The Runners Rule book

Running is simple. Put on your shoes and head out the door. Unlike other sports there is no list of can?s and cants...until now. Mark Remy and the Editors of Runners World have written ?The Runner?s Rule Book? which covers over 100 rules that range from the light hearted suggestion of rule number 1; HAVE FUN! To the more hard and fast, DON?T DRESS LIKE A NINJA. Rules that can?t be broken like, Run in the inner lane, recover in the outer lane to tongue in cheek suggestions like, Look before you blow and When the elastics gone, it?s gone.
After running the Mississauga Marathon it was very evident that there were some newbie runners who needed some direction like Save the race shirt for post race and Bib numbers go on the front. Other race specific rules were Don?t complain about the entry fee as they say no one is holding a gun to your head so if you don?t like it pick another race but whatever you do Pay your way, banditing a race is stealing. Approach the expo with caution and Fight the urge to drop out but if you do, make peace with it.
Some important rules to highlight are: Expand your definition of fun, Keep unsolicited advice to yourself, Never leave a man behind, and One day a week, run naked. This last one is in reference to leaving all gadgets such as GPS, heart rate monitors, watches and cell phones at home. Others are rules for training such as Be patient, Know when enough is enough, Rest is training too, and most importantly Know the difference between pain and discomfort.
The following were my favourites; Run like a dog because they love to run, anytime, anywhere with anyone in any direction for any length of time. Having a million things to do is an excuse FOR running, not an argument against it. No further explanation needed, and finally...Call them running shoes. They are only sneakers if you plan on sneaking somewhere in them.
This light hearted book is amusing, informative and reminds us to Do whatever it takes to finish ahead of a costumed runner. Definitely worth the read.

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This past weekend Whitby hosted the brand new WIN Whitby International North race weekend and Tri & Run Sports Clinic instructor Patti Teske took a training group there to experience 21k of Whitby by foot. Group members finished in times from 1:53:30 to 2:27:51 and all agreed that it was a race worth running. Participants in the half were Leo Gratton (1:55:15), Patti Teske (2:27:51), Louise Ludick (2:23:05), Sarah McDonald (1:53:30), Sarah Boggett (2:12:33), Kim Mahoney (2:17:55), Cathy Warren (2:09:33), Richard Bray (2:07:49), Laurie Thompson (2:09:47) and Jeanette Horner (2:27:51). In the 10k local runner Boyd Kalnay won the race with a commanding lead in 38:57.
Jennifer Freymond competed in the Subaru Victoria Duathlon (4/30/4) in 1:42:48 while Wendy Roth (44:20) and Andrea Baker (51:48) completed the Ottawa Early Bird Try a Tri (100/10.5/2).