Common Myths About Running (And Why You Won’t Have To Deal With Them)

If you’ve ever heard something like “Running over 50 miles in a week will make your kneecaps fly off!”, or something along the lines of “I heard that they hold out a carrot in front of runners who are training in order for them to continue moving forward,” then you might be the victim of being subjected to running myths. Now, as much as we kind of want the carrot thing to be true for humor’s sake, it’s worth dedicating today’s blog post to understanding some of the more common myths about running, an activity that millions of people frequently partake in around the world.

Enjoy The Best Parts About Running With The Real Runner™

At The Real Runner™, we believe that people deserve to know factual, honest information about this activity, whether you’re someone just reading about running all the way to an Olympic athlete and everything in between. High intensity exercise like running can be...well, intense, and so maybe it makes sense that there’s a lot of misunderstands floating around about this topic. Loved and adored by many and realistically loathed by even more, running has interesting effects on the human body in a sense that it’s hard to generalize the experience.

With The Real Runner™, you’ll enjoy all of the positives that one can get from running without all of the negatives associated with this sport such as shin splints, injured knees, back pain, foot pain, broken bones, torn muscle, and so forth. You get the point. Find out more about what our high intensity cardio solution can really do for you by visiting here. Otherwise, we’re going to take a look at some of the more popular myths about running.

Myth: You Have To Run Every Single Day To Improve

Actually, the truth is quite the opposite. If you train every single day without taking the necessary recovery days to let your body heal and rest, you’ll definitely injure yourself, either temporarily or even permanently if you train too hard. So, to run smart, consider running every other day, or train a couple of days in a row and then take a day or two off. This might be difficult to hear if you’re really motivated to train hard for a race or some other event, but progressively ramping up your mileage and speed over the long term is a lot smarter than burning yourself out in the short term.

Myth: You Have To Have A Certain Body Type To Run And Race

This is absolutely not true. Anyone with any body type can get into jogging or running. It all starts with small steps and being active, even if it’s for relatively short distances and little amounts of time. There’s an interesting saying that we find relevant here that goes along the lines of “Even if you don’t think you’re going very fast or very far, just remember that you’re still lapping everyone on the couch.” How’s that for motivation?

If you don’t believe us about this myth, go to a race and watch everyone who participates. You’ll notice that there are all kinds of people racing!

Myth: Runners Don’t Need To Strength Train

People might seem to think this one because they believe that runners only use their feet and legs when they perform, but that’s not true. Strengthening your muscles and supplementing your runs with hip mobility exercises is necessary to maintaining good form, preventing injuries, and even helping you speed up your times and reach that new personal goal. Plus, with strength training, you can also dedicate some time to those “gains,” so that’s nice.

Myth: Barefoot Running Reduces Injuries

Now, we’re not totally invalidating the barefoot running phenomenon because people do it (carefully) and there are many who report positive experiences. After all, the human body was designed to run barefoot because that’s its natural form, right? Well, in modern times, that’s not exactly the case anymore. With hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt, there’s no denying that the surfaces we walk and run on are a little bit different than what our ancient ancestors used to walk on, even if you sometimes run on grass, dirt, etc.

“Minimalist running” is worth looking into if you take the time to do your research and ease into it. In other words, going from running in high-cushioned trainers for two years and suddenly running five miles in minimalist or even barefoot running shoes will likely put you in a world of hurt, like a stress fracture on the foot. So, while it is possible to safely run barefoot, you’re more likely to get injured if you suddenly switch to barefoot running than if you just stuck to your tried-and-true running shoes.

Myth: Drink Water At Every Single Station During A Race

This myth is just plain silly. How often are there hydration stations for your upcoming race? You don’t want to over hydrate yourself, especially during a race, where you could just throw it all up before you even cross the halfway mark. Just listen to your body like you normally would - if you feel thirsty, drink some water. If you don’t feel thirsty, just continue running past the water station. It’s not rocket science. Honestly, we’re baffled that this myth is even circulated around the running community to begin with.

The Real Runner™ Is NOT A Myth!

That’s right! Tried and true by countless professional sports players, The Real Runner™ is the real deal. For the best high intensity training workouts without subjecting your body to impact-based strain, our low impact running machine is the best way for you to get in better shape and steer clear of being associated with any of these running myths. Contact us at The Real Runner™ today to get your very own!