1. Work stretching into your day. Bob spends 20 minutes every morning - at least 5 minutes for each leg (20 seconds stretch on a post isn't enough).
2. Stay with shoes that work for you.
3. Use orthotics for all your shoes, not just your running shoes.
4. Start and end with walking. Walk warm up is a brief transition from being sedentary to running, allows system check (aches, pains and stiffness?) and shoulder rotations and leg shakes. Walk cool downs is a little longer - simply to bask in the endorphin rush.
5. Think about where you run. Stay off roads, sidewalks and tracks if possible. [This is not so easy to do in Singapore]
6. Be wary of hills. Cruise the ups and ease the downs at little more than brisk trot. Or even walk the downhills.
7. Bring on the ice. Host down with icy water (not so easy to do in Singapore) or use cold compress such as frozen gels, frozen vegetable packages on knees or joints to reduce muscular inflammation. I picked up two other ways - freeze a paper cup with water and tear off the cup as the ice melts when icing; or put ice cubes in a plastic bag.
8. Pitch the training log. Do not be too concerned with logging those miles. "A 20-mile week is as good as a 50-mile week -- if you are healthy... My mileage isn't important anymore. The only thing that's important is running healthy." How true.
9. Skip running for at least one day a week. No running whatsoever on that day. Do something else instead - cycling, swimming, tennis, golf, etc.
10. Enjoy yourself. Nuff said.
Bob wanted to run the 100th Boston marathon. Amby thought Bob wouldn't make it without injuring himself again. In Amby's words,
"I had known him too long, and he always broke down. This time he didn't. He maintained the training and didn't get injured. Not only that, but he ran a strong 3:15 in the Philadelphia marathon to qualify for Boston. How did he manage? Simple. Even after increasing his training mileage, he stuck to his 10 laws, and they pulled him through."
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