The Running Thread - 2019

[ZellyB]

ATTQOTD: I was really bummed out after Chicago last year. I had a big goal that I just completely blew. I think much like others have said, I first just let myself be sad and upset for a few days. It's okay to do that. Second, try to figure out what went wrong, but honestly I don't spend a lot of time on that. Last I shake it off and believe it when people tell me "it happens to everyone" because IT DOES. It's not some huge personal failure, sometimes it's just a **** day. I do know how you feel and it sucks, but give yourself some time and then move on. I usually just pick a new race/goal and start over assuming next time will be better.

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: I think expectations are a big part of "bad races." When I was much younger, I was the kind of person who did really well in sports when I was under pressure, but when I started distance running at age 39, putting so much pressure on myself to achieve goals didn't work so well for me anymore. I had to adjust big time. Now I approach every race with ranking expectations like:

Goal # 1 is always finishing (run, walk or crawl)
Goal # 2 running for fun or running relaxed/by feel
Goal # 3 time goal of some sort
Goal # 4 PR

This way I can feel good about a race no matter if I complete 1 or all 4 goals.

ETA: But I also know how frustrating it can be to train so hard and not have your body do what you want it to do. As everyone has said, take time to mourn. We've all been there - well, except Boston - we haven't all been there, so major props to you for that!

 

[Mickey Momma]

First class, row one on the flight home. My legs were so happy to not take more steps than necessary.

Congratulations on another Boston finish! I am glad your back did not revolt. Also, I understand the necessity of getting home right away, but don't know how you manage to fly home the same day as the marathon.

 

[Sanchez]

QOTD: How do you get over a bad race?

I swear. A lot.

 

[rteetz]

Here is an interesting article on best cities for runners

https://smartasset.com/checking-account/best-cities-for-runners-2019-edition

 

[Mickey Momma]

ATTQOTD: I had a bad race a few weeks ago. I tried my best to go in with zero expectations since I didn't train as well as I should have, but around mile 9 or so, things were looking pretty good and I decided to go for it. A mile later my stomach revolted and it was two miles before the first bathrooms (off the course in a park) presented themselves. Even after my stop my legs felt great, but my stomach wasn't having it. I sulked my way to the finish line and plastered a smile on my face when I was nearing the finish because my kids were there waiting for me. My kids had no idea I had "failed" when they spotted me, they were just excited that I had done the seemingly impossible to them. They also had no idea I was thinking to myself in that moment that I was already destined to fail in Chicago this fall if I can't even cover 13.1 in a local race I run every year. This is obviously irrational, especially since I did just cover the 13.1, but that is exactly where our heads are at when we are dealing with disappointment.

Allow yourself to grieve, be mad or sad or a combination of both. Your race did not go the way you have been picturing it in your head for months, but to those around you, including us, you are a superstar. And try to remember, the only thing you truly control over on race day is what you wear. Weather, transportation, your head and your heart and your GI track, can all be factors working either for or against you from the moment you wake up and you don't have a lot of influence over them. I think allowing yourself to be upset and letting yourself gain distance from the event (and everybody asking you about it) is the only way to heal. Take at least a week off, maybe two, and wait for that feeling of needing to go for a run to return. Then it will be time to plan your next race.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Here is an interesting article on best cities for runners

https://smartasset.com/checking-account/best-cities-for-runners-2019-edition

This list is horrible. This guy must loving in the freezing cold weather.

 

[rteetz]

This list is horrible. This guy must loving in the freezing cold weather.

There are negatives to any place. I don’t think this list is horrible by any means and weather wasn’t a major factor in creating the list if you read the article.

If you live in the south you are battling the heat and humidity a good majority of the year. If you live in the north you battle the snow and cold. Each city has its weather issues.

 

[steph0808]

How do I get over a bad race?

I get back out there. I mean - it sucks. Big time.

I ran a marathon in November 2017. Local race on a rails-to-trail that I run all the time. Trained on it. I desperately wanted sub-4:00, even though I knew it was a stretch. But I really wanted sub-4:30 because that had been a goal of mine since I started running. I had a 4:30 in me.

Race day came and the weather was terrible. Thunderstorms. Rain started at about mile 2, and from miles like 6-16, it just poured. I had on shorts, a t-shirt, and jacket. I had to keep taking the jacket off because I'd get too hot but then too cold with no sleeves on. Tying it around my waist. Untying it around my waist, etc.

Mile 20, the sun came out and just pounded us. Then it was too hot!

My shoes were full of water and felt like lead, and about mile 22, some guy, running the relay so only 2 miles into his race goes by "You can do it! Not that far! Come on! Don't give up! Get going" (I was walking). I cried.

I finished in 4:35. It was not my day. I don't think it was much of anyone's day in that weather. But it sucked because I had put in the training, I was running well, and I was the most trained for that race than any other race I had done.

I did the 2018 Disney marathon after that - wasn't as well trained due to some sickness and finished in 4:43 (4:35 if I had only done 26.2 miles like my other marathon - I run long at Disney). But I ran with a college roommate and had so much more fun.

But I haven't done a marathon since those - the failure has kind of scared me a little bit. Like why should I devote 7-8 hours/week of my life to this training just for everything to fail me on the one day that I need it?

And maybe that's the real reason why, even though I've rented DVC, I haven't signed up for a 2020 Marathon Weekend race yet. Because I want to do the November local marathon and then Disney marathon in January again like I did in 2017/2018 (because if I'm doing all that training for a November full, I might as well run another in January!), and I'm afraid of failure at either of them again.


And you would have thought that my first marathon - the 2013 WDW Marathon where I finished in 6:42:53 (and planned to run 4:45-ish) - was my worst race experience (flu, cold, hadn't eaten for 2 days, hot as Hades, etc.).

 

[BuckeyeBama]

There are negatives to any place. I don’t think this list is horrible by any means and weather wasn’t a major factor in creating the list if you read the article.

If you live in the south you are battling the heat and humidity a good majority of the year. If you live in the north you battle the snow and cold. Each city has its weather issues.

LOL, says a guy from the frozen tundra. Sorry, but weather is a Huge factor in any outdoor activity. Just ask the dog mushers in Alaska.

 

[Slogger]

ATTQOTD- Having a race not go your way definitely sucks. I've been there many times with race results that did not mirror my expectations. The bigger the event, the higher the expectation I had for a perfect outcome. I can only imagine how "amped up" my expectations would be to run Boston. I know it may not mean much right now but consider this:
YOU qualified for Boston, YOU trained, YOU ran it, YOU finished. That is a huge accomplishment. Better to do all that than never experience it at all.

Take some time to reflect and then find another race to focus on.

Better yet, run Boston again and get your sweet revenge!!

 

[rteetz]

LOL, says a guy from the frozen tundra. Sorry, but weather is a Huge factor in any outdoor activity. Just ask the dog mushers in Alaska.

I’m not saying it isn’t a factor but it wasn’t used in this list if you actually read it all. Like I said there are negatives to any place with weather. There is no perfect place.

 

[IamTrike]

This list is horrible. This guy must loving in the freezing cold weather.

I don't know that it's horrible. But it does seem odd to me that there are no cities in the Southern US on this list. I've looked through a couple other lists of Fittest cities in the US and they all tend to skew to northern Cities. I think it's interesting because when I compare those lists to a list of cities ranked by obesity rates, their isn't a lot of overlap between the fittest/best for running cities and the cities with the lowest obesity rates. The main exception I saw was San Francisco which was on both sets of lists.

 

[rteetz]

I don't know that it's horrible. But it does seem odd to me that there are no cities in the Southern US on this list. I've looked through a couple other lists of Fittest cities in the US and they all tend to skew to northern Cities. I think it's interesting because when I compare those lists to a list of cities ranked by obesity rates, their isn't a lot of overlap between the fittest/best for running cities and the cities with the lowest obesity rates. The main exception I saw was San Francisco which was on both sets of lists.

I think something of note from the list is they took number of races per 10000 people into account. I would guess there are less races on the dead of summer in the south than there are in the dead of summer in the north. This probably adds to the skew.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I’m not saying it isn’t a factor but it wasn’t used in this list if you actually read it all. Like I said there are negatives to any place with weather. There is no perfect place.

I read it. It isn't personal. But, IMO, the list sucks.

 

[rteetz]

I read it - you have to learn that it is okay to agree to disagree. It isn't personal. I didn't say that you suck, or that your opinion sucks. But, IMO, the list sucks.

I do know it’s okay to agree to disagree and I often do with people. I was giving facts from the list that it is not purely weather based. Every city in this country has different weather and none is perfect. What you prefer doesn’t mean every prefers and what I prefer not everyone prefers either. I respect your opinion but IMO just because there are no southern locations doesn’t mean the list is horrible.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I respect your opinion but IMO just because there are no southern locations doesn’t mean the list is horrible.

Runner's World put together a similar list and they came to similar conclusions - that Southern cities are not as conducive for running. The idea that things like parks and cooler weather are more conducive than wide open terrain and the ability to run outside 365 days/year is absurd. The idea that running in cities up north is safer than in the south is absurd. And how the heck is "food" even a factor? IMO, any list that assumes that runners prefer a specific type of weather is seriously flawed. I run outside year round. I much prefer the heat of August in Florida to the cold of Wisconsin in February. In fact, most of my friends who live in the Midwest run inside on treadmills for 3-4 months/year to avoid that cold.

 

[camaker]

I do know it’s okay to agree to disagree and I often do with people. I was giving facts from the list that it is not purely weather based. Every city in this country has different weather and none is perfect. What you prefer doesn’t mean every prefers and what I prefer not everyone prefers either. I respect your opinion but IMO just because there are no southern locations doesn’t mean the list is horrible.

I went through and looked at how they calculated their rankings. Their methodology is so flawed I find it impossible to take the list seriously, regardless of weather or geography issues. Some specific examples:

1. Percentage of workforce that walks to work: This is more a measure of population density and skews rankings towards locales with large populations in close proximity to high density jobs (ie, large cities and downtown areas). This is actually a negative for runner-friendliness, as the high traffic and pedestrian density will make it harder to run. It would be preferable to have more open space to run in.
2. Gyms per 10,000 residents: Not sure why this would even be a factor. More treadmills? Regardless, I don’t see it as a real factor in assessing “runnability”.
3. Housing cost as a percent of income: Again, has no relationship to “runnability” of a locale.
4. In addition to these examples, 1/4 of the factors were double dips measuring essentially the same thing. “Walk score” and “Percentage of workforce that walks to work”. “Percentage of city that is parkland” and “Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park”

I don’t mind lists like this that are well thought out, but this one reeks of lazy journalism where they just seem to pull some random easy to find metrics to crunch and put together a clickbait article.

 

[rteetz]

Runner's World put together a similar list and they came to similar conclusions - that Southern cities are not as conducive for running. The idea that things like parks and cooler weather are more conducive than wide open terrain and the ability to run outside 365 days/year is absurd. The idea that running in cities up north is safer than in the south is absurd. And how the heck is "food" even a factor? IMO, any list that assumes that runners prefer a specific type of weather is seriously flawed. I run outside year round. I much prefer the heat of August in Florida to the cold of Wisconsin in February. In fact, most of my friends who live in the Midwest run inside on treadmills for 3-4 months/year to avoid that cold.

Depends on the year sometimes it’s quite nice in February.

 

[rteetz]

I went through and looked at how they calculated their rankings. Their methodology is so flawed I find it impossible to take the list seriously, regardless of weather or geography issues. Some specific examples:

1. Percentage of workforce that walks to work: This is more a measure of population density and skews rankings towards locales with large populations in close proximity to high density jobs (ie, large cities and downtown areas). This is actually a negative for runner-friendliness, as the high traffic and pedestrian density will make it harder to run. It would be preferable to have more open space to run in.
2. Gyms per 10,000 residents: Not sure why this would even be a factor. More treadmills? Regardless, I don’t see it as a real factor in assessing “runnability”.
3. Housing cost as a percent of income: Again, has no relationship to “runnability” of a locale.
4. In addition to these examples, 1/4 of the factors were double dips measuring essentially the same thing. “Walk score” and “Percentage of workforce that walks to work”. “Percentage of city that is parkland” and “Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park”

I don’t mind lists like this that are well thought out, but this one reeks of lazy journalism where they just seem to pull some random easy to find metrics to crunch and put together a clickbait article.

Hey I just posted it as something interesting don’t shoot the messenger.

I found the aspect of races per 10000 people interesting.

I actually think a lot of the places on this list would be great for runners too.