The Running Thread - 2016

[Waiting2goback]

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Great job Mike. But the whole time I was reading all I wanted to ask you is this. When you qualified for Boston during the Disney marathon where did you place for that race? I am just curious.


I got in my run today and while I was happy to get in one more run, I was somewhat wrong. It wasn't that enjoyable. It was so hot. I felt like someone lit me on fire for 5 miles. All I could think of was PrincessV, LSULakes, Keels, and the rest of you people down south. I usually don't bring my water belt for anything less than 10 miles but I brought it today and I used it all. It took me about 45 minutes to cool down when I got home.

I'm pretty sure I was just outside of the top 50, like 51 or 52.

 

[sourire]

I'm pretty down-in-the-dumps, and my training has definitely suffered this weekend because of it.

My initial diagnosis of bursitis ended up in worse news in a follow-up from a specialist.

I always knew that my hips would likely need surgery because of how lopsided my body is, and because of the atrophy in my left calf from all the time I spent in casts because of surgery on my foot. I didn't realize it could happen this quickly.

Chicago will be my last "race". Dopey 2017 will likely be my last "challenge". I'm still working with my doctor on ways that can get me through Dopey 2018 and then I'll hang it all up. At least that's my goal right now. He's been very specific that once I have a hip replacement - be it full or even partial, running just isn't in the cards if I want to avoid future surgery.

I wish I'd started this journey earlier. There are so many places I want to see and races I want to run, and I don't think it's going to be possible for me to ever do them now.

Womp womp.

OK. Enough of my sad trombone act. I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

I'm so sorry to read this!! Have been reading bits and pieces of the thread for a long time and appreciating all of the stories, advice, etc. Echoing what many others have said in that you are an inspiration to many. All best wishes and positive energy being sent your way for the many challenges ahead!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Burnout? I don't know if my current rut counts but between the July Florida heat and finally hitting the end of the first trimester my milage has suffered something fierce...

Also knowing my planned race season is pretty much gone while for a good reason still is 'frustrating' but if I finish Space Coast in Nov I think I'll be able to accept loosing my other 4 fav races..

(Oh M if your reading this.. Shhhhhh)

Congratulations!!!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I'm pretty sure I was just outside of the top 50, like 51 or 52.

OK, don't take this the wrong way because I mean it as a coompliment but I hate reading your recaps because you make me feel so slow. I know you don't mean to, you obviously work hard and have a natural ability but lately when I run I feel like I am pulling a car behind me and you run like the wind. I'm just glad to be a part of this thread.


I have a question. It occurred to me recently but it just came up again. Any of you ever wonder how many lurkers are out there? We have so many people joining again, I always wonder how many more people are out there that we don't know about. Come out from the hiding people

 

[SunDial]

One of my favorites

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

OK, don't take this the wrong way because I mean it as a coompliment but I hate reading your recaps because you make me feel so slow. I know you don't mean to, you obviously work hard and have a natural ability but lately when I run I feel like I am pulling a car behind me and you run like the wind. I'm just glad to be a part of this thread.


I have a question. It occurred to me recently but it just came up again. Any of you ever wonder how many lurkers are out there? We have so many people joining again, I always wonder how many more people are out there that we don't know about. Come out from the hiding people

If it makes you feel better there are plenty of people I know personally that make me feel like I'm pulling a car behind me! You just work as hard as you can with what God has given you, not much more you can do than that!

I'd be curious as well to see who's following along the thread and not joining in...I was a lurker for a long time on these boards before dipping my toe in the deep end. If you are a lurker you should pop your head up even if it is just to say hi

 

[LSUlakes]

The last few days have not involved much running. DW is out of town for a work trip and its DD and I. It has been a challenge to get the runs in I have, and the distance and pace suffer if its outdoor miles while pushing the stroller. DW returns Wednesday night, so I should be able to get back to it soon. For any of you folks that are a single parent training for races, I have a new found respect for you and being able to get the miles in. It's tough!

So, forgot to write a race recap from Saturday. There is a more detailed one on my training journal, but here are the highlights:

• Hot and humid
• Lost pace early on first substantial hill
• Leaders, those at my intitial goal pace (8:00/mile) and faster, went wrong direction. Ran 14+ miles
• Walked more than I wanted
• Hitched on to 10:00 pacer for miles 7-9
• Finished last mile strong-(ish)
• PR of 1:39:16, first 10-miler

That's the short version of it. Plan on trying again next year and hopefully being more successful.

Congrats on the PR!

Burnout? I don't know if my current rut counts but between the July Florida heat and finally hitting the end of the first trimester my milage has suffered something fierce...

Also knowing my planned race season is pretty much gone while for a good reason still is 'frustrating' but if I finish Space Coast in Nov I think I'll be able to accept loosing my other 4 fav races..

(Oh M if your reading this.. Shhhhhh)

Congrats! Very exciting times. DD is now 2.5 YO and little girl has me wrapped around her little finger. As I was reading her a book last night before bed time she tells me "I love you with all my heart and you are the best daddy ever".

Great job Mike. But the whole time I was reading all I wanted to ask you is this. When you qualified for Boston during the Disney marathon where did you place for that race? I am just curious.


I got in my run today and while I was happy to get in one more run, I was somewhat wrong. It wasn't that enjoyable. It was so hot. I felt like someone lit me on fire for 5 miles. All I could think of was PrincessV, LSULakes, Keels, and the rest of you people down south. I usually don't bring my water belt for anything less than 10 miles but I brought it today and I used it all. It took me about 45 minutes to cool down when I got home.

The heat and humidity make for some difficult runs, and I wish I could say it gets better, but I don't want to lie. It only gets hotter here. I miss cooler weather so much at this point I cooked a gumbo this weekend.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: Tell us about your worst race day experience (Finish times do not have to be the determining factor here). What factors leading up to the race made it for such a unpleasant run? Most importantly, what did you learn from that day?

ATTQOTD: I ran a local half marathon while sick, which made for a very bad day. Earlier in the week I was very weak, but I had this race planned as a PR effort and was set on running it. The night before the race I thought I was feeling better and woke up thinking I did indeed feel much better. I ran the first 5k at my goal pace, but knew I was in trouble. I was much hotter than I should have been and my legs felt like I was on mile 22 of a marathon instead of 3 miles in. I ended up doing some run/walk intervals for the next few miles. The bad news is whenever I walked I could not stop coughing, which made the walk portion very unpleasant. I pushed though and settled in for the last half at a much easier pace. I caught up with a runner who was having a rough time, I slowed to talk to her. She had never run the course before and told me her goal was to finish below 2 hours. I checked my watched and noticed we had ~10 minutes to get her to finish below that mark and a little over a mile to get there. I talked her into picking up the pace some and she was able to finish below her goal. After the race she walked up to me and thanked me for pushing her to the finish, which made my bad race not seem so bad any more.
So while it was a very bad race for me I still found something positive about it. I also realized that during those first few mile I probably had a fever and was breaking it around miles 3-4 which is why I felt like garbage. Next time I am sick and have a race, its probably best to just sit it out.

 

[camaker]

QOTD: Tell us about your worst race day experience (Finish times do not have to be the determining factor here). What factors leading up to the race made it for such a unpleasant run? Most importantly, what did you learn from that day?

This one's easy for me. I started my 2nd half marathon in an 8-day time frame with a slightly tweaked hamstring from a recovery run the weekend before. I had spent the week stretching and exercising it to get it ready to run and it felt pretty good warming up prior to the race. My plan was to take it pretty slow and just enjoy the course. When I started, though, it felt really good. So good I started to push the pace after mile or so thinking I could maybe challenge my PR from the previous race. On a fairly steep downhill grade at mile 2, the hamstring let go. At that point my stubborn (and stupid) streak kicked in. There was no way I was stepping off the course, so I dialed it back and limped along at a 10:00-10:30/mile pace. It wasn't fun, but I was getting there. Until mile 8 when it let go again, this time with a vengeance. Still not one to quit, I dropped my pacing down to ~12:30/mile and hobbled the last 5 miles to the finish. I had no idea the damage that I had done continuing to run on it and ended up unable to run for essentially 3 months. It was 9 months before I was back to where I was prior to the initial incident. I have definitely learned that discretion is the better part of valor and that it is better to surrender to injury and live to run another day (soon) rather than pushing through something and losing major time.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

QOTD: Tell us about your worst race day experience (Finish times do not have to be the determining factor here). What factors leading up to the race made it for such a unpleasant run? Most importantly, what did you learn from that day?

Easily my first marathon. Was doing great until I hurt myself going over to give my toddler son a high five on the side of the road at about mile 20/21 and hobbled the last 5 miles to the finish. I should not have finished the run and was injured for a long time afterward because of my poor decision. My problem was simple - I had told everyone at work that I was running in this race and there was no way that I was going back to work without that medal. Sometimes the pride that helps us in life can cause us harm.

 

[ZellyB]

QOTD: Tell us about your worst race day experience (Finish times do not have to be the determining factor here). What factors leading up to the race made it for such a unpleasant run? Most importantly, what did you learn from that day?

ATTQOTD: Local marathon a couple of years ago. My training was not where it needed to be due to a groin injury earlier in the training cycle. During the race, I had a flare up of ITBS around the mid-way mark and the rest of the race was just pretty miserable. What did I learn? Hmmmm. That maybe it would have been okay to scale back and not push myself to do the marathon when it was clear my training wasn't where it should be. But, I'm an incredibly stubborn person, so not sure that lesson really stuck with me.

 

[PrincessV]

I got in my run today and while I was happy to get in one more run, I was somewhat wrong. It wasn't that enjoyable. It was so hot. I felt like someone lit me on fire for 5 miles. All I could think of was PrincessV, LSULakes, Keels, and the rest of you people down south. I usually don't bring my water belt for anything less than 10 miles but I brought it today and I used it all. It took me about 45 minutes to cool down when I got home.

Be careful out there! Down South we have the advantage of having eased into it over months of progressively hotter weather: still feels awful, but our bodies do acclimate to it over time. No exaggeration, I go through 4-5oz of fluid per mile, even on short runs!

I miss cooler weather so much at this point I cooked a gumbo this weekend.

I cranked the AC and made hot cocoa the other night!

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: Oh that's easy: TOT 2012, my first double-digit distance race. Full-blown ITBS that I'd been trying to run through for weeks... by mile 5 I was in complete agony and wanted to quit, but couldn't see any sign of sweepers and didn't know enough about rD races to ID sweep buses. So I just kept going as best I could. It took months of rehab to undo the damage. Lesson learned? Treat injuries immediately and no race is worth that much pain - I'm too old to try running through anything anymore!

 

[roxymama]

ATTQOTD: Easily my Bears run from this year. My time wasn't that awful really, it was more that my body was not ready for the heat that day. It was 92, "feels like 96" and some insane humidity %. I went out way too fast and mentally gave up too soon so then kicked myself for the whole rest of the week about it and I felt like hot garbage the rest of the day. I honestly think if the weather was better it would have been a perfect race...the actual race course and the swag and the atmosphere, etc was really top-notch and my conditioning was really good at that point to get close to a really good time for me. I just got that "mental heat confusion" that affects me before things are gonna go south.
Next year I may wait to sign up until I see the weather forecast!

I forgot to add what i would do differently next time. 1) Go way slower if the weather is that hot and throw all goal times out the window. 2) If I start getting the dizzy, confused metal state thing...Maybe its' ok to just stop at the water table and sit and drink and get my bearings even if it sacrifices time.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: My second marathon (Woodlands Marathon). A rotten hot humid morning for the start of the race. Goal was to run 8:15 miles and have a nice PR. Only marathon I wore my hydration belt. Was soaked by mile 6. Emptied and refilled my water bottles by the half mark as well as taking drinks from the water stops, and through mile 14, was on pace....then the wheels totally fell off, and the race became the Bataan death march. Calves were cramping big time, could not run more then 100 yards at a time. My pace the last 11 miles was around 12:00. Medical stations did not have salt. Just struggled and probably should have quit. One of my running club friends did quit at mile 17 (his only DNF).

Biggest learning was to not push so hard on a day like that. Second learning was to try and figure out nutrition and electrolyte replacement during a long hot race (that is still a struggle!). Two day before the race, temps were in the mid 40s and the day after was about the same.

 

[dis_or_dat]

ATTQOTD: I've only had 3 races, but my first half I ran into "the wall" so hard at mile 10. I read you don't need to fuel for a half, so trained without and had no issues. I was smiling and giving out high fives and then all of a sudden felt like I was running through molasses mixed with cement. No smiles, lots of grimacing. My pace went up by a whole minute. I started to feel really down because I couldn't understand why I couldn't move any faster and a lot of people started passing me. I barely beat my goal time, but at least I didn't end up in a wheelchair like some other finishers. Also, there was barely any crowd support because it was so early in the morning.

I was happy to finish, but felt oddly down afterwards and really regretted having signed up for Tink that was happening the next month. Also had a terrible post run headache that entire day and I had never had a post run headache before.

I learned a lot of lessons from that half, including fueling and even drinking water (I don't drink water when I run) during a race. And how to avoid post race headaches (nuun, pickles, coffee!). Tink made me make a 180 on my thoughts about races, mostly because of the awesome crowd support.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

ATTQOTD:

Haha, sounds like most of us have no problem coming up with an answer. Mine too is easy, 2014 was my first attempt at a BQ. I sort of convinced myself that I had trained properly and a BQ was in reach. Deep down I had some serious doubts, but decided to give it a shot as it was too late to adjust my training. At mile 14 I knew I was toast, I managed to hold on until I got a second wind at mile 17. But, by mile 23 I was on the side of the course cramped out and completely defeated. The hardest part was facing my family. Even though I knew they could care less I felt like I had let them down. I was also filled with major doubts that a BQ would never happen, it just wasn’t in me.

I really learned to embrace failure that day because I knew I could learn from it. I reviewed everything from my diet, training, etc and realized I needed to adjust my approach. I did, and a year later I got my BQ. I 100% believe cramping out that day was one of the best things that ever happened in my running.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Hi All! I think I could be categorized as a fairly new "lurker," but I did post 1 time a few days ago.

I discovered my love of running in college, took too long of a hiatus, and am back! I have been running consistently since February of this year and recently signed up for my very 1st half marathon... The Princess Half!! It will be my hubby's first time to WDW, so that makes it even more exciting!

 

[jhorstma]

ATTQOTD: Got absolutely postered in my second 5K - went out way too fast (I was a bit cocky after having a pretty good time for my 1st 5K) and ended up sucking wind big time for the uphill finish. The race pics showed a radiant older lady flowing easily over the finish line followed by me in stark contrast - hunched over, stumbling, and wearing my very worst, bug-eyed, exhausted "O" face. Lesson learned - it's not how you feel, it's how you look. That and don't go out too fast...