The Running Thread - 2019

[ChattaDIS]

Don’t really do much with my medals but did do this with My Chicago Bib and Medal with the race poster

 

[RunDopey]

Here is my current display
View attachment 446903

Hello fellow Houstonian. Sad night for the Astros.

 

[gjramsey]

Hello fellow Houstonian. Sad night for the Astros.

Howdy!

Very. I have a feeling the series will be done in 4 now.

 

[surfde22]

This is what my Dopey medals are on. I also have a Mickey shaped one I’ve posted somewhere before but don’t have a current picture of it. The Mickey one is where all my other medals are.

View attachment 446791

It doesn't look like they are on there, are they invisible?

 

[rteetz]

It doesn't look like they are on there, are they invisible?

Just went with what I had on my phone lol

 

[cburnett11]

Not so quick race report for last weekend. I ran the Bourbon Chase Ragnar relay with people from work. As a two van team (12 runners total), we ran by several distilleries in Kentucky along the ~200 mile course. It was the first time I’d ever done an event like this. A couple of our runners had done it before, but logistically I feel like we were flying by the seat of our pants. You plan for what you can, but once you get going you realize that there is a lot you take for granted and have to adjust. It was quite the experience, but not sure if I’d do it again unless I was running with friends/family. Basically, living with co-workers for 30+ hours was a bit of an adjustment for me. Especially since there were a number of them that I didn’t really know before the weekend. I definitely enjoyed the running part, but probably would have liked more control of things between my legs. I had 3 legs totaling ~19 miles. I think there were 428 teams in total.

When I was first asked to be on the team, I said I wasn’t interested. The main reason was that I had an A-Goal marathon 3 weeks after the event. Most everything I have been doing running-wise in 2019 is geared toward the Indianapolis Monumental. So, I was concerned that this weekend would essentially take the place of my last long run and be too little or too much. After consulting with some more serious running friends, I got nearly 100% encouragement to do the event. They cautioned that I not “race” all my legs and said the experience would be good and would help me in the marathon. That made the decision easy, especially since my company was paying for our entire experience.

I ran all 3 of my legs at slightly faster than my long run pace. I had been concerned that my cumulative effort would not be as much as a long run. Also, I didn’t want to go to the other extreme. But I treated the entire week as normal training. I ran my normal tempo workout the day before the relay and ran an easy paced 10 miles on Sunday. My 3 legs ended up being quite a challenge, even with me not trying for a hard pace. Way hillier than I train on for sure… lol. So, I think my effort was stronger than my pace. But coming out of the weekend I felt good and didn’t feel like I overdid it.

It was certainly fun being on a team. We had a variety of speeds and experience among us, so that made it interesting. Having the whole course open was new to me. Many of the roads were very narrow and traffic was an issue sometimes. I enjoyed the night run the most… probably because the temperature was fantastic and maybe also because it had the least amount of elevation gain.

If I try it again, I’ll have a better idea of what the weekend experience feels like. I was dragging a bit after the first couple legs (van time + lack of sleep), but getting home to my own bed, shower, food, wife, etc. helped clear my head and remember the good stuff. It’s certainly cool to be part of a relay and I think a lot of people would really like it if they gave it a try.

 

[jennamfeo]

Howdy!

Very. I have a feeling the series will be done in 4 now.

Sorry, not sorry, as a Cardinals fan I am hoping the Nats sweep the Astros.

 

[avondale]

Hello fellow Houstonian. Sad night for the Astros.

But a great two nights for us Nats fans! I don't really follow it that much, but it's hard not to want our "new" team to do well.

 

[avondale]

Happy to help out any way I can. If you want to do a flat and fast 70.3, come join me in Dubai.

Notice that he said "flat and fast" but not "cool"... but I guess it's Qatar that is air-conditioning their outdoor sports venues, not Dubai...

 

[avondale]

Not so quick race report for last weekend. I ran the Bourbon Chase Ragnar relay with people from work. As a two van team (12 runners total), we ran by several distilleries in Kentucky along the ~200 mile course. It was the first time I’d ever done an event like this. A couple of our runners had done it before, but logistically I feel like we were flying by the seat of our pants. You plan for what you can, but once you get going you realize that there is a lot you take for granted and have to adjust. It was quite the experience, but not sure if I’d do it again unless I was running with friends/family. Basically, living with co-workers for 30+ hours was a bit of an adjustment for me. Especially since there were a number of them that I didn’t really know before the weekend. I definitely enjoyed the running part, but probably would have liked more control of things between my legs. I had 3 legs totaling ~19 miles. I think there were 428 teams in total.

When I was first asked to be on the team, I said I wasn’t interested. The main reason was that I had an A-Goal marathon 3 weeks after the event. Most everything I have been doing running-wise in 2019 is geared toward the Indianapolis Monumental. So, I was concerned that this weekend would essentially take the place of my last long run and be too little or too much. After consulting with some more serious running friends, I got nearly 100% encouragement to do the event. They cautioned that I not “race” all my legs and said the experience would be good and would help me in the marathon. That made the decision easy, especially since my company was paying for our entire experience.

I ran all 3 of my legs at slightly faster than my long run pace. I had been concerned that my cumulative effort would not be as much as a long run. Also, I didn’t want to go to the other extreme. But I treated the entire week as normal training. I ran my normal tempo workout the day before the relay and ran an easy paced 10 miles on Sunday. My 3 legs ended up being quite a challenge, even with me not trying for a hard pace. Way hillier than I train on for sure… lol. So, I think my effort was stronger than my pace. But coming out of the weekend I felt good and didn’t feel like I overdid it.

It was certainly fun being on a team. We had a variety of speeds and experience among us, so that made it interesting. Having the whole course open was new to me. Many of the roads were very narrow and traffic was an issue sometimes. I enjoyed the night run the most… probably because the temperature was fantastic and maybe also because it had the least amount of elevation gain.

If I try it again, I’ll have a better idea of what the weekend experience feels like. I was dragging a bit after the first couple legs (van time + lack of sleep), but getting home to my own bed, shower, food, wife, etc. helped clear my head and remember the good stuff. It’s certainly cool to be part of a relay and I think a lot of people would really like it if they gave it a try.

I'm glad it was overall positive for you! It's definitely a whole different way of racing.

I did my first Ragnar Relay (the DC one) in fall 2018. I really liked it. I agree that it might be a little weird to do one with co-workers. I got picked up by a team that had about 9 people that already knew each other and needed to fill the last few spots. But I think not knowing anyone was advantageous, because I just went with the flow. Fortunately they were all really nice and easy to get along with.

We wanted to do it again in 2019 (they would've invited me back to the team), but Ragnar got rid of the DC relay and made it a "sunset race" instead. Boo.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Notice that he said "flat and fast" but not "cool"... but I guess it's Qatar that is air-conditioning their outdoor sports venues, not Dubai...

I'd be looking for something from this country anyway. I would only be able to get away for a long weekend because of kid's schedules so I doubt the middle east would work for me, not to mention the cost. They have some in the northeast near me, I just don't know if I want to swim in Maine ocean waters, for example. They are cold even in August.

We shall see, I have just begun the research.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

I'd be looking for something from this country anyway. I would only be able to get away for a long weekend because of kid's schedules so I doubt the middle east would work for me, not to mention the cost. They have some in the northeast near me, I just don't know if I want to swim in Maine ocean waters, for example. They are cold even in August.

We shall see, I have just begun the research.

Tri wetsuits I do believe also help with leg buoyancy, also, IIRC from back when I was a flat lander.

 

[opusone]

...more control of things between my legs.

Just couldn't let this quote pass, although I will not comment any further.

I have participated in many Ragnar-style relays over the past 20 years (even before Ragnar existed), and I have found that good logistics makes all the difference. There are enough unexpected things that can go wrong (runner turn errors, last minute course changes, traffic back-ups, spots with minimal or no cell service, keys locked in van, important items left along the way, etc), so the travel, food, lodging, van exchange logistics, expected run times, proper gear, and other general organizational items need to all be figured out ahead of time. If you do not have a good, well-organized captain, I would suggest passing on the event. BTW, the best way to achieve a captain that you are happy with is to be the captain yourself, but that requires a lot more work to assemble the team (and then continuously reassemble as people back out).

 

[gjramsey]

But a great two nights for us Nats fans! I don't really follow it that much, but it's hard not to want our "new" team to do well.

Sorry, not sorry, as a Cardinals fan I am hoping the Nats sweep the Astros.

I would be ok with the Nats winning, as a big thank you to Harper leaving. And I was an expos fan back in the day.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

...would have liked more control of things between my legs...

Just couldn't let this quote pass, although I will not comment any further.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I had to read it 3 times before the real meaning sunk in.

 

[StarGirl11]

DC bound for the MCM. Had my first pre race nightmare in years the other night. Weirdest thing? It wasn’t about the Marine Corps Marathon. It was about the London Marathon with some weird NYC style aspect with the bridge thrown in. No clue why my brain thought up that kind of dream but it’s kind of entertaining.

 

[gjramsey]

I think there were 428 teams in total.

Yikes, I can't imagine what some of the exchanges could be like with that many teams on the course. I have done 3 road relay runs, and they are a blast, but I think the largest was around 120 teams.

I agree, that you do need to have a good idea what kind of van mates you have to make it a good time. I have heard of some teams have major drama during a relay. Once of the best things we did on the last one, was having 14 people. The two almost dedicated drivers really helped the rest of us out. All the ones I have done, I agree with the night leg being the most enjoyable all 3 times.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Had my first pre race nightmare in years the other night.

Means you're ready!

My pre-race dream are never about the real race, usually about Peachtree or a completely made-up fantasy race. And they almost always involve running in a building like a parking garage or mall or homes on display.

Have a good race!

 

[FFigawi]

Tri wetsuits I do believe also help with leg buoyancy, also, IIRC from back when I was a flat lander.

Huub and a few other brands offer wet suits with varying thicknesses to help you float level. My Huub has 3mm in the chest and 5mm in the legs because my legs tend to sink. They also have models which are 5:3 and 4:4 for other body types.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Huub and a few other brands offer wet suits with varying thicknesses to help you float level. My Huub has 3mm in the chest and 5mm in the legs because my legs tend to sink. They also have models which are 5:3 and 4:4 for other body types.

My legs sink too. I can swim but I always joke I sink like a rock. This is why the swimming is the thing that scares me the most.