The Runner's Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know--And Then Some by Mark Remy and the Editors of Runner's World

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Every sport has rules. Running is no exception. If you’re curious, just visit the Web site of USA Track & Field, the sport’s governing body, where you’ll find detailed dictates on everything from disqualification to bib-number placement to the caliber of the starter’s pistol.

But what about the everyday rules of running? The unspoken ones that pertain to the lingo, behavior, and etiquette that every seasoned runner seems to know and every newbie needs to learn? Veteran runner Mark Remy and the editors of Runner’s World magazine provide answers to these very questions and many more in The Runner’s Rule Book.

Inside you’ll find:

Rule 1.18

LEARN, AND LOVE, THE FARMER’S BLOW

Farmer’s Blow \ fär-m?rz blo \ n: a process by which one clears a nostril of mucus by pinching shut the opposing nostril and exhaling forcefully

[syn: Snot Rocket]

Rule 2.32

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO FINISH AHEAD OF A COSTUMED RUNNER

Because being outkicked by Elmo is too much to bear.

Rule 3.1

CALL THEM RUNNING SHOES

They aren’t sneakers, or tennis shoes, or kicks, or trainers (sorry, Brits). They are running shoes. So call them that.

…and many, many more. With 100+ rules that cover the basics of running, racing, track etiquette, and apparel and gear, including hilarious running commentary on running culture, The Runner’s Rule Book will be the reference guide you’ll turn to again and again for answers to your burning running questions.

My thoughts:
I picked this up because I was curious about what the rules might be, have I been inadvertently breaking any rules because I didn't know they existed?  I live very close to the Rodale Institute where the editors at Runner's World work so when they talked about different routes they take I can picture some of the streets and such.  So how am I doing and what rules do I break?  I do sometimes throw my running clothes in the dryer, not the sports bras, but the pants and shirts.  I guess I am making them not last as long, but in doing laundry for six people, two of whom run, I don't always remember to pull things out before they go through the dryer.  I've never broken this one, but I don't know that I wouldn't, apparently you should not wear the t-shirt for a race in the actual race, it should only be worn afterwards.  I understand not wearing a shirt for a race you've never done, but if you are doing the race right then I wouldn't see a problem with wearing the shirt and often see many people doing so.  I've never run in Philadelphia, but where I run isn't that far away and I have never heard the Rocky theme song at any race I have done including the St. Luke's Half Marathon in Allentown in April which had a band at every mile marker.  This was a nice, fast read, which elicited some smiles and a couple of laughs, pointed out some common sense like not running three runners abreast on a road for safety and courtesy.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781605295800
• Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
• Publication date: 10/13/2009
• Pages: 176

Meet the Author

Mark Remy lives, runs, and writes in eastern Pennsylvania, where he is the executive editor of RunnersWorld.com. He has run 15 marathons, including 5 Bostons, with a personal best time of 2:46. (Note: He ran that 2:46 in 1999; see Rule 1.51, page 54.)

Checkpoint!

This week I feel good about the exercise I did, but calorie wise I went way off track.  I have a couple of ideas why I went so off course, but the most important thing is to refocus and stick to my goals.  I am not sure the scale has moved at all this month, but I'm not going to let myself give up!

Activity this week:
Ran 23 miles
Level 1 Of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (26 min)
Level 1 of Jillian Michaels Shed and Shred (45 min)
Crunch-Joy of Yoga (36 min)

I used to do the 30 Day Shred all the time and I was glad to see that it didn't feel anywhere near as hard as it used to.  I think I'll try level 2 next time.  In Shed and Shred I am still up in the air. but the inner thigh exercise made me sore for a few days so I may need to try that move at least again!  Hopefully if it makes you sore it actually doing something too.  Years ago the Crunch video was my favorite at home yoga workout.  I still remembered all the things the instructor was going to say and I was a bit sad at all the flexibility I have lost over the years.  I guess that is just incentive to keep at it!

According to MyFitnessPal I went over my weekly calories by 815, so not as bad as the week before.  I only went over the first four days so hopefully I've gotten back on the right track.  I think i said last week my goal was to stay under or at my calories for the week, well I am going to try that again for this week.

This is hosted by Mari at Bookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

This past week I did well in some areas and faltered a bit in some others.  I went over my calories by quite a bit, it seemed like I was always hungry or eating because of stress.  So it is something to work harder on this week.  According to My Fitness Pal my goal between food and exercise is 1200 calories a day.  I have a hard time sticking with this and usually try to add in extra exercise so I can still eat.  I averaged between 1300 and 1400 a day overall, but only actually went over my amount on three of the days.

Exercise for the week:
Ran 24 miles
Walked 3.5

I didn't do any strength training or other exercises for the week.  I started walking at lunch two days a week with a coworker, which is good stress relief in the middle of the day.  Also, I took the time to do a long run this week.  Friday I ran 9 miles.  I made the decision to register for the half marathon at the end of April after the run, if I can do 9 now in three months I can do 13.1.

Goals for next week:
Get in more cross training.
Stick better to my calories, stop letting stress and eating just to eat be ways to sabotage myself.

This is hosted by Mari atBookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

The new year is just days away and, thanks to Shelia at Book Journey , I stumbled upon this meme over at Bookworm with a View.  Every week people post how they are doing in their own fitness goals and what is coming up.  I became a runner in July.  I toyed with the idea in the spring, for a few weeks I ran daily increasing the time little by little, and then I took a break for a day, that turned into a week which turned into a few months.  In July I recommitted myself by signing up for a 5K in August.  Since then I've signed up for a race a month to keep myself from being able to quit.  It took six months, but now I no longer fear quiting quite so much.  My next 5K is on Saturday to celebrate the end of the year.  Then for 2012 my new challenge is a 10K on Super Bowl Sunday.  This week I have been toying with the idea of signing up for a Half Marathon at the end of April.  Last week my long run was 9 miles, my longest ever! The idea both scares and excited me in equal measures, I want to click and sign up but worry that 13.1 will be too much for me.  I'm not a very fast runner either so not only will it be a long distance but it is going to take me awhile.  I want to decide before the end of the week because I know the race is filling up and I don't want to wait too long.  I guess by next week I'll be able to record my choice, which I think is going to be yes, I just need to wrap my mind around the idea a little longer.

To Be a Runner: How Racing Up Mountains, Running with the Bulls, or Just Taking On a 5-K Makes You a Better Person (and the World a Better Place) by Martin Dugard

Overview
With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, instruction, and humor, best-selling author—and lifelong runner—Martin Dugard takes a journey through the world of running to illustrate how the sport helps us fulfill that universal desire to be the best possible version of ourselves each and every time we lace up our shoes.


To Be a Runner represents a new way to write about running by bridging the chasm between the two categories of running books: how-to and personal narrative. Spinning colorful yarns of his running and racing adventures on six continents—from competing in the infamous Raid Gauloises to coaching his son's high school cross-country team—Dugard considers what it means to truly integrate the activity into one's life. For example, how the simple act of buying a new pair of running shoes can be a source of meaning and hope. As entertaining as it is provocative, To Be a Runner is about far more than running: It is about life, and how we should live it.

My thoughts:
Over the weekend I completed my third 5K.  Running is still relatively new to me so I've been signing up for a 5K a month to keep myself working towards a goal.  There are two libraries I regularly visit and somehow at the one location I seem to always find running books.  This is the book I read on Sunday night when we were without power.  It was nice to have few distractions, but it would have been nicer to have more light.  I think I  need a better book light!

The book is a collection of essays about running that run in a pretty much chronological order for Martin Dugard from how he first tried running when his parents ran laps in a gym, to being a runner in high school and college, to stopping and getting heavy, returning and then stopping again and getting heavy.  Now he is a writer and a high school coach and the excitement he feels for his runners is so motivating.  One thing I've found in my limited experience with the running community is that so many people are so encouraging.  Very few people criticize if your time is slow or you aren't overly confident, and he seems like he is a very motivated and understanding coach who pushes his runners to do their best and believes in them.  I wish at some point I had tried running as part of a team.

One thing he comes back to over and over again is how running, and he does mostly trail running, helps him put things in perspective and break out of a bad mood.  He runs almost daily as a break in his writing and a lot of it really is getting your shoes on and getting out the door.  Once you start you are so much less likely to stop or quit than if you never get yourself up to do it in the first place (like lots of things in life I guess).
Details
•Pub. Date: May 2011
•Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
•Format: Hardcover , 256pp
•ISBN-13: 9781609611088
•ISBN: 160961108X

Run Your Butt Off!: A Breakthrough Plan to Shed Pounds and Start Running (No Experience Necessary!)by Leslie Bonci , Sarah Butler , Budd Coates

Overview
Shed unwanted pounds and keep them off ONCE AND FOR ALL with Run YourButt Off!, a back-to-basics, test panel-approved weight-loss plan and beginners' running program that yields sustainable, healthy results. The Run Your Butt Off! program is founded on the simple concept that in order to lose weight, calories burned must exceed calories consumed. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, no silver bullets can circumvent that reality. With this program, you'll learn to burn fat from both sides of the weight-loss equation—the calories in and the calories out—at the same time. Run Your Butt Off! will make you fitter, stronger , and leaner .

My thoughts:
I wish I had found this book when I took up running this summer.  I had my own plan and I think having had these ideas to follow through on might have helped make it look more achievable.  The plan takes you for 12 weeks, or longer if you want to spend more than one week at a level and running plan, and you go from walking for 30 minutes to running for 30 minutes.  Each chapter also has some ideas to help you adapt your life to more healthy sustainable approaches like eating more fruits, vegetables and protein and reading food labels. Actual people who participated in the program are featured with achievable goals.  No one lost absurd amounts of weight in the 12 weeks, but everyone made progress toward their own goals.  A mother at my daughter's  Brownie meeting was telling me how this book was written by someone in our area and she has applied to be one of the walkers in the next book, about Walking Your Butt Off!  She encouraged me to apply, but as I have already been running I don't qualify for the the new book and I don't want to give up running to go back to walking anyway.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get started with running.  I checked it out of the local library, and need to get it returned as it was due today, which would be a great way to see if it what you are looking for before buying it.  I loved the calculator online to find out your BMI and the logs at the back.  Personally I've been using Dailymile for logging my exercise and I like that more than a paper pencil method, but I can see the merits of both.


Details
•Pub. Date: March 2011
•Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
•Format: Paperback , 304pp
•ISBN-13: 9781605294049
•ISBN: 1605294047