The Running Thread - 2020

My 5K PR attempt turned into a DNF. Long story short-ish..... On record pace through 2.5 miles on the trails I have run literally hundreds of times. More people than usual taking Thanksgiving walks, runs, and rides. Pass a family going the other direction with a couple of dogs, and one of them leaps across the trail (about 6 feet wide) and bites me on the hand. Owner did not lose control of the (too long) leash and claims I'm not hurt as the blood drips down my hand and puddles on the dirt in front of her. Never even apologizes, but adult son is cool and gives me all the contact info, just in case, and says dog is up-to-date with rabies shots.

I'm mad and just to make them feel bad and worry (I'm not proud of this moment), I tell them I will make sure their vicious dog is put down by the County animal control office; what I'm thinking at the time is that their beautiful dog may need some obedience training, but its the owner that needs..... As Buckwheat used to say in the old Our Gang comedies, "Satan get behind me, and don't push!"

In spite of a decent flow of blood, it turned out to be one relatively small puncture wound, not bad enough (I hope) to spend my Thanksgiving in an emergency department full of covid patients. I know many of you have had a similar experience, many worse than mine, but it was a first for me in thousands of miles of running.

I will choose to be Thankful that the bite was not worse and that it will not stop me from trail running in a couple of days. I'll make another PR attempt on Sunday or Monday and still call it a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. 2020 has just been that kind of year.
 
Last edited:
@Kerry1957 I am sorry you ran into an ****** dog owner. At least one of the people was quasi-responsible. We (dog owners) all know that dogs are not always predictable, but I have no patience for dog owners who let their dogs off-leash, let their 5 yr old kids walk a 60 lb dog, have their nose in their phone while walking--not even looking, etc. etc etc. An owner's job while walking a dog is to control the dog and do what they can to make sure the walk is uneventful.

Don't feel guilty.
 


Kerry1957 said:
My 5K PR attempt turned into a DNF. Long story short-ish..... On record pace through 2.5 miles on the trails I have run literally hundreds of times. More people than usual taking Thanksgiving walks, runs, and rides. Pass a family going the other direction with a couple of dogs, and one of them leaps across the trail (about 6 feet wide) and bites me on the hand. Owner did not lose control of the (too long) leash and claims I'm not hurt as the blood drips down my hand and puddles on the dirt in front of her. Never even apologizes, but adult son is cool and gives me all the contact info, just in case, and says dog is up-to-date with rabies shots.

I'm mad and just to make them feel bad and worry (I'm not proud of this moment), I tell them I will make sure their vicious dog is put down by the County animal control office; what I'm thinking at the time is that their beautiful dog may need some obedience training, but its the owner that needs..... As Buckwheat used to say in the old Our Gang comedies, "Satan get behind me, and don't push!"

In spite of a decent flow of blood, it turned out to be one relatively small puncture wound, not bad enough (I hope) to spend my Thanksgiving in an emergency department full of covid patients. I know many of you have had a similar experience, many worse than mine, but it was a first for me in thousands of miles of running.

I will choose to be Thankful that the bite was not worse and that it will not stop me from trail running in a couple of days. I'll make another PR attempt on Sunday or Monday and still call it a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. 2020 has just been that kind of year.
Click to expand...
I am so sorry! I hope you heal up well.
I have only recently had a dog run in, and ended up much better off.
My parents live in a rural area and we have been bringing them food all summer and I recently started running while I am there, it is a good change of pace and they watch my kids giving me an hour all to myself (it has been 285 days since we stopped school & work, I'll take it)! Running toward town I got chased by a dog who was outside a house and it was terrifying! I turned around and yelled at the dog who stopped and sat just barking. I was exceedingly grateful for the car that saw it and parked between me and the dog and told me to keep going that the dog was a known menace to the area. To avoid the dog I decided to cut through the corn field, thankful for saucony's vizi red apparel as it is hunting season (can we get more non-black?). Small town life wrap up: the dog's owner called my parents to ask them to tell me to just stop and pet the dog next time. No, thanks.
 
Kerry1957 said:
My 5K PR attempt turned into a DNF. Long story short-ish..... On record pace through 2.5 miles on the trails I have run literally hundreds of times. More people than usual taking Thanksgiving walks, runs, and rides. Pass a family going the other direction with a couple of dogs, and one of them leaps across the trail (about 6 feet wide) and bites me on the hand. Owner did not lose control of the (too long) leash and claims I'm not hurt as the blood drips down my hand and puddles on the dirt in front of her. Never even apologizes, but adult son is cool and gives me all the contact info, just in case, and says dog is up-to-date with rabies shots.

I'm mad and just to make them feel bad and worry (I'm not proud of this moment), I tell them I will make sure their vicious dog is put down by the County animal control office; what I'm thinking at the time is that their beautiful dog may need some obedience training, but its the owner that needs..... As Buckwheat used to say in the old Our Gang comedies, "Satan get behind me, and don't push!"

In spite of a decent flow of blood, it turned out to be one relatively small puncture wound, not bad enough (I hope) to spend my Thanksgiving in an emergency department full of covid patients. I know many of you have had a similar experience, many worse than mine, but it was a first for me in thousands of miles of running.

I will choose to be Thankful that the bite was not worse and that it will not stop me from trail running in a couple of days. I'll make another PR attempt on Sunday or Monday and still call it a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. 2020 has just been that kind of year.
Click to expand...

So sorry to hear that happened! I had almost the same thing happen to me on my last training run 3 days before the Chicago Marathon a couple of years ago. One caution I’ll pass along from my experience is to be careful of the precautionary antibiotics the doctors will want you to take “just to be safe”. One of their preferred choices, I think Cipro/ciprofloxacin, has a known possible side effect of ruptured Achilles tendons. I made a deal with the doctors to fill the prescriptions, but hold off taking them unless I started showing signs of infection. Dog bites tend to be pretty clean, though, so fingers crossed you heal up quickly and easily!
 


camaker said:
So sorry to hear that happened! I had almost the same thing happen to me on my last training run 3 days before the Chicago Marathon a couple of years ago. One caution I’ll pass along from my experience is to be careful of the precautionary antibiotics the doctors will want you to take “just to be safe”. One of their preferred choices, I think Cipro/ciprofloxacin, has a known possible side effect of ruptured Achilles tendons. I made a deal with the doctors to fill the prescriptions, but hold off taking them unless I started showing signs of infection. Dog bites tend to be pretty clean, though, so fingers crossed you heal up quickly and easily!
Click to expand...
Thanks; that sounds like good advice. I remember your post about your pre-marathon experience and just could not get my head around how incredibly frustrating that would have been. So far I have just put a lot of antibiotic cream on it. I'll watch it pretty closely and if it shows any signs of infection I'll head over to the clinic. Although (or maybe because) I spent my entire career in hospitals (from morgue attendant in high school to VP Operations mid career to my own consulting firm) I try to limit what drugs I put into my system. Now that I'm in my 60's I get a flu shot and I'll be one of the first in line for a covid vaccination, but I refuse to take an aspirin or an Advil. Doesn't really make logical sense, but that's me.
 
Last edited:
Kazrak said:
I've been slacking a lot recently. Traditionally I'd do a Turkey Trot today, so most of the family went out on a 5k-ish run. I made it a mile before dropping to a walk for the rest of it. I think I've got a lot of work to do before April.
Click to expand...
I ran 2 miles on Sunday, walked 3 on Monday, and ate my weight in sugar cookies today. I’m signed up for the virtual Dopey. 😨
We can do this!
 
@Kerry1957 Sorry about your dog bite.

Been there. The owners weren’t even home, but the dogs were roaming free. Two Jack Russell terriers ran out barking and growling viciously, I slowed to a walk, and one jumped up and bit me right in the butt! It wasn’t too bad because he couldn’t get a good grip back there, so I didn’t get a puncture wound, just a bad bruise. Of course, when I called the owners, I got “Not our dogs, they are so sweet and gentle!” So I asked if they wanted to see my butt. They declined.:rotfl2:
 
A late race recap, but here it is. On Sunday, November 1, I did my second in-person race for the year! The first was the Disney Marathon in January! :rotfl2:

The race was capped at either 100 or 150 for the half, and they did wave starts based on last names (they also had an 'elite' wave at the beginning if you were racing to win). Masks were required for about the first quarter-mile after we got over a bridge and were able to spread out. I decided to carry two water bottles and avoid the aid stations, though they had all the normal stuff available.

It was a nice day - high 40s and overcast, but with the possibility of rain during the race. My goal for the race was just to have fun. I had been doing BodyBeast six times a week but only running three times/week, so I knew I didn't have it in me to go for a PR.

My Garmin decided to SHUT OFF five minutes before the race and erase all my settings - I have no idea what happened. So when I clicked Run, my screens were weird, it didn't show my minutes per mile pace or heart race. Turns out, my Garmin turned "Run" into "Hike." Thankfully, I was able to see my "pace," such as 6.1mph. I wanted to stay around 10 minutes/mile, so I just watched and made sure I was right around 6.0mph. It worked well.


Mile 1 - 9:45
Mile 2 - 9:39 - slight drizzle for miles 2 and 3
Mile 3 - 9:52
Mile 4 - 9:52
Mile 5 - 9:54
Mile 6 - 9:45

I felt good at the turnaround, so I decided I was going to pick up the pace. Plus the back half is slightly downhill after the slight uphill on the way out.

Mile 7 - 9:52
Mile 8 - 9:29
Mile 9 - 9:17 - I joked with the guys at the aid station that I thought it was calling for rain - it was sunny now!
Mile 10 - 8:51 - Oh crap, that's rain.
Mile 11 - 8:55 - I was soaked within 30 seconds. The rain was incredibly forceful and accompanied by large wind gusts.
Mile 12 - 8:58 - I think I was making people mad by running by them smiling and laughing - I really was just having a great race!
Mile 13 - 8:44 - The rain stopped, but there were a lot of puddles, and I was completely soaked. It was like I had jumped in a lake.

I haven't gone back through all my races, but this might be the first half that I have negatively split! First half approximately 1:03:43 and second half 59:48. Final time of 2:03:31, which is 10 minutes more than my PR. If I had pushed, I probably could have done sub-2, but I'm happy with the race. It was just nice to be racing again, even if I wasn't actually "racing!"

Now to decide if I want to do the virtual Disney half in January just to keep my running going well.
 
steph0808 said:
I'm happy with the race. It was just nice to be racing again, even if I wasn't actually "racing!"
Click to expand...

I like this a lot, because I found that I enjoy both types of races.

I often have a serious @DopeyBadger plan and get very focused on a PR attempt. That kind of racing can be very satisfying if the PR is achieved, but disappointing if, after all that serious work, you fall short.

Just racing for the joy of being out doing what you love (without the pressures/goals of a time) can also be very gratifying. For me a balance of the two is the best reward.

I think the analogy works for training as well. Although I love working through a structured training program, I find that I also need to just go out and run without a clear distance/pace/direction and just enjoy it. I think that is going to be my winter "plan". No, it will not optimize my fitness or ability to achieve my next PR, but I think it will pay significant psychological benefits.
 
Last edited:
Virtual Race Report:

I did my virtual Peachtree on Friday with my nephew and brother. This was 34 in a row for me and my brother. We have vastly different paces, but decided to stick together for the whole thing. We started around 10:00. It was a perfect running day: about 56 degrees, beautiful blue skies and no wind. We jogged and walked and had a great time. We finished just under 1:16.

Socially distanced start. I wore my 1987 (our first) Peachtree shirt:

540809

We hooked up with my non-running nephew for pizza afterwards. There was a guy on the patio yakking on his cell phone, so we obnoxiously used our 'outside' voices until he gave up and went inside. Bro and I have pretty big outside voices. This is our tough guy pose:

540811

The shirt is nice. I always like that unlike most races, normally you don't get your Peachtree shirt until you cross the finish line. It truly is a finisher shirt. I didn't open mine until the morning of our virtual race.

540812

It even has an 'FU 2020' on the back:

540813

In some ways it was more enjoyable than the real race. We'll see what 2021 brings.
 
Last edited:
After my aborted dog-bite attempt at a PR for the 5K on Thanksgiving, I attempted it again today (my hand is healing up very nicely). No drama, and finished just under my goal of 30 minutes.

Now I realize that time may be a slow recovery run for some of you, but after 3 marathons, 13 half marathons, and a bunch of 10Ks in the past three years it is my best 5K time since 1988. I started running again in 2015 in my late 50s and re-started the clock on my PRs (modern or senior era?).

Given that, I now have modern PRs in the 5K (virtual), 10K (actual), and HM (actual) since the pandemic struck. I just did not have the motivation to train or to attempt a virtual marathon this year. I am in awe of all of you on the Boards that did.

Thank you to all who wished me a speedy recovery; prayers were answered.
 
November miles = 141

November saw no races, a holiday and a week long trip to Disney but I still managed 141 miles. Heading into winter maintenance now and hoping for another mild winter. :)

As for traveling to Disney, we decided after canceling our trips in March and June as long as Disney was open in November, we would still go for Wine and Dine, even if the races were canceled. For those who have not been since the July re-opening, WDW is a very different place right now with many resorts, restaurants and attractions closed, reduced capacity, no park hopping and social distancing on overload. Disney has gone ALL IN on mask wearing. Cast Members patrol common areas and enforce any mask not worn properly anywhere - especially at Food and Wine with many people eating/drinking while walking. You can only have your mask off when you are stationary and actively eating/drinking. I was in EPCOT sitting alone on a distant bench drinking a beer. I put the beer on the ground while I was looking at my phone and a CM came over and ordered me to put my mask back on because even though I was sitting and drinking a beer, I was not "actively" eating/drinking and needed to have my mask on. It is really crazy but I understand (and respect) how they feel they need to operate to stay open.

After seeing how Disney is running the parks, I totally retract my comment that they could have run the races. Even with reduced registrations, there is no way they would allow any crowding at the start/finish, so many people on the course, and no masks while running. We better hope that vaccines get distributed efficiently, people take them and that they are effective. After what I saw, I don't see Disney doing any live races until this thing is long gone.

Also note, I ran 3 times down there and really struggled trying to run with a mask on - especially in the FL humidity. I passed so many other runners with their masks pulled down or in their hand as they were gasping to breathe. My 3 short easy runs that would usually see my average heart rate in the 120-125BPM range, saw heart rates in the high 150's. Once the mask got wet, it was almost impossible to breathe through. Even pulling it down and pulling it up only when I was passing someone was extremely difficult.

October =143
September = 153
August = 148
July = 153
June = 140
May = 191
April = 164
March = 164
February = 101
January = 110

2020 total miles = 1,608
 
Last edited:
November running miles 77.2
Average pace 9’31”/mile
Walking miles ~125

Less miles, shorter runs with a faster pace this month as I found longer runs with nothing to train for are again becoming more work than fun, as well as recovering from the NY virtual and spending a week at Wilderness Lodge.
The yearly total stands at 928.8 so my 1000 mile goal is within reach, and our race around the world is progressing nicely with 4828 total miles so far
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page


GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!


New DISboards Threads

slo
  • Poll
slo’s THURSDAY 4/25 poll - Bologna
Replies
0
Views
7
slo
slo
D
Baron Zemo
Replies
0
Views
51
DodgerGirl
D
Oz Katie
Grad Trip for an Aussie High School student
Replies
0
Views
72
Oz Katie
Oz Katie
D
Today is my birthday
Replies
4
Views
96
A Squared
A
DLRExpert
Genie+ Purchase issue at Midnight 4/25
Replies
5
Views
131
CJK
CJK
L
BLT Grand Villa During Refurb?
Replies
0
Views
70
LivingTheFruit
L
NEWS & UPDATES



Latest posts







facebook twitter
Top