First of all I have to thank Fitdiva Jill for bringing this article to my attention. The article is 10 Running Rules to Remember and it's from www.active.com. I think putting all ten in one blog will be too long, so I'm going to break this up into two blogs because, of course, I have to throw in my own personal stories.
1. DO YOUR OWN THING and don't worry what other are doing! Run you race and run your pace. I was doing the Pikes Peak Ascent, which is a trail run, one year and towards the end I caught up to this guy and politely told him I was coming up on his left side to pass. So, he sped up. A few seconds later I caught up to him again and repeated my intentions and again he sped up. This went on for awhile and finally when the trail opened up I picked up the pace and got around him. This is so annoying!!!
2. KNOW YOUR PLACE! When you're doing a race with thousands or even millions of people it gets crowded at the start. The Susan G Koman race here in Dallas is a big race and there are a lot of walkers. When you're standing at the start and hear the announcer say "All walkers start in the back," over and over and over again, there is a reason for that. Once that gun goes off and the runners take off it's frustrating and dangerous for both parties to have the walkers right there. I've seen way too many accidents and walkers getting trampled on.
3. KEEP IT DOWN. Well this is hard one for Fitdiva Jill and I as we talk pretty much the entire time we run together, but this is one of their rules. In my opinion that's the joy of having a running partner, but I'm sure people don't want to hear about our kids, husbands and well girl chit chat, so I apologize to everyone who has had to listen to us. This also means keep your I-pod levels down, no jangling keys, and profanity.
4. LEASH YOUR BEST FRIEND. Some races allow dogs, but most don't. Follow the rule and don't run with your dog if the race brochure specifically says no dogs. This goes for strollers as well. If you do run with your dog then keep the leash short and tight. Tripping over a dog leash is no fun.
5. WATCH YOUR STEP. Most races have the water stops on both sides of the course. Try and avoid cutting in front of other runners while you dash for a drink and when you're done. Slow down and don't come to abrupt stop as you reach for your drink.
Here are the first five and the last five will be posted on Friday. Remember to keep good etiquette when running!