The Middle Ground

YoungPup wrote (see)

In my running news, I've been humming along trying to be consistent, but have made what I think is a sensible decision to not run Gosport this weekend.

That's a shame old son. Sounds a wise decision though. I'm not 100% looking forward to it in a way I should be after the 10milers...some tingling niggles already, and just had a right old going over by a sports massage

Curly, you still involved?

alehouse - meant to say glad things are improving slightly!

alehouse, you've read prf's blog - walking is an excellent way to start on your way towards new PBs!  Good to hear things are improving.

Second wind.  Not sure I understand how or why but the consensus seems to be that it happens when your body finally gets into the groove, no matter how late in the game.  In which case aiming for an earlier second wind is better - and good warm up is key.  That'll do for good practice.

YD, good restatement of Sod's Law.  I'm sure there ought to be a whole lawbook for running, of which that would just be one example.
The Law of Hill Training - When explaining hilly routes on a forum, note that all loops work out to have a non-zero, positive elevation.
The Law of Interval Training - Good intervals are posted to the tenth of a second; decent intervals to the second; poor intervals to nearest ten seconds; other intervals to minutes and always called "cruise intervals".
Duck's Law - The size of the gripe is proportional to the amount by which PB is missed.
Hilly's Law - (A sub-clause of "Preacher's Law") When injured, do as I say, not as I do.
Ratzer's Law - If it hasn't been tested it's not real.
I'm sure there are plenty more.  

Double for me yesterday evening.  About eight, followed not too long later by about four.  11-12 is about right for a MLR for me at the moment. 

Love the laws of running

Unfortunately, Mrs YP has laid down the law, and has told me in no uncertain terms that she is of the view that me racing on Sunday is forbidden!

This means that the Quiet Life Law kicks in, and I ain't racing.....

YP - bad luck old chap.  I don't know what the organisers' policy is on this but someone over in Events is looking for a spare place...

I've had a wee think about the "second wind".  I think maybe there's one that's explained by people's tendency to slack off at certain points of a race, which may be associated with a corresponding physiological effect.  For example, maybe during miles 6/7/8 of a half marathon, you're beginning to feel uncomfortable, need to push on but with the end nowhere in sight, so you slack off a little.  A good HM pace will be close to threshold, so maybe you're subtly moving from a state of lactic build-up to a state where you're now flushing it away more effectively, so by miles 9/10 not only is the end a little easier to envisage (mentally allowing for a final push) but you're also in a better position physiologically to increase effort, hence the second wind.

YP, I too would wait for the weekend. The wife (mine, not yours) is always trying to look out for my health too. I get around it by lying about stuff.

Ratzer, I think you should do everyone.

Not a law, but whenever a non-runner asks me how long a run took me I feel it necessary to point out "but it was only an easy run", lest they think it may have taken me that long to race it, ignoring the fact that they would not know a good time anyway. Then I let them know I'm not training for a marathon before they get a chance to ask.

YP and Simon, I think you're suffering from the application of Mothering Law...

There definitely should be a chapter in the rule book for dealing with non-runners.  The Laws of Explaining Running, perhaps?
1.  Always call it a 'run', even if you did actually go for a jog.
2.  Always make achievements understandable by using non-running comparisons - e.g. "yeah, that 10s faster is about the same as you losing 40lbs..."
3.  Always be sure to compliment non-runners on their achievements, even if they're completely unrelated to running.
4.  Don't talk about carrying toilet tissue.

Simon's Law.  If you're not VO2max training, you're not racing a proper distance.

Not sure I should do everyone - I might be subject to a Kangaroo Court at the next thread meet.

PP wrote (see)

I've had a wee

I like your thoughts on second wind, Phil.  I think the warming up principle holds for shorter races, but your threshold idea holds for long.  What I'd still be interested in is seeing splits for someone where they've experienced a second wind.  They should be pretty obvious in your examples, but maybe less so in the shorter races.

PhilPub's Maxim - Don't Tri, Du!

I suppose this is a derivation of the Law of Hill Training.
The Law of Wind. Any wind at your back benefits the runner only 1/10th of the extent that the same wind hindered you when in your face.

The Law of Course Measurement - any race distance is incorrectly measured if two of the racers' Garmins disagree with the distance.  This holds regardless of how much the Garmins disagree with each other.
The Law of Nostalgia - races were much better in the good old days.

I'm sure there's a Law of Nostalgic Course Measurement...

I'd like to nominate my own Law of Running Nutrition: focus on the positives.  This is basically a way of justifying eating whatever the feck you want before or after a run - and especially a race - by over-emphasising any element of a food stuff which may benefit fuelling/recovery.  So... chocolate = carb + protein + polyphenols (probably) + antioxidants; beer = water + grain + carb; double cream = protein + calcium.  Composite foods then become extra nutritious because they combine all the positive elements of more fundamental foods, e.g. chocolate cheesecake = chocolate + cream + oats + butter (another protein/calcium-rich food), therefore more likely to encompass "all the major food groups."

Simon Edward wrote (see)

YP, I too would wait for the weekend. The wife (mine, not yours) is always trying to look out for my health too. I get around it by lying about stuff.

Simon - I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that  I maybe should have thought about it a bit more before I told my wife that I'd had a terrible run home on Tuesday night....

PhilPub - I wholeheartedly agree with the law of positive running nutrition - and regularly use it to justify the ransacking of the biscuit tin.

The law of trainer colour. White trainers slow you down 10 seconds per mile, red trainers speed you up 10 seconds per mile, luminous/day glow colours speed you up 15 seconds per mile and all other colours are pace neutral.

Thou shalt not be considered a proper runner until you ditch the D shaped water bottle.

Ratzer, are you collating all this stuff? If not, I vote that you start collating now

'The Law of Promised Pain' - states that if a race organiser wishes to add £20 to the entry fee a couple of words such as 'Ball Breaker', 'Gonad Buster' or 'Lung Exploder' should do the trick.

'The Law of Anti-Evolution' - States that in the old days everyone was a minute per mile quicker.

'The PB Law' - states that a PB is not a real PB unless it corresponds with what his holiness, Mr McMillan, says!

'The Law of Appropriate Lying' - states that when a non-runner asks 'Did you win' it is allowed to just say 'yes'!.

'The Law of Race Enjoyment' - states that it is not possible to 'enjoy' a race unless dressed in a fancy dress costume.

PRF, it's always been my ambition to start an event called the "Plum Detonator"

The Law of One More Week: if you had just one more week to train you'd race so much better

The Law of Technology-Assisted Running: one can use, but must appear apologetic over the use of, technology, such as Garmins, HRMs etc.

What about the 'Arse Destroyer'!! Though that may end up being a different type of event…..

Y D wrote (see)

What about the 'Arse Destroyer'!! Though that may end up being a different type of event…..

Not sure you could publish the first word in polite racing circles.  And anyway, don't lots of them have 'Run' in the title?  I can imagine the marketing: "You'll shit brimstone and chunder sulphur before you reach half-way up the first mud-encrusted cliff-like escarpment..."  I already want to pay my £20 over the odds for it!

The Law of Aging Gracelessly - Never use WAVA when you're faster.  Always use WAVA when you're slower.  If neither works, plead old age and mention the Laws of Nostalgia and Anti-Evolution.

Ratzer wrote (see)

Not sure you could publish the first word in polite racing circles.  And anyway, don't lots of them have 'Run' in the title?  

But 'Bottie Run' means something different again.