If you've been reading Dumb Runner for any time at all, you know that I like to "have fun with it," as they say. That while I take running seriously, I do not take myself seriously. This explains why so much of my content is stupid.

It also presents a challenge—namely, How do I get readers to take me seriously when I have something serious to say?

I’m still working on that. For now, however, I'll just come out and say it: This article contains some serious advice that I seriously believe will benefit anyone who cares to read it. Seriously. I know, that's a bold statement. But I mean it.

I felt compelled to publish this article now for two reasons:

One, it's January, which means many folks are deciding to take up running for the first time, or to resume running after a long break.

And two, there is a bewildering amount of information out there for new runners to process, in the form of tips, advice, guidance direction, instruction, warnings, prescriptions, admonitions, dos, and don'ts. It comes at you from every direction, via books, magazines, and podcasts; websites and blogs; and—Lord help us all—social media, where Twitter alone can leave you convinced that if you don't tread very carefully you will definitely wreck everything with your stupid ignorance, e.g.,

4 treadmill mistakes you need to avoid!

Why runners should do Pilates!

5 training mistakes EVERY runner makes at some point!

6 foods you should NEVER eat before a run!

10 foods that are making your inflammation worse!

7 postrun eating mistakes you're probably making!

3 foam roller mistakes you might be making (and how to avoid them)!

Do runners need dairy to lose weight?

How long should I wait to run after eating?

Those are all real tweets, by the way.

This bothers me.

It bothers me because most of this stuff is unnecessary or contrived—solutions in search of problems. Some of it will flatly contradict something else you've just read. Much of it is just nonsense.

Worst of all, it's overwhelming. It can paralyze. Far from helping, this firehose of "advice" can actually dissuade would-be runners from taking their first step. Newbies can and should disregard nearly all of it, and they deserve to be told so.

Let me repeat that, because it's so important: If you are a new runner, you can and should ignore virtually everything you see, hear, and read about running.

That is good news, because it frees you to focus on a few common-sense, general principles. Remember these three broad guidelines and you'll do just fine. I promise.