The Running Thread - 2018

[camaker]

ATTQOTD: There is a local middle school track that is open to the public, but I don't ever use it. I don't like running laps. I prefer to have changing scenery throughout my runs.

 

[kleph]

This week we have the following folks with a race:

17 - @McNs - Coastal Challenge (NG / N/A)
17 - @kywyldcat03 – Nashville Hot Chocolate 15K (NG / N/A)
17 - @Disney at Heart - Thrill in the Hills 21k Trail Race (NG / N/A)
18 - @JulieODC - Old Fashioned 10 Miler (1:40:00 / N/A)
18 - @GollyGadget - Chili Chase 4 Miler (30:29 / N/A)
18 - @huggybuff - Davis Stampede 5k (NG / N/A)

Best of luck to each of you this weekend! If you need to make a change to your goal or race, please let me know and I will make it for you. If anyone who is racing this weekend would like to add their race to the list let me know as well. Again, good luck and we look forward to hearing how your race went!

question. what do the symbols after the times mean when you update these post race? there is an exclamation point after mine now. i also notice there are double exclamation points on some as well as a "PR!" (i get the PR part).

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

ATTQOTD: I sometimes run at the local college that has a track, but I don't use it for speedwork, just for a couple of laps during a long run. The college is really a great place to run: safe roads without much traffic, a trail system, and a track.

 

[Sanchez]

I am a track advocate and do everything from speed work to long runs (did 18 miles once.) The two factors that make it easy for me are convenience and track surface. The track I use has a rubber surface and is within a mile of my house. Not sure that I would travel a significant distance to use a track.

Benefits:
1. Surface. This is track specific but the rubber surface saves the legs. Running on asphalt lengthens my recovery time.
2. Water. I am not into carrying water and having a bottle available every 400 meters is nice.
3. Safety. No holes, roots, ledges or slippery areas. No vehicles, bikes, skateboards or intersections to deal with.
4. Pacing. Not as important with GPS watches but I find that the track makes it easier to measure pace by feel. I find that I can repeatedly hit lap times within one or two seconds.

Detriments:
1. Boredom. As some have said they prefer to not run in a circle for hours. I understand that but for some reason I do not mind. I find it easier as I do not have to focus on avoiding hazards or staying alert and can relax.
2. Left turns only (injury): I understand this concern but it can me mitigated by reversing course every few miles.

 

[Miranda]

ATTQOTD: I have access to a few tracks. I live about a half mile away from the high school, and we did some speed workouts there last spring/summer/fall during our 10K and HM group training with my run group. Some local runners do Track Thursday there, too, super early, at like 5:30 AM. Although for a while even before the snow came, the track has been locked up at that time, because they are building a new high school in between the old high school and the track/athletic fields currently, and they were having some problems with vandalism in the new building, as it was not closed up yet, and while they have perimeter fencing around the new building, the athletic field fences were part of it so people could get in via the track. The new HS is supposed to be ready for the fall, so it must be getting close to getting closed up, so I imagine that once the snow is gone, the track will be available again in the mornings. There is also a smaller dirt track at a nearby elementary school, and I live about 3 miles down the road from the state university, and their track is accessible as well.

Personally, I really hate running the track, it's so boring and feels so long, so I only go there when someone is making me do a speed workout.

 

[PrincessV]

QOTD: Do you have access to a track to run on? Do you take advantage of it any? If so do you do most of your runs on it or only certain types of workouts?

ATTQOTD: Not that I'm aware of - not a real track, anyway. There is a loop of asphalt that circles a lake nearby that calls itself a "track" but it's paved, no lanes, and full of people walking their dogs, so not useful for track-type workouts. I've never checked, but I'd be very surprised if any local schools allow the public to use their tracks: all of our schools are locked up at all times, only accessible through the front office when open.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

ATTQOTD: Our high school track is very nice and about a mile from my house. I ran 2 of my 12 miles on it a couple of weeks ago to give myself a break from the hills in my area. I'll also use it for Magic Miles.

 

[roxymama]

There's a college across from my house with a lovely gym facility and indoor track. And I can't use it until I'm 55 years old. Or I become a grad student (which would eliminate any time for running) Or I win a one year membership at the annual Cougar 5k raffle (which I've yet to win)
We have high school outdoor tracks but I haven't used them. They are locked quite often.

 

[JulieODC]

Our high school track is about 0.25 miles from our house. I’ve used it a few times for speed workouts. It’s open to the public and usually empty - though is obviously used a lot in the fall for football, lacrosse, soccer, and marching band - and in the spring for track.

I prefer to do my speed workouts in the streets though - I prefer the change of scenery. That said - if I had no childcare, I could let my girls play in the turf/grass and still get a run in!

 

[TheHamm]

ATTQOTD: I have access to several tracks, and do use them.
When I started running last May (the 4th, the day I signed up for princess 10K!) I went to the local Y which has an indoor track, 12.9 laps per mile. It was horrible to circle, and I cannot keep track of laps or remember what time I started. But I thought it was too cold and dark to run at 5am..... now I would not hesitate, so I suppose that means I have grown and changed, right? I work for a car company, and they close the 2km test track for one hour at lunch, which I have for years walked if I can make it out. As it is well plowed, I decided that I would start running it at lunch in the winter. I have decided it is a good use of my time and I appreciate that the snow and ice are cleared, but I do not like the banked turns and variable road surface. I imagine the hills are probably good for me, right? The start and close time are tightly controlled, as are the entry & exit points, so I will need to get faster if I want to add miles, and I don't know how to do that. When the hubbub about the strava heat maps came up, like many I pulled up my town, and was surprised that the brightest part was the high school track, and I will consider using that in the AM if I cannot bear to run mid-day in the summer. I imagine it is a marked distance and flat, which may be a nice change of pace!

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: I use the track at a park across from our local high school. It is used for the high school's practice in the afternoon, but I enjoy being passed by 16 year olds and standing there in awe of their amazing speed. For some reason, all I think about is the scene below when I am running at the same time as the high schoolers. They look like gazelles and I look like a rhino clomping through the forest. (I'm Phoebe, LOL).

 

[jennamfeo]

We have a middle school in town with a super nice track (and bonus stairs you can run up and down). We also have two dirt tracks in town, one at our high school and one at one of our small colleges. I haven't been to the nice track in a few years and I haven't ran my high school track since high school when I hated running. Ha.

Last night, I ran around a grass/dirt field that my DD was having baseball practice at. F running on grass, dead or not, that sucked. I actually didn't mind the 1/4 mile loops plus I could see Bay do some things at practice. Win/Win.

 

[PCFriar80]

ATTQOTD:
I have access to two high school tracks. I have only used them for rehab runs when I'm first starting up after an injury and trying to better manage my distance along with surface impacts. As others have said, I do find it boring....left turn, left turn, left turn....... but it does add a level of discipline for a successful recovery before hitting the asphalt again.

 

[ZellyB]

ATTQOTD: We can access both the local JH and HS track. Last year we had some specific runs in our plan that we did on the track. Don't have any that we would do on the track right now in our DB plan, but maybe some of this later workouts.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: Do you have access to a track to run on? Do you take advantage of it any? If so do you do most of your runs on it or only certain types of workouts?

There's a track in a local park we use for speedwork on Tuesday mornings and for beer miles every spring.

 

[surfde22]

QOTD: Do you have access to a track to run on? Do you take advantage of it any? If so do you do most of your runs on it or only certain types of workouts?

There's a track about 1.25 miles from my house, but I don't use it. My neighborhood has a park with a path that is just shy of half a mile that I use for speed work. I couldn't imagine running in circles for long runs or really anything besides intervals.

Our town's high school actually has a dirt track... umm, what? #smalltownusa

Is that even legal? Around here people think it's rough when athletic fields at high schools are grass instead of artificial turf. I don't even know the last time I saw a dirt track.

 

[kski907]

ATTQOTD: We have an awesome school track. I use it quite frequently cause:
1. Close to home
2. Can zone out to music no worries of cars or animals
3. The surface is amazing to run on
4. At least one lane is cleared everyday, so even if the streets/sidewalks are full of snow and ice the track is clear.
5. During the dark season the track always has lights on
6. Don't mind going in circles as my life seems to do it as well quite frequently I think I am use to it.

The only down side is times that work for me to run during the week sometimes coincide with my kids gym class periods. I have gotten an earful on how embarrassing from my daughter, while my son likes to yell out HI MOM which then becomes more embarrassing for me.

 

[Wendy98]

ATTQOTD: Yes I have a track I can use at the high school. When I went to that high school, the track was so crappy (I wasn't a runner then, but knew it was a crappy track). It was mulch chips? Or shredded rubber chips? I am not sure exactly. I don't know when, but the high school has done some MAJOR upgrades. The track is so nice now. My middle schooler did swim team and they practice at the high school. While he swam, I would run the track. It was usually in the dark, but the lines are painted so nicely, I could make out the lanes. I never have to worry about tripping on the track--no stupid potholes or sidewalk cracks. When I started running again after last fall's injury, the track was the only place outside I would run. Fall is tricky with all the fall sports and even spring gets busy. I think as long as there isn't a game on the field, the track is open to use.

 

[Nole95]

There is a track at the local park I start most of my runs from. It's not the best, but it's good to run a warm up mile on prior to heading out on the local greenway.

 

[Disney at Heart]

We have a ms/hs joint track which used to be open all the time when it was cracked and divoted. People came to run, walk, and let their kids run around, bike, or skateboard. Then the school system decided to resurface it. And, you guessed it, they locked it up to keep the public off of it hoping to keep it in good shape. I used to run it occasionally and, yes, going around in circles caused boredom and sore legs.