The Running Thread—2023

[flav]

ATTQOTD: Depending on the size of the field, if I need to pick-up a bib, take a shuttle or check gear and/or how far I have to commute, I aim at arriving 90 minutes to an hour before departure.

 

[prncssjas]

QOTD: How early do you try to arrive at a (non-Disney) race?

I struggle with this because I run mostly local races (i.e. within a couple of miles of my front door), so it's easy for me to just roll out and get there 15-30 minutes before the race starts. But then the port-a-potty lines are super long and I can't get to my corral and it's kind of a mess. So I thought I'd come here to see what everyone else does

ATTQOTD: While it usually depends on the race (and if I have raced it before), usually I want an hour (at least!) before race start time. Like what many others have said, I need to think about parking, bib pick up (if needed), porta-potty and some time to decompress and get my head in the game. If it's a really small race and super close to home, I might not need the full hour. But 100% of the time, I'd rather have time to kill than be rushing (too much stress with that)--I spend so much time training before a race, I hate to see one ounce of energy wasted on anything but running...lol.

 

[avondale]

ATTQOTD: I tend to be risk adverse. I spent quite a bit of money and time training when I toe the line. So I usually get to local races 60-75 min before the start because then I can be relaxed in my choices prior to race start. Plenty of time to get a good parking spot, short bib pickup line, warm up (up to 30 min of stretch/run before shorter distances), hit the bathroom before others arrive, and just chill before the start. If anything unexpected happens, then I have more time to deal with it in a relaxed manner.

I am pretty much like this. I usually make a potty stop as soon as I get there and then again when I judge that I can do it and still get where I want to be in the starting area.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: How early do you try to arrive at a (non-Disney) race?

ATTQOTD: It kinda depends on the race and distance. For example Disney or Boston both typically require you to use transportation that I am at the mercy of others and have to get there when they so to. In the case of Disney, I find this to be way to early lol. For local races 5k to 10k about a hour, for half or a full probably 1.5 hours.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

ATTQOTD: I like to play it safe and get to races about 60 minutes early. However my family does not. So it's frequently a negotiation! Most of the time we get there in plenty of time and they give me a hard time. But there have been occasions where parking is a nightmare and we've made the start line with less than 10 minutes to spare!

 

[SheHulk]

Oh my gosh you guys for those of you that like to watch POV YouTube videos of races, like I do: I mean, I knew the Rome Marathon must be incredibly scenic but this video makes me NEED to run it! London looks amazing, don't get me wrong, but a race that goes past the Colosseum AND the Vatican? Plus all the other landmarks you just happen to pass by, like just random statues etc designed by Michelangelo? Bonkers. It's totally at the wrong time of year for me to be able to travel and get over jet lag etc with my work schedule but I may need to just make this work somehow.
Rome Marathon video

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
I've only run a handful of races outside of Disney, and they've all been small, local races. I generally err on the side of being too early. If I ran a larger event (like Bayshore....maybe next year) I would definitely plan on being there at least a hour early.

For our firecracker 5k I get there at least an hour early, because MOST of the people running it buy their bib morning-of, and the line for pickup can be long for the number of volunteers working. Plus it gives us a chance to hang out and chat with other families.

The 2 halves we have shown up around 40min early, which was enough time for me to figure out where the heck the race started and do about a 10min warmup, and then go (they were TINY....the one in September had less than 40 people I think.)

The full is a bigger race, but is mostly 5k runners (full starts, 30min later the half, and then the 5k another 30min later) but since we weren't really sure how big the field would be, we got there about an hour early for easier parking, more time to access bathrooms, and be super nervous.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: Tell us about a local race or non-Disney race that has a unique tradition associated with the event.

ATTQOTD: Our local marathon is ran on a Sunday. One of the local priest is also a runner and more years than not runs the race. Long story short, there's a church near the starting line that he opens up and has a 26.2 minute mass before the start of the race. I thought it was a unique unofficial part of our local race.

 

[ckb_nc]

March running distance 93 miles (training for a 10 miler in April)
270 on the bike - mostly on Zwift these days

Longest runs in 3 and half years in March.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

ATTQOTD: I've never done races in Leadville, but I know people who have. The mayor starts the race by shooting off a shotgun. Yeehaw!

 

[Jules76126]

ATTQOTD: there is a Thanksgiving 5 miler race in the town that I used to live in that gave out pies at the finish. We were never in town on Thanksgiving so I haven’t run it, but maybe one of these days (it’s about an hour from my house now so not as convenient as when I could walk to the start).

 

[camaker]

March Training Summary
Running Miles: 173.24 mi
Running Time: 35:22:25
Average Pace: 12:30/mi
Average HR: 137/min
YTD Mileage: 409.78 mi

Other
Walking: 3.07 mi
Rolling yearly running: 1,691.01mi

A little late to the party with the March numbers. The entirety of the month was taken up by the taper for and then running of Blackbeard's Revenge 100k. I haven't run since the race on the 26th. I think one of the mistakes I made last year was jumping back into running too quickly after my DNF at the Blackbeard's Revenge 100 miler. Not giving myself enough recovery time led to my legs feeling abnormally tired and heavy throughout summer training. I'm trying to avoid that and set myself up for a better summer of running with an eye to a couple of new races in the fall. So it's at least one more week of walking before I'll start running easy to start back up.

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
So it's not a race open to the public (well....except for the "open" race I guess?) but the big invitational XC meet that our school hosts starts each of the races with a cannon (don't worry, there's no cannonball!) instead of a start gun.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

ATTQOTD: I don't think this is super unique but we did a 5k that included a donut eating challenge. Halfway through the run you have to eat 12 donut holes in front of judges. They give out awards for both categories - those that completed the challenge and those that didn't. My DD placed in her age group in the challenge!

 

[camaker]

ATTQOTD: Blackbeard's Revenge 100k has a couple of traditions/features that I think are fun and unique. The race starts at the end of Jennette's Pier in Nags Head, which means you're actually starting more than a tenth of a mile into the Atlantic Ocean. Then late in the race you have to run an out and back section into the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse park site. In order to prove you completed the full out and back you have to collect an eyepatch from the turnaround and show it at the next aid station. Nice and thematic.

 

[akrosie]

ATTQOTD: The Midnight Sun Run 10K here starts at 10 pm on the Saturday closest to solstice, when it doesn’t get dark. It used to start with the firing of a howitzer, manned by a group from the nearby Army post. The guys then joined the back of the pack and ran the race as a team pulling the thing. They always started last, but they didn’t finish last.

 

[Kerry1957]

I ran the Mini Indy HM last year. The big draw is, of course, running a lap on the Indianapolis 500 race track including stopping to kiss the bricks. The first mile of the racetrack also includes the "Gold Mile" with photos of over 100 Indiana veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
A somewhat local Marathon that I run every year (about 3 hours away), Route 66 Marathon, has what they call the ‘World’s Shortest Ultramarathon’ by detouring to ‘The Center of the Universe’. There’s a short out and back over a bridge that adds 0.3 miles to the marathon. At the turnaround, you get a coin for the effort. Santa used to be at the turnaround handing out the coins. They’ve had other themes as well. They also have a timing mat at 26.2 - so you can still have a marathon time - as well as the one at the finish for 26.5.

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: Doesn't count as "tradition", but the Detroit Free Press Marathon is somewhat unique in that the course goes through 2 countries: You run across the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, ON, CA and then underwater back to Detroit, MI, USA via the tunnel.

The only race I know where your name is screened by Homeland Security and both countries Customs/Borders agencies when you register, they check it at the expo and you are required to carry passport/EDL/Trusted traveler document when you race just in case.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: How many days a week do you prefer to run?

ATTQOTD: 5 Days is my preference.