What are some of the biggest running myths?

Cheddar wrote:

Telling white kids,"If they work hard, they can secede in Athletics".

Beat me to it.

Also, "some of us are just slower". To a point, yes, but all of those five hour marathoning Runner's World readers need to pull their heads out of their hindquarters and realize how lazy and spendy they are.

That everyone is a winner regardless of where you finish. Actually, I firmly believer that there is only ONE winner and then a whole lot of losers.

i actually think you "win" against everybody you beat, and "lose" to everybody that beats you. So if you came in 20th out of 300, you lost 19 times, but won 280 time.. 280-19, great record

caveman wrote:

That everyone is a winner regardless of where you finish. Actually, I firmly believer that there is only ONE winner and then a whole lot of losers.

GPS is more accurate than a jones counter.

Running shoes can't be made in the US at a profit.

Goretex lets the sweat out but prevents rain from getting in

You need a jock strap for running.

Drinking during a run will upset your stomach

The toy megaphone used by the race director will be heard more than three rows back from the starting line.

Runners have short attention spans and so races must have a carnival atmosphere and blare rock music so loud their ears bleed.

That you're really funny if you yell "Run Forrest Run!" out a car window when driving by a runner.

That, even though they look silly, compression socks don't make you run faster and recover better.

You're not a true runner until you've completed a marathon.

To be a real runner, you need to bash ultramarathoners and people slower than you.

That wellnow knows anything about running.

that you should push yourself 100% every workout.

AC XC wrote:

Hormones are what govern weight gain/loss. They do so by increasing/decreasing your appetite. Or, if that doesn't work, they will increase/decrease the energy usage of your body cells.

It comes down to the fact that "calories in vs calories out" is a vacuously true statement.

Not really. It's just a simplification so that the average person can conceptually understand the idea. Most people are f***ing retarded and can't understand more than that.

For >99% it really is as simple as calories in and calories out.

electrolyte replacement in a marathon prevents cramps and hyponatremia.

that 100 mile weeks are necessary to run at an elite level

well you are both kind of wrong. you cant really simplify something like that. hormones play a role and how much you eat and how much you exercise do too. however what you eat and when you eat it have a huge amount to do with it too. also your diet during your development (in the womb, during childhood and adolesence) may have the biggest impact.

viva wrote:

well you are both kind of wrong. you cant really simplify something like that. hormones play a role and how much you eat and how much you exercise do too. however what you eat and when you eat it have a huge amount to do with it too. also your diet during your development (in the womb, during childhood and adolesence) may have the biggest impact.

i can simplify it! wait here, ready?

calories in < calories out

not a myth but its like the south park espisode about harleys. Ultra marathoners do it for attention to show how badass they are when i fact they are slow and homo. i'll whoop any ultra in any race, bring it!!! i also bench press buicks and squat trains, can i join the army debate as well?

Cheddar wrote:

Telling white kids,"If they work hard, they can secede in Athletics".

Telling white kids "If they go to school they'll learn to spell."

Fail.

USAF_run wrote:

Here are some very regular comments from the uninformed military members:

- "I wish I was born naturally fast like you"(they disregard the 70+ mile weeks that I run)

- "Of course he's going to run faster on his PT test than me, his legs are MUCH longer" (I'm 6'2)

- "He can run his 1.5 mile real fast but I bet he couldn't carry me in a war zone" (I'm the only military member in my wing to score a 100 on the PT test. You need 67 pushups in a minute, 58 situps in a minute and 9:06 for 1.5 mile run. On top of that I can still bench press 255, being one of the stronger members of the group. And if you lost some eff'ing weight and got down to a reasonable size, maybe I could carry you in a war zone)

you only need a 9:36 for your PT test at age 20