The Running Thread - 2018

[McNs]

I'm with @jennamfeo on park sequence. With the exception of Everest and FoP, AK just didn't do it for me. And holy cow that place is hot! Epcot just didn't do it for us, so much walking from attraction to attraction, and we didn't really get a chance to have a decent look through WS (thanks kids...). I'm sure it would be much better without them. DHS is moving more to my style of park, admittedly light on things to do, but a couple of must do. But MK is by far and away my favourite, in fact I would quite happily spend all three days there.

Even better would be staying at the Grand Californian with two day at Disneyland and one day at DCA

 

[Grumpy_42K]

Agreed Keels. "I don’t do rides unless I have friends with me..."

I can't count how many times I've been to Epcot without riding a single ride.
I remember when they used to let you ride the Malestrom with a drink.
That is until they wouldn't let me and my sister ride while drinking (RWD?)

"Sure thing, young Disney attendant, I'll simply pour my $16.83 margarita in the bushes out front."

 

[TheHamm]

Question: while I have heard plenty about T+D, I am clueless about temperature + precipitation. Is there a point at which you don’t run? I ran through snow, and I ran when it was a windy 5 degrees, but May threw me for a loop with thunderstorms and 85 humid degrees and June is not looking better. The forecast for my race tomorrow is 60 degrees and rain. It has been scattered downpours for the last few days so I am not anticipating a gentle mist. I see no point in rain gear (I have some for hiking and tailgating) as I will still end up soaked due to sweat, but I am concerned I will end up wet and shivering. Also, I have to bike 2 miles to & from, so I can’t just hop out of a dry car at the last minute.
I realize there are some bad @$$ runners, I’m not one of them. It is a local 10k, not Boston. I’ve never really run in chilly rain, and while I’d prefer not to be miserable, I am not sure if I should be concerned about being cold, sloppy, and rubbing skin off somewhere.

 

[Keels]

Agreed Keels. "I don’t do rides unless I have friends with me..."

I can't count how many times I've been to Epcot without riding a single ride.
I remember when they used to let you ride the Malestrom with a drink.
That is until they wouldn't let me and my sister ride while drinking (RWD?)

"Sure thing, young Disney attendant, I'll simply pour my $16.83 margarita in the bushes out front."

I have no shame. I will pour a drink into a Yeti tumbler, a Swell bottle or even a paper cup from a QS to get from Point A to Point B without pouring my drink out.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Is there a point at which you don’t run?

For me, the answer is I will run in any T+D. But several times a year, I will declare 'red flag course conditions'. To me, this means all pace goals, even T+D adjusted, are off. Just try to do the mileage, but above all else, use common sense.

Not T+D related, but if there is thunder and lightning, no run for me.

 

[garneska]

@OldSlowGoofyGuy are you running Peachtree this year?

 

[Waiting2goback]

Pedestrians....gotta love 'em....or just run 'em over. Today I was out for a run and on the sidewalk ahead of me were a couple walking a dog. I get within 15-20 feet and shout "on your left", which is a pretty common refrain for runners and cyclists approaching another walker/runner/cyclist. The woman moves to the side and I say thank you and good morning as I pass and she says....."Whatever".

I know I should just keep going, but it's me, and I can't. So I turn around and say "Excuse me. I was trying to let you know I was approaching. Should I have just run you over?" (I would have gone around them, of course, but with dog walkers, it's hard to know if the dog is going to pull the walker left or right--and I speak as a dog owner). I got back overlapping answers from the couple about not hearing (although they moved, so they must have heard something) and other comments which weren't friendly.

Yeah....let it go....I know I should. But I didn't. So I made a parting shot about their dog being nicer than them and left. I guess I'm just a B. And my karma scale has just tipped backwards. Sigh.

There are just miserable people all over the place. If you let them drag you down, they win.

Fun Friday QOTD: With the current set up of the 4 parks at WDW, you have a free trip which includes a resort on the monorail, dining plan (the middle one) and a 3 day ticket without the park hopper. Which park are you skipping and why?

ATTFFQOTD: As much as I love the park, I would have to skip Hollywood Studios. While I love the attractions and shows that are currently there, the current set up leaves it as a half a day park for me and its over crowded for the attractions I care for most. (RNR, TOT, TSMM) I'm also sad that the carrot cake cookie has changed since it's moved to its new location. I tried my first and apparently last one on our trip in April on what I learned was the second the last day of it being offered in it old location. I thought it was amazing and huge! A little sad about the change... More about snacks not related to the above question. I had the mac and cheese with pot roast on top in MK on one trip and was like this is a must every trip... well it went away like a week after that trip had ended. Sad faces for both. If they do away with the cinnamon roll at Gastons I may riot!

Hollywood Studios currently.

I think your attitude of finish no matter what is a great one to have. I think it's great to set goals. It's even better to work towards them. And it might be even more important to keep everything in perspective.

I don't think beating yourself up over finishing, but not reaching a desired time goal helps you. It's good to examine what didn't go right and how you can fix it going forward if it's within your control, but keep it all in perspective. If running has helped you become a better person outside of the run, then you already had a very successful race. Even if your time doesn't show that.

ATTQOTD: I would probably skip MK. I love the park, but the original and better version called Disneyland is much closer to home. I would definitely miss things like Mickey's PhilharMagic and yes, Carousel of Progress though.

Plus, this would probably force me to spend an entire day in AK and explore it more plus check out the shows like Finding Nemo that I've threatened to watch each of my last 3 visits to Walt Disney World, but got distracted by other parks instead. There's currently enough Star Wars to hold my interest in Hollywood Studios (and this is before Galaxy's Edge opens), and Epcot is my 2nd favorite Disney park ever behind Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Thanks. Yeah, running is about the change it made in me as a person. While good times are a bonus I am more concerned about accomplishing my goal. I keep track of times too because it's a measuring stick for how I'm improving but it is never my primary goal, at this point anyway.

For me, it’s a combination of things. Too many strollers, too crowded, I don’t really like any of the food there - Be Our Guest dinner is it, but I’m kinda burnt on it, though I’m looking forward to the change to a prix fixe menu and that will definitely get me back through the gates at least once - none of the rides really speak to me, no bars, and I’d rather watch HEA from California Grill or the patio/beach at Poly.

That said, I don’t have kids and my park days are very different from most - I don’t do rides unless I have friends with me, and most of my time is usually in the late afternoon/evening and is structured around eating, drinking and fireworks.

I'm a dork. The first thing I do when I get to Disney is go see the castle and the last thing I do before I leave is say bye to the castle. Other than that I don't worry about rides or anything. And in January I watched the fireworks during dinner at Ohana and it was quite relaxing. No crowds, it was nice and warm inside. It was great.

 

[BikeFan]

Ran It with Janet 50K race report:

I hadn't done a trail race or an ultra at all in 2017 and thus made a trail ultra one of my 2018 goals. Luckily I found this event, a small (55 runners) trail race/fundraiser just 10 miles away for a local homeless shelter. The entry fee was only $5, plus a donation of your choosing to the shelter. For $5, there was no shirt or medal, but they did give out a glass to everyone who completed the full 50K. The course was three laps on the trails of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. I've hiked this park plenty of times, and it's a nice trail network - some rolling hills and a mix of wooded and field trails. On the first lap, some jokester decided to remove a direction sign, and a few of us in the first group got misdirected. By the time we figured out we were off-course, we'd run an extra mile and a half or so. Oh, well, partly my own fault for not studying the map better. After I got back on the trail, the rest of the race was pretty uneventful. Typical for June in Virginia, it was hot and humid, with a high in the upper 80s by midday, but at least some of the trails were in the woods with shade, and the thunderstorm forecast for that day did not appear until well after everyone was finished. The aid stations were well-stocked and the fellow racers and volunteers were friendly - I even ran a bit with a runner who ran Dopey this year! It's funny how often I'll be talking to someone in a race, and it turns out we've done a bunch of the same events! It's a small (running) world after all. My wife volunteered at one of the aid stations, and it was nice to see her on each lap. Due to the heat and forecast for thunderstorms in the middle of the race, only 37 of the 55 runners started, and only 24 finished the full 50K. Due to my off-course excursion, I ended up running 33.1 for the day, but got 6th overall for my efforts and this cool glass:

Overall, a fun event. If you haven't tried a trail race, give it a go sometime. Trail runners are usually a great bunch, and running on trails is a great experience.
Edit: Almost forgot the best part - the event raised $8K+ for the shelter!

 

[avondale]

Question: while I have heard plenty about T+D, I am clueless about temperature + precipitation. Is there a point at which you don’t run? I ran through snow, and I ran when it was a windy 5 degrees, but May threw me for a loop with thunderstorms and 85 humid degrees and June is not looking better. The forecast for my race tomorrow is 60 degrees and rain. It has been scattered downpours for the last few days so I am not anticipating a gentle mist. I see no point in rain gear (I have some for hiking and tailgating) as I will still end up soaked due to sweat, but I am concerned I will end up wet and shivering. Also, I have to bike 2 miles to & from, so I can’t just hop out of a dry car at the last minute.
I realize there are some bad @$$ runners, I’m not one of them. It is a local 10k, not Boston. I’ve never really run in chilly rain, and while I’d prefer not to be miserable, I am not sure if I should be concerned about being cold, sloppy, and rubbing skin off somewhere.

This is mostly a personal thing. In terms of safety, I wouldn't run with an active thunderstorm at the location, nor with the temperature over 100 deg F, or with active freezing rain. I will run outside in almost anything else, because I tend to find the treadmill more miserable than that. So it's really up to you what your tolerance of misery is.

I've done some long runs and races in pouring rain. You're right about the chafing - put Body Glide or even Vaseline pretty much all over your body. Likely you will still get chafing, but hopefully not too bad. Bring a disposable poncho or big garbage bag to wear until the race start and then throw out.

Since you are biking home from the race, I would think that would keep your body temperature up until you get home so that hopefully you won't be too chilled. Just don't hang out doing nothing for too long after the race. Then hop in a hot shower/bath right away when you get home.

But if all of this just sounds too miserable, don't kill yourself about skipping the race. If it's a local 10K, then likely it's for a charity or local running organization, so at least your entry fee is going toward a good cause whether or not you actually participate.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

@OldSlowGoofyGuy are you running Peachtree this year?

A timely question: I got my 32nd Peachtree number in the mail yesterday.

I am slightly bummed that I've been demoted to Corral B, despite using the same POT as last year. Based on the ATC web site, it sounds like they have a new way of calculating. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Maybe a goal for next year!

The start is at 7:00 vs 7:30, which seems like a good thing. The last couple of years have been so stinking hot.

Who else is running Peachtree?

 

[huskies90]

6/3/18 - Huskies90 - Iron Horse 10K (48:00/TBD) This is my wife's POT race for the Disney Half Marathon and I am running it, too. It is also my first 10K ever so I have no idea how fast I will run it. I also registered as a Clydesdale. Does anyone know if races typically do a weigh in when they have this option? I am teetering around 200 lbs right now down from 206 lbs. I ran so many miles in May (for me), I dropped some weight.

Iron Horse 10K - Quick recap/results: There was no Clydesdale weigh in for this race although they told me at bib pick they do it sometimes and for some of their other races.

Having never done a 10K or really trained for one, I didn’t really have a plan but 6-7 miles is my typical daily run distance so I had a feeling this would be a good race distance for me. My plan was to start out at my normal ~ 8:00/mile pace and assuming I was feeling good, pick it up in the second half of the race.

Despite waking up with some severe stomach issues and all the talk last week here about things going wrong, I don’t think I could have run a better race. The advantage of running in the Clydesdale division is that it is easy to pick out others in the same division - just look for big guys. As I passed the three mile mark I could still see pretty much everyone ahead of me and there were 3 other potential Clydesdales. As I started to pick up the pace my goal was to try to pass all of them which I did passing the last big guy at about the 5.5 mile mark.

I ended up placing 1st in the Clydesdale division and 41st overall. My goal was 48:00 and I finished with a time of 47:37 which of course is a PR.

My wife also set a new PR and now all 4 of us (me, wife and 2 college aged daughters) have our POT for Marathon weekend!!

 

[apdebord]

Who else is running Peachtree?

My husband and I will be running it for the first time!

 

[garneska]

Who else is running Peachtree?

Me and hubby. We were in B last year but I did not have as good of a POT so I am expecting to be in C. He is still hoping for B.

We are returning from our weekend in the mountains so I hope the numbers are there if not they will be soon.

 

[Kerry1957]

North Shore Classic HM Race Recap (Highland Park, IL)

Four weeks ago I ran a very disappointing HM where I started too fast and didn't handle a bit of adversity very well, even though I missed a PR by only 2 seconds (finished in 2:39:10). The day after I quietly signed up for the North Shore Classic HM which is only a few miles away from my home. Its a tougher course with some significant hill climbs along Lake Michigan. My goal was simply to run consistent 12 minute miles and finish at 2:37:12 without any drama. @DopeyBadger adjusted my old plan to write a simple four week plan for me along with some mental toughness suggestions. For someone who prides himself on a lifetime of mental toughness it was a bit sobering.

The plan worked to perfection and I finished in 2:36:37 (average 11:57 per mile), for a PR improvement of about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. There was a terrific 12-minute mile pacer who I played leap-frog with during my run/walk/runs who helped keep me on target, especially when the mile markers were hundreds of yards off. I have an old school Timex Ironman stopwatch so I relied on his GPS enabled Garmin to occasionally check my progress.

Another big thanks to @DopeyBadger for his help and support.

Edit... goal was 2:37:12 not 1:37:12. Who do I think I am, Mr. Incredible??

 

[SarahDisney]

Italy Run 5M: Race Recap

This race actually seemed decent. Maybe a bit crowded, but not that much more crowded than any other Central Park NYRR race.
At least that's what I thought going into the race. I have a full recap on my journal, but to make a long story short ... I had claustrophobia/crowd anxiety issues, started having a mild anxiety attack shortly after the race started, and ultimately my goal became to not let the attack get worse. Thankfully, I was okay by the end of mile 3, but I still really was not having that great of a time. I just wanted to finish and go home.

I had a not-great experience, but I still think I'd do it again, because that wasn't the race's fault. I don't know if it was something about the way the course was set up or the fact that my mind was elsewhere, but I actually didn't mind the Central Park Hills that much. And there was free Nutella at the post-race festival, so really, even though it was a rough race, I still won.

Official Time: 1:01:47

 

[LdyStormy76]

Pure Pikermi Half Marathon race recap.

This is a really small race, as in less than 100 people between the half marathon and the half marathon relay. Packet pick up started at 6 am, the race started at 7 am. Location was ideal as it was only 20 minutes from the house.

Course was described as: a flat, fast out and back along the Fox River, which was why I chose it. Yes, it was along the Fox River. Yes, it was an out and back. It was not flat by any stretch of the imagination; think Army Man hill x2, 3 or 4 single track railroad type overpasses as well as 5 ish miles of random hills and inclines. Oh, and the timing system was a guy with a stop watch.

The lack of a timing system made me almost DNS, but then I decided to treat it like a blind run and see what I could do. Best decision I could have made as after the first mile the next closest runner was at least a block ahead of me and there were times I could not see anyone at all. Then I hit the first of the hills. Outbound there was a nice breeze crossing the path which kept the air moving, inbound there wasn’t and with the deteriorating air quality my allergies kicked in about mile 10.

Course support was minimal as there were only 2 water stations, one of which was used twice. There were people at major points to make sure you stayed on course, but you still had to look for directional signs. DH was the only person cheering runners on.

I did not make my goal time, but I also did not finish dead last. Time: 3:02.27.

Lesson learned with post race food: banana before bagel is a must for me.

 

[tidefan]

May Totals:

11 runs
36.9 miles

Highlight was the run from the Wilderness Lodge through Fort Wilderness (though it was hotter and more humid than ____)...

 

[Capang]

May Totals:

11 runs
36.9 miles

Highlight was the run from the Wilderness Lodge through Fort Wilderness (though it was hotter and more humid than ____)...

I'm hoping that trail survives given the construction that's going to happen near river country. I'm sort of banking on running that trail a few times this summer.

 

[flav]

I will run outside in almost anything else, because I tend to find the treadmill more miserable than that.

Count me in on that... I am not renewing my gym membership for that reason, plus it frees up extra race budget!

 

[CDKG]

May Miles: 129.2
2018 Miles: 432.1

May was all about training for my June half marathon. The week of May 21st brought my highest mileage week ever with 34 miles run over 5 days, making this (I'm sure) my highest mileage month ever.

My first half marathon since Tinker Bell 2017 (my current PR) is now one week away. I have been enjoying the mid week taper and both of my runs this weekend, including this morning's 12 miles, felt good! Let's hope that feeling is still with me next Sunday...