The Running Thread - 2016

[LSUlakes]

If you are looking for a BQ race later in the year you can come run Peak to Creek with me. Flights to Raleigh or Charlotte should be cheaper.

That's a interesting race. ONLY 300 runners!?!? Big elevation change from start to finish and it looks like most of the race is through a park. The idea of the Grandmas marathon is if I happen to be near a BQ in January 2017 and think a few short months of training could get be to the goal before registration open, then I would give it a try. But I'm talking about being real close... within 5 minutes or so. How fast does that race sell out? Are you basically on your own out there?

 

[roxymama]

ATTQOTD: This year it's distance. I'm trying to add a bunch of different types of distances to vary it up throughout the year and challenge myself. Plus I'll automatically get PRs in the ones I have not tried, right? 8k, 10k, 15k, 10 mile, etc.

It's nice to have good scenery or a unique setting too; it helps me get through the runs. I'm lucky that I live very close to a lot of races so it does get hard to choose and I often get FOMO.

(and bling...I'm sorry if that is not the best "runner attitude" but I like bling...not a slave to only bling races...but if they want to offer bling I will take it)

 

[Barca33Runner]

For the non racers, how far is you long run going to be this weekend?

10 Miles on Saturday

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

Is the race during WDW Marathon Weekend? If yes, I am signing up.

That is really my only big weekend. I sign up for three Half Marathons throughout the year. Cleveland Rite Aid in May, Indianapolis Monumental in November, and usually something during the summer. I sign up for very few races in order to keep expenses down. It is hard to justify the expense of most races when I can run the distance at home for free. I mainly schedule the races I do in order to have POT races for WDW and to avoid getting lazy with my training.

 

[roxymama]

For 5k's and 10k's, I typically stay away from the really big races.

You bring up a really good point. I've been seeking out BIG races for my longer distances this year because I feel like the "throng" of people around me will help me to the finish line/make it feel more special/keep me from trying to run too hard/stick with pacers if needed.
But I am a big fan of the small local 5k because waiting in corrals for longer than the time it takes you to run the actual race can be very annoying and bad for my pre-run anxiety.
Does anyone else feel like the smaller the field the more likely you get into "race the other people" mode?

 

[Miranda]

Hi neighbor. Runner's Alley is my aforementioned not very convenient LRS.

Oops, maybe not super close neighbors. I finally caught up on the thread and saw you are in the Lakes Region... I'm guessing you go to Concord. I am in the Seacoast, so I go to the one in Portsmouth.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Good luck to @LSUlakes @Nole95 @gjramsey and @DOOM1001 in your races this weekend!

For the non racers, how far is you long run going to be this weekend?

My schedule calls for 2 hours and 15 minutes with LOTS of hills, so I'm probably looking at around 20 miles...hopefully no more snow comes our way, but temperatures will be brutally cold at 10ºF and closer to 0ºF with the windchill

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

Cost plays a big role, meaning distance is important. If I can sleep in my own bed I'm a happy boy. We have plenty of local races around here to choose from, but I actually have quite a few travel races already booked. If I ever want to do bigger races I have to travel, and this year that included WDW Marathon Weekend, Boston and Ironman Mont Tremblant. At least they are all cool, fun places to travel to!

 

[Miranda]

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

"Yes"

I have only been back to running now for a little over a year. Last year was the first year that I have raced as an adult... before that the last time was 20 years ago in HS when I was running cross country. I decided I wanted to do a half marathon before my 40th birthday in December, so I registered with some friends on a whim to do Tink. And then I decided to do W&D to get that C2C medal. So, for my "big" races, it was about the bling. For my other races, I just wanted to do some local things but I guess it was about the bling, too. I joined the Seacoast (NH) Road Race Series which you had to do 6 of 8 races to get a jacket, but I ended up doing all 8 of them. All I really wanted to do was that one half marathon before I turned 40 but I ended up doing 4 of them! Well, 3.5... we all know what happened at W&D.

This year I am picking half marathons that are in New England and seem to be scenic and well reviewed. I am doing Maine Coast, Covered Bridges, and Old Port this spring/early summer. And I am looking at doing Seacoast, Mount Desert Island, and maybe traveling for Space Coast in the fall. (Side note: Space Coast worth traveling for? My parents live in FL, although down on the SW coast, and I was thinking I could combine a trip.)

The shorter races I'm doing, I am mainly doing the ones I enjoyed from the series last year and maybe trying out a few new ones. After writing up my list, I'm thinking I'm going to alter some of my shorter races and give up on the beer series races. I had originally signed up for the series because I had planned to run 3 of the races already and you only needed to do 5, but 2 of the 3 I was doing were the 2 half marathons that I decided to drop in March and April... so now I find myself having to add shorter races from the series to get the jacket.

Other things I look for in the longer distance races... a bit larger field so there are a decent amount of slow finishers. My half PR is 2:45:03, so course cutoff times are a concern for me, plus it is just lonely to be out there alone if there are not many other back of the packers. I ran a local half last minute as my last long training run 3 weeks before W&D (totally on a whim... I registered the night before) and there were only about 100 people in it. For the last half of it, I honest to goodness thought I was in last place, and I didn't like it. Not because I was "last"... but I really just felt really bad for all the course support people still out there manning water tables and police officers and volunteers manning the road crossings and turns. I knew I had passed one guy around the halfway point, but after a while on a long straight road, I kept looking back and could not see him, so I thought he might have dropped (he seemed to really be struggling). And I knew that long before that there had been some other people behind me as well, but I thought maybe they had dropped, too. Well, it turned out all 4 of them were still behind me (I finished 2:53:xx), but it was still weird to feel like I was dead last and I was holding up all those nice volunteers from getting back inside where it was warm (it was a very chilly 35 degree day in October).

 

[Mickey's sweetheart]

QOTTD: I am very spoiled here with a wealth of race choices in my town. There's at least one 5k every weekend from spring to fall and there's usually 1-2 halfs per month as well. Because of this, I rarely travel to races and the date of the local race is my main determining factor. After that, it's things like is it a good race shirt or what cause is it for.

 

[surfde22]

So I am at least thinking about running again, and was doing some research on Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. The race is in June and is sold out at this point, but was looking into it as a backup for 2017 if I happen to be close to a BQ. Flights are $700+ from here! Is it because the Duluth airport is small? The flight would be around 50% of the trip if I tried to make it... Anyway, anyone run the marathon or half up there? How's the weather around that time of year and how is the course? From what I have read, it is flat and fast...

I went to school in Duluth, but have never run Grandma's, but can say it's a fun time to be in Duluth. The weather is usually pretty nice that time of year. Lake Superior usually works as a good natural outdoor air conditioner. The cost of the flight is probably due to the size of the airport, but MSP airport is only a little over 2 hours from Duluth. You may be able to find a cheaper flight through there if you don't mind the drive.

 

[camaker]

For the non racers, how far is you long run going to be this weekend?

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

I'm scheduled to run 9 miles on my plan this weekend.

The most important features of a race to me are its proximity and whether I find the medal interesting. Local is a big draw. The ability to get out of my bed in the morning and drive to the race is a huge plus. As races get further away, there needs to be a factor pulling me in like a cool medal or a very interesting course to run.

 

[roxymama]

I do have one race for later this year that I ran in 2015 and pooped out mentally and I signed back up for it just to "avenge" my bad race.

 

[Diskidatheart]

ATTQOTD: For me, I typically do local races. Other than Disney, I haven't really traveled to do any races. I did my 2nd half marathon on Maui and because of that I will never run a long distance race while on vacation (I didn't feel right for 3 of the next days after the race and it controlled what I did and didn't do for the couple of days prior to the race). However, I will vacation to a place where the race is being held. In other words, if I plan a vacation and there happens to be a race going on, I would skip it...but if there was a race going on and I decided to I want to run it, I will vacation there. The race has to be the main purpose of the trip.

I do like larger races when the race distance is greater...mainly for the crowd support and usually the bling is better. I will not run a race 10+ miles if there is no bling. I don't think I would enjoy a small marathon.

The timing of the race also plays a part in it. If I can find races that match my schedule, then I will try to run them.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

I run two types of race - qualifying and destination. For qualifying races, I want a flat course and a strong chance of very cool weather for the race. Destination races have pretty obvious requirements. I have to be interested in the destination and the timing has to align with my work and family life.

ETA - about every other year I also run a "challenging" race. The requirements differ, but it has to offer a course or conditions that require a different type of training. It has to push me physically and mentally.

 

[FFigawi]

I choose my races mostly based on location. Running a marathon or ultra is a great excuse to travel around the world seeing different places. This year, though, I chose my primary race based on timing & the course. I wanted a race in the fall with a flat course.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

Well run/organized, then all of the above... I generally run within 2 hrs of home so ive run a wide variety of races. Some are permenatly on my race calendar, others ill not run again, some are will give another chance if things line up.. I try to run half new to me, half repeats each year to keep it interesting. I usually dont have weekends off so have to choose wisely..

Space coast and its sister race excalibur are my two must runs, followed by Wdw donald-

 

[derekleigh]

Hi neighbor. Runner's Alley is my aforementioned not very convenient LRS.

Great place right?! Been there many times and always a pleasant place to visit!

Oh a slightly related topic, ever run any races put on by Millennium Running?

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel ?

Happy Friday to all and have a good weekend!

Distance, cost, and travel are the biggest factors. Most of the time I'm only interested in half marathons, unless another distance race has something unique about it. Then traveling distance is factored in. I'm not going to drive more than an hour to do a race of anything less than a half. If it's a local 5k, 10k, or another length, I will probably do it. Luckily my wife's family lives in Maine and my family a small summer cottage in VT, so I have some different locations to venture to without much extra traveling!

Lastly, cost. The cost has to justify the length and perks. No offense but I'm not going to run a 5k for more than $20 or $25 if good perks. I can run 3 miles anywhere for free. My limit for half marathons is usually $50-$70 (depending upon course and perks).

This isn't set in stone. If a race comes along and looks fun or a bunch of friends are doing it, I'll join in.

 

[roxymama]

My hubby just got me a Valentine's Day "runners box" with all kinds of fun "fuel" and snacks and etc. I'll probably put pics in my journal later. Mostly so people can tell me if they think any of it is good.

The funny thing is I got him a triathlon medal rack. So we are officially now these kind of people

 

[Keels]

My hotel in Austin is right in the middle of the Marathon start/finish area for the Austin Marathon. Of course, I wasn't planning to be here this weekend or else I would've done the half. Oh wells.

Good luck to everyone running this weekend - and if anyone is running the half, I'm going to pop out to spectate a little bit!

 

[Baloo in MI]

QOTD: What are the most important features of a race to attract you? Is it distance from you? Scenery? Size of race? Cost? Travel time?

Long run this weekend is 12 miles on Sunday. Tomorrow I get to watch my girls compete with their dance teams. So, excited about that.

As far as races. This year I tried to pick ones that looked challenging and begin to prep me for the fall ultra. More trail runs and longer races. Normally I just want a race that is fairly close to home, not too expensive that looks fun. Bling is always good for the collection but not a necessity.

Good luck to all those racing this weekend!

 

[Miranda]

Great place right?! Been there many times and always a pleasant place to visit!

Oh a slightly related topic, ever run any races put on by Millennium Running?

Just one so far... the small ~100 person race I did for my long run that I mentioned in a previous post where I felt bad that the volunteers were all still out there waiting for me (and I guess the other 4 people behind me) was managed by them, but not one of their main events... the Cochecho Challenge. Most of their other races are are not in the Seacoast and I haven't really gone west or north for races. Maybe this year though! The NH 10 Miler or the New England Half Marathon are possibilities.