The Running Thread - 2016

[ZellyB]

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?

I don't specifically track mileage although I keep telling myself each time I get a new pair that THIS time I'm going to do it. Hasn't happened yet. I also just roughly estimate miles and then buy them when they start feeling worn out. I run in Saucony Kinvaras. I love the shoes, but they don't have the longest life...

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Okay, I ran 4 times last week with no pain. Running is beginning to feel natural again, and my "easy" pace is starting to improve without me pushing at all. All mileage has to be at my easy pace until I reach 30 miles/week (doctor's orders), which will take me another 4 weeks.

Baby steps, but I am so happy to be running again.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?

Very similar to @LSUlakes, I track my shoes on Garmin Connect and usually get about 350 miles on each pair. That being said, I will retire shoes earlier or later than 350 miles depending on the condition (mainly the cushioning feel).

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOD (Safety): For my weekday morning runs (4:30am), I usually run in bright (hopefully reflective) shirts and a white or bring visor. I normally run with traffic, about 90% of the cars I do see are heading towards me, so they get plenty of room. The neighbor I run is usually very quiet that time of day, today there were 3 cars, which is a pretty large number for my early morning runs. For our weekend long runs, I usually add a bright blinkie light. The roads we run are busier and more runners as well. One of the neighborhoods we use for long runs, we now stay almost exclusively to the sidewalks. The road has become a speedway for some cars, and some cars will not give runners any room if running on the road (and have been known to honk at runners, even if there is room for the cars to move towards the center of the road). I also don't listen to music at all. If I run in the evening time (after dark), I will run into traffic, since the volume of cars is much higher, and I always assume they can not see me.

I have looked into vests every once in a while, but have never pulled the trigger on buying one. I have also looked into a RoadID, but have not got one of those yet either. When I ran the TIR a couple years back, I did look at the tracer 360 thing, and will probably purchase one of those when I run in the Ragnar Austin Relay in April.

Thanks for all the responses on the safety question. It is interesting to see everyone's perspective on how to stay visible. Interesting that no one commented about carrying mace or weapons (that I noticed). I know some women in our running club say they carry mace or a small pistol in their running belt.

ATTQOD (Shoes): I track my mileage on shoes. Also, if running in a pair I have not used and wore out before, I will note how I feel after a run when the shoes start getting up in mileage. I usually have 2 to 3 shoes in rotation.

@LSUlakes, my March race is on March 20, not the 21st. Can you drop the Texas 10 Sienna race on Apr 24th, and add Blue Bell Fun Run 10k on Apr 9th (goal 48:00)

 

[ZellyB]

@LSUlakes I just noticed that I'm down on the first page for the Bentonville half for March 2, but it's actually April 2. And trust me, I need that additional month!

 

[LSUlakes]

ATTQOD (Safety): For my weekday morning runs (4:30am), I usually run in bright (hopefully reflective) shirts and a white or bring visor. I normally run with traffic, about 90% of the cars I do see are heading towards me, so they get plenty of room. The neighbor I run is usually very quiet that time of day, today there were 3 cars, which is a pretty large number for my early morning runs. For our weekend long runs, I usually add a bright blinkie light. The roads we run are busier and more runners as well. One of the neighborhoods we use for long runs, we now stay almost exclusively to the sidewalks. The road has become a speedway for some cars, and some cars will not give runners any room if running on the road (and have been known to honk at runners, even if there is room for the cars to move towards the center of the road). I also don't listen to music at all. If I run in the evening time (after dark), I will run into traffic, since the volume of cars is much higher, and I always assume they can not see me.

I have looked into vests every once in a while, but have never pulled the trigger on buying one. I have also looked into a RoadID, but have not got one of those yet either. When I ran the TIR a couple years back, I did look at the tracer 360 thing, and will probably purchase one of those when I run in the Ragnar Austin Relay in April.

Thanks for all the responses on the safety question. It is interesting to see everyone's perspective on how to stay visible. Interesting that no one commented about carrying mace or weapons (that I noticed). I know some women in our running club say they carry mace or a small pistol in their running belt.

ATTQOD (Shoes): I track my mileage on shoes. Also, if running in a pair I have not used and wore out before, I will note how I feel after a run when the shoes start getting up in mileage. I usually have 2 to 3 shoes in rotation.

@LSUlakes, my March race is on March 20, not the 21st. Can you drop the Texas 10 Sienna race on Apr 24th, and add Blue Bell Fun Run 10k on Apr 9th (goal 48:00)

I love blue bell. You should eat a pint at every mile!

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?

I've only really had one pair of main running shoes I my short running career so far. This will probably be a good question for me to see what other people do. I don't track my shoe mileage but I have heard people do and have thought about doing that.

 

[LSUlakes]

Okay, I ran 4 times last week with no pain. Running is beginning to feel natural again, and my "easy" pace is starting to improve without me pushing at all. All mileage has to be at my easy pace until I reach 30 miles/week (doctor's orders), which will take me another 4 weeks.

Baby steps, but I am so happy to be running again.

Your running more than me these days.

@LSUlakes, my March race is on March 20, not the 21st. Can you drop the Texas 10 Sienna race on Apr 24th, and add Blue Bell Fun Run 10k on Apr 9th (goal 48:00)

Made the changes.

@LSUlakes I just noticed that I'm down on the first page for the Bentonville half for March 2, but it's actually April 2. And trust me, I need that additional month!

Made the change. I need an extra month as well.

 

[DVCFan1994]

ATTQOTD: I track my shoe mileage in GarminConnect. I usually retire them between 300 and 350 miles for running. I generally get a new pair when a current pair is at 275. I will start wearing new ones on short (3-4 mile) runs, and finally move the old ones out of rotation when I am confident the new ones are working out well. I generally have 2 pairs of shoes. However currently I have 4 pairs, because I had two that I wasn't crazy about for long runs, so they aren't getting up in mileage.

 

[IamTrike]

Nice job! It's funny, though, that sometimes a bad run can alleviate concerns too. I know I will always have a bad training run at some point during the cycle; it's almost impossible not to. When it happens, I know I've gotten it out of the way and will be ready to go on race day.

That's like an actor being happy with a bad dress rehersal.

It's always nice when a run like that comes along and boosts your confidence. We're in the same boat (similar time goals, similar past training) and I'd agree that this current Hanson's cycle has been much more difficult to maintain paces than the past two cycles. You got it!

Yeah we are in a very similar place. I think part of my problem with this cycle is that I didn't have enough time between Goofy and this race to do a full cycle. I wound up just starting a new Hanson's plan at about week 9 or 19 so I missed all the speed workouts.

That is great, but shouldn't you be tapering if you plan on running for a PR in 2 weeks?.

Hanson's has a pretty sure taper period. I'll be running between now and the race, but I plan on cutting back pretty aggressively both on volume and intensity from now till the race.

Okay, I ran 4 times last week with no pain. Running is beginning to feel natural again, and my "easy" pace is starting to improve without me pushing at all. All mileage has to be at my easy pace until I reach 30 miles/week (doctor's orders), which will take me another 4 weeks.

Baby steps, but I am so happy to be running again.

Glad you are feeling better

 

[RunDisneyDad]

I'm feeling pretty psyched now for the race. It's amazing how a good run can really alleviate concerns.

Nice! Great Job sticking with it.

ATTQOTD: I track my mileage on a spreadsheet and generally find at 500 miles its time to refresh my shoes. I got a couple of pairs of Brooks Launch 2 last week, so I'll be running in those starting next week. I've been running in Saucony Kinvara's and if you are looking for a lightweight cushioned (neutral) shoe I'd highly recommend them.

 

[roxymama]

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?
.

I am getting oddly excited because I am nearing shoe turnover time. I can just tell with the level of cushion and also nearing that 300 miles mark. So I am thinking of getting this current pair through my 4/3 race and then SHOPPING! for my next pair. I can rotate them in and then right around when I run my 10k on 4/29 I can probably swap over to my new pair. Does this seem reasonable? Or should I go out and just get my new shoes sooner and start swapping them. (I think I can feel a difference in my shoes now vs when they were new...but it could also just be how much I love shopping that is tricking my brain into thinking I need new ones.)
I also only have one pair right now...I'm not running anything more than a 10k until the summer.

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD: I'm a feel person with my shoes. I usually have 2 or 3 pairs that I am running in at any given time and just transition a pair out when I feel like they've lost enough cushioning. One nice thing about the Gel Noosa's that I wear is they come with an extra elastic shoelace (for those who want quick transitions in triathlons). I always leave the regular shoelaces in while I am running with them and then switch in the elastic laces when I am done and turn them into slip-ons for around the house or just to use as everyday shoes. Since I run a lot of miles on treadmills most of my shoes still look relatively new even if the tread is no longer the greatest.

 

[roxymama]

A related question...Does how much I weigh matter in how quickly my shoes need replacing? I'm not big or small (5'9"+ and 153 lbs currently...I must like you all enough that I'm telling you this.) But I was up closer to 170 when I started my current pair of shoes that are nearing turnover. If I keep getting lighter will that prolong my shoe wear or does that not even matter? It feels like maybe it would matter????? Like would a 6'3" 250 lbs guy need shoe replacement sooner (this is just an odd wondering on my part.)

 

[IamTrike]

I am getting oddly excited because I am nearing shoe turnover time. I can just tell with the level of cushion and also nearing that 300 miles mark. So I am thinking of getting this current pair through my 4/3 race and then SHOPPING! for my next pair. I can rotate them in and then right around when I run my 10k on 4/29 I can probably swap over to my new pair. Does this seem reasonable? Or should I go out and just get my new shoes sooner and start swapping them. (I think I can feel a difference in my shoes now vs when they were new...but it could also just be how much I love shopping that is tricking my brain into thinking I need new ones.)
I also only have one pair right now...I'm not running anything more than a 10k until the summer.

I'm a bad person to ask about this because I am a shoe shopping enabler. If the choices are between shoe shopping now and shoe shopping later I'd pick shopping now. Also if I started to feel like a pair of my shoes was wearing out, I'd start rotating in new shoes now, so that I could run the race in the new shoe, with me having already done a bunch of runs in those shoes.

 

[Miranda]

QOTD: I retire shoes when they don't feel good anymore and they are getting up in mileage. My last pair still felt mostly ok but the soles were worn through pretty good, so I retired them to walking shoes. I track the mileage in Strava.

 

[PrincessV]

QOTD: Lets discuss safety while out for a run. If you run before sunrise or after sunset do you wear reflective clothing, lights, or anything else to make yourself noticeable? Do you have routes you avoid for your safety? If you are listening to music while running, how do you stay aware of your surroundings? If a sidewalk or running path is not available, do you run with the flow of traffic or against it? Any other concerns about safety while out running?

ATTQOTD: True story... I bought a bunch of light-up, flashy, and/or reflective stuff to don for the few months of winter when my runs go past sunset - and they seem to have the opposite effect! No joke, I've witnessed multiple cars redirect to come RIGHT AT ME when I'm all lit up. Now, I happen to live and run in an area heavy in retirees, and I hate to blame anything on age, but... if I wear stuff that isn't very visible, I glide right by next to them on the road and they stay in their lane, safely away from me. I do have a clip-on light so I can see the man-eating potholes in one stretch of road that has no street lights, but have otherwise stopped using the other stuff. I feel safer watching out for drivers, versus assuming they'll watch out for me

I mostly depend on visual for being aware of my surroundings; my hearing isn't great to start, but my peripheral vision is pretty righteous. On roads, I follow pedestrian rules: run against traffic, except on blind turns, where I move to run with traffic. I run in very safe, VERY populated areas, but I'm always aware of my surroundings and kind of have a constant vigilance going on, detecting anything out of the ordinary and keeping aware of safe exits, if needed. The only times I've been freaked out on runs were during coyote encounters - logically I know they rarely attack humans, and they were clearly scared by me, but still... unsettling.

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?

ATTQOTD: I track mileage via iSmoothRun, hoping that someday a shoe will last longer than 250 miles... hasn't happened yet lol! I really go by feel; my joints tell me when it's time to retire a shoe.

A related question...Does how much I weigh matter in how quickly my shoes need replacing? I'm not big or small (5'9"+ and 153 lbs currently...I must like you all enough that I'm telling you this.) But I was up closer to 170 when I started my current pair of shoes that are nearing turnover. If I keep getting lighter will that prolong my shoe wear or does that not even matter? It feels like maybe it would matter????? Like would a 6'3" 250 lbs guy need shoe replacement sooner (this is just an odd wondering on my part.)

It's always seemed to me that there should be a correlation between weight and shoe wear, but I'm under 120 and burn through shoes faster than most heavier people I know! I suspect a lot depends on one's mechanics and the type of shoe: I'm a forefoot runner and find that more minimalist shoes that are designed to work for my gait aren't designed to last more than around 200-300 miles, and less minimalist shoes aren't made for extra wear in the forefoot so they break down faster there, too, even though my heels look nearly untouched.

 

[opusone]

A related question...Does how much I weigh matter in how quickly my shoes need replacing? I'm not big or small (5'9"+ and 153 lbs currently...I must like you all enough that I'm telling you this.) But I was up closer to 170 when I started my current pair of shoes that are nearing turnover. If I keep getting lighter will that prolong my shoe wear or does that not even matter? It feels like maybe it would matter????? Like would a 6'3" 250 lbs guy need shoe replacement sooner (this is just an odd wondering on my part.)

Yes, when I was younger and lighter, my shoes lasted longer (like 400-500 miles), but now I'm more in the 350 mile camp, and I think that is mostly due to additional weight.

 

[IamTrike]

A related question...Does how much I weigh matter in how quickly my shoes need replacing? I'm not big or small (5'9"+ and 153 lbs currently...I must like you all enough that I'm telling you this.) But I was up closer to 170 when I started my current pair of shoes that are nearing turnover. If I keep getting lighter will that prolong my shoe wear or does that not even matter? It feels like maybe it would matter????? Like would a 6'3" 250 lbs guy need shoe replacement sooner (this is just an odd wondering on my part.)

I'm 6'2 and just shy of 200 so I'm close to what you are talking about and I don't notice myself burning through shoes particularly fast. That being said my guess it's that it's probably tied to pounds per square inch of pressure that's being applied to shoe when you strike. The runners weight would have an impact on that but so would their foot strike. If the foot strike changes the area of the shoes that's coming in contact with the ground when you are running you could also increase or decrease the force per square inch being applied to the sole of the shoe.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Baloo in MI]

QOTD: How do you handle shoes for training. How do you know when your shoes are wearing out. Do you track your milage in a pair of shoes or do you do it by the way they feel?

Congrats on the strong training run! For the QOTD: I maintain a log so I can track the miles. I use it to know when to introduce a second pair of shoes and then rotate the old and new until the old ones tell me it is time for their retirement. I start rotating in new shoes once the old ones get over 250 miles, and they last to around 300-350 miles. It use to be less but some weight loss and a tougher shoe has extended the mileage some.