DISCUSSION BOARD

If you have an issue or topic you would like an opinion on, please send me an email and I will respond as soon as possible. I will then post anonymously the question and answer below.

Submit your question:

Previous Questions & Answers;

Question: What do you do when a dog is chasing you?

I love dogs and our family has a rescue dog with his fair share of issues but I am not qualified to give advice on dealing with an attacking dog! I’m a runner, I’m not a dog trainer. But as I have learned, this is a real issue that prevents some folks from getting out and going for a run.

But via Google I have learned:

Stay Calm – easy to say, hard to do when you’re afraid of dogs to begin with – but try none-the-less. Staying calm actually throws the dog off as they expect you to panic. Yelling and screaming arouse the dog and feeds into the threat.
Take note of the dogs body language – wagging tail or wiggling body means the dog wants to play, not attack. You still need to take caution but this may help you stay calm.
Stop and face them at an angle to the dog – do not square off with them or look directly into their eyes. Stopping, as with Staying Calm, throws the dog off as they expect you to run away.
Don’t yell or scream – that will add excitement which the dog will feed off of.
I've read contradicting statements regarding communication - some articles say to remain competely quiet and don't communicate with the dog while others recommend you try to give some basic commands in a strong, firm voice – “Sit”, “Stay” or “Good Boy”, “Good Girl” – hearing a firm but calm voice might decrease the anxiety of the dog.
Once the dog has stopped advancing, slowly walk away and try to position yourself so there is something between you and the dog - but do NOT turn your back on the dog and if speaking to the dog was calming it donw, continue to do so in the same calm tone to reassure the dog everything is OK.

Again, I'm not a dog trainer but I love running and I love encouraging others to get out there, so if a fear of an attacking dog is your concern I hope these tips help.

Question: There are so many stretches and exercises out there for running – how does one find the time to do them all?

Answer: Simply put, we don’t!!! Most folks won’t argue the value of stretching, foam rolling and strength exercises for running but for the average runner there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. Every time you pick up a running magazine there are articles making you feel guilty about all the additional things you should be doing. You thought you were doing good taking up running and squeezing it into your busy schedule – and now you are being told you need to find twice as much time to stretch, weight lift, roll, etc. What did you get yourself into?

My advice – don’t worry about it. Run!!! And as time permits, run some more! But, as you get into your routine, yes, find some time to do some basic routines. A couple minutes of dynamic stretching before you run while your GPS is syncing up and a few minutes of static stretching while you’re cooling off before jumping in the shower will do you wonders. And throw in some pushups every morning and a few minutes of planks a couple times a week and you’ll be in good shape.

That being said, I am very sensitive about the knees and hips and I do highly recommend you take at least 1 day a week to specifically strengthen and stretch your lower body. If you’re running anything other than 6 days a week, this can be an off day or add it on to an easy/short running day. If you are running 6 days a week, avoid your rest day – you want to keep that day as a rest day!

Question: I am thinking of trying a 3-day per week running program. Do you have any opinions on this?

Answer: I do have opinions on it, as well as first-hand experience training with it – but the best answer for you depends on what you personally want to accomplish.

If someone is pressed for time and can’t afford to run more often, or if one is dealing with an injury, or if one simply doesn’t like to run, you can establish and follow an effective 3-day per week program that can lead to improvement and the accomplishment of some realistic goals. But if you don’t fall into one of those categories, why would you want to reduce how often you run? If you enjoy running, run as often as you can - as long as you get the appropriate rest. In my case, a few years back I decided I wanted to cycle more often (a sport I used to partake in and missed) but I didn’t have enough time to do both – and I still wanted to run a decent fall marathon. While I enjoyed being back on the bike that summer, all of my runs became specific workouts - and while I enjoy “working out”, there was no time left in my schedule to just go out for a “fun” run. My 3-day per week program was effective and I met my marathon goals that year but, by reducing the number of days I ran while also training for a specific goal, running became more of a “chore”.

Before deciding on any program, thoroughly review your running goals as well as other aspects of your life and pick a program that strikes the proper balance for you.