A SO-CALLED RUNNING EXPERT DECLARED THESE TO BE THE EIGHT MYTHS OF RUNNING. I AM CALLING HIM OUT BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME PARTIAL TRUTHS THAT THEY ARE MYTHS IT IS WISHFUL THINKING TO DECLARE THEM ALL USELESS MYTHS.
"There are so many myths about running! Here's 8 of them. Tag a friend who needs to know.
BIG MYTH 1
Running is Bad for Your Knees.
Running is not bad for your knees! There is no research to support that running hurts your knees, nor would we have evolved to run if doing so caused injuries.
BIG MYTH 2
Runners Race Faster by Training Faster.
You don’t do workouts to practice running faster. You do workouts to improve the physiological characteristics that will enable you to run faster in the future.
Rather than run faster, progress your interval workouts by increasing duration of each rep, increasing number of reps, or decreasing time of recovery intervals.
BIG MYTH 3
Lungs Limit Running Performance
Lung capacity is primarily influenced by body size, with bigger people having larger lung capacities. The best runners in the world are quite small people, with characteristically small lungs. There is no relationship between lung capacity and how fast someone runs a race.
While runners are often told to focus on their breathing to get in more oxygen, the blood is already nearly 100% saturated with oxygen, even while running a race.
BIG MYTH 4
Strength Training Makes You Faster.
There is little to no scientific or empirical evidence that strength training improves distance running performance. Distance running is primarily limited by the delivery and use of oxygen. There are no studies showing that strength training increases supply of oxygen to and use by muscles, which is largely dictated by cardiac output, amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin in blood, and muscles’ capillary and mitochondrial densities.
BIG MYTH 5
Strength Training Prevents Running Injuries.
There is no evidence that strength training prevents running injuries, that muscle weakness is a cause of running injuries, or that if a runner does not strength train, he or she is at a greater risk for running injuries. Runners who strength train get injured just as much as runners who don’t strength train.
BIG MYTH 6
Stretching Prevents Injuries, Reduces Soreness, & Improves Running Performance
Stretching only helps prevent injuries for explosive or ballistic movements by increasing compliance of tendons and improve their ability to absorb energy. Stretching only helps prevent muscle injuries, but not bone or joint injuries.
Stretching has minimal or no effect on post-workout muscle soreness.
Stretching doesn’t improve running performance.
BIG MYTH 7
Runners Need to Fuel Before Every Run.
It’s not necessary to eat before every run. You have enough muscle glycogen stored for 2+ hours of running. Given that carbohydrate is muscles’ preferred fuel, you should consume enough carbs every day (> 50% daily calories) to get the most out of your training.
BIG MYTH 8
You Need to Run a Lot to Be a Good Runner.
I lied. This one is true."