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How to Train for a Race
12 Running Rules You Can Break
Think you know how you’re supposed to train? Six legendary coaches dispute some of running’s most controversial wisdom
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Run Like a Rebel
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1
The Rule: Stretch Before Running
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2
The Rule: Do Prerace Strides
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3
The Rule: Cap Your Longest Run at 20 Miles
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4
The Rule: Structure Your Schedule
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5
The Rule: Push the Pace on Long Runs
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The Rule: Don't Bulk Up
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7
The Rule: Take Rest Days After Long Runs
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The Rule: Cardio Cross-train
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The Rule: Rehab Aerobically
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10
The Rule: Increase Weekly Mileage by 10 Percent
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The Rule: Measure Your Effort
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12
The Rule: Wear Running Shoes
Run Like a Rebel
Image: Thinkstock
Historians will probably never know who first said, "It's Sunday morning. Guess I'll run longer today." Yet for many, "run long Sunday" is carved in stone. Other training tenets offer timeless wisdom ("Don't spit into the wind"), while a few have been mercifully abandoned ("Women shouldn't run more than half a mile"). (Search: What issues do women face as runners?) So how do you tell the good rules from the bad? To find out, we asked six respected, veteran American coaches which commandments they think it's time to stop obeying blindly. You might expect these grizzled sages to be the most faithful to old-time wisdom. But it's precisely their experience that allows them to weigh the pros and cons of precepts that have (or have not) served their runners well. Mind you, the rules they dispute aren't necessarily bad. It's just time to examine whether they're doing you any good. After all, Sunday is a pretty good day for a long run, but if switching to Saturday—or even, God forbid, Monday—helps you squeeze in an extra workout or get an extra day of recovery, that just may be a rule worth breaking.
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