A reliable source

Today was a rest day and I took that literally. Not only did I not run, I also did not weight train, I did not do core exercises, and I only did the bare minimum requirement of house work, which means the bed got made. Barely. So this is what it feels like to be a couch potato!

My forum friend and fellow runner, Bosco, started a thread asking what source of knowledge we runners first went to when we started running. I was lucky in that I discovered that a friend was an experienced runner and I credit him with giving me some advice that probably kept me from seriously injuring myself as a newbie runner. I thought I was supposed to run every day, increasing my mileage daily, until I met some murky goal in the distant future. He bluntly set me on a more reasonable path, explaining why beginning runners don't run every day and why mileage increases should be gradual.

Soon I was also delving deep into the internet looking for that magic formula that would make me a runner-one of those lithe, lean, graceful people I saw occasionally running through the morning fog. It didn't take long for the information I found to become rather overwhelming. The number of plans, theories, diets, and schedules goes on and on.

It's taken me a while, but I've finally discovered that the best way to learn about running is to talk to runners. I have a forum I visit often and I still talk to my friend about running. I've discovered that all the scientific studies, running plans, diets and such just don't have the credibility of an actual runner who hits the road on a regular basis. Hopefully some day I will have running knowledge worth sharing with a newcomer to the sport. I can't think of many things more fulfilling than sharing knowledge gained from personal experience.