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The 10 best pieces of running advice you’ll ever receive

Simple but effective running advice from some of the best in the business

Running is a pretty straightforward sport. As something you can do right from your front door, just placing one foot in front of the other, it should be exercise in its purest form. However, there’s a lot of misinformation out there and sometimes runners can be inundated with poor advice. We’ve chronicled some of the worst advice runners have received here. Now, we’d like to look at the best advice that runners have received, so you can trade in the bad ideas you’ve been presented with for some better ones. 

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For when you’re lacking motivation:

When you don’t feel like running, tell yourself to just go for five minutes. Guaranteed it won’t be just five minutes.

For longevity:

“Listen to your body. There are things I wish I hadn’t pushed through as a younger runner.” – Kate Van Buskirk

For when things are going well:

Really soak it in when everything is clicking. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. 

For achieving longterm success:

“Consistency is the key to success. It sounds simple but it’s so true.” – Reid Coolsaet

For high schoolers:

When you’re young, less is more. 

For the tough days:

Have a long memory for your good workouts and a short memory for your bad ones.

Trevor Hofbauer wins 2019 Canadian Marathon Championships. Photo: Maxine Gravina

For when you need to take it easy:

Leave the GPS watch at home and run by feel sometimes. A day without Strava might reduce the temptation to run too quickly. If Trevor Hofbauer can run qualify for the marathon without a watch, you can run an off day without one, too. 

For before race day:

“Race for the love of it and don’t stress about the times. They will come.” – Sasha Gollish

For when you’re impatient:

“You can’t force fitness.” – Des Linden

For female runners:

“If you aren’t getting a regular period as a female athlete, I urge you to seek help, to talk to teammates and coaches, to make necessary adjustments to fuelling and training.” – Elise Cranny

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