Running Tips

Because over six decades, you learn a few things.

In my journey halfway to the moon, I’ve learned a thing or two about running. Here are some of the most important things I’ve learned to help keep safe and healthy before, during, and after running.

General Safety

A few tips to keep everyone safer:

Use red flashing lights when running in the dark
Run facing traffic if possible so they can see you
Be aware of your surroundings (give distance to people/dogs)
Make your presence known if someone has their back to you
Be aware of cars that turn right at a stop sign (some don’t stop, and if you’re running parallel to a car, they often just roll right through)

Shoes

I have always used New Balance shoes with runner inserts. My shoes used to be called the ‘990’ and now they’re the ‘991’. I put double runner inserts into the shoes to get more life out of them. I find my shoes are good for 500 miles. After that, the structure breaks inside, even if the shoe looks new. When shoes wear down, it’s uneven, particularly on the heel. Getting new shoes helps protect the foot from shifting and causing injury. Once I hit 500 miles, they become walking shoes. Good inserts can be transferred from shoe to shoe, but you just need to make sure they’re not too compact. A good insert will last years.

Clothing

Wear layers and loose-fitting clothing. You want space between the layers so the air can flow. Your pores breathe, so don’t wear skin-tight clothes as this throws off your body temperature. When the perspiration acts as a conductor and absorbs the cold, you need layers to create a barrier, so the cold air doesn’t make contact with your body because it takes on the temperature of the outside air. For example, if it’s 50 degrees, I wear three top layers and two bottom layers: sweatshirt, long sleeve, short sleeve, 2x sweatpants. You always want to cover your head in cold weather, and I prefer a hoodie.

Water Intake

I don’t drink water during my run. Instead, I drink water before and after the run. I drink about a gallon a day. This preserves energy for the skeletal muscles, as digestive muscles take energy away during a run.

Diet

I don’t have a special diet, but I always eat a two-inch piece of banana, a two-inch apple slice, and three ounces of water before I start my warm-up. To keep a strong immune system, I eat six raw blackberries, spoon of cod liver oil, and six ounces of pomegranate juice every day. I also don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes.

Sleep

If you’re going to run every day, you should sleep at least seven or eight hours. I run in the morning and a good night’s rest gives me the energy I need to keep going.

Exercise

This is the regimen that works for me, but you should experiment to find out what works best for you as well as consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program. My typical mileage is a minimum of 3 miles per day. Always warm up and cool down! My typical warm up is ten reps of the following: arm and shoulder rolls, straight toe touches, cross toe touches, sit-ups, leg raises in chair positions, leg lifts, reverse leg lifts, pushups, and high knees. For a cool down, I run 3 x 100m (1 uphill, 1 downhill, 1 suicide) and then lay on a hard surface for 30 minutes to let my body recover.