The Running Thread - 2019

Hey! Weird question. Do race organizations ever do thanksgiving/Black Friday discounts. I’m looking at registering for some 2020 races but may hold off if they ever do discounts then. I know I’ve seen them on other holidays/events so I was just curious if anyone had any recollection.

Eta- larger organizations like RAM racing
 
Thank you so much! This is very helpful!

The nutrition is mostly a form thing...I find chewing/swallowing difficult while running and gels make me gag.

This is going to sound weird. But after much experimenting with fuel I discovered that I like cliff shots that are warm (because it makes them more liquidy) and to get them warm I wear tight shorts or pants that have pockets. So even if I have an arm or waist band, I store my gels in my pants to body heat them up. I know...sounds super gross. But that's how you find out what you like...you do weird things on training runs to discover what works.
 
Hey! Weird question. Do race organizations ever do thanksgiving/Black Friday discounts. I’m looking at registering for some 2020 races but may hold off if they ever do discounts then. I know I’ve seen them on other holidays/events so I was just curious if anyone had any recollection.

Eta- larger organizations like RAM racing

I have gotten some deals on Black Friday like 20% off.
 


But we finally got a cold front down here and I did a 16+ miler with a starting temp of 58, ending temp around 68, and holy cow!!! Effort level was maybe 60-75% of how it's felt the past 6 months, but coming in almost a minute per mile faster - and HR sat nicely in Zone 2 and 3 for most of it! None of this should be surprising, as it happens every year. But it somehow it still is, and it's neat to see some data to support what I feel!

Also interesting to see how much HR climbs while going uphill. My only hills are in direct sun, so I avoid them all summer and only recently started running that route again - so first time being able to see HR connected to the extra effort of uphill running. Wow - it goes right up, and comes right back down! :rotfl2: I know - this is all old news to those who've been monitoring HR for years, but it's all new and fascinating to me, lol!

Here outside DC, we don't get quite as hot and humid as you in the summer, and we cool off faster in the fall. I have been loving my 50s and below temperatures here because the effort is so much easier and feel like what I should have been doing all summer. In the summer, I do take T+D into account and adjust my pace, but I just don't think it really makes up for it. Two days ago, I did my peak training run of 16 miles at a temperature of about 55 F and my average HR was at the very bottom of my LR range. So I feel you on this for sure! It's like night and day difference.
 
This is going to sound weird. But after much experimenting with fuel I discovered that I like cliff shots that are warm (because it makes them more liquidy) and to get them warm I wear tight shorts or pants that have pockets. So even if I have an arm or waist band, I store my gels in my pants to body heat them up. I know...sounds super gross. But that's how you find out what you like...you do weird things on training runs to discover what works.

I totally like my Sports Beans warm so that they are almost gooey. They are easier to swallow and taste better, too. But I hadn't engineered how to do that, so thanks for the hints. :)
 
Hey everyone. Long time no post...mostly because I fell out of running this summer due to some mental health issues. Things are better now on the brain front, but I feel like I've lost whatever base I had. I did manage to get out for a couple of 6 mile walks this summer, but overall it's not been a great season. Now, too, we've had sudden onset of winter, so as I get back into things I'll mostly be rowing for now with longer walks or runs on weekends when I can wait until the sun comes out before I start.

Been looking at the 2020-2021 schedule. The 2021 marathon has been my 'A Goal' for a while now, and that's still on my radar. I'm thinking, though, about adding a runDisney race in 2020 to give myself more motivation. I'm doing a solo, non-running trip in late January 2020 and was already considering upgrading my ticket to an AP to also cover the 2021 Marathon Weekend--I'd be out about $100 more versus buying tickets for each trip separately, and I'm confident I'd at least make that up on discounts, not even counting Memory Maker (which I might want for the marathon). Figured out that if I had an AP, that would drop the cost of a short mid-2020 race trip to where I could afford to add it to my calendar--I'd have to tighten the belt a bit on day to day expenses at home, but it's doable.

The longest race I've done is a 10K back in June, and I barely kept it under 16 minutes/mile. With that in mind, and with the limitations of winter training on my mind, I'm looking ahead to next summer and trying to decide how soon I should plan to run my first half--I want to run at least one of them next year before my first marathon, hopefully two. I'm nervous because that 10K this past June was supposed to be my first half but I wasn't ready in time, and I'm afraid it'll happen again if I try for one too early in the season and kill my confidence...again. My options for running a half next year are pretty much:
April - Star Wars Rival Run Weekend
June - several semi-local half marathons available
August - local half marathon in my own city
November - Wine & Dine weekend

I'm really leery of shooting for April--I'd only just have time to work through the Galloway training plan for the half by then, and I'm not sure I'm even in good enough shape to start that plan. Thoughts? I want to have something closer than the marathon to shoot for to keep me motivated, but I'm not sure how to lay my race calendar out for best effect.

Edit: I talked it over with my housemate, and with her insight into the other stuff going on in our lives, I'm thinking of aiming for the August half marathon and just focusing this winter on building habits and baselines. The house needs a lot of work and it's hard to split my attention--and hard to row regularly when the room where the rower lives is full of junk. So that comes first, then training in earnest starting in the early spring.

April may be hard to determine if you can get a handle on some of the other life stress before starting a more targeted training plan, but if you can live with some ambiguity, you could pick a future date to decide June vs. August. For example, if you think you would need to start seriously training to do the June half on March 15 (I have no idea when in June, or how long you need to feel comfortable so these dates are a guess), then you can reassess the situation on February 15 and still have time to develop a plan for March. On the other hand, if you really want to do Wine & Dine, you need to decide much farther in advance just to secure a bib- I assume this is not the case with your local or semi-local races.

When this happens....View attachment 452124 ....You dress warmly, head out in real feel temps of 7F , find the clear roads and do your 4 easy miles. Then you do this when you're home......View attachment 452126

So much for 1-3" or 3-5". I may not be as badass as @Professor_Cookie, but today I claim some rights!
Way to be a b@d@$$! The only clear roads in my neighborhood were US23 or I94, so I left the kids home with DH and went to work, where there is a treadmill but no hot chocolate with whipped cream. It looks like tomorrow will be another opportunity for frozen hot chocolate so I hope you stocked up!
 


April may be hard to determine if you can get a handle on some of the other life stress before starting a more targeted training plan, but if you can live with some ambiguity, you could pick a future date to decide June vs. August. For example, if you think you would need to start seriously training to do the June half on March 15 (I have no idea when in June, or how long you need to feel comfortable so these dates are a guess), then you can reassess the situation on February 15 and still have time to develop a plan for March. On the other hand, if you really want to do Wine & Dine, you need to decide much farther in advance just to secure a bib- I assume this is not the case with your local or semi-local races.
I like this approach, and I think it's a good idea--though it's looking more and more like I need to set aside the idea of doing my half marathon at WDW in 2020. If I want to do that I'll have to start saving now, and it'll mean giving other things up. I don't think it'll be a problem to get a bib for the local/semi-local races much later in the game. There are three big options in June, one at the start of the month and two at the end. The one with the flattest course is on June 28, so that would be my best bet for setting myself up for success at an earlier race. Then the one in August is fairly flat, too.
 
Ouah! I went for my first real winter run, there was 8 inch of snow! I might not have hit any target pace and my form was probably terrible but yet, I feel like I achieved everything I went out for!

Which brings me to answer that question:
Going from warm -> Cold -> Really cold
Nothing -> Headband + -> Running beanie + Neck warmer (can cover mouth if dangerous for lungs)
Nothing -> Thin gloves -> Gloves
Tank top -> Long sleeve tech shirt -> Polar fleece or light coat
Capris -> Long pants -> Fleeced pants with wind cutting panels
Thin short socks -> Smart Wool or ski type of socks
Running shoes -> Same running shoes with YakTrax if slippery
 
Hi
My husband has said I should join for months because I keep asking him running questions and he keeps telling to ask all the helpful people here. I am finally here..
I do lots of walking and run twice a week. I am hoping to get my 5k time below 40 minutes over the winter. My fastest current time is 40:12. So close.
Nice to meet you
 
Hi
My husband has said I should join for months because I keep asking him running questions and he keeps telling to ask all the helpful people here. I am finally here..
I do lots of walking and run twice a week. I am hoping to get my 5k time below 40 minutes over the winter. My fastest current time is 40:12. So close.
Nice to meet you
Howdy!
 
Hi
My husband has said I should join for months because I keep asking him running questions and he keeps telling to ask all the helpful people here. I am finally here..
I do lots of walking and run twice a week. I am hoping to get my 5k time below 40 minutes over the winter. My fastest current time is 40:12. So close.
Nice to meet you

Welcome!
 
Inspired by @jmasgat , I packed up a thermos of hot chocolate when I grabbed my running gear and left for work. I hyped myself up reminding myself that I did this temp and below last winter, and got it done but it was more uncomfortable than I remembered. Specifically my face and backside.
While running I realized I had inquired here last winter about gear, put items in an amazon shopping cart, and forgot to ask follow up questions before buying. So, I'm asking.
Balaclavas- Does anyone use the ones with holes or the plastic inserts? I hate the buff over my mouth (I am a mouth breather) as it is soaked very quickly. I also wondered if neoprene is better?
backside coverage- I layered shorts under my fleece tights, but my backside is still uncomfortably cold and nearly numb. My thighs and calves are fine. Someone mentioned quilted running skirts, about which I know nothing. Is this a real solution, and if so does it restrict your running? Any other suggestions for warmth?
 
backside coverage- I layered shorts under my fleece tights, but my backside is still uncomfortably cold and nearly numb.
Ruh roh! (If you've been on the running forum for a couple of years, you know what I'm talking about.)
Several years ago there was an ongoing discussion about cold butts. I won't go into the details (because I'd just get in trouble), but it went on for awhile.
 
Inspired by @jmasgat , I packed up a thermos of hot chocolate when I grabbed my running gear and left for work. I hyped myself up reminding myself that I did this temp and below last winter, and got it done but it was more uncomfortable than I remembered. Specifically my face and backside.
While running I realized I had inquired here last winter about gear, put items in an amazon shopping cart, and forgot to ask follow up questions before buying. So, I'm asking.
Balaclavas- Does anyone use the ones with holes or the plastic inserts? I hate the buff over my mouth (I am a mouth breather) as it is soaked very quickly. I also wondered if neoprene is better?
backside coverage- I layered shorts under my fleece tights, but my backside is still uncomfortably cold and nearly numb. My thighs and calves are fine. Someone mentioned quilted running skirts, about which I know nothing. Is this a real solution, and if so does it restrict your running? Any other suggestions for warmth?
As far as mouth covering, I can’t do it. It sucks running and it sucks schralping pow.
 
backside coverage- I layered shorts under my fleece tights, but my backside is still uncomfortably cold and nearly numb. My thighs and calves are fine. Someone mentioned quilted running skirts, about which I know nothing. Is this a real solution, and if so does it restrict your running? Any other suggestions for warmth?
My friend is a Skirt Sports Ambassador and lives Up North, so after I froze my Floridian butt off during the 2017 WDW Marathon, I asked her what she recommended I buy to avoid such a situation in the future: her advice was Skirt Sports' Toasty Tights. I got them and have used them a few times when temps dropped dramatically down here and they're GREAT! Thick all over, and extra warmth over the rear. This year, I also bought a Skirt Sports' Toasty Cheeks Skirt, which is a standalone skirt (no shorts or tights built in) that I can layer over regular weight tights when I want some extra warmth just in that area. Oh, and I just noticed Skirt Sports has already started its Black Friday sale!
 
Inspired by @jmasgat , I packed up a thermos of hot chocolate when I grabbed my running gear and left for work. I hyped myself up reminding myself that I did this temp and below last winter, and got it done but it was more uncomfortable than I remembered. Specifically my face and backside.
While running I realized I had inquired here last winter about gear, put items in an amazon shopping cart, and forgot to ask follow up questions before buying. So, I'm asking.
Balaclavas- Does anyone use the ones with holes or the plastic inserts? I hate the buff over my mouth (I am a mouth breather) as it is soaked very quickly. I also wondered if neoprene is better?
backside coverage- I layered shorts under my fleece tights, but my backside is still uncomfortably cold and nearly numb. My thighs and calves are fine. Someone mentioned quilted running skirts, about which I know nothing. Is this a real solution, and if so does it restrict your running? Any other suggestions for warmth?

How about just slipping a pair of Hot Hands into the right locations inside your fleece tights?
 
Great: now *my* Garmin isn't synching my runs, and it was synching just fine when everybody else was having trouble. Did anything fix the previous issue besides just waiting for an app update?
 
Balaclavas- Does anyone use the ones with holes or the plastic inserts? I hate the buff over my mouth (I am a mouth breather) as it is soaked very quickly. I also wondered if neoprene is better?

I've given up wearing anything that covers my nose or mouth because it all fogs up my glasses. If it is super cold, I put some vaseline on my face and lips as a barrier. I am also a mouth breather and I so far haven't had any issues breathing in cold air.
 
Ruh roh! (If you've been on the running forum for a couple of years, you know what I'm talking about.)
Several years ago there was an ongoing discussion about cold butts. I won't go into the details (because I'd just get in trouble), but it went on for awhile.
You beat me to it... definitely one of our more lively conversations as a group. :rotfl2:
 

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