The Running Thread - 2016

[Waiting2goback]

This has been me lately.

 

[keahgirl8]

I'm probably the odd one here, but I don't take "every medal" pictures. I take ones with the medal(s) I have at the end of the race. I also only wear one medal during DATW too. One Dopey medal represents the same thing as the six medals, but it's a lot lighter and easier to deal with.

Seems that we are all "odd" together, as I do the same - only wear the challenge medal.

Same here! I am not wearing all of those medals and I don't want to carry them around. I do love people's pictures though. Maybe I'll do it in 2018.

61 is still young! Running keeps you young if you listen to your body and have reasonable expectations!

Yeah...that's the key. I'm now a poster child for what not to do, and I walk like a creaky old lady.

Medals: I take a picture with current medal and wear the latest or challenge medal to the parks. Had to decide last year what to do with DDD and CTC medals. Ended up wearing coast to coast shirt with DDD medal! I take very few pictures of myself because I didn't grow up in the selfie-generation!

I didn't either really, but I travel by myself, so that's the only way I get pictures of myself sometimes!

Is this even for Disney races? Because it should be illegal NOT to wear them to the parks! In fact... We noticed after Dark Side, we were about the only ones still sporting ours by Tuesday. TUESDAY! WAKE UP, AMERICA! We ran into a few people who just left them in the room! What is this madness! (We won't be leaving Dopey until Thursday. I'll probably be sleeping in the danged thing.)

I wear mine for my entire trip, no matter how many days that is.

Thanks for the advice. I think I will have a turkey sandwich around 6:30/7:00. The route is mostly on a paved or packed down trail, so I don't think the terrain will be hard to run on.

I looked up RnR Las Vegas and it says it starts in the evening. That race looks like a lot of fun! I have a sister-in-law and sister that both live in Vegas, so I think that will be added to my race bucket list now!

That is on my bucket list! I'll have to learn how to run at night though. I'm useless late at night.

QOTD: I have yet to do a challenge but I would most likely shower and get my medals before I did a pic with all the medals, if I even did one. I would also only wear the challenge medal to the parks most likely. Those medals are heavy, if I did Dopey that would be a lot of weight to carry around if I did them all.

Funny story about medals. When I did ToT I wore the medal after the race. I went on RnR and I got hit in the face with the medal when we went upside down. I knew it would happen and yet it still managed to. I went on 3 times so I am happy to report the 2nd and 3rd times I held it tight, no more issues. I was so happy after that race that it didn't bother me though.

I would be afraid it would fly off during an upside down ride! I don't ride anything that goes upside down though, so no worries about that for me!

 

[Baloo in MI]

QOTD: Todays question was suggested from one of our fellow posters to this forum. Thank you for the suggestion. If anyone else would like to suggest one, just send me a PM. Todays questions is, "I am running my first challenge this weekend with a Sat & Sun race (non-disney.) For the challenge-veterans out there, What is your picture taking strategy with all those medals on your last day? Do you carry the previous day(s) medals with you or gear check them or have a family member hold onto them or just wait until you've showered and dressed at your hotel to take your big "every medal" pictures?".

ATTQOTD:
The first challenge I completed (I have only done two) was the 2015 Goofy Challenge. I remember for the celebration dinner after the marathon with my family I was very excited to wear all my medals. Within 5 minutes on the bus to dinner I was going insane from all the clanging of the medals. I took two off and from that time forward only wore the final medal in the parks. To capture the every medal photo I do it at the hotel after getting cleaned up. I saw lots of people having a friend/family member bring their other medals for the every medal picture after the finish and that seemed to work well. You could put them in a backpack and pull out for photos. But to actively move round with more than one medal was too much for me.

 

[cavepig]

ATTQOTD - We take various medal pictures after showering but we take pics right after the race with whatever we just earned too. We don't have anyone there to hold the other medals and wouldn't trust gear check with them. If I was doing a local challenge and someone was there to watch I would have them hold the day befores medal to do a all medal pic after running before cleaning up.

We carry the medals in our backpacks and put each in a sock so they don't scratch each other, than put them on for pictures. After Dopey we had just done an all medal pic in MK and then left them on and this other guest was amused by us walking and wearing them all. We did the character pics with that races medal too, so Donald with the Donald medal. After Disneyland half there was someone wearing them all on the shuttle/airport/airplane, so we knew he was near by whenever we heard clanging.

 

[Miranda]

My anti scratch method is to wrap up the medal in its own ribbon. The sock method sounds more foolproof though.

 

[LSUlakes]

Yesterdays 2 mile race did not go as planned yesterday. The weather gods provided and thunderstorm which cooled things down a good bit, but that did not seems to matter. I ended up with 14:02 per my watch, but was aiming for 13:30. I was disappointed after the race with my performance until I had a moment to think about why I did not have the run I was hoping for. One thing is the switched the direction of the course to which is an out and back on top of the Mississippi River levee. In the direction we had to run, around .75 miles you go down the levee and then immediately back up. Run another .2 miles and make a U-turn and go back down and up again. Without running on hills lately I took a hit there. The other factor is the two days prior I ran at a relatively easy pace 9 miles and 7 miles. So, I just think on this given day, I did not have it in my legs to hit the pace I wanted. Either way, what is done is done. The next race is in about two weeks but it is on a cross country course that is "hilly" (for Baton Rouge). I may run it, but would only do so as part of a workout that day without any real goals.

 

[Anisum]

QOTD: Todays question was suggested from one of our fellow posters to this forum. Thank you for the suggestion. If anyone else would like to suggest one, just send me a PM. Todays questions is, "I am running my first challenge this weekend with a Sat & Sun race (non-disney.) For the challenge-veterans out there, What is your picture taking strategy with all those medals on your last day? Do you carry the previous day(s) medals with you or gear check them or have a family member hold onto them or just wait until you've showered and dressed at your hotel to take your big "every medal" pictures?".

I don't carry my medals or generally take pictures beyond a selfie to send out. If my mom is at a run where I get a finisher's medal though she is always taking pictures so I have some. I do have a nice photo from PDC with the that the 1/2 and the two C2C medals that a friend took but the walk back to the hotel with the sound of clanking drove me insane.

Are pokemon stops during runs acceptable breaks? Almost all of my running routes go through downtown, there are so many pokemons and stops down there.

I haven't started playing yet but I want to. Runner's World just posted an article about catching Pokémon on your run.

So after all the people talking about how the medals clang together is annoying, I think one thing is clear. For any challenge, the race medals need to be able to connect together in a Volton-esc fashion to form some sort of Uber Medal of power.

I think Ragnar might do this now. I think you get connectors for every x amount you run so you can link them.

 

[whaler8]

I think Ragnar might do this now. I think you get connectors for every x amount you run so you can link them.

I also believe the Spartan Race series have multi-medals that link together when you complete the trifecta. Those are some crazy races!

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

ATTQOTD: I think diet is a key part to performance for any given run. To much or to little of anything can have a major impact on running without even realizing it. I learned a lot about proper nutrition when I was over weight and have been a little more relaxed since I hit a much more decent weight. Recently I started to watch what I eat again to try to go from 210 ish to 195. I am 6'-5" so at 210 I am not doing to bad, but dropping another 10-15 lbs would help a lot with running. Since I am unofficially starting marathon training while in the middle of a 5k (that isn't going perfect) I am changing up what I eat. My vice in the food world is Blue Bells, cookie and cream.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

So after all the people talking about how the medals clang together is annoying, I think one thing is clear. For any challenge, the race medals need to be able to connect together in a Volton-esc fashion to form some sort of Uber Medal of power.

Like this?

 

[BuckeyeBama]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

I learned that I need to eat to lose weight, and I need to eat when I am running regularly, but I have to eat all day long not just 3 meals/day. I also learned that I need about 100g of protein/day, and this is really hard for me to achieve. I avoid fatty foods, but I will eat anything in moderation.

Does my diet change when training? I don't know because I have been training for so many years that I don't really remember what it was like before. I probably eat more calories when training.

My gift to myself after a really long run is a donut - I love donuts - all donuts - but they are not a part of my regular diet, only eaten as a reward.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

Diet is extremely important in how we perform. You can't eat junk food all day every day and expect to go out and set a PR in a marathon. The higher the level of performance you want, the better your diet needs to be. I suppose that's why I'm not in any hurry to chase a BQ or a podium finish in a half-IM or IM. I'd have to give up my weekly champagne (or beer or wine) and pizza night, among other things, and life wouldn't be as enjoyable if that happened. That said, I do keep an eye on what I eat and avoid processed food, fast food joints, etc. My ideal running race weight is about 155-160 which is where I was for Comrades. My IM race weight will be about 165, a few pounds left to drop. As for guilty pleasures, I don't believe in them. If I want a beer, I'll have one, hard workout or not, though they do taste better after a few hours on the road or the bike.

 

[ZellyB]

ATTQOTD: I definitely run better when my weight is better - doh. I'm pretty much always fighting 10-15 lbs that I'd like to drop. I don't really change my diet specifically based on whether I'm training or not though. Most recently we've been following a ketogenic diet (ultra low carbs). I had some initial success with weight loss, but have stalled out, but my husband had some pretty dramatic results. It does seem to have improved some things though in regards to the need for fueling during runs. Still determining if it's a good choice for us. I'm actually going to a "lunch and learn" session here at the hospital where I work that a dietician is putting on regarding ketogenic diets, so I'll be curious to hear what she has to say about it.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Diet is extremely important in how we perform. You can't eat junk food all day every day and expect to go out and set a PR in a marathon. The higher the level of performance you want, the better your diet needs to be. I suppose that's why I'm not in any hurry to chase a BQ or a podium finish in a half-IM or IM. I'd have to give up my weekly champagne (or beer or wine) and pizza night, among other things, and life wouldn't be as enjoyable if that happened. That said, I do keep an eye on what I eat and avoid processed food, fast food joints, etc. My ideal running race weight is about 155-160 which is where I was for Comrades. My IM race weight will be about 165, a few pounds left to drop. As for guilty pleasures, I don't believe in them. If I want a beer, I'll have one, hard workout or not, though they do taste better after a few hours on the road or the bike.

I'm with you here John...is it really a guilty pleasure if you don't feel guilty??

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

Well I don't have a specific diet but I try my best to stay away from fast food but sometimes it happens. I also don't drink soda at all. I don't have a specific guilty pleasure but I know I'll be treating myself after races in Disney.

 

[Barca33Runner]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

My diet is, in many ways literally, the anchor that holds me back from achieving my running goals. I have been somewhat successful changing my diet since I began running, I'm presently down ~65 pounds from where I started, but I still eat too much in general and too much bad food specifically. I have been down as much as 80 pounds from what I believe was my peak weight of 260 and still hope to lose another 30-40 pounds from where I am presently. I know what I must do with my diet to achieve these goals; it is up to me to start controlling my urge to eat a little better and really implement the lifestyle change I know is necessary to be happier with my fitness level. I joke that I run so I can eat, but recently I feel like it's been switched to "I eat so much I have to run"; that certainly takes the fun out of running and makes it feel like a job.

I am of the opinion that I can eat anything in moderation, I've just lost the plot on the whole moderation aspect of things presently. My reward foods are soft serve ice cream, fried food, cheese, and the combination of fried foods with cheese. If only food with nutritional value tasted as good to me as the stuff with no nutritional value.

Sorry for kind of reading myself the riot act here, but I've got to make some changes if I want to achieve my goals and I have to be happy about the changes if I am going to make them work.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

I know that diet plays a big role in achieving my running goals. The fuel we give our bodies is super important. The problem is I'm a stress eater, and have a hard time staying away from sugar. The times when I have the most success are times when I focus on adding good food rather than saying no to certain things. Right now, I'm trying to eat 2 servings of fruits or veggies at each meal. I always feel better when I've eaten a lot of fresh produce! Anything chocolate is my weakness for sure.

 

[Miranda]

I need to watch what I'm eating again. I was at my lowest (in recent years) back around W&D last year of -70 lbs. I put on about 3-5 lbs over the winter, but now it's more like 8-10. Need to get back going the other direction.

 

[PrincessV]

My anti scratch method is to wrap up the medal in its own ribbon.

Same here- it works!

ATTQOTD: I live by "Junk in = junk out." When I make poor eating choices for me, I feel poorly, whether I'm running or not. More good choices = feeling better all the time, so I mostly eat what makes me feel my best, which happens to be loads of veggies, whole grains, no red meat, full fat dairy products (except milk - can't stand the taste of anything but skim for some reason), and a small amount of things that have zero nutritional value but make me happy. Chronic hypoglycemia means no skipping snacks or meals, which, frankly, is a PITA: I need to always be carrying something to eat and I get sick of constantly thinking about and preparing food. I don't do anything special for short runs, but in the 24-48 hours before long runs, I try to reduce my intake of fiber (a challenge as a mostly vegetarian!) and increase carbs and sodium. Because a happy tummy makes for a more pleasant run and my primary goal in any run or race is to feel good! I don't reward myself with food, but I do seem to get cravings after especially long or hard runs - those are the handful of times per year I'll indulge in a cheeseburger, which normally sounds disgusting to me.

 

[IamTrike]

Funny story about medals. When I did ToT I wore the medal after the race. I went on RnR and I got hit in the face with the medal when we went upside down. I knew it would happen and yet it still managed to. I went on 3 times so I am happy to report the 2nd and 3rd times I held it tight, no more issues. I was so happy after that race that it didn't bother me though.

I've been medal smacked on Tower of Terrror also. It's another ride to watch out for if your gonna ride it with your medal.

I think Ragnar might do this now. I think you get connectors for every x amount you run so you can link them.

A bunch of my buddies did the ragnar trail in virginia. The medal was a very sharp and pointy multi tool thing. I don't know that I'd want a bunch of those strapped together and banging on my chest.

QOTD: How much of a roll do you think diet plays into achieving your running goals? Does your diet change based on training? Since we are talking about diet, what type of food or drink is your guilty please that you will reward yourself with after a hard workout/race/successful week?

It impacts me in two ways. For me my diet is closely tied to my weight. It's very easy for me to overeat when I am training and I definitely notice it. My ideal race weight is close to 180 and I'm currently closer to 200. I can definitely feel the additional weight when I run and it really puts stress on my legs if I am trying to push it. I think I also notice a difference if I'm eating stuff that I should be, but right now my weight is a bigger factor in my running.

My reward for long runs or hard workouts is Chocolate milk

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