The Running Thread - 2019

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: Saturday. I meal prep on Sunday which takes way too much energy.

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: Sunday. That has been my long run schedule for almost two years now and it seems to work for me. It shifts sometimes due to races though...

 

[aalvis]

ATTQOTD: Tuesdays. I am I the only person that works weekends? LOL

 

[baxter24]

ATTQOTD: Saturday’s are easier because we have church on Sunday’s. But I settled for Sunday afternoons if something was going on that Saturday.

Ran the North Carolina spring classic on Saturday. It was the first time our towns run club put on the race and it’s apart of a race series they are doing. They had an 8k and 16k and I opted for the 8k. Both races started at a local farm and finished downtown where there was a festival going on. I didn’t have time to hang out because my kids had soccer so I left quickly. They had shuttles going back and forth to take you back to your car once you were done running. The course was a combo of running on grass, greenway, walking paths, and road/sidewalks. Not all roads were closed but not much traffic. I took it easy as I’ve been lazy and not running much. Even chatted with two women about wine and dine for at least a mile. Was pleased the course was the actual distance advertised. The last few races put on by the run club have been short over the years and while it’s not the end of the world, it irks me that they don’t make changes year after year. If I’m I better running shape this time next year, I’d consider the 16k option. Cool medal, nice race shirt, and even got a free pair of Goodr’s by luck of when I registered so I’d call it a good race!

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

ATTQOTD: Saturday. Seems more natural since most races are on Saturday AND I don't get run over by everyone that's late for church or Sunday school. Sunday is my home maintenance/gardening day.

 

[Guidman]

ATTQOTD: Saturdays. The running club I'm in has the bigger runs then (they Sunday runs in the Jan-May training period), probably average over 200 people during peak training season.

 

[avondale]

ATTQOTD: Sundays. On Saturdays in warm, dry weather, I have a 2-hour tennis practice in the mornings. That is a bit much to add to a long run, especially once it gets hot and humid in the summer. I have more flexibility for when I do it on Sundays.

 

[Neon Cactus]

I don't really have a preference, but usually do them on Sundays. I usually end up doing errands, driving kids and shopping on Saturdays and then I can just focus on running Sunday morning (or afternoon if I'm lazy).

 

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD: Always Saturday. Church commitments on Sunday.

 

[Sanchez]

Sundays. Saturdays are for early swim and long bike ride. Also, if long run is Saturday it limits the Sunday workout. Given my weekday work schedule I would rather have Monday as a off day or a light swim day. I need to pack in as much on the weekends as possible.

 

[txdisneygrl]

ATTQOTD: My work schedule is so erratic that long runs happen whenever I can fit them in. Oftentimes that is during the week.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Spartan Advance Half Marathon report:
@LSUlakes
2:06:53
Though not my goal of getting to 2 hours, or sub-2, I did PR by 2 minutes. This makes 2-straight half marathons where I've PR'd.

Weather:
Thursday's forecast had @DopeyBadger and I thinking perfect 'shoot the moon' opportunity (53, with 5mph winds, dewpoint 41). By Saturday, the forecast had changed a lot: several bouts of rain since Friday morning. And the Sunday morning radar was not looking good. I correctly predicted 0745 rain start to go with the 0800 race start. Steady rain as we headed off. I don't know when it intensified (likely first mile), but I told myself it was "just a (flesh wound) steady rain". Then at mile 4 we crossed a road, and I could see that it was POURING. I also predicted that it would rain for just over an hour, which meant the first 7 miles were in a downpour. then it tapered and stopped, but the damage to the dirt and crushed stone Rail Trail was done: puddles, mud, several dozen runners ahead of me mixing it all into a nice slippery paste with each step. No rain by the last few miles, but boy was it cold in the post-race area.

Packet pickup:
Unable to do Saturday due to Greyhounds in Gettysburg. Arrived around 0645 Sunday, which turned out to be most fortunate. No line for packet pickup. But... my name was not on the list for my section of alphabet. Not on the master list either. Not on the alphabet section if my first and last names got swapped. Supervisor was very nice, and helpful, as were the rest of the check-in staff. Not on the master computer list either. "Let's get you set up at the day-of table so you can get started on your warmup". Unfortunately, no more shirts in my size. XL was HUGE, so I took a medium. When I asked later if they could please set aside a large if one was traded in, they told me they had already planned to do that. Then I walked out to the lobby, where another supervisor called my name. They somehow found a large somewhere and gave it to me. DW was able to send a photo of the acknowledgement letter from February, which I then forwarded to the staff, as requested. In the end, it could not have gone smoother for what could've been a bit snafu.

Race:
Sometimes, the inside of my left leg, above the ankle around the shin, gets tight. Seems to happen with speed work, but I suspect it was the sloped parking lot (for drainage) I used for my 3 runs leading into race day. This tightness has always loosened up/gone away in the first mile of a run or race. Not yesterday: pain for the whole 13.1 miles. As a result of that, and the sloppy surface, I just didn't feel I could push it for the mile 8-13.1 segment as planned. But, during the back half (maybe more) of the race, I was passed by only 1 other runner. I was able to use the switchbacks/railroad crossings and tangents to get past several other runners. Aspercreme, legs elevated, and preplanned massage seem to have really helped the ankle.
And, I lost 1/3-1/2 of my Sport Beans during mile 4 when I took the packet out of my shorts pocket. I'd preopened the packet at home and put some extras in there. Likely too much tugging to get them free of the pocket.

Post race:
Jimmy John's 2-bite subs, Turkey Hill chocolate milk and Iced Tea, bananas, a massage therapist, muffins, cookies, 2 physical therapists stretching runners, Maple Donuts, Gatorade, water. Sadly, unlike 2017, no Smoothie King mobile truck. Medal is among the biggest I've ever received. Shirt (Sport-tek) is a nice dark grey with green writing.

I think I could've gone faster, even in the rain, were it not for the ankle. I was kind of hoping there would be on-course Biofreeze. I would've taken some.

 

[FFigawi]

ATTQOTD: Saturday. It's when my running group has our long runs, leaving Sundays for recovery runs or sleeping in.

 

[canglim52]

ATTQOTD: I’m a Saturday convert! My running group is Saturday, so now Sunday is my sleep in day. I don’t care how hot it is on a recovery run, in fact I usually prefer it lol. Warms up the muscles faster!

 

[Dopey 2020]

I, too, was told I needed stability shoes but have found that is not the case at all. I no longer go get fitted and rely on what feels right.

This is what I’ve decided, I had no idea when I started but now I know I don’t need a stability shoe. I was able to show a couple of stores the wear pattern on my neutral shoes after 300 miles and they were amazed. Both agreed it looks like I have a problem when I walk but I definitely don’t when I run. That being said I’m going to keep looking for that perfect fit.

I've had a foot problem as well and changing the way I laced my shoes for a few months helped a lot! Its worth the try IMO

Earlier this year, I was having pain on the top of my foot that I isolated to the extensor tendons. Re-lacing my shoes with the ladder/Lydiard pattern helped resolve that very quickly.

Crazy question, but for the pain on the top of your foot have you tried lacing your shoe differently? I have found that my right shoe has to be laced in a different patten than shoes are typically laced.

I actually had ladder laced them originally and noticed a big difference in comfort, but lately that just didn’t feel right so I went back to normal. Then I skipped over one hole that seemed to be a hot spot but it seemed to take away too much support. I’m thinking maybe they are just wearing out sooner than I expected and as the upper stretches I’m lacing too tight to make up for it. Or I’m overthinking things, I will probably go back to ladder this weekend for a ten mile run. I’m hoping I can make them last until late June when the new version of the shoe comes out so I can have another choice to look at

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: My long runs are typically Sunday but move to accommodate my schedule. In the coming months, I will add a run the day before to do it on tired legs. So, depending on daylight and how busy work is, I might shift from Tu-Th-Sat-Sun to Mon-Wed-Fri-Sat

 

[jennamfeo]

@LSUlakes My time for my half this weekend was 2:06:05!

If y'all wanna read my race report here is the link: https://www.disboards.com/posts/60559223

 

[cburnett11]

ATTQOTD: I used to do mostly Sundays. In the last year I’ve started running with some new people and they always go long on Saturday. It works really well because there’s a huge group of people and the support for each other is strong. There’s always people training for a marathon so it’s easy to find others to run with for any distance or any speed. Several people working on 50 states, so it always seems like several people are in the middle of a training cycle. It’s been helpful for me running with this group.

 

[YawningDodo]

ATTQOTD: Saturdays, almost always. I'm in a couple of tabletop rpg groups that meet Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon; I end up staying up past my bedtime on Saturday nights to accommodate the rest of the group, and then my Sundays are short because I end up sleeping in and then have to leave the house again. I have Saturday mornings pretty well blocked out, so it's one time I can count on being able to just take however long I need to take to do my long run. Then I have the rest of the weekend to relax and not worry about schedule conflicts.

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD: As a treadmill runner all I need to know is when is the best Premier League match of the weekend? Also, International breaks are the bane of my running existence.