neglecting Cross Training: Running is a repetitive exercise. A high-impact sport. You won’t have to crash into a 300-lbs defensive lineman, but in a 10K, you are landing about 5000 times per leg at 3-5 times your body weight. Constant repetition leads to overuse, and overuse leads to injury. You must ensure your body remains strong and resilient. Strength training is key. You can also do other sports activities, such as yoga, cycling, or swimming, from time to time. This will provide physical gains without the pounding of running.
7 – Forgetting to have fun: Does your next mortgage payment depend on your next PR? Is the happiness of your marriage dependent on your invitation by Abbott to the next Marathon Major? Is next weekend’s race-pace effort the key to qualifying for the Olympic trials? Most likely no, no, and no. Understand why you run. Sure, some people run to get over a tragedy or to regain control of their health and lives. But most of us weekend warriors run because of the joy it brings us. The post-run high, the outdoors, the sense of freedom and accomplishment, or the social component. Never forget that. If you do, you are in for a short running career.
Running can be a lifelong sport if we diligently strive to do it right and remain injury-free. Don’t overcomplicate it. You have plenty of worries in life to add running to the list. Especially since you are not a professional.