The Running Thread - 2019

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I'm closing in on 45 so I'd guess physically I only have a couple more years left were I can set lifetime PR's. I'd really like to do that for both the Marathon and the Half Distance.
I also really want to qualify for Boston.
Lastly I want to get my weight back under control. I'd like to loose about 15 pounds in the hope of making that Boston qualifying time more plausible.

What?! We only have a couple more years to achieve all that?! Is turning 45 the new mid-life crisis?
Ok so 45 y.o. in 2019 means: First Marathon and Dopey and qualify for Boston... Goals are set all the way up to Q3 2020.

 

[LSUlakes]

If someone in this thread has a background in mental health or a counselor I have a question I would like to ask you. Nothing wrong in my immediate bubble, but a family member needs help and I am not sure how to help or what to say to this person. I'm still in a state of disbelief and not really sure that my mind has wrapped around the events that have taken place in the last 24 hours. I would prefer to keep the details out of this thread so please PM me. Thank you and if yall can say a little prayer for my family member.

 

[Kazrak]

Many thanks, @LSUlakes !

Races:
February
9 - Kazrak - Bay Breeze Half Marathon aka SW Virtual Half (3:00:00 / N/A)

April
6 - Kazrak - Star Wars Rival Run 10k (1:15:00 / N/A)
7 - Kazrak - Star Wars Rival Run Half (3:00:00 / N/A)

 

[Waiting2goback]

What?! We only have a couple more years to achieve all that?! Is turning 45 the new mid-life crisis?
Ok so 45 y.o. in 2019 means: First Marathon and Dopey and qualify for Boston... Goals are set all the way up to Q3 2020.

I turned 45 in September. If I can ever get some consistency back in my running, and follow through with my diet and losing weight, I still see many PR's in my future. I think 50 is where I might start to see the decline. I think at this age, it just takes a lot more work overall. You can't ignore the cross training if you want to avoid injury, stretching, rolling, better diet, etc...

But I think good times are still to be had!

 

[Schmorks]

Is anyone doing (or have done) Run the Bluegrass half in Kentucky? I'm trying to find something new that is relatively close. This would be 6 hours away. And any other recommendations for something close to Arkansas would be fantastic

@lahobbs4 I did the Run the Bluegrass half last year. It really is a beautiful course and VERY hilly. I had a quick chat with a runner in line for the porta potties before the race and she was telling me about the hill at mile 9. She said it was her goal to run the hill rather than walking it as she had previous years. When I reached the hill, I figured out why she set that goal. There isn't much in the way of course spectators, unless you count the horses! But it is well organized with good aid station placement, fun race swag, and a cool medal that changes every year. I would be running it again this year if I wasn't on a trip the week before.

 

[jmasgat]

@lahobbs4 I did the Run the Bluegrass half last year. It really is a beautiful course and VERY hilly. I had a quick chat with a runner in line for the porta potties before the race and she was telling me about the hill at mile 9. She said it was her goal to run the hill rather than walking it as she had previous years. When I reached the hill, I figured out why she set that goal. There isn't much in the way of course spectators, unless you count the horses! But it is well organized with good aid station placement, fun race swag, and a cool medal that changes every year. I would be running it again this year if I wasn't on a trip the week before.

Looks like this could be a good taper race for Boston with hills (which I suck at, but need to work on).

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

DH here, catching up on 2018:
December: 65.5 miles. Cancelled and/or shortened a lot of runs to spend time with Max.
2018 total: 931.1 miles. I had to add it twice. Did not know that my total was that high.

Highlights of the year:
DW completed her first 1/2 marathon at DS in April.
I PR'd at Hersey 1/2 in October.

Goals for 2019:
Get DW to an ortho surgeon to receive recommendations about her right meniscus. Continuing to run is part of her plan to honor Max's memory. We'll have to talk about other goals.

Races:
Nothing specific yet. Building my pocket calendar of 2019 races and dates for easy access and review. Likely to run some of the remaining local Winter Series races. One registration of $40 gets you into 8 different races, each with a 1-mile and a longer "main event".

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Add me to the list please!

February 24: Disney Princess Half Marathon (NG)

I’m trying to figure out the rest of my races for the year. My ultimate goal is to set a half marathon PR. I have a race in mind for April, but that may be a bit too soon with being too close to the beginning of spring (around here we could still get a snowstorm then). So if I do that one, it may be more for training/working towards the goal, with an actual goal race around fall.

 

[GreatLakes]

I turned 45 in September. If I can ever get some consistency back in my running, and follow through with my diet and losing weight, I still see many PR's in my future. I think 50 is where I might start to see the decline. I think at this age, it just takes a lot more work overall. You can't ignore the cross training if you want to avoid injury, stretching, rolling, better diet, etc...

But I think good times are still to be had!

I think a lot has to do with when you started running and how competitive you were when you started. If you were a top athlete in high school and college winning competitive races it is unlikely you'll be setting any PRs in your 40s unless you change to longer distances.

I started in my 20s and was able to run in the low 18s and high 17s for 5ks pretty consistently. I'm in my 40s now and it is unlikely I'll ever hit those times again even if I had a coach and stopped working to train.

On the other hand I never really concentrated heavily on the full marathon and can probably still PR that for another decade with the right training.

Conversely someone that was sedentary and overweight as a kid and young adult that takes up running at 35 and slowly improves their times and health will have plenty of PR opportunities baring injury or giving up.

Your history will have as much to do with post-40 PRs as your current fitness will.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

@LSUlakes, results:

01/05 - @OldSlowGoofyGuy - Braselton Life Path 8K (39:59 / 39:03)

18/112 overall. 2/11 AG. 8K PR (OK, my only 8K)

Short race report to come.

 

[Smilelea]

On the other hand someone that was sedentary and overweight as a kid and young adult that takes up running at 35 and slowly improves their times and health will have plenty of PR opportunities baring injury or gi

This is me to a T! Except I started running about 32 and I'm still overweight (but working on that). I have no doubt that I have quite a few PRs in my future - baring injury just as you stated.

 

[YawningDodo]

@LSUlakes

I have a race for the 2019 calendar!
June 8 - Governor's Cup Half Marathon - goal is to finish

Hello and happy new year, everyone! I sort of disappeared off the map because, uh, I haven't run since October. But I broke that streak this morning! I'm back to building up my base basically from scratch, but I figure six months is still plenty of time to get up to 13.1 miles. Today was a nice and easy two mile run to ease myself back into the routine of things, and I'll be finally facing facts and shifting around to a winter sleep schedule that has me up later at night so I can run after work, when it's more likely to be warm enough outside for an enjoyable run.

I'm thinking about changing up the way I track my runs. I got tired of inputting information into a spreadsheet or journal on my computer, so I'm thinking of doing a bullet journal style of running journal--but then I won't be recording potentially important information, like which shoes I've worn for how many miles. Maybe I should just use an app to automatically track everything? Technically Garmin Connect already stores all my data, but it doesn't include the shoes. What approaches have you all used and enjoyed?

 

[kleph]

I think a lot has to do with when you started running and how competitive you were when you started. If you were a top athlete in high school and college winning competitive races it is unlikely you'll be setting any PRs in your 40s unless you change to longer distances.

I started in my 20s and was able to run in the low 18s and high 17s for 5ks pretty consistently. I'm in my 40s now and it is unlikely I'll ever hit those times again even if I had a coach and stopped working to train.

On the other hand I never really concentrated heavily on the full marathon and can probably still PR that for another decade with the right training.

Conversely someone that was sedentary and overweight as a kid and young adult that takes up running at 35 and slowly improves their times and health will have plenty of PR opportunities baring injury or giving up.

Your history will have as much to do with post-40 PRs as your current fitness will.

i think i once heard a rule of thumb that you have seven years of improvement from when you start.

 

[McNs]

@LSUlakes

I have a race for the 2019 calendar!
June 8 - Governor's Cup Half Marathon - goal is to finish

Hello and happy new year, everyone! I sort of disappeared off the map because, uh, I haven't run since October. But I broke that streak this morning! I'm back to building up my base basically from scratch, but I figure six months is still plenty of time to get up to 13.1 miles. Today was a nice and easy two mile run to ease myself back into the routine of things, and I'll be finally facing facts and shifting around to a winter sleep schedule that has me up later at night so I can run after work, when it's more likely to be warm enough outside for an enjoyable run.

I'm thinking about changing up the way I track my runs. I got tired of inputting information into a spreadsheet or journal on my computer, so I'm thinking of doing a bullet journal style of running journal--but then I won't be recording potentially important information, like which shoes I've worn for how many miles. Maybe I should just use an app to automatically track everything? Technically Garmin Connect already stores all my data, but it doesn't include the shoes. What approaches have you all used and enjoyed?

Garmin Connect has a place to add Gear, which includes shoes. You can even set a pair to be default, so all runs automatically have that pair added. I used to keep spreadsheets as well as connect but stopped a few years ago as I couldn’t see the point of duplicating the data. I also sync Garmin to Strava, which also has the ability to have shows assigned to runs.

Good luck with getting back in to running!

 

[camaker]

I think a lot has to do with when you started running and how competitive you were when you started. If you were a top athlete in high school and college winning competitive races it is unlikely you'll be setting any PRs in your 40s unless you change to longer distances.

Conversely someone that was sedentary and overweight as a kid and young adult that takes up running at 35 and slowly improves their times and health will have plenty of PR opportunities baring injury or giving up.

Your history will have as much to do with post-40 PRs as your current fitness will.

This is spot on. I was a team sports guy in high school and college because running without chasing a ball or frisbee was boring. I have no PRs from back then, outside of a 6:31 mile that I’ll never see again. I let my weight balloon out of control from my mid-20s to early 40s before getting it back under control and starting to run seriously at 45. Now approaching 49, I know I have more PRs in me, but achieving them is a delicate balance between how hard I’m willing to work for them and how hard I can safely work for them given the damage I did to my body in those “lost years”.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Braselton Life Path 8K Race Recap

Summary:

39:03 (7:51 average pace)
18/112 overall. 2/11 AG. 8K PR (OK, my only 8K)

This was my first time doing this race so I didn't know what to expect. The course is a 2.5 mile out and back along a mostly undeveloped 4 lane commercial parkway, so nothing of interest along the way. The 8K turn around (they also have a 5K) was a small loop around a parking lot, so you didn't have to make a sharp turn around a cone. The course starts with a 120 foot climb in the first 1.2 miles, then a series of whoop-de-doos (my word for a series of ups and downs not quite big enough to be hills), then downhill from 3.8 to the finish. The start/finish amenities were great! The race starts/finishes at a medical center. Package pickup/awards/food were all inside, with uncrowded real bathrooms. The race is put on by Runner's Fit, a local running store. They do an excellent job. The results are almost always posted online by the time I get home.

The weather was a sunny 43 degrees with a brisk wind. 43 degrees is on the border of short sleeves or tank top for me (For racing. For training, 43 degrees would be 2 long sleeve shirts). Because of the wind, I went with the short sleeves, compression shorts, throwaway stocking cap, gloves, and arm warmers. The throwaway gear was mostly for pre-race and was all ditched in the first half mile.

My goal was sub 40, which is almost exactly an 8 minute pace. Because of the hills, my plan was to run an even effort, averaging out to 8:00, then step on the gas (hopefully not the Prius gas) at mile 3.8. That's pretty much what happened. My splits (actually average pace for the mile) were 8:10, 7:49, 7:51, 8:00, 7:15. I used the method of showing average pace and lap pace on the watch, which seems to do a pretty good job of keeping me on plan. I don't have the discipline to race blind.

Unfortunately, the Garmin went into cadence lock so I don't have good heart-rate data. It was about 130 BPM for the uphill first 1.2 miles. Oddly, it looks like it went into cadence lock as soon as I headed down-hill.

We had a headwind going out and the shirt sleeves felt good. They felt hot on the way back and I wished I had worn the tank.

The inside finish line amenities were the usual fruit/Gatorade/snack bars, plus hot chicken noodle soup! The soup seemed out of place but it really hit the spot after a cold run. What's not to love? Carbs, protein, salt, heat, all in a semi liquid state. I quickly realized the best plan was to ditch the spoon and just sip/slurp from the cup. The awards ceremony was a little long since they did the 5K before the 8K.

The shirt is a hooded long sleeve tech T. The only slight negative was my shirt was too small. I picked large and shirts were in short supply so an exchange was not possible. I don't see how in the universe of people, even the universe of runners, that I am an extra large. <BRAG> The good news is it was too tight in the arms and shoulders and not the stomach.</BRAG>

One of my goals was to gauge my racing fitness. It is what I expected, but not what I hoped for.

After the awards, I went to a local pizza place I had seen online. When I get there, they are closed, with a big permanent sign saying they are 'closed due to health issues'. Yikes! While slightly annoying, it's like when your plane is grounded due to mechanical issues. Better to find out sooner than later. Luckily I had a backup spot in mind which was able to provide the two main after-race food groups: pizza and beer.

I would do this race again. I wouldn't sign-up more than a week in advance since the weather this time of year is such a crap-shoot. It could be 60 and sunny or 20 and snowing.

All in all, a successful day.

 

[FFigawi]

Well done, @OldSlowGoofyGuy

 

[HomeiswhereMickeyis]

So my goal right now is to get back to cross training. The holidays were really tough for me, but I'm ready to get back to a regular schedule. My big goal for the year is to finish my first half marathon! Depending on how that goes will determine the 2nd half of the year.

@LSUlakes Here is my 2019 schedule so far!
Jan 10 - homeiswheremickeyis - WDW 5k (NG/NA)
Feb 2 - homeiswheremickeyis - Superhero 1 mile (00:13:30/NA)
Feb 2 - homeiswheremickeyis - Superhero 5k (00:45:00/NA)
Feb 22 - homeiswheremickeyis - Princess 5k (NG/NA)
April 7 - homeiswheremickeyis - Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon (finish/NA)

 

[Baloo in MI]

I have volunteered at this, but never run it. Maybe I should give the half a try for fun, then volunteer (or vice versa)

Yes you should! Nice course, great volunteers. Don’t know if we were there in the same year? But either way thank you for volunteering. The first time I ran there it was a long day and the volunteers really made a difference for me!

 

[YawningDodo]

Garmin Connect has a place to add Gear, which includes shoes. You can even set a pair to be default, so all runs automatically have that pair added. I used to keep spreadsheets as well as connect but stopped a few years ago as I couldn’t see the point of duplicating the data. I also sync Garmin to Strava, which also has the ability to have shows assigned to runs.

Good luck with getting back in to running!

Hah! Should have explored the app more. I really haven't used it; it's just on my phone because it came with the watch. I'll just figure out how to add my shoes and see if I like Garmin Connect by itself or if I want to try Strava as well. Initially I thought I'd like the control and personalization of a spreadsheet of my own design, but it's really just been a pain to keep up on it.