The Running Thread - 2018

[roxymama]

I mean... the swag has to be awesome, doesn't it??

If the medal isn't made of shiplap, then I want my money back!

 

[jennamfeo]

If the medal isn't made of shiplap, then I want my money back!

Or maybe the Silos? Haha. Gosh, I REALLY wanna run this race.

 

[roxymama]

Or maybe the Silos? Haha. Gosh, I REALLY wanna run this race.

My money is honestly on this sign - but in runner medal format...

Either that or it's just a gray paint sample.

 

[BoilerGirl91]

ATTQOTD: I’m a newer runner, so no advice to give, but I really appreciate the information I’ve gotten from these boards.

Sometimes I feel like it is taking too much time to become faster and as I continue to run, slowly but surely I am getting faster.

I have been so inspired by many of your journals that have spanned several years. It really puts progress into perspective.

 

[KSellers88]

I mean... the swag has to be awesome, doesn't it??

I bet it is...SHIPLAP! LOL. OMG I would so love to go, that's a 12 hour drive for us. I'd have to convince my mom, because the hubby would not go for it.

Edited to add that I am late to the party as usual and @roxymama already guessed my thought for the medal. That Magnolia sign would be amazing as well. I wanna go!

 

[rteetz]

For those who are interested...

Dopey Shenanigans! A Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend TR (Updated 1/10/18)

 

[DIS-OH]

So how am I supposed to plan my long run this weekend with this forecast???

There’s a mighty big discrepancy in those two models!!!!

 

[Capang]

View attachment 293680 So how am I supposed to plan my long run this weekend with this forecast???

There’s a mighty big discrepancy in those two models!!!!

That is quite the discrepancy! Hopefully it’s not too bad.
Same problem a bit north of you, anywhere from 4-18inches. Best case: it’s a scenic run. Worst case: I’m dragging a sled with DD on it behind me.

 

[dmross]

I order from Running Warehouse frequently. There is always a coupon code online for more savings. They have a great return policy also. I typically wear the same shoe so it makes ordering easy. For the price of shoes, I never care what they look like even if I had that color scheme already.

Thanks! I've got shoes on the way now. Cheapest price I've seen on my current NB.

ATTQOTD: Training a body to run can take months and years, not days and weeks. Keep some type of record of your running stats (through Excel, Garmin, Strava, etc.) and compare large chunks of time to see improvements instead of comparing one week to another. In short: trying to go too hard too fast will only lead to injuries and a "I'm not cut out to be a runner" mentality.

ATTQOTD: This is my thought, too. I'd go back and tell myself that following a training plan is a short term section of a long term lifestyle of getting out the door. It's a big allegory for life, and running parallels many difficult things that we have to do within work and family and existence.

And on that note, I need to publicly admit that I skipped my New Year's race due to ... well ... life .... but have a new race to add! @LSUlakes

Swamp Rabbit Half, Feb 24 Goal 2:40

Had a GREAT time following all of you WDW racers last weekend on Strava! Great job, everyone!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD: This is my thought, too. I'd go back and tell myself that following a training plan is a short term section of a long term lifestyle of getting out the door. It's a big allegory for life, and running parallels many difficult things that we have to do within work and family and existence.

And on that note, I need to publicly admit that I skipped my New Year's race due to ... well ... life .... but have a new race to add!

I learned new perspectives about how to endure difficult challenges in life through training for and running half marathons. Namely, that a task may well feel impossible. I nearly dropped out of my very first half less than one mile into the race. I started too fast and felt like I had shin splints. If you said I could drop out of that race and still receive my medal, I'm afraid I would have taken you up on that offer.

But what would I have missed out on? What would I have missed out on since?

 

[Miranda]

Oops, @LSUlakes, you can take me off the race this weekend. I just switched to a new dog agility training facility last week and my class is on Sunday mornings now, and I didn't want to skip the second class, so I didn't register. I'm super bummed too, that race has a great hooded sweatshirt for swag! I almost registered just to get a sweatshirt.

Ugh, it has been so cold here the last few weeks, and I have been in super hibernating mode between the holidays and the cold. Like air temps of -5 and hitting -25 or -30 with wind chills. I hadn't been running since... well last year! I found my running shoes right where I left them, in the gym bag from after I went to run at Planet Fitness on 12/30 when our running group was canceled due to the cold. It was canceled again the rest of the days since then, too. The sidewalks were an icy slushy disaster, so we had to run in the street sometimes. My headlamp was seeming kind of dim around halfway in so I pressed the button because I think it has 2 regular light modes, like regular and brighter, and I was trying to get it to go to brighter, and somehow it got stuck in the red night vision mode! I could not get it out of that. So I did half the run in the dark practically, not a great idea with all the ice and slush! We thought maybe the battery was dying and that's why it would only do the red light, but I couldn't even get it to turn off, it was just stuck like that. Then I got in my car after the run was done and noticed in the mirror that there was no light at all anymore and I thought, well, I guess the batteries are really dead now! So I did the logical thing that one would do when they think the battery on something is dead... I hit the power button. AND IT CAME BACK ON! The regular light just came back on like nothing ever happened. Great timing, head lamp!

Technology was really failing me tonight. I forgot my phone at home, I carry it in case of emergencies, and my Garmin battery was really low. It made it through the run, but I got home and popped it in the charger, and am having problems charging it. I looked at the charger, and the 4 little gold prongs that depress when you snap the Garmin into the charger, 2 of them are kind of stuck in the depressed position so they are probably not making great contact. Has anyone ever had that happen and know how to get them to pop back up? They are so tiny and there's not really any way to get underneath it to see if something is just stuck under there, and pressing on them and flicking at them with my fingernail isn't budging them. It must have heard me saying not long ago that my Garmin was getting long in the tooth! It's a 220, so it's a 4+ year old model, although I got mine almost 3 years ago.

 

[CDKG]

QOTD: for those who have been running for a few years in the group, what single piece of advice would you have given to yourself when you first started out (if that was possible) that would have had the biggest impact? Would that advice change if you were giving it to someone else thats just starting out?

I would say that YOU CAN DO THIS! Running has taught me that my physical limits are well beyond where I thought they were.

 

[Anisum]

Okay, so I have a bunch of QOTDs that I haven't answered.

QOTD: Have you run any of the Disney races as part of a charity group? If so, which one and any cool perks of being part of that group?

Not a runDisney race. I've run races where 100% of the proceeds go to charity and I think one day I really would like to do a race for charity. I have a few in mind I would do it for.

QOTD: How long does it take you to recover from a hard race? Which day seems to be worse?

Usually the day of the race is the worst. My stomach isn't always in prime shape post-race so sometimes I don't really want to eat right away and really just want to get to a bathroom. As for recovery, I've learned with my most recent @DopeyBadger training plan I don't need as much time as I think. I would be out doing easy runs the next day after a 10 miler. That being said at the end of a training cycle such as Dopey I'm taking a week or two off to get my mind back in a running mindset.

QOTD: for those who have been running for a few years in the group, what single piece of advice would you have given to yourself when you first started out (if that was possible) that would have had the biggest impact? Would that advice change if you were giving it to someone else thats just starting out?

I mean, my words of wisdom come from most of you guys and slow down is a big one. I think the one that speaks to me most right now because it pulled me through Dopey is from @DopeyBadger about listening to my body rather than the pace of your watch. I would also say that walking is okay. Not everyone wants to run straight through, run walk run doesn't make you less of a runner. We're all on our own journey and you have to run your race.

 

[LSUlakes]

View attachment 293680 So how am I supposed to plan my long run this weekend with this forecast???

There’s a mighty big discrepancy in those two models!!!!

Thats a slight difference there! That would be like one guy saying its going to be 75 and another saying 40 for the morning low for our parts. The exciting part is you are getting sneaux!!! Can I come play in the sneaux?

 

[FredtheDuck]

My money is honestly on this sign - but in runner medal format...

Either that or it's just a gray paint sample.

You don't think it'll be the same roman numeral clock she puts in EVERY house? (disclosure: fan of the show - watched an episode this AM on the treadmill, in fact)

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: Lets discuss training plans today. Specifically, how do you pick out which training plan to follow at any given time? Do you use one from a book, coach, or make your own? If you make your own, do you do research into other plans and use their ideas to develop yours?

ATTQOTD: When I am training for a marathon I always use one from the book Advanced Marathoning. I just like the theory behind it, but warn it isnt for everyone. I do choose the easier of the plans with a peek of 55 mpw. the next step goes up to ~70 mpw during its peek. Maybe this fall I will use a combination of the two if I get on a role. For other races and the off-season, I make my own and it usually reflects a similar set up to the marathon plan as far as rest days, speed work, and long runs go. I will just decrease overall mileage. I've read a lot, probably not as much a @DopeyBadger , but a good bit. I also look to my piers in my local running community for advice. They have offered some of the best advice I have ever received and even though their ability far exceeds mine, they have always been willing to listen to me and give me suggestions. So, those of yall out there who know some fast runners, do not be timid to talk to them as they are usually the most helpful group out there!

 

[Jules76126]

@Miranda that race does have a really nice hoody. Definitely adding it to my list for next year.

 

[FredtheDuck]

ATTQOTD: When I first started out, I used C25k, which I also used to come back to running after having our daughter. When I first tried to train for a half, I used a plan a friend had written for @MoanasPapa when he trained for his first half. It worked well for him and he had a good experience for his first half. I think it was basically Higdon's novice plan. I guess I wasn't really committed yet, because I fell off the plan a few weeks in and just went down to maintenance runs.

Around that time I found this board, and via this board (and with some encouragement from @sourire), I connected with DopeyBadger (not tagging to avoid blowing up his notifications). He's written two plans for me, one which led me not only to successfully complete my first half marathon, but which also got me excited about running. The second wasn't for a specific race, and I had some adjustments at the end (time conflicts, mostly), but it maintained my fitness well and kept me excited about running. When I decided I wasn't a one-and-done half marathoner, it was a no-brainer that I'd ask Billy to write my plan for my spring half. I've seen great gains, learned a ton, come to really love running, and know that I've got some things to target with this cycle that I am sure Billy will be able to help me with. Like many others on this board, I'm super grateful that I connected with Billy, and thankful for his time and passion!

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD: Since I have started running (2014), I ran with a training group and have used their training plans. When I have trained for a different race than the one they are training for, I take one of the previous schedules and back it up from race day and run what miles I can with the group. For Dopey, I used a @DopeyBadger plan for the first time and really liked it. Hoping to use another for my next set of races.

 

[Miranda]

@Miranda that race does have a really nice hoody. Definitely adding it to my list for next year.

I wear mine from last year all the time.