Jogging Tips and Guidelines

1. The most effective training mimics the event for which youre training. This is the cardinal rule of training for any activity. If you want to run a 10 K at seven minute per mile pace, you need to do some running at that pace. Runners are best served by running at goal pace and in the expected environment of that race, says Ann Snyder, Ph.D., director of the human performance lab at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. The Exception Its imprac .....

The 10 Percent Rule

2. Increase weekly training mileage by no more than 10 percent per week. Joe Henderson, the first editor of Runners World, and Joan Ullyot, M.D., author of three womens running books, first popularized the 10 percent prescription in the 1980s. I noticed that runners who increased their training load too quickly were incurring injuries, says Dr. Ullyot. The Exception If youre starting at single digit weekly mileage after a layoff, you can add more .....

The 2 Hour Rule

3. Wait for about two hours after a meal before running. For most people, two hours is enough time for food to empty from the stomach, especially if its high in carbohydrate, says Colorado sports dietitian and marathoner Cindy Dallow, Ph.D. If you dont wait long enough, food will not be properly digested, raising the risk of abdominal cramps, bloating, and even vomiting. The Exception You can probably run 90 minutes after a light, high carb meal, .....

The 10 Minute Rule

4. Start every run with 10 minutes of walking and slow running, and do the same to cool down. A warmup prepares your body for exercise by gradually increasing blood flow and raising core muscle temperature, says Jerry Napp, a Tampa Bay running coach. The cooldown may be even more important. Stopping abruptly can cause leg cramps, nausea, dizziness, or fainting. The Exception It takes less than 10 minutes to rev up on warm days. .....

The 2 Day Rule

5. If something hurts for two straight days while running, take two days off. Two straight days of pain may signal the beginning of an injury. Even taking five days of complete rest from running will have little impact on your fitness level, says Troy Smurawa, M.D., team physician for USA Triathlon. The Exception If something hurts for two weeks, even if youve taken your rest days, see a doctor. .....

The Familiar Food Rule

6. Dont eat or drink anything new before or during a race or hard workout. Stick to what works for you. Your gastrointestinal tract becomes accustomed to a certain mix of nutrients, says Dallow. You can normally vary this mix without trouble, but you risk indigestion when prerace jitters are added. The Exception If youre about to bonk, eating something new is probably better than eating nothing at all. .....

The Race Recovery Rule

7. For each mile that you race, allow one day of recovery before returning to hard training or racing. That means no speed workouts or racing for six days after a 10 K or 26 days after a marathon. The rules originator was the late Jack Foster, the masters marathon world record holder 21118 from 1974 to 1990. Foster wrote in his book, Tale of the Ancient Marathoner, My method is roughly to have a day off racing for every mile I raced. The Excepti .....

The Heads Beats Tails Rule

8. A headwind always slows you down more than a tailwind speeds you up. So expect to run slower on windy days. I disregard the watch on really windy days because headwinds cost me 15 to 25 seconds a mile, and I only get a portion of that back after I turn around, says Monte Wells, a longtime runner in Amarillo, Texas, Americas windiest city. The key is to monitor your effort, not your pace. Start against the wind, so its at your back in the second .....

The Conversation Rule

9. You should be able to talk in complete sentences while running. A recent study found that runners whose heart and breathing rates were within their target aerobic zones could comfortably recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Those who couldnt were running faster than optimal. The Exception Talking should not be easy during hard runs, speedwork, or races. .....

The 20 Mile Rule

10. Build up to and run at least one 20 miler before a marathon. Long runs simulate the marathon, which requires lots of time on your feet, says Gina Simmering Lanterman, director and marathon coach of the Denver Fit training program. And knowing that you can run 20 miles helps you wrap your head around running 26.2. The Exception Some coaches believe experienced marathoners can get by with a longest run of 16 to 18 miles, while other coaches sugge .....

The Carbs Rule

11. For a few days before a long race, emphasize carbohydrates in your diet. Carbo loading became the marathoners mantra after Scandinavian studies in 1967 suggested cramming down carbs following a period of carb depletion produced super charged athletes. Experts now say simply emphasizing carbs a few days before a race over two hours works just as well. The Exception Theres a word for carbo loading during regular training or before a short race gl .....

The Seven Year Rule

12. Runners improve for about seven years. Mike Tymn noticed this in the early 1980s and wrote about it in his National Masters News column. My seven year adaptation theory was based on the fact that so many runners I talked to ran their best times an average of seven years after they started, he recalls. The Exception Low mileage runners can stretch the seven years to well over a decade before plateauing. .....

The Left Side Of The Road Rule

13. To keep safe, run facing traffic. While running, its better to watch the traffic than to have it come up from behind you, says Adam Cuevas, a marathoner and chief of the Enforcement Services Division of the California Highway Patrol. Its the law in California and many other states to run on the left side unless youre on the sidewalk. The Exception The right side of the road is safer when running into leftward blind curves where theres a narrow .....

The Up Beats Down Rule

14. Running uphill slows you down more than running downhill speeds you up. So, you can expect hilly runs to be slower than flat runs. You dont get all of the energy that you expend going uphill back when you run downhill, explains Nimbus Couzin, Ph.D., a marathon running physics instructor at Indiana University Southeast. Thats because when your feet strike the ground on a descent, a lot of energy is lost. The Exception When you run point to point .....

The Sleep Rule

15. Sleep one extra minute per night for each mile per week that you train. So if you run 30 miles a week, sleep an extra half hour each night. Sleep deprivation has a negative impact on training, says David Claman, M.D., director of the University of California San Francisco Sleep Disorders Center. The average person needs seven and a half to eight hours of sleep, so increase that amount when youre training. The Exception The extra sleep may not b .....

The Refueling Rule

16. Consume a combination carbohydrate protein food or beverage within 30 to 60 minutes after any race, speed workout, or long run. You need an infusion of carbs to replace depleted muscle glycogen, plus some protein to repair and build muscle, says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Food Guide for Marathoners. Ideally, the carb protein ratio should be 4 to 1. Some examples would be 150 to 300 calories of low fat chocolate milk, a recovery sports drink, f .....

The Dont Just Run Rule

17. Runners who only run are prone to injury. Cross training and weight training will make you a stronger and healthier runner, says TriEndurance.com multisport coach Kris Swarthout. Low and nonimpact sports like biking and swimming will help build supporting muscles used in running, while also giving your primary running muscles a rest. The Exception The surest way to run better is to run. So if your time is limited, devote most of it to running. .....

The Even Pace Rule

18. The best way to race to a personal best is to maintain an even pace from start to finish. Most of the 10,000 meter and marathon world records set in the last decade have featured almost metronome like pacing. If you run too fast early in the race, you almost always pay for it later, warns Jon Sinclair, the U.S. 12 K record holder and now an online coach anaerobic.net . The Exception This doesnt apply on hilly courses or on windy days, when the .....

The New Shoes Rule

19. Replace running shoes once theyve covered 400 to 500 miles. But even before they have that much wear, says Warren Greene, Runners World gear editor, buy a new pair and rotate them for a while. Dont wait until your only pair is trashed. Consider shoes trashed when the spring is gone. The Exception A shoes wear rate can vary, depending on the type of shoe, your weight, your footstrike pattern, and the surfaces you run on. .....

The Hard Easy Rule

20. Take at least one easy day after every hard day of training. Easy means a short, slow run, a cross training day, or no exercise at all. Hard means a long run, tempo run, or speed workout. Give your body the rest it needs to be effective for the next hard run, says Todd Williams, a two time U.S. Olympian and online coach at pushthepace.com. Apply the hard easy rule to your monthly and yearly training cycles by treating yourself to one easy week e .....

The 10 Degree Rule

21. Dress for runs as if its 10 degrees warmer than the thermometer actually reads. To put it another way, dress for how warm youll feel at mid run not the first mile, when your body is still heating up. This means choosing the right apparel. See the Dress for Success table On cold days, the new soft shell tops and tights are light, warm, and breathable, says Emily Walzer, fabrics editor for Sporting Goods Business Magazine. On warm days, wear a l .....

The Speedwork Pace Rule

22. The most effective pace for VO2 max interval training is about 20 seconds faster per mile than your 5 K race pace. The best way to increase your aerobic capacity and long distance speed is through VO2 max interval training. A pioneer of VO2 max training is Jack Daniels, Ph.D., coach at the Center for High Altitude Training in Flagstaff, Arizona. By stressing your aerobic system, he says, this pace optimizes the volume of blood thats pumped and t .....

The Tempo Pace Rule

23. Lactate threshold or tempo run pace is about the pace you can maintain when running all out for one hour. This pace is about 20 seconds slower per mile than your 10 K race pace, or 30 seconds slower per mile than 5 K race pace. The key benefit of this pace is that its fast enough to improve your threshold for hard endurance running, yet slow enough that you dont overload your muscles, says Daniels. The ideal duration of a tempo run is 20 to 25 m .....

The Long Run Pace Rule

24. Do your longest training runs at least three minutes per mile slower than your 5 K race pace. You really cant go too slow on long runs, says RW Starting Line columnist Jeff Galloway, because there are no drawbacks to running them slowly. Running them too fast, however, can compromise your recovery time and raise your injury risk. The Exception Galloway says you should run even slower on hot days. .....

The Finishing Time Rule

25. The longer the race, the slower your pace. How much slower? Jack Daniels and J.R. Gilbert spent years compiling a table see Predict Your Performance that shows how much you should expect to slow down from one race distance to the next. We did some curve fitting to come up with a formula that generates a pseudo VO2 max for each race time, says Daniels. They sweated the math; now you just need to sweat the race. The Exception Terrain, weather, .....

Listen to Your Body

26. Your body will do the work you ask of it. You just need to accommodate its signals for you to back off. When you start jogging, you are using muscles in your legs that were not fully used probably for a very long time. They are weak, small and flabby. Too much too soon and you will surely hurt yourself. .....

It Takes As Long As It Takes

27. You are an individual. There is no one else exactly like you. Only you have your experiences and memories. Remember high school track or cross country? You had the summer off, and then 2 weeks after school starts you have your first cross country race. That is how the program ran, no time for light jogging. Few if any kids ran through summer. It wasnt good for you then and certainly isnt at 50 plus. Not to put a damper on your ambitions you can .....

Be Patient

28. This is so true. You may want to try out your new jogging gear. Or, you will find that your heart and lung capacity increases faster than your leg strength. Particularly true when you remain active on your non jogging days. You must be patient and not overdo it. Let your legs gain strength. .....

The best time for jogging

29. Although jogging can be done anytime, but in fact the best time to jog is in the morning, approximately at 530 am to 800 am. .....

Dont eat breakfast before jogging

30. If you seriously want to burn fat quickly, you should not eat breakfast before jogging, but you need to drink a large glass of water. By not eating breakfast first, your body will use fat reserves to burn into energy to be needed when jogging. Useful addition to maintaining a healthy weight, jogging is also very good for heart health. In addition, bring clean drinking water mineral water bottled water is also good , or it can also bring isoto .....

Warm up before jogging

31. Warm up stretching during the first 5 minutes, but not too heavy. Stretch the muscles, especially the calves and thighs. Do not forget to stretch the tendons in the knee. Often it is a part of the body most injured. To warm up, you can start by walking, running slower then the faster. Do not forget to stretch after a complete run. .....

Dont force your body

32. When started, do jog for 10 minutes non stop. Do not intermittent stops except when in certain cases such as shortness of breath or head began to feel dizzy. During jogging, maintain a consistent breathing. It could be breathing as steps. The most important rule when starting an exercise is not to force the body too heavy but still relaxed and increased stamina gradually. Run in relax, if any, you could bring your friends to accompany. When you o .....

Perform an increase

33. After four days of running for 10 minutes, And then increase it to 12 minutes. The fifth day boost to 14 minutes, so on average increased 2 minutes to run the next session. It can increase your stamina without causing injury. When enough time, continue to increase gradually until it reaches 60 minutes. As a beginner, do not worry about speed. .....

Use good equipment

34. Not a major factor, but a good jogging equipment also includes important. Use proper running shoes. Among them is to use a shoe that is lightweight and has a comfortable and enough material to breathe. Make sure the shoes are running shoes, not shoes for walking, also do not wear sandals. My advice is to choose shoes that are well known quality, maybe a bit expensive but it will become your health investment because it is more durable. Use socks, .....

Do one session a week to start

35. Dont get too enthusiastic and do two sessions of speedwork a week. A little speed training goes a long way even just adding one session of speedwork can make a big difference in your running. Once you improve your fitness and confidence, you can add another session. .....

Dont start too fast

36. Runners who are new to speedwork sometimes make the mistake of running way too hard and fast for every interval. You should put in a good effort, but dont run so fast that your breathing and heart rate are totally out of control. Try to run your intervals consistently so that your last one is the same effort as your first. If you feel like you have nothing left for your last interval or the last few minutes of a tempo run, you did it too fast. .....

Focus on proper running form

37. Speed training helps to improve your biomechanics and running form, so dont let your form fall apart when youre running fast. Follow tips for proper running form during your speed workouts. .....

Rest the day after

38. Dont be tempted to run hard two days in a row. You may feel fine the next time, but your body is still recovering and some people feel more muscle soreness two days later. Give yourself some down time by either taking a complete rest day or doing easy cross training the day after doing speedwork. .....

Dont skip your cooldown

39. A 5 10 minute cooldown at the end of your workout is just as important as your warm up. Easy running or walking after you finish your speedwork will prevent blood from pooling in your legs and help flush out the lactic acid and other waste products from your muscles. .....

Safety during the run

40. Always stay alert and aware of whats going on around you. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are. Think about possible escape routes in case of a confrontation. Take notice of who is ahead of you and who is behind you. Know where the nearest public sites are with some general activity there is usually safety in numbers. When in doubt, follow your intuition and avoid potential trouble. If something seems suspicious, do not panic, .....