The Running Thread - 2016

[Waiting2goback]

I think you need to learn to run by feel and effort. Find a route for which you know the distance and run it without looking at your watch at all while running. Try to keep your perceived effort at 60-70% in the first half and 70-80% in the second half. When you're done, look at your splits and see how successful you were. Practice this often so you learn to pace yourself without needing a watch to tell you how you're doing. When you get to race day in a marathon, you'll be able to know how your race is going based on how you feel. The first 12-14 miles should feel really easy. If they don't, you're starting out too fast. Things shouldn't feel hard until 18-ish or so.

I like this idea very much. I always run as hard as I can so I am always faster the first 1/2 of the race. I do run with my heart rate monitor, as opposed to a watch with pace on it. I used to have my RunKeeper updating me every 5 minutes during a run but I don't do that anymore. I have no updates. I just try to keep my heart rate under 130 for the first 2 miles or so and then I get it up to the target zone after that. But I clearly still have a lot of work to do. I will add this to my list of things to work on this year as I ramp up my mileage. Thanks for the suggestion.


Good luck to everyone with their races this weekend and I hope @Keels comes back to the thread soon!!!

 

[keahgirl8]

Todays QOTD was suggested by @roxymama . I thought it was a great question. If anyone else was like to suggest a QOTD, feel free to send me a PM.

QOTD: What are your tips for racing a new distance? Do you try to get a fast time on your first attempt at the distance or are you more conservative to just try to finish the distance?

I try not to go out too fast ever. My first ever race was a 5K and I was so excited, I took off like a shot (for me anyway)! I finished in 34 or 35 minutes, which was WAY under my pace at the time. I felt like I was going to die by the end, and I vowed to never do that again. It's a marathon (so to speak) not a sprint, and you want to finish feeling good and on your feet.

ATTQOTD: I really don't have any tips, I am struggling with this same question. I have not done a new race distance in a few years, but have a couple on my radar for this year. I did a 5k and 10k leading up to my half in 2014. But since then all the races I have done is 10ks and halves. I am planning on a 10 miler in April, but I have not signed up because I have been coming back from an injury and I am weighing whether I will be prepared enough to finish strong, versus doing it just to do it, knowing it might be a struggle. I also have trouble pacing myself in races, I get caught up (even with my Garmin beeping at me) and when I go out too fast my body always let me know, usually forcing me to slow down. I don't want to set myself back again.

I thought I wouldn't do anymore races without a goal. The thought that my running is inconsistent enough right now that I can't really formulate a goal for the 10 miler is making me rethink that. Perhaps switching my mindset from finish time goal toward something else, like a consistent pace, or negative splits would be a way to go. My 10k POT for PHM last November I set a goal of starting unusually slow to prevent going out too fast, and then running each mile a little faster. It worked and I ran my fastest ever racing mile in the last mile of the race and got a 2.5 minute PR. Maybe that's my answer

That's why I love this thread, I swear it makes me think of things differently when I am typing out answers to QOTDs than when I am beating myself up overthinking in my head.

This is a great idea! Honestly...most of the time my goal is to finish feeling good. I am not that competitive, and I've always just run because I love it. (*sniff* I really miss it, guys... ) I just want to enjoy it, and enjoy the course, so I just don't worry about it. I pay attention to the time only to make sure I'm staying well within the minimum and that's all. Most of the time. I'm not always successful, but I really try.

I have yet to figure out how to start out slow. I can't do it on training runs or in a race. I always try to start out slow but even when I have the pace updates in my headphones I still can't do it. I wish I could because it would obviously be huge on the longer distances.

You just have to do it. You have to train for that too. You'll enjoy yourself a lot more and lessen your risk for injury if you do.

Do you do any sort of a warmup before the race? If I am doing a longer race (such as a marathon) I don't go for a true warmup run, but I still attempt to get the legs stretched out a bit...I treat the first couple of kilometres as my warmup. This forces me to start out at a slower pace and allows me to add the speed as I go. For shorter races (anything up to a half marathon) I go for a light jog, maybe about 5 minutes or so, as I will run fast from the start and hold on for as long as I can.

Usually there is a little bit of a walk to a start line, so that's a bit of a warmup. Then, I kind of bounce up and down a little and make sure I'm not standing too still for too long in the corral. Static stretching on cold muscles can be bad news, so I try to avoid that. Whenever I see people in a really intense lunge or quad stretch, it makes me nervous for them.

I struggle with the slow start as well in both races and training. I upgraded my Garmin so it would alert me whenever my pace gets too fast, which is usually about 30 seconds in . I did one 10k race where at about .5 mile in I looked at my former watch and I was about 1:30 faster than my normal per mile pace. I did not start toward the front, but I must have been with a quick crowd, because I just was going with the flow. It was ugly late in the race. The 10k race where I had success I knew I needed to start slow, I had been having IT Band issues and fast starts aggravate that for me. So, I lined up way in the back, and then for the first mile, only passed people when I had a clear path, I did not do any weaving. My first mile was probably about 15 seconds per mile slower than my usual long run pace, but from there I took off 10-15 seconds off each mile.

How do you do that? Which Garmin do you have? I think this would be helpful for me, because sometimes I do it without realizing it.

^^^ Most beginning runners do not understand this ^^^! Especially with 5 and 10k's, I would say that 50-75% of the people (especially the kids) go out way too fast. In fact, if you are running the correct pace for you (regardless of how fast you are), you will likely feel as if you are the slowest person out there... BUT, just wait about a half mile to a mile, and you will be passing people left and right for the rest of the race. I am always amazed how consistently this plays out from race to race. I do not think this is as prevalent once you get to half marathon and longer distances.

Absolutely! I see people running across the start line like they are in the Olympics sometimes, and then I pass them doing the Galloway method.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: What do you for a living to support your running habits?

ATTQOTD: I am a estimator for an industrial contractor. Nice job, with a good work schedule.

 

[surfde22]

QOTD: What do you for a living to support your running habits?

I'm an IT Business Analyst and a soccer referee. My hours are pretty flexible and allow me to get runs in before or after work depending on my mood for the day, though once soccer season starts runs will have to be morning based.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: What do you for a living to support your running habits?

Public finance investment banker here. Not the most flexible of work hours, so I have to get runs in when I can... usually really early in the morning.

 

[Slogger]

Race weather is gonna be chilly, but I prefer that to hot. In the 30's. Gonna get pretty windy...but this is a HUGE HUGE race and so I'll just draft off people

I have similar conditions for my half on Sunday. Supposed to be 30s/low 40s and winds 25-35 mph. On the boardwalk at the beach in Atlantic City. Yikes!
Pretty small race probably not as many opportunities for drafting.

Just happy to be back to running so no concrete goals for me.
Good luck @roxymama and everyone with your races.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: What do you for a living to support your running habits?

I'm currently the business services/finance manager for our operations in Iraq.

 

[Miranda]

ATTQOTD: I work as a software developer to support my running and dog habits. Good thing we don't have any kids... after race entries (I enter a lot of races), Sparkle Skirts, and vet bills/toys/etc for the dog, I don't think there is any money left over for kids. I work for a small consulting company, so it's not as lucrative as if I worked for a larger corp, but I am a full time telecommuter, so that does come with its own set of perks, like being able to go to the gym or to run or do errands whenever I want.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

ATTQOTD: I work in IT for one of those companies that does that Cloud thing.

 

[roxymama]

QOTD: What do you for a living to support your running habits?

ATTQOTD: I'm in the steel business. For many years I moon-lighted as a dance teacher and performer/competitor too. But that's on hold while my kiddo is young. Hoping this running thing keeps me in shape to pick it back up at some point.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I work in a lab at the University of Wisconsin - Department of Biochemistry as a Research Specialist. Our focus is on Vitamin D. I also work for a small pharmaceutical company as a Quality Assurance Manager.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I am a stay at home mom

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Looks like a lot of us have some pretty cold weather in store for our races this weekend...just below freezing with 20mph winds for my 30K. Better than blazing heat I guess. Good luck to everybody!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

ATTQOTD - I hold a director level position for a global corporation. It means that I work pretty much 24/7/365, but it also means that I can adjust my schedule to allow for my workouts.

My March totals:

P90X - 22 hours
Running - 77 miles, and no foot pain!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

I am a stay at home mom

Another stay at home mom here! My youngest starts school fairly soon, so I'm deep in the process of deciding what I want to do when I grow up!

 

[Mickey's sweetheart]

QOTTD: I'm a retired consulting stay at home mom. My youngest went off to college last fall and I'm figuring out what the next chapter is going to be.

 

[DVCFan1994]

ATTQOTD: I'm a stay at home mom.

Got word that I am in for the Marine Corps Marathon! Totally excited and completely terrified all at once! Furthest I've gone up until now is 14 miles... How about you @IamTrike ? Did you get in?

 

[roxymama]

I am jealous of the stay at home mom's because I have extreme mom guilt when I go to work. But I also know how much hard work staying at home is and being on mom duty 24/7 is also not easy and then my jealousy wains and then I pick her up from daycare and it comes right back, etc etc etc, rinse repeat.
If I could find a dream scenario where I worked like three days of the week...that would be heaven...but you know for the same exact amount of $$

 

[LSUlakes]

Anyone here use final surge? I recently created an account for a challenge this summer and it says its synced to my garmin account but nothing is coming up... Will it only load new runs?

Got word that I am in for the Marine Corps Marathon! Totally excited and completely terrified all at once! Furthest I've gone up until now is 14 miles...

Congrats on getting in! MCM is a marathon on my to do list! Training for it in the south is going to suck really bad though. Best of luck to you!

Edit: I think the stay at home mom part with toddlers running around is a difficult job. I get pieces of it on weekends when my wife works 12 hour shifts and it is a challenge. I also look forward to those weekends she work because she is a lot of fun and I am constantly amazed by the things she is learning and doing. Shes already asking about going to see Mike the Tiger, the ducks, and then going to the farmers market this weekend. lol

 

[opusone]

Will it only load new runs?

I messed with it a few months ago, and it only loaded my new runs.