I love salty snacks, drink too much or too little while running and until recently gave very little thought to my running shoes.  I paid very little attention to healthy nutrition, proper hydration and how to get shoes that fit properly.  I ignored these at my peril…and paid the price.

Eating well, drinking the right amount and type of sports drink and spending the time to get the right shoes for your running style are the 3 things with the biggest impact in safe, healthy and fun running.  Here are some tips:

Nutrition.  There is the ongoing debate about protein and carbo; vitamins and supplements.  Grandma’s advice about eating a balanced diet is right but runners have specific dietary needs.  Addressing them will enhance performance and health…after all, that’s what we are all after.  This article about Diet and Nutrition for Runners gives some good advice.

Hydration. How much to drink?  What to drink?  During the Reggae Marathon that decision is easy to make:  bagged water and Gatorade at every mile along the entire route.  Don’t be foolhardy:  drink at every station.  This article from Runners World, Sipping Points, gives some good tips on drinking before, during and after running.

Running Shoes. If running barefoot is so good, why did we invent running shoes?  The hot topic now of course is minimalist running shoes.  Every shoe manufacturer has them.  Based on your foot type, running style and a ton of other factors, choosing your running shoes carefully is the single biggest thing you can do to minimize injuries and maintain safe running.  This article in Runners World, Choosing a shoe:  The very basics breaks it down.

I still may cheat on my diet with salty snacks but that’s why I took up running in the first place. Ready to go running?

Until next time

Reggae Marathon RunninGuy