Many runners and walkers, especially those who train for and participate in endurance races, know about the psychotherapeutic effects of running and walking. So, it makes sense to many people that going for a long workout could be a good way to recover from anger. While it is true that the time to reflect and the eventual endorphin rush could pull you out of your anger, the hazards of exercising while angry outweigh this benefit. Here are five of those hazards.

1. Anger while working out can program you to reduce or eliminate training.

When you exercise while angry, you program your unconscious mind to associate it with this powerfully negative emotion. But your unconscious mind is always working to protect you from pain, even if it does so in destructive ways. This means that your unconscious mind will try to protect you from the pain of anger, which you may have associated with running or walking. So you will reduce or eliminate that exercise — probably the opposite of what you wanted when you went for a long run or walk to “work out” your anger.

2. Anger while working out blinds you when you have to be your most cautious.

It is a classic story in books and movies because it is true. A story’s character becomes angry, goes out for a drive, and crashes his or her car because of failure to notice danger. Many running and walking situations entail safety hazards. Working out while angry means that you will be less alert to these hazards, which means that you increase your likelihood of getting into an accident.

3. Anger while working out easily leads to chronic injuries.

Anger can cause you to push yourself too hard during a workout. And pushing yourself too hard can easily lead to iliotibial-band strains and other injuries that can require long-term physical therapy for recovery.

4. Anger while working out drives away good training partners.

Even the best training partner does not want to train with you when you are angry. If you feel this way very often while exercising with him or her, you very likely will drive your training partner away.

5. Anger while working out attracts other angry runners or walkers.

The Law of Attraction works just as well, if not better, for negative emotions as it does for positive emotions. This means that walking or running while angry will tend to attract other angry runners or walkers. Do you really want this kind of runner or walker in your life after you have overcome your anger?

Have you read or heard about barefoot running and decided that you wanted to learn more about it? Perhaps you have even seen someone running barefoot and wondered about this approach to running.

Here are five tips for barefoot running for you to consider when you are unable to run on a pristine beach.

Tip #1. Keep an eye out for dog poop.

Yuck, right? When you run barefoot, you are effectively applying everything that you encounter on the surfaces of your running path to the bottom of your feet. This includes dog poop. Can you imagine the poop now squishing between your toes? Can you see it spread all over the soles of your feet? Can you smell it later, when you track it into your house and are in the shower, trying to scrub it off your feet? Remember, this is not like running with shoes, which, when dirty, you can leave outside and clean outside. Oh, fun!

Tip #2. Keep an eye out for glass.

Bloody, right? When you run barefoot, you are exposing your tender skin to every little shard of glass along your running route. Do you not believe that you have never encountered glass when out running? Lucky you! For the rest of us, just look at the bottom of your shoes to notice odd little pieces of glass embedded in their soles. Those shards would have been in your feet instead. Oh, fun!

Tip #3. Keep an eye out for stones.

Painful, right? When you run barefoot, you are taking the chance that you will step on various stones along the way. We are not talking about large, smooth, flat stones such as ones that you would see for sale in a gift shop. No, we are talking about the kind that will embed themselves into your feet — or at least give them a good poke in the skin — just like the ones that can get embedded in or can poke at the soles of your shoes today. Oh, fun!

Tip #4. Keep an eye out for nails.

Pointy, right? When you run barefoot, the risk from stepping on a nail is not necessarily from its sharp “business end” or point. No, much of the risk comes from stepping on the side of the head of the nail, given that most nails you encounter will be lying down, not pointing straight up. But even the side of the head will feel pointy as you jam your foot onto it. Oh, fun!

Tip #5. Keep an eye out for oil.

Slippery, right? When you run barefoot, unless you are always doing trail running, which has its own hazards, you will likely encounter motor oil along the way. Cars leak oil. Unless you are superhuman, you will at some point step into or onto some of this oil. And skin does not necessarily grip an oily surface as well as shoes can. So you may slip and fall, at which point your dirty feet will be the least of your problems. Oh, fun!

There are some 800 marathons held annually around the world, with some 250 marathons held annually in the USA alone. And only some 1 to 2% of the population has ever run a marathon.

If you have decided to run a marathon but do not know where to begin, then here are seven marathon running tips for you.

Tip #1 – Expect to train for several months for your first marathon.

Here is a secret unknown to most non-marathoners: The marathon is not the marathon. In other words, the true marathon is the months and months of training that go into preparing for a single morning of running. If you have never run the distance of a marathon, you must build your endurance, and you do this through several months of training.

Tip #2 – Join a group training program.

There is nothing like a group training program to teach you how to train for a marathon, to give you opportunities for long training runs with hydration and nutrition support beyond what your hydration belt can hold, and to stimulate a sense of accountability to others that will motivate you to persist through months of training.

Tip #3 – Register as soon as possible for your marathon.

Many marathon websites make it look as if you have a several-month time window during which to register. The reality is that many marathons now fill so quickly that you should register as soon as possible for yours. To be sure, plan to register within a couple of hours of the opening of online registration. Yes, registration can be that competitive!

Tip #4 – Follow advice from experienced marathoners.

Listen to experienced marathoners for advice. One of the best pieces of advice is simple: Do not change anything on race day from what you were doing, using, wearing, or eating in the weeks leading up to race day.

Tip #5 – Take care of yourself.

Be good to yourself. If a pain persists, then get medical attention. If advised to rest, then rest. Watch your weight so that you know that you are staying hydrated. Find foods that nourish you — both on the road and after long runs.

Tip #6 – Get inspiration.

Read books such as 50/50, which was written by ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes about his completing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Watch DVDs about marathons and ultramarathons. Ask coaches what inspires them to run marathon after marathon.

Tip #7 – Expect that your first marathon will be a success.

The word “success” is very subjective. No matter what success means to you, daily visualize the end-result that you desire. For example, if success to you means a 5:30:00 chip-time, then take a few minutes daily to visualize yourself crossing the finish line with 5:30:00 displayed on your chronograph.

What tips do you have? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

The “game of chicken” is a two-player model of conflict in game theory. Think of two drivers approaching a one-lane bridge from opposite directions. Only one of the drivers can drive safely across the bridge and win the game. The other driver must swerve away from the bridge to prevent a crash (on the bridge).

The name of the game comes from the popular use of the label “chicken” for identifying cowards — because the game of chicken is won by one player when the other player behaves like a “chicken” (coward) and yields to the first player — say, by swerving out of the way of the first player.

There are four possible scenarios in the game of chicken played by players A and B:

1. A yields. B yields. So neither player wins because both yielded.
2. A does not swerve. B yields. So A wins because A did not swerve.
3. A yields. B does not swerve. So B wins because B did not swerve.
4. A does not swerve. B does not swerve . So both players lose because neither player swerved.

So the worst possible outcome for both players is when both players do not yield. But a player who yields knows for certain that he or she will not win. Hence each player has a dilemma — to yield or not to yield.

If you are a motorist who encounters a pedestrian in your path on the road, then it may seem at first glance that you two are playing a game of chicken. After all, if neither of you yield to the other person, then there will be a crash.

But let A be the motorist (driver) and B be the runner (pedestrian) in the above four scenarios so that we can consider the outcomes more thoroughly.

1. Driver swerves. Pedestrian steps out of the way.
2. Driver does not swerve. Pedestrian steps out of the way.
3. Driver swerves. Pedestrian does not step out of the way.
4. Driver does not swerve. Pedestrian does not step out of the way.

In contrast to the traditional game of chicken, both parties win in scenarios 1, 2, and 3 because both survive.

Regarding scenario 4, some would argue that the motorist does not lose when there is a crash with a runner. Their argument is that the runner is much more likely than the motorist to die or become seriously injured in a crash.

But the reality is that both players lose in scenario 4. While it is true that the motorist may not be injured physically, the motorist in scenario 4 will have to endure at least some of the following:

• psychological trauma from seriously injuring or killing an innocent human being;
• going to criminal trial and possibly prison for negligent homicide or other criminal charges;
• facing a civil lawsuit from the runner.

The phrase “playing chicken with someone” in the common vernacular means that you will not yield because you expect the other party to yield to you.

If you are a motorist, then do not “play chicken with a runner” because the outcome of the other player — the runner — not yielding will be disastrous for you, too.

Instead, your best strategy as a motorist is to always yield to the runner!

The best kind of stretching to complete before running is with dynamic stretches. The reason for this is that dynamic stretching, unlike static stretching, does not require warming up first. In fact, dynamic stretches also give your body something of a warm-up as you complete them — warming up your muscles and increasing your heart rate.

Here are six dynamic stretches to complete before running. You should use small movements for the first few repetitions before increasing your range of motion in later repetitions. You can also increase your movement speed as these exercises become easier. Complete all six of these while wearing your running shoes, to give you good footing for safety.

1. Walking Lunges

This stretch is what it sounds like. You alternately step with your left and right feet. Take a big step forward, drop your back knee so that it almost touches the ground, and make sure that your front knee stays behind the toes of your front foot. Keep your torso, neck, and head vertical, with your abdominal muscles tight. Repeat this to get twenty walking lunges.

2. Leg Lifts

These are leg lifts to the side, not to the front or back. Initially stand up straight on both feet, with arms akimbo and your shoulders level. Choose a leg, and swing it as if it were a pendulum ten times — out to your side and then across the front of your other leg and out to the other side. Then do the same ten repetitions with the other leg.

3. Butt Kicks

Stand up straight, take a small step forward, and, as you do, exaggerate your back kick so that your heel almost or actually touches your butt cheek (gluteal muscles on the same side as the kicking leg). Take a total of twenty steps — ten repetitions with each leg. To make this more difficult, do it while jogging instead of walking.

4. Pike Stretch

Begin with your knees on the ground and your palms flat on the ground immediately below your shoulders, as if you were about to crawl. Lift your hips so that your body forms what looks like an inverted V, or pike, resting on the ground. Both legs should be straight at this point. Lift your right foot, and rest the toes of your right foot on the heel of your left foot. Keep your left leg straight as you use your right foot to press your left heel toward the ground, with your left foot’s toes curled up toward your left shin. Release and repeat this stretching of your left calf for a total of ten repetitions. Then switch feet to complete ten stretches of your right calf.

5. Hacky Sack

This stretch is named after the popular game played with one’s feet and a small bean-bag-like item known as a Hacky Sack. Stand up straight, with your arms hanging down straight. Lift your right foot up, across and in front of you such that you can hit your left hand with your right foot without bending forward. Do this ten times, then switch legs, and do this ten times with your left foot hitting your right hand.

6. Toy Soldier

This stretch could also be called the Dictator Military Walk. Keep your torso, neck, and head upright as you walk with your knees straight. Swing your left arm in front of you so that it is parallel to the ground as you swing your right foot — with toes flexed — up to touch your left hand. Then take your next step so that your right arm is straight out in front of you and your straight left leg swings up so that your left toes touch your right hand. Take a total of twenty steps — ten repetitions on each side. To make this more difficult, do it while skipping instead of walking.

What are your favorite stretches? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

This excellent instructional video from Runner’s World shows six different stretching exercises that you can safely perform before running or walking:

Here are the six exercises:

1. Walking Lunges
2. Leg Lifts
3. Butt-Kicks
4. Pike Stretch
5. Hacky-Sack
6. Toy Soldier

Do you stretch before workouts? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

Okay, I can appreciate the appeal of running barefoot on a beach, especially a pristine beach.

But the physician in this video has convinced me that running everywhere barefoot is NOT for me:

Seriously, are YOU willing to expose yourself to these risks?:

• Stress fractures — from overloading your metatarsals
• Neuromas — nerve irritations — between your toes

Please leave a comment here. Thanks!