There tend to be two philosophies for running with traffic. One is “Own the road,” and the other is to just be careful. I am completely in the “careful” camp.
My number one rule is: If there is going to be a car vs runner accident, don’t be there.
“Own the Road” runners like to be in the cartway, hold their line, and yell at cars who don’t give them wide berth. I find this frustrating, scary and dangerous.
Here are some of my rules.
Run on the left, in to traffic (in the USA). You want to see imminent death with a clear eye.
On rural roads, step off the road for oncoming traffic. Pull up and walk if approaching a dangerous intersection.
Don’t always cross at the busiest place – for example, in small towns I prefer to run the alleys rather than the main streets, which allows for easier crossings one street at a time, rather than at four-way intersections.
If an oncoming car is preparing to turn left, assume cars behind will swing out around them into the pedestrian lane.
Assume every car is being driven by a 17 year old who is texting on her phone, while eating and crying. It’s up to you to get out of the way and not be an accident.
If something looks the least bit dangerous, remove yourself from that situation quickly.
Cars are big and heavy – they will win.
Wear something reflective. At night wear a headlamp up front and a red flashy in back.
This winter we’ve had some really cold mornings, less than 10 Degrees Fahrenheit. I discovered my Garneau bicycle gloves make great running gloves. They are exceptionally warm.
They are “lobster” style gloves, meaning they have individual fingers, but also a fold our covering that encases two pairs of fingers.
I was chatting with a guy at a party, and he bemoaned the fact that he can’t run anymore, due to a couple of compressed disks in his back. He said the only way he was able to run as long as he did, in to his old age, was because he used heel inserts made of a substance invented by NASA. It was a resilient rubber designed for the O rings of rocket engines after the Challenger failure.
I contend that his compressed disks are an injury directly caused by the unnatural gait of a heel strike. You can’t do a heel strike in bare feet or leather sandals. The heel strike sends a shock wave up your leg, causing shinsplints, knee problems, and back issues. It is not a mechanically sustainable method of running.
But I guess we will see. This guy was 10 or 15 years my elder, and I know we all eventually get injured, wear out, and perish. At 55 years old I still feel able bodied and capable. I will continue to avoid the heel strike, and see if that allows me to run in to my golden years.
This morning my phone said it was 16 degrees. Running in to the headwind it felt like 16 degrees with a headwind. When I turned to run with the wind, I was much more comfortable. I don’t buy in to the idea of wind chill that says any particular temperature actually feels like a different temperature. The temperature is the temperature – with or without wind.
If you are going to be out there pounding the roads for 45 minutes, it’s important for you to find something to do. Otherwise, you will just be tortured by daemons and haunted by the thoughts of all your past mistakes and failures. The common ways to occupy your mind are:
Music. Wear earbuds and listen to music.
Earbuds
Learn a language instead of listening to music.
Listen to Supreme Court arguments. You freak.
Run with a friend.
Run with a dog.
Run to a bar. Then run back.
Run with friends to a bar.
Run on a trail with technical footing.
Run pushing a baby in a stroller
Run in ALL weather conditions.
Run at night, then run in the daytime.
Stop and take photos along the way.
Photo of Lancaster Junction Trail, Lancaster PA, USA
My favorite is to take pictures. I always have a phone or a waterproof camera, and wile away the miles looking for interesting things to take photos of. Then when I get home I post them to all those good places like Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Blogger.
Ten or twelve years ago I developed severe running pain in my lower calfs. During my runs, a slow burn would develop, and I would sometimes need to walk because the pain was too much. It felt like some deep down layers of ligaments were torn or damaged. Those rubbery sinewy parts that don’t heal.
I unhappily concluded that all those fatties at coffee hour who say “the body just cant take all that pounding,” were right. My 30 years of running was coming to an end. I resolved not to waste money on a new pair of running shoes unless this pain would go away.
I tried to change my gait. I rested. I massaged, I tried to strengthen my calfs. I stretched. Nothing worked. I was done. My body was finally worn out.
Then, for some reason, I set out one morning with a different pair of shoes. Not a new pair, just a different pair. And joy of joys, the pain went away! I discovered if I wore my other pair of shoes, the pain returned.
Well, that’s a simple fix. But there is a little more to it.
As the miles add up for you over the years, swap out your shoes frequently. And I mean frequently. Right now, I own two pairs of Nikes (different models), a pair of Brooks, Fila and Saucony. Each pair gives a totally different ride. I seldom wear the same pair for consecutive runs. My hypothesis is that this changes the stress points on your legs and back. If you wear the same shoes always, then the same parts of your body are stressed, and will lead to repetitive motion injuries.
Your shoes aren’t only for your feet – they affect your mechanics all the way up your ankles, lower legs, knees, thighs, hips and back. And it is true what the fatties at coffee hour say about all that pounding. So you need to change out your shoes to vary the pounding.
You are much better off buying two different pairs of off brand shoes from the department store for $60 each, rather than one highly engineered pair from the running store for $120.
