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Of Romulus, Remus, and Running

It's easy to make mistakes if your buy into certain running myths. So don't

All great civilizations-the Greeks, the Romans, we runners-develop their own mythology. But while stories about Zeus and Apollo have never hurt anyone (at least not lately), running myths continue to take their toll on runners' health. Here are six popular running myths, and the truth behind each.

Myth No. 1
To become a better runner, you need to pile on the mileage. Busted: Dramatically increasing your mileage usually leads to injury, lingering fatigue, or mental burnout. Sometimes all three. The best way to improve is to gradually increase the length of your long run by 1 to 2 miles every 2 to 3 weeks, and do race-specific speed training (if you are shooting for a time goal). With sufficient rest between these two components, you may even be able to decrease your total mileage and still improve your times and endurance.

Myth No. 2
Your long run only needs to be as long as your projected race finish time. Busted: Your endurance limit at any given time is the actual distance of your longest run in the last 3 weeks. So if you are hoping for a 4-hour marathon, and your longest run is a 20-miler that you did in 4 hours, you will likely struggle from the 20-mile mark to the finish. To avoid "hitting the wall," build your long run to at least the distance of the race you're training fork and run it about 2 minutes per mile slower than your projected race pace.

Myth No. 3
Running faster gives you more running satisfaction. Busted: Admittedly, I pursued this running myth all the way to the 1972 Olympics. Yet over the years, I've come to believe that faster times only satisfy the ego temporarily. Most of the runners I've surveyed tell me that almost all of their running satisfaction comes from covering the distance, crossing the finish line, and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow runners. The 50-plus sow marathons I've run have given me the same accomplishment as my 50-plus fast marathons, with almost none of the pain. While there are certain internal benefits that come from pursuing and achieving a specific time goal, let these goals be the icing. Meanwhile, feast on the cake.

Myth No. 4
If you run a marathon, you should run ever step of it. Busted: According to a newspaper account of the 1896 Athens Olympic Marathon, every competitor ran and walked. There is no inherent benefit in running continuously, unless you're aiming for a 2:10 finish. For many of us, walking early and regularly during long training runs and races helps conserve energy but still moves us forward. This can actually lead to faster times. But don't wait until you're tired before taking walk breaks, or you may struggle when you resume running.

Myth No. 5
If you tend to slow down at the end of races, run faster than goal pace in the beginning to give yourself a "cushion." Busted: Actually, running too fast at the start of a race will cause you to slow down even more at the end. I've found that for every 10 seconds per mile you run too fast at the start of a longer race, you will slow down about 1 minute per mile toward the end of the race. Most veterans run their personal records by running the second half of a race slightly faster than the first (this is called "running negative splits"). This means they hold themselves back at the beginning to save their legs for a strong and spirited finish.

Myth No. 6
Lengthen your stride to run faster and easier. Busted: Both research and my own experience have shown that distance runners tend to naturally shorten their stride slightly as they improve their speed and endurance. The key to easier running is keeping your feet low to the ground, with a stride length that doesn't produce a "braking" action, or tension in the leg muscles. Running this way increases your turnover, which, in turn, increases speed and efficiency.

From Runner's World