The Running Thread - 2016

[CheapRunnerMike]

Some awesome responses here folks, I'm loving it! So many people that have made amazing changes in their lives, how can you not be inspired??

May 2016 to present - I've since surpassed every runner I know in my personal life, and thus have had to branch out. I currently have two white whales. I found Jamie Dawes on the Strava Dopey group. She is an absolute badass. She sets course records, wins overalls, and races nearly every other weekend. She is better than me, but not by so much that I think I couldn't be as good as her. And I'll admit that my other current white whale is @CheapRunnerMike. Like Jamie, Mike is a badass. Taking names and kicking butt on a daily basis. So keep getting better Mike, because it only pushes me harder.

Jamie is ridiculous...she is super fast and kicks butt pretty much every weekend. I'm in awe of her too! As for me as your other "White Whale"...well, I'm honoured that you feel that way. It is always good to have someone to push your limits, I have plenty of people that I like to chase as well (one of the great things about Strava). I really believe that you will pass me when I see the effort and discipline you have...if you really want it (and it sure seems like you do), then you will get there. And I'll be there cheering for you when you do!

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

Good question, especially today for me.

I don't really have a running related hero but I have two people that have greatly inspired me throughout my life.

The first is my Grandmother. She passed away this June of Pancreatic Cancer (Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day, so wear purple if you can). She was told she would have 6 months to live when she was diagnosed last year. She fought for 9-10 months. She also earlier in her life when I was very young had Breast Cancer and beat that. She went through a lot in life. I was lucky enough to go to WDW with her during my first Marathon weekend experience, that of course would be the last time she was there. She had been going to WDW since 1974. She is deeply missed by everyone in my family and its hard for me to write this right now because I have been thinking about her so much today.

The second in my Grandfather. He thankfully is still here but also has had plenty of rough patches in his life as everyone does. This past year has been the hardest for him after losing his wife. He has been a high school football coach for 50+ years and was a teach for 35+. I was lucky enough to get to watch him coach, then play for him, and then this year coach with him. He has always been an inspiration to me. He has also had multiple health scares recently from a rare form of skin cancer to being recently diagnosed with early parkinson's. He's never given up either and continues to push through even through the toughest times.

 

[roxymama]

Tomorrow's QOTD: You're on the clock @roxymama

Oh goodie! This will be a hard question to top

This is both very hard to answer (cause of all my heroes on here) and also very easy. I've got some guys in my family that are pretty great. Jim is my father-in-law and he's been running for a long time. Before I ever ran he would be signing up for local races left and right, and consistently placing pretty high in his age. We would go cheer him on. And as I stood in my jeans, I'd think "I wish I was like him." Once I hinted at wanting to do the disney 5k he was pretty quick to say he'd come and run it with me. This was before I even knew I could run. He'd give me runner's world magazines and as I was dragging my feet on doing a local 5k, he'd tell me all the races I totally could do. He's always giving me "pro tips" and telling me the next distance is no problem for me. He's going through a foot injury and we are all crossing our fingers he'll be back and running next year.

My other run-hero is my hubby Chris. A few years ago when our daughter was very young he was diagnosed with cancer. It was very scary and he had to go through a lot. He has beat it, but we still get nervous after every round of preventative testing. He also had to get total knee surgery where they drilled large hole in his knee and filled it with cadaver bone. He couldn't put any weight on it (not even toe-touch) for a long time and was basically hooked up to machines in our bedroom at home. It was tough. He started running not long after I did and as much as I'm a scaredy-cat about new distances and new challenges...he just dives head first in and pushes me to go for it too. This year he said "I'd like to do a triathlon" and then HE DID! And then he did another?!!! He's gonna run 20 races total this year and this is after all he went through not that long ago. Hero!

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Good question, especially today for me.

I don't really have a running related hero but I have two people that have greatly inspired me throughout my life.

The first is my Grandmother. She passed away this June of Pancreatic Cancer (Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day, so wear purple if you can). She was told she would have 6 months to live when she was diagnosed last year. She fought for 9-10 months. She also earlier in her life when I was very young had Breast Cancer and beat that. She went through a lot in life. I was lucky enough to go to WDW with her during my first Marathon weekend experience, that of course would be the last time she was there. She had been going to WDW since 1974. She is deeply missed by everyone in my family and its hard for me to write this right now because I have been thinking about her so much today.

The second in my Grandfather. He thankfully is still here but also has had plenty of rough patches in his life as everyone does. This past year has been the hardest for him after losing his wife. He has been a high school football coach for 50+ years and was a teach for 35+. I was lucky enough to get to watch him coach, then play for him, and then this year coach with him. He has always been an inspiration to me. He has also had multiple health scares recently from a rare form of skin cancer to being recently diagnosed with early parkinson's. He's never given up either and continues to push through even through the toughest times.

I remember you telling us about your trip with your Grandmother...so glad you were able to have that experience with her. My Father-in-Law passed away a few years back with pancreatic cancer, it is an awful disease. Thanks for letting me think about him today. Your Grandfather seems like a wonderful person as well, very cool that you were able to play for and coach with him!

 

[camaker]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

So many good stories and inspiring heroes. Mine is so lame. I would have to say Mickey Mouse. I'm on a bit of a running island here. No one else in my family or friend set runs. My PT is definitely a friend, but cannot run now due to a catastrophic knee injury so I don't feel right talking running with him too much, as I know how hard it is to lose a sport you love. Most of the rest think I'm crazy for running like I do. After dropping 150 lbs in 2013-2014 (335 lbs at the time), the PT who is also a big Disney fan convinced me to train for a half marathon at Disney with him. I thought he was crazy to suggest it and I was crazy to try it, but running was a natural progression from the walking/jogging I did for weight loss and the Ultimate frisbee that I had been able to start playing again. After a couple of months of running and a 10k race for PoT for the 2015 Wine & Dine we weren't able to get registered for (thank goodness), I was hooked and have run 9 halfs and 2 fulls since then.

 

[Slogger]

@Slogger Congrats! I love OBX, although sounds a bit brisk in November. I well know that trail section (ending of the Flying Pirate half in April) - like running up the sand dunes in Jockeys Ridge. How was the bridge crossing - any pics?

@jhorstma .....thanks! I've done the Flying Pirate twice but trail seemed to have gotten worse this year possibly due to the hurricane? Lots more sand and rocks.
Bridge crossing was not bad at all, I think it is about a 1/2 mile or so gradual incline to the top. The downhill seemed steeper! Thankfully no wind and nice views of the sound and boats. I didn't take any pics because I couldn't get my phone out of my new armband...too snug to remove on the run.

 

[rteetz]

I remember you telling us about your trip with your Grandmother...so glad you were able to have that experience with her. My Father-in-Law passed away a few years back with pancreatic cancer, it is an awful disease. Thanks for letting me think about him today. Your Grandfather seems like a wonderful person as well, very cool that you were able to play for and coach with him!

Thanks. It is an awful disease as all cancer is. I wish cures were found to stop people from having to suffer like that.

 

[Slogger]

Quick edit to my OBX trip report........I wanted to give a big shout out and thank you to @DopeyBadger for creating my training plan back in April and cheering me through every step, setback, injury and challenge. All of my previous marathons have been like a little shop of horrors and Will's plan kept me upright and stronger than I have ever been before. Thanks for being my coach and friend these past 30 weeks!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Quick edit to my OBX trip report........I wanted to give a big shout out and thank you to @DopeyBadger for creating my training plan back in April and cheering me through every step, setback, injury and challenge. All of my previous marathons have been like a little shop of horrors and Will's plan kept me upright and stronger than I have ever been before. Thanks for being my coach and friend these past 30 weeks!

@Slogger No problem! It has been an honor to help you get to this point. And, I KNOW you will dominate your next marathon goal.

 

[Dis5150]

@rteetz Thank you for pointing out what today is - I wasn't aware of it. I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in 2008 and it still feels like yesterday. Thank you for making me think of him today. And I wore purple today, just by chance.

 

[rteetz]

@rteetz Thank you for pointing out what today is - I wasn't aware of it. I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in 2008 and it still feels like yesterday. Thank you for making me think of him today. And I wore purple today, just by chance.

I don't have any purple at school unfortunately but the whole month of November is pancreatic cancer awareness month as well. It's amazing and sad how many people are impacted by this terrible disease.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

ATTQOTD: First off, I love how running has helped so many of us overcome different obstacles in our lives.

My boys will always be my running inspiration. Awhile back I read Ultramarathoner Dean Karnzes book and there was a passage in which he talked about his dad running the LA Marathon. His comment was something along the lines of, "From that day forward my dad was in my mind the greatest thing a person could be, a marathoner." For whatever reason that line really struck me.

Running is my thing. Its my opportunity to show my boys that I'm willing to work and achieve something that isn't easy. I don't really care if they ever run, but I hope through my running they see that hard work and commitment can lead to great things.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

To be totally honest, I don't have any running heros. I run because I love it and for my health, which means that I run it for selfish reasons.

But I have enjoyed reading everyone's stories.

 

[Ariel484]

To be totally honest, I don't have any running heros. I run because I love it and for my health, which means that I run it for selfish reasons.

But I have enjoyed reading everyone's stories.

Okay, I'm glad you said it, because I feel the same way! I got into running for totally vain reasons (I wanted to lose weight for my wedding), but what you said above is why I keep doing it.

 

[cburnett11]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

The person who inspired me to run was the guy who coached my kids in high school cross country and track. His love of running is infectious. While a lot of coaches consider winning to be their #1 goal, his has always been to instill a love for running into each kid. Unfortunately my own kids burned out and have temporarily (hopefully) put it on the shelf, but that was due to my "unwise/overbearing parent coaching" and nothing he wanted for sure. We instantly became friends when we met and have remained that way ever since. Anyways, I was about 50 lbs. heavier when my kids ran for him but I always wished I could run too because running obviously brought him so much joy. Towards the end of my daughter's high school I finally dropped some weight and began running and now understand the passion. He inspired me to run, but I'll never be competitive with him. He's run over 70k miles, but a ton of these miles have been running with his team. He's very selfless. Even though he's an amazing runner (age 51 and can likely still run a 5-flat mile), most of his training is a by product of the workouts with the teams. He does supplement with extra miles, but mostly just because he loves running so much. For most of the last 20 years or so, he has done very little racing (and therefore race-specific training) so he's maintained his ability just by doing what he loves.

Since @DopeyBadger changed the rules and added white whales, I'm going to throw him in the mix too. Reading his journal that shows his progression was really inspiring. A year ago I would've been perfectly satisfied with finishing a marathon. Heck a few years ago when I started the c25k, the thought of actually getting to 30 minutes of non-stop running seemed out of reach. But after seeing how much he improved through persistence and belief in a plan (primarily Hanson), I decided I'd go all in for at least a training cycle and see what happened. I asked him some questions, I bought the book, I asked him more questions, he helped put together a plan for me, lots more emails, etc. I found out most of the things I'd experience or be concerned with throughout my training, he'd already gone through the same things. It was extremely helpful, and actually kept me accountable. I'm not chasing him per se, but seeing his progress/trend line has definitely motivated me by showing me a path that someone has actually gone down. Every time I see him succeed, it just makes me think that I can continue to get faster too if I am willing to put in the work. Thanks @DopeyBadger!

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: My answer is much like @opusone and @Keels. My family inspires me because running makes me a better wife and mother. And my best friend inspires me too. She was never overweight, but she was never an athlete either and hated exercise of any sort. She quit smoking and decided to replace that habit with running. She is the one who coaxed me into distance running and now after running several half's & two marathons together, we have no intention of stopping. We feed off each other's energy and are always working toward the next big race.

 

[DopeyBadger]

The person who inspired me to run was the guy who coached my kids in high school cross country and track. His love of running is infectious. While a lot of coaches consider winning to be their #1 goal, his has always been to instill a love for running into each kid. Unfortunately my own kids burned out and have temporarily (hopefully) put it on the shelf, but that was due to my "unwise/overbearing parent coaching" and nothing he wanted for sure. We instantly became friends when we met and have remained that way ever since. Anyways, I was about 50 lbs. heavier when my kids ran for him but I always wished I could run too because running obviously brought him so much joy. Towards the end of my daughter's high school I finally dropped some weight and began running and now understand the passion. He inspired me to run, but I'll never be competitive with him. He's run over 70k miles, but a ton of these miles have been running with his team. He's very selfless. Even though he's an amazing runner (age 51 and can likely still run a 5-flat mile), most of his training is a by product of the workouts with the teams. He does supplement with extra miles, but mostly just because he loves running so much. For most of the last 20 years or so, he has done very little racing (and therefore race-specific training) so he's maintained his ability just by doing what he loves.

Since @DopeyBadger changed the rules and added white whales, I'm going to throw him in the mix too. Reading his journal that shows his progression was really inspiring. A year ago I would've been perfectly satisfied with finishing a marathon. Heck a few years ago when I started the c25k, the thought of actually getting to 30 minutes of non-stop running seemed out of reach. But after seeing how much he improved through persistence and belief in a plan (primarily Hanson), I decided I'd go all in for at least a training cycle and see what happened. I asked him some questions, I bought the book, I asked him more questions, he helped put together a plan for me, lots more emails, etc. I found out most of the things I'd experience or be concerned with throughout my training, he'd already gone through the same things. It was extremely helpful, and actually kept me accountable. I'm not chasing him per se, but seeing his progress/trend line has definitely motivated me by showing me a path that someone has actually gone down. Every time I see him succeed, it just makes me think that I can continue to get faster too if I am willing to put in the work. Thanks @DopeyBadger!

Appreciate it @cburnett11! I have no doubt that the sky is the limit for you and you will easily accomplish whatever your next running goal may be. Sounds like if @CheapRunnerMike keeps getting better, then I'll need to keep getting better, which means you'll keep getting better. Ball is in your court @CheapRunnerMike!

 

[surfde22]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

I don't really have any running hero. I guess maybe you could say my brother is who inspired me this time, because my goal is to beat his Dopey 2014 times, as well as beat him mano-a-mano in 2017. Now my little guy keeps me motivated. I want to make sure I'm in shape and able to keep up as he grows and becomes more mobile.

I don't have any purple at school unfortunately but the whole month of November is pancreatic cancer awareness month as well.

Is it even legal for you to wear purple in Wisconsin?

 

[Baloo in MI]

@CheapRunnerMike great question! Tough day at work today and it will be a long one still... But reading everyone's responses has offered wonderful perspective. I have truly enjoyed it.

ATTQOTD: I had to think about this, I certainly run for health, joy, a sense of accomplishment. But when it is really hard, it becomes about Chris. Chris was my Father-in-Law. He passed away last spring from colon cancer. He came to live with us about 3 years before he died. During all this time he was a huge supporter of my running. He came to races, asked about training runs and in general made me feel really good about being a runner and role model for my girls.

He was a smoker and we never let him smoke in the house. So when I would come back from runs he was often on the porch or in his car and he would yell out to me. I would stand there with him and we had some wonderful conversations. He would always say I was an inspiration to him; but really he was the inspiration to me.

I don't finish a run now without thinking of him. So I run for my health and to role model for my girls, but when it hurts/when it is tough I think of Chris. Fast or slow he keeps me moving forward.

 

[rteetz]

Is it even legal for you to wear purple in Wisconsin?

Shhh... I have a Brett Favre Vikings Jersey.... Don't tell anyone.