Runner’s Commandments

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Hello, bloggies.   How goes it?  Just about the only thing keeping me alive at this point is the knowledge that tomorrow is Friday. ๐Ÿ™

 

Lunch was very simple and pretty low-cal.  I was saving room for a special dessert!

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I had a WW pita sammie with turkey and melted Cabot cheese.

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And a carrot and pickles.  Do you know how fast we go through a jar of pickles?  We crushed a jar in three days this time.  Sometimes it’s 2 days. ๐Ÿ™‚

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My super-special lunchtime dessert was one of the gourmet biscottis I bought last night with a cup of coffee.

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It was seriously crunchy, chocolately heaven.  MMMM.

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The Runner’s Commandments

 

Mica from MicaPie sent me this list of Runner’s Commandments (by Joe Kelly).  I thought they were so funny (and so true) that I wanted to share them with you! 

 

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don’t let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who’s missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be  there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner. “Singlets” are worn on warm days. “Tank tops” are worn to the beach.
18. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don’t always run alone.
20. Don’t always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
27. Be modest after a race, especially if you have reason to brag.
28. If you say, “Let’s run this race together,” then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.
29. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
30. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
31. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
32. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
33. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
34. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
35. Don’t trust runners who show up at races claiming to be tired, out of share, or not feeling well. 
36. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
37. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
38. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
39. Without goals, training has no purpose.
40. During training runs, let the slowest runner in the group set the pace.
41. The first year in a new age group offers the best opportunity for trophies.
42. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
43. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
44. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
45. “Winning” means different things to different people.
46. Unless you make your living as a runner, don’t take running too seriously.
47. Runners who never fail are runners who never try anything great.
48. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.
49. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
50. Never apologize for doing the best you can.
51. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run.

 

Which Commandment do you like the most?  I love #4, #10, $41, and #45 the most.  And of course, #53 rings true to any runner!

{ 30 comments }

 

  • Meghann January 22, 2009, 10:45 am

    I Like #’s 9, 11, 16, 24, 26, 39, 43, 45, 51, 52, 53

    haha I didn’t do a very good job of narrowing them down. Too many good ones to choose from!

  • sweetandfit January 22, 2009, 11:00 am

    i'm loving #5, 9, 11, 22, 24, & 44.

    those were really cute! (although I am still not back to running yet, I still could relate)

  • Sarah (lovINmytummy) January 22, 2009, 11:06 am

    Great commandments! I swear if Chris, or my trainer, or my cat hear about my black toe one more time they are going to cut it off!

    I love how you paced yourself for dessert…I”m always doing that!

    Have a great day!

  • Marissa January 22, 2009, 11:21 am

    I like the commandments!!!

  • Beadie @ What I Ate Yesterday January 22, 2009, 11:21 am

    I like # 26 and #53 but I thought they were all great.

  • Meg January 22, 2009, 11:23 am

    Your lunch dessert looks quite yummy!

  • brandi January 22, 2009, 11:33 am

    I love 22 and 26 – they're the truest (is that word?) for me. Especially 26 some days.

    I could relate to a lot of them, though, and this really reminded me of why I love running.

    I love "8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day youรขโ‚ฌโ„ขll need to call for a ride. "

    <— they don't even have pay phones anymore! ๐Ÿ™‚

    I guess maybe keep a cell phone with you instead.

    Caitlin – have you read anything in the newest SELF about "happy weight"? I posted a link to your blog in my rambling about it last night – it goes along well with the Healthy Tipping Point idea!

  • Adrienne January 22, 2009, 11:36 am

    I’m a fan of #13!
    That biscotti looks so yummy… mmm.

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 22, 2009, 11:39 am

    brandi – yes i have read the happy weight article. i calculated my happy weight and my maintenance weight is apparently my happy weight, so that’s good! i was suprised to see that when i changed “works out 5 days a week” to “works out 1 day a week”, my happy weight only went up 2 lbs. guess that means that my workouts count more towards my mental sanity than my waistline!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Andrea of Care to Eat January 22, 2009, 11:53 am

    #20 in particular resonates with me. I’m not a “runner” but am training for a 10k. I am sooooo slow, but I just want to be able to finish it! If I wasn’t doing this, I would be sleeping in, so it’s nice to get done with a run and feel good – no matter how slow I ran.

  • lauren January 22, 2009, 11:55 am

    I love this list. I got it in a forward a few weeks ago!

    My favorite is 21. Others I like are 15, 16, 34.

  • ksgoodeats January 22, 2009, 12:12 pm

    Are those the Nonna’s biscotti? They are pretty fab ๐Ÿ™‚

    Nice list!

  • Amanda January 22, 2009, 12:19 pm

    Caitlin,

    I posted about the Happy Weight article when I first read about your new blog title. I found it really interesting that my happy weight is about 3 lbs higher than what I view as my “ideal” weight … and also explains why I always feel like I am “almost there, but not quite” .. why not just accept the happy weight?! I also played around with the calculator and workouts going from 5 times a week to 3 and it was a 1 lb difference!

    Speaking of motivation, that one commandment about the slowest runner being faster than someone on the couch really rings true to me!! Just getting out there is better than nothing ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Rebecca January 22, 2009, 12:41 pm

    I like them all! But 39. “Without goals, training has no purpose.” struck a cord with me…for about 9 months I wasn’t training for any races and felt so unmotivated, and my running suffered tremendously.

  • matt January 22, 2009, 1:07 pm

    right now number 48! i’ve been rocking the tights in this cold weather!

  • Heather McD (Heather Eats Almond Butter) January 22, 2009, 1:32 pm

    When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there. – So true! We are blessed to be able to lace up our shoes and hit the road.

    PS – That’s a lot of pickles!

  • Carolina John January 22, 2009, 2:00 pm

    Hey C. love the new blog.

    these runners commandments are great too.

  • Danielle January 22, 2009, 2:30 pm

    As someone who just recently started running, it’s fun to read the “commandments” Tahnks for sharing.
    Oh and in the summer I go through pickles like I’ve got stock in them.

  • Katie January 22, 2009, 3:30 pm

    Those were great! I like #18… I’m pretty guilty of that one.

  • Victoria January 22, 2009, 3:51 pm

    Love the commandments!

  • Bridget January 22, 2009, 4:11 pm

    Cool list!

  • Mica January 22, 2009, 4:59 pm

    Haha, thanks for mentioning me, even though I didn’t write them. I feel so famous!

    I love pickles too! We should make an addendum to the list: #54 Pickles are awesome.

  • Red Head, Yellow Dog January 22, 2009, 5:29 pm

    I love these!!! I like number 10, 16 and 3.

    ah I need to find a running partner/group around here!! it’s so nice to run with others

  • Nicole (anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com) January 22, 2009, 7:08 pm

    I like that list!

  • ttfn300 January 22, 2009, 7:42 pm

    cute list ๐Ÿ™‚

  • HangryPants January 22, 2009, 8:11 pm

    Are there rules for who gets to be considered a runner? I am actually wondering about this.

    I liek 47, 50 and 52.

  • Andrea (Off Her Cork) January 23, 2009, 5:04 am

    I love them all! Awesome. ๐Ÿ˜€

  • Katie January 23, 2009, 7:13 am

    Really great list. Thanks for sharing! #16 and #21 are my favorites.

  • Becky January 23, 2009, 11:08 am

    I love them! Faves are 17 and 7 I think, runners who brag about their times drive me crazy! Thanks for sharing!

  • Becky January 23, 2009, 11:09 am

    crap I meant to say 18 and 7, not 17. but I liked 17 too haha.

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