Break Your Bad Running Habits

Establish good habits around your running, and you’ll stay healthy, make progress, and feel great. Sounds good, right?

. . . but nobody’s perfect. 

We’ve all got a few bad habits (yes, even your friendly neighborhood coach). You can pile on healthy habits, but if you don’t let go of the bad ones, you’re making it harder. Figuring out what’s holding you back is the first step to getting better! 

I’ve run across a lot of bad habits (in my coaching practice and in my life). Here are some of the most common bad running habits– and what to do about them.

Bad running habit #1: Failing to fuel

Coffee is delicious, but it isn’t an adequate source of fuel. If you run first thing in the morning without eating anything, you’re likely leaving health and performance improvement on the table (so to speak).

Yes, you can probably get away without eating before shorter or easier runs, but why are you thinking about what you can get away with instead of what’s optimal? 

You might need to experiment with different options to find what works best for you– I get it, you’re probably not waking up hungry and you’re probably in a rush. But how about half a banana? A piece of toast? I have a primer for you here.

Bad running habit #2: Skipping the warmup/cooldown

It’s so tempting, especially if you’re crunched for time, to just charge out the door going full-tilt boogie, get your miles in, then run straight into the shower. You want to spend all of your precious minutes putting one foot in front of the other. I get it. But please don’t!

Steal five minutes from your run if you have to, but don’t skip the warmup and cooldown. Start with even just a couple of minutes of dynamic stretching (toe touches, walking lunges, high knees. . . ). Get your joints moving. Get your blood flowing. On the other end, jog or walk it in. Do a quick shakeout/stretch before you peel off those sweaty clothes. 

You’ll thank yourself when you’re sitting at your desk feeling energized instead of hauling your creaky butt out of your chair like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz.

Bad running habit #3: Going hard every day

It’s tempting to think that the best way to improve is to work as hard as you can all the time. But it’s not. 

Working at a range of intensities, with the emphasis on ridiculously easy, is the best path to progress. Long-term, sustainable, healthy development as a runner is built on easy miles. This is counterintuitive at first– make it easier? Really? Yes, really.

If you’re always going hard, you’re likely under-recovering. And recovery is where the magic happens.

You’re also probably causing unnecessary soreness and suffering, which doesn’t bode well for your long-term relationship with running.

So try it! Go so slow you can talk to your buddies, or breathe through your nose.

You don’t have to quit running fast– keep a workout day or two, absolutely. Work that lactate threshold. Do some VO2Max intervals. But give your aerobic system some love the rest of the time, and slow down.

Bad running habit #4: Being a slave to your watch

Speaking of slowing down. . . do you obsess over your paces, even on easy runs? If you see a number that you think is slow, do you feel bad about yourself? Embarrassed, even? Stop it.

Unless you’re an elite runner, you’re probably over-emphasizing pace. Most of us are better off using subjective effort as the primary gauge of intensity. 

Your pace can be affected by weather, your menstrual cycle, stress, nutrition, altitude, what you did yesterday, your sleep. . . and unless you have a very specific competition goal, it doesn’t really matter. So don’t tie your self-worth to the number on your watch. 

If you’re a recovering watch addict, you don’t have to go cold turkey. Try wearing it, but keeping those stats out of sight while you run. Even just for one run a week. Focus on how you feel. You can review your data later. 

Bad running habit #5: Competing with strangers on Strava

And what are you doing with that watch data, anyway? Are you using it to compare yourself to other people on Strava? Other people who might have different goals and needs and histories than you? Other people who might be doing a hard workout when you’re supposed to be doing an easy run? 

Yes, it’s fun to cheer each other on and give kudos. It’s fun to track your progress on segments and see how you stack up.

But if you’re racing when you should be chilling, or over-doing it because it will look cool on Strava, you’re only hurting yourself. And I hate to break it to you, but. . . no one cares!

Try setting your stats to private for a while. See how YOU feel about your progress.

Bad running habit #6: Skipping strength & mobility

Runners gonna run, right? Well, until we get IT band syndrome and plantar fasciitis and shin splints and tendinitis and stress fractures. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.

Would I rather be running than cuddling with my foam roller and kettlebells? Absolutely. But over a long enough time period, running without strength and mobility turns into injury– which means not running.

There are definitely benefits to serious strength training, but if that’s not your cup of tea, a little bit goes a long way. You can add strength in without a gym membership and in just a few short sessions. Here’s a great routine from coaches Megan and David Roche.

I suggest doing strength on the days you’re already doing harder runs (that way, your easy and rest days can be dedicated to recovery). And sprinkle a little mobility in every day– during your warmup and cooldown, and in the little spaces around your regular life stuff.

Try it and if you don't feel better, call me. I’ll buy you a coffee and we’ll troubleshoot.

Bad running habit #7: Abusing your gear

Do you take your shoes off without untying them? Shove your sweaty pack in the closet without even throwing out your empty gel wrappers? Leave wet shoes moldering in the corner? Do you feel called out right now?

It just takes a few minutes to take care of your stuff. It will serve you better and last longer. That’s good for you, your wallet, and the planet. 

Getting your stuff sorted will also save you time in the long run– everything’s ready for you the next time you’re heading out the door. So maybe you can spend those five minutes warming up instead of looking for your other shoe.

Change doesn’t happen overnight

And it doesn’t happen by itself.  But attend to the little stuff, and over time, you’ll make big improvements. If you can take just one of these bad habits and fix it, you’ll improve as a runner. You’ll be healthier and happier. 

The way to start is to just start. What’s the first step? Take it. So which one will you start with?