1 GET GOOD SHOES
The best piece of advice he ever got was almost an insult, says Joe Calderon, a new RW reader stationed in Basra, Iraq. "'Dude, you running with those shoes?' a friend said. 'No wonder your knees, back, and shins hurt. Go to (insert running store here) and get yourself measured for a good pair of shoes!'" Tips can come from unlikely sources. "A nonrunning coworker told me, 'You know, you really ought to get fitted for good running shoes,' after I was told I needed to be operated on due to running," says Allison Tully of Falls Church, Virginia (reader for five years). "One fitting and six pairs later, I'm surgery-free."
"When you grab your cup from an aid station, pinch the top together. It makes it easier to drink without splashing all over you."
2 KNOT SMART
"Runner's World taught me how to lace without using double knots, so they don't come undone," says Andy Poon of Vancouver (20+ years). Stacey from Chicago got the tip from her sibling: "My little brother told me to tuck my laces into the tops of my shoes to make sure they can't come undone." Says Kim Tantlinger of Waltham, Massachusetts (11 years), "Square knots are better than granny knots and eliminate the need for double-knotting."
3 OR RUN BAREFOOT
Some runners find success giving up shoes. "After two decades running shod, the freedom and lightness experienced running barefoot is indescribable," says Tymen Bast of Amsterdam, Netherlands (one year). Says Brian Fuerst of Venice, California (six years), "An orthopedic surgeon told me that I shouldn't run and that I didn't have biomechanics good enough to ever run a marathon. Since then I abandoned the field of podiatry, started running barefoot, and have completed two marathons in 3:26 and 3:12."
Your Sage Source
The best advice you ever got came from...
33% A friend
23% A coach
36% Runner's World, of course!
3% A sports doc/physical therapist
4% A specialty running shoe store
Based on 1,730 respondents on runnersworld.com
4 EXERCISE CAUTION
"Listen to your body telling you that it needs a day of rest," says Laura McElduff, a reader in Northvale, New Jersey. "Otherwise you'll end up burned out, overtrained, or injured." Says Becca Dougherty of Flemington, New Jersey (15 years): "It is better to go into a race undertrained than overtrained." Jaylyn Bergner of Asheville, North Carolina (15+ years), uses legs-up-the-wall for recovery. "My coach in high school would have us elevate our legs for 10 minutes." Angie Shoe of Jacksonville, Florida, relies on pills: "An elderly gentleman said to take fish-oil pills daily. He promised that my joints will thank me later."
5 RUN FAST
"During sprint workouts my coach used to say, 'Dig deep. You can do anything for 30 seconds.' And if you keep repeating the mantra through the workout, you can get through it," says Cortney Bloomer of Carson City, Nevada. Kristen Marhaver of Merced, California (14 years), got go-fast advice from her dad. "The world's most law-abiding citizen would say, 'Run like you stole something.'"