The Running Thread - 2016

[disneydaydreamer33]

I had to bail out of a registered race once. It was the Annapolis Running Classic and was my only half marathon for the fall. I was bummed that I wasn't going to be able to make it the race, but I made sure and ran a 13.1 mile run through my hometown that week to feel better about the training I put in
I hope you feel better quickly @LSUlakes That is really stressful to be sick when you are close to your race date.

 

[Miranda]

Well, I signed up for the winter group, so now I have to go find my reflective vest thing and my shoe headlights that I recommended earlier in this thread that I got last year for Christmas. Hopefully those count in place of the required headlamp, although I guess I can bring the headlamp we have for nighttime dog trips just in case.

Eek I'm very nervous! I haven't run "with" anyone in 22 years, not since HS cross country!

 

[camaker]

[B]QOTD: [/B]Have you ever registered for a race and at some point along your training decided that it may be within your best interest to not run the race? What factors contributed to that decision?

I had to bail out on last year's Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington, NC. The race was about 5 weeks from my hamstring tear and I wasn't cleared to even start walking significant distances at that point. Ended up having to eat the registration fee, as they didn't offer deferrals, but it was the right decision as it allowed me to focus on being mobile for WDWMW.

 

[baxter24]

Missed a few days so let me answer a few in one post!

• Never incorporated running into vacation but I have tried to get as many of my runs for the week in before we leave.
• No turkey trot this year. We are headed out of town but I will try to get a run or two in while I am gone.
• Never missed a race yet but I have showed up a time or two nowhere near ready.

 

[ZellyB]

ATTQOTD: I can't think of a registered race that I had to back out on. I did drop down this year from our local marathon to the half-marathon though because of some nagging injuries.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

@LSUlakes bummer about the race. I hope something clicks and you are able to get back in training mode.

ATTQOTD: The only race I registered for but didn't participate was the 2015 WDW Marathon. We decided to buy a new house the summer before and shifted the DW money toward the house.

 

[Chaitali]

I did back out of a race in April. I didn't realize it was a trail race when I signed up, I had done hardly any training on unpaved surfaces, and then it rained that weekend so it was going to be muddy/slippery on top of that. It was causing me so much anxiety I decided it was better to sit it out.

I had a great time at RnR Vegas a couple weekends ago but it was so crowded! My official time ended up being 3:04:44 because I stopped to find my parents who were spectating (large crowds of spectators too) and my watch time was around 2:57. I struggle a bit during this race too because there was so much walking in advance. I had more than 14,000 steps before we even started the half!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

I did back out of a race in April. I didn't realize it was a trail race when I signed up, I had done hardly any training on unpaved surfaces, and then it rained that weekend so it was going to be muddy/slippery on top of that. It was causing me so much anxiety I decided it was better to sit it out.

I had a great time at RnR Vegas a couple weekends ago but it was so crowded! My official time ended up being 3:04:44 because I stopped to find my parents who were spectating (large crowds of spectators too) and my watch time was around 2:57. I struggle a bit during this race too because there was so much walking in advance. I had more than 14,000 steps before we even started the half!

Wow 14,000 before the race is a lot! Glad you had a good time!

 

[tigger536]

ATTQOTD:

Race in thick jeans OR An itchy wool sweater - Sweater. I've actually done this, at an ugly Christmas sweater 5K last year.

Free entries+flights to races for a year OR Free shoes for a year (you can stockpile!) - Race entries for sure!

Harassed by bees OR Chased by an angry Chihuahua - Chihuahua. At a trail race I did there were bees on the course and a lot of people got stung. They were all faster than me so I got lucky and there were no more bees left. But there were a lot of people stopped dealing with it. Luckily no one with allergies though.

Race through WDW with no characters OR Race at home with Disney characters Through WDW!

GPS runs out of batteries pre-race OR Drop your headphones in the porta-potty - Batteries. My headphones died at mile 8 of Wine and Dine. They can be recharged, but they are dead to me if they go in a port-o-let! Ewwww.

Bonus Dole Whip Aid Stations OR Bonus Mickey Waffle Aid Stations- Dole Whip all the way!

“We’ve run out of free food” OR “We’ve run out of free beer” - We've run out of food. If there is beer, I will be good.

Uphill course with perfect weather OR Downhill course and 100+F heat - I'm from Atlanta, so this one is easy. Downhill and hot, please.

Last place in the Olympics vs First place at every small local race this year - Last place in the Olympics. What an amazing experience that would be.

Straight out and back marathon with no scenery OR 26+ one mile laps - Hmm. Both of these would suck. But I'd go with the out and back.

Only Winter training for a Spring race OR Summer training for a Fall race - I've done both. I like summer training for fall. When the heat goes away you get a nice pace jump. And my IT band hates winter.

Blink in every picture but your form looks perfect OR Face looks great but form is schlumpy mess - Face looks great. I'm pretty sure my form is always a schlumpy mess.

Handed only money at every aid station OR get charged for water&fuel at every aid station Money, if I'm told ahead of time. I would just bring a camelback and make some of my race fee back.

WDW triathlon 2018 or WDW marathon team relay 2018 - Triathlon. This is on my bucket list for someday.

Wear a red sparkle skirt OR A pink sparkle visor - Skirt. I do this anyway. And tutus, etc. I don't like to run with visors. Or sunglasses. I know, I'm weird.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I bailed on our local (but huge) Turkey Trot... twice! The first year, we had a super-cold cold front come through and I had no interest in leaving my warm bed for a race on which I only spent $15. The next year, I picked up my shirt and bib and learned that it wasn't chip timed... and again decided it wasn't worth getting up early for. I stopped registering for it after that.

 

[Chaitali]

Wow 14,000 before the race is a lot! Glad you had a good time!

Thanks! I guess that's one of the downsides I should have expected before a night race at a destination location

 

[tigger536]

ATTQOTD: I don't think we have answered this one here before but what was your first race? What was the distance? Where was it? Anything else special about it?

2.8 mile trail race in March of 2015. I was very slow, lol. But I loved running on the trails for the challenge and the scenery. I was hooked and quickly got bitten by the running bug, bad.

 

[cavepig]

Luckily, I haven't had to back out of a paid by me race yet. Knock on wood! I only have been doing Disney races for the most part lately so not a lot of races to back out of these days.

 

[CherieFran]

QOTD: Have you ever registered for a race and at some point along your training decided that it may be within your best interest to not run the race? What factors contributed to that decision?

I skipped out of the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler this year. It was very cold and extremely windy, so much so that they had to make modifications to water stops, take down all banners, mile markers, etc. I had just run a very, very cold half marathon two weeks before and when I woke up that morning, I just didn't feel like getting out of my warm bed.

 

[ebradley23]

ATTQOTD: I've never not run a race I've paid for. I'm such a cheapskate that I will run in the most miserable conditions if I've paid for something. Luckily, I've never had an injury near race time. I've got an appointment at the VCU Sports Med Center for my IT band. It's been hurting since my marathon. They are pretty aggressive with treatment, so I'm hoping I don't have to make a decision regarding the 50k next month. Right now I can only get up to 5 miles without pain.

 

[Miranda]

For me, I want my t-shirt or other swag if there is some, and if I'm already there to pick that up, I may as well just run.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

QOTD: Anyone doing a Turkey Trot of similar type race this week? Since it is Thanksgiving, what is something you are thankful for that you would like to share with the group? Todays QOTD is a great suggestion by a fellow poster of this forum. Thanks for the suggestion!

I signed up for the local Turkey Trot tomorrow, which has become a tradition of sorts, but I tweaked out my lower back yesterday so it'll depend on how that feels in the morning. Especially since I have a half marathon on Sunday.

I'm always thankful for health, another year, family and friends, but this year I'm thankful I had the courage to leave a very toxic workplace and start my own business. I haven't worked so hard for so little in a LONG time, but I'm exponentially happier. So there's that!

I'm also thankful, seeing the new rD registration dates, that I'd already decided on backing down on rD races. After four race weekends this year (and I am thankful for the opportunity) and three on deck in 2017, I'm just going to stick with SWDS for legacy reasons. And because I'm a giant Star Wars nerd.

Wishing you all a very festive, happy, and safe Thanksgiving! (Or if you don't celebrate, the same for end of workweek then normal weekend )

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

ATTQOTD: Thankfully I haven't had to back out of race. Much like @ebradley23 I'm a cheapskate and would try to run through almost anything.

 

[Miranda]

I went to my group run tonight. It was so cold! Running in the dark @ 32F feels a lot colder than running in the daytime at that. The group was pretty small, 3 runners and 2 coaches, due to the holiday. I felt kind of bad, one of the coaches stayed back to run with me, and I was sucking so much wind. My cardio has really gone down the toilet. But one of the reasons I wanted to join the group was to get out of my comfort zone and run more, like have a reason to push myself more than I usually do on my solo runs where I stick to my 90/30 intervals, and I definitely ran more than I normally would on a run I think, even though my overall pace was slower, but that wasn't helped by me not pausing my watch at any crosswalks or the whole lost fitness thing.

I definitely need some more lighted bling. I wore our headlamp we use for our dog outings and it was super heavy, and I wore my Nightrunner 270 shoe lights, but one of them wouldn't turn on! I guess this is what you get for not using a Christmas gift for almost 12 months. I will have to see if they will replace them. I charged them all up before I left, and the left one turned on, but the right one was kaput.

 

[Disney at Heart]

Just caught up since Avengers, which was awesome, and will answer a few QOTDs that I can remember.

1. I always run 1-3 days on Disney vacations. Either a race weekend or put it on my itinerary for early mornings. LOVE running the various running paths and resort paths there.
I also love running the beach when I go to Ponce Inlet every summer.
Even ran 10.5 miles at a park in the North Georgia mountains last weekend and plan to do my last long run before Dopey on the Chattanooga Riverwalk.

2. Thanksgiving Day half marathon in the morning! Is it bedtime yet? I am thankful for the love for family and friends, for my church, community, and country, for my "stuff," and also for health. As I grow older, many of my friends struggle to walk (knee and hip replacements, various heart problems, etc.) and they remind me regularly how blessed I am to be able to run races.

3. Never missed a paid race but once. In August when Daddy died, DH and I had signed up for a neighboring town's Midnight Flight. (He was running the 1 mi, 5k, and 10K; I was doing 10K only.) It was the night before the funeral, so obviously, it was the least of my worries at the time.

4. The most significant "would you rather...'s" for me - I was stung in 5th grade and apparently have a bee allergy as my face swelled like a beat-up boxer. I've also been bitten by a Jack Russell terrier while out on a run. I'll take the chihuahua if I can have my pepper spray! And I wore my first sparkle skirt for the Captain America 5k. It was great.

And I'm most excited that Th-Sun I did high mileage Dopey training miles: 3, 5, 10.5, 23. I am almost ready! Did it a week earlier than Jeff's plan because of Thanksgiving week activities. And I feel good enough to run my HM tomorrow although time may suffer a little.