By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

As running becomes more popular and there is more money to be invested and made in the sport, snake oils and other bogus claims permeate the popular culture and get hold of our running ethos. While some explanations made sense in the 1920s or the 1980s, science has developed and progressed enough to prove, adjust or disprove most of our understanding on these concepts and their application to running.

These are seven myths that once were held as running gospel that today, no longer apply. Of course, this is not a comprehensive list, it is just a handful of the most prevalent myths of our day and age.

1.      Carbo loading before a race or long run: The carbs we consume throughout the day are metabolized by the body into glycogen, which is the go-to fuel burnt by the body for energy. The amount of glycogen our bodies can story is finite, and it is stored in the liver and muscles. Muscles don’t borrow from each other, so, that 3rd or 4th serving of pasta the night before a race does nothing for you. Actually, it will adversely affect you because your body will be spending energy digesting food it won’t need to produce energy the next morning and you may also need a potty break to unload all that unneeded food you consumed last night.

You don’t have to look like a Kenyan to be a runner. You only have to run.

2.      I don’t have a runner’s body, therefore, I can’t be a runner: You don’t have to look like a Kenyan to be successful runner. You may not win the Boston Marathon, but you don’t need it to be a considered a runner. There is one and only one parameter to measure your worthiness of being labeled as a runner: you must run. Skinny, overweight, tall, short, young, old, male, female, or in-between. It doesn’t matter. If you run, you are a runner.

 3.      The 10% rule: According to many experts and training gurus, you should never increase your mileage run more than 10% week over week. This is an urban myth from the 1980’s not based on science.  It is a guideline, not a rule. According to University of Houston Coach Steve Magness, this theory has been tested a couple of times and there was no decrease on injury rate based on this guideline, which is what this parameter is supposed to control. The amount of mileage an athlete can increase will depend on what their body structure and level of fitness are able to withstand, and this can change over time.

 4.      Only fast running will make you fast: It is intuitive to think that to run fast you need to train running fast. And fast running is an important part of the equation. But to maintain your speed during a long run, you need to train your aerobic system and teach your body to burn fat as fuel, which can only be done by not taxing the body into only using the immediate sources of energy (glycogen). No one is stating you only need to run slow, but you do need to make slow running part of your training to run fast.

 5.      Stretch before you run: Cold static stretching is not recommended when your muscles are unready for such a movement. It is a recipe for injury. Dynamic warm up moves such as lunges, leg swings, jogging in place and hip openers will get your muscles warmed up, your heart rate elevated and your core temperature ready for action. Stretching after your workout could be beneficial but it is not required. If it feels good, go for it .Personally, it makes me feel better, so I do it.

What may have made sense in the 1980s regarding the 10% rule or carbo loading, has already been disproved by science, yet the myths are still holding strong.

6.      If you have energy for a fast final kick, you didn’t give your all: When we kick at the end of a race to shave off a few seconds off the clock, push for that PR or pass that last few runners, it is not because we did not give our all out there. According to the Central Governor Theory by Tim Noakes, once the brain realizes we are almost there and it will not run out of resources, it unleashes the reserves. Therefore, usually, nobody dies at the end of a race. So feel free to kick at the end if you have it in you. It is your brain is giving you permission to do so.

 7.      VO2Max is the end-all measurement of performance: As popular as this measurement has become thanks to our Garmin watches giving us constant updates, what it measures is the maximum amount of oxygen our bodies can handle at maximum effort. If we don’t know what it means and what we can do with it, it becomes useless. And, by the way, VO2Max cannot be measured by an algorithm in your watch. So don’t overthink this one.

Did I miss anything?