The Running Thread - 2016

[Waiting2goback]

Yikes. Sorry to hear that......sounds like a rough day. Hopefully the bat didn't leave any of its "relatives" behind.....any idea how it got into the house?

No idea how it got in the house. I am assuming through the attic somehow. I haven't gone up there to see if there are any more, it's kind of tough walking stairs right now, never mind climbing into the attic.

No one around me cares about running so I figured I'd come on here to share...for the first time EVER in my life I ran 10 miles. Yes it was on a treadmill (heat index was 110 degrees yesterday) and yes it took me 2:09:08 to finish it but I don't care. I felt so accomplished! And I finally feel like running my first half in a month will actually be doable. Just figured that if anyone understood my excitement, it would be you guys!

You should feel accomplished. The first time reaching double digits is huge. It doesn't matter if it's on a treadmill or not, it is still 10 miles. It doesn't matter how long it took you, it is still 10 miles. As far as your first 1/2 marathon being doable, it was doable the second you decided you could do it. Once you decide you can finish a new distance then it is only a matter of time before it happens. Running is 90% mental!

Yikes - I'm very sorry to hear about that. Thank you, though, for sharing this story, as if I'm ever faced with a similar situation I'll now know to do what I can to hang onto the bat so it can be checked for rabies before having to go thru the shots (and the cost).

I thought about killing because I didn't want to have it find it's way back in the house but I wanted to let it go to help with the mosquito population. Oh well. When you have a house full of kids the first thing that comes to your mind is getting it out of the house and away from them.

I need a little help here. I am just getting back to running after the 8 week lay-off post high hamstring strain. But, I am unusually worried about running alone right now. I have never been a group runner or had a partner, I have always run alone. I live on the very edge of my city, next to a rural town I am in within a tenth of of a mile of starting. I am not sure how many of you have heard about the runner in Princeton MA that was assaulted and killed midday a week ago yesterday, it made national news, and I saw it on Facebook from Runners World and other running sites. Princeton is next to the town I usually run in, so the same vicinity. All the routes I run are mostly in at least slightly populated areas, but, there are always some small sections that are a bit more isolated. I have read local news stories that many women have stopped running alone outside and are running inside or only in groups. My schedule does not work with any of the groups I am familiar with, and I absolutely despise the treadmill. I suppose I could run toward the city instead of toward the town I run in, but the traffic and roads are difficult to deal with. I usually am not someone to let this kind of thing bother me so much, I'd take a "don't let fear win" attitude, but this time it really is getting to me. I have to run today, and I am going to do it at a track, but I want to get back to the roads. When I do return to the road I'll ditch the headphones for now, and be sure to let someone now where I am going and when I expect to be done. But any other tips anyone has to conquer this fear and try to feel safe on the roads again would be appreciated.

I would run toward the city. The roads may be difficult to deal with but in this case the known is better than the unknown. I would much rather deal with the traffic and the roads than the unknown of a guy jumping out of the woods.

Yikes on the rabies shots. We have a lot of bats around our place (which I love for mosquito control), but have worried about them getting in the house before. I'd heard that you are supposed to get rabies shots if one is in the house at night. I guess their bites are so small you don't even know you've gotten bit or something. Sorry you all had to go through that!

Thanks. We go for our first of 3 follow up shots tomorrow. We don't do the ER though so from this point it will be MUCH cheaper.

Thanks for the recommendation, I will check that out!



I know the general areas you are talking about. My sister went to UNH, and lived in 3 different parts of Dover before settling in Barrington. My brother lives in New Castle, right near Portsmouth. The area where my sister runs is definitely more remote than the areas I run in. Running around the seacoast cities would definitely be nicer than Worcester I think I am going to try running east from my area instead of north like I normally do. I had to go that way today for the first time in forever to bring my kids somewhere, and I forgot that there are fewer areas that have any isolated spots, its almost all well developed and heavily traveled. I just can't bring myself to run into Worcester, it has its own safety issues and the roads are just pretty unsafe traffic wise.



That is interesting, I haven't read anything about people avoiding the area she was in. It is remote but near a conservation area, and off a state road. She was less than a half mile from her parents house where she was found. Police are not giving tons of details so it's not entirely clear that she died where she was found. My husband rides his bike in that area all the time, it is not far from a ski mountain that lots of cyclists and runners use to train outside of ski season, as there is a well maintained road to the top. I read today they are testing a person of interest's DNA. I hope for her family and friends they can find answers soon. On a bright note, a memorial run was held in Princeton last night, and 250 runners showed up on short notice as a show of solidarity.

I have my phone always and I think I will turn my live tracking on on my Garmin again, so my husband can see where I am. I know he does check on my on long runs using find my friends. I once got a call from him mid run, because I tried a new route and he was really confused as to where I was. As fate would have it I was almost in Princeton, which he thought was unusually far from home for me (it was my 12 miler before my first half).

Today I joined a Facebook group as for a local running club, runners post information about group runs there, and I am hoping to perhaps use that to find someone to run with at least some of the time once I am able to maintain a decent pace again. Until then I think I'll stick to the track for the next few weeks, until I feel stronger out there. I think that is part of my anxiety right now, I feel slow and weak as a runner, on top of nervous about what happened. I think when I feel stronger again, this will improve.

If you want areas in Worcester to run I can give you some safe ones. You could also go to West Boylston and run around the reservoir. It's not that far from Princeton, the roads are wide and well lit if you run at night, and they aren't travelled heavily but enough that it should prevent any attacks. There are also usually other runners and bikers out as well.

Flood Update @ 2:28:
Water is continuing to rise but remains in its banks. Moved as much as I could to counters, attic, ect.
Although I haven't been able to respond to everyone I would like to say thank you for your support

Hoping everything gets better for you very soon. Just keep everybody safe!

 

[Waiting2goback]

@Kristina685- this may be a repeat, I can't remember, but it applies to Kristina so I figured I'd use it again.

 

[Kathymford]

@LSUlakes that flipogram link reminds me at just how spoiled I am in southern California. I can't believe some of those images. Hang in there and I hope it gets better sooner rather than later for everyone in the area ...

 

[Anisum]

@LSUlakes I am sending you dry thoughts and hoping you stay safe.

QOTD: How often to do you wait to the day of a race or day before to decided to register/run it? Why did you wait?

I have done so twice. The second time it was a no-frills race that didn't have pre-reg and cost me $5. The first time though was more of a "wait and see" kind of thing because I had family running it and it was about 1.5 miles from my house but I wasn't sure if I planned on running that day or the day after given my training schedule so when the weather was nice and it fit with my schedule I ended up running it. Normally though I run small local races that take place on properties (read: wineries) that can't hold all that many people so I have to register early before they sell out.

Alright, I gave the Sports Beans a try on my long run yesterday. Loved the taste, watermelon with caffeine, but when it came time to actually take them I realized that I wasn't sure of the best way. With GU, it's one and done. So I when I hit my fueling time, I ended up chewing three or four at a time during walking intervals. That means it took me nearly twenty minutes to consume a bag!

This should be common sense, but is this right? Should I spread them out even more or try to eat them in a shorter amount of time? Honestly, while I love the taste of Shot Blocks, I eventually stopped using them because I felt like I wasn't getting the fuel in quickly enough and would end up bonking.

I don't generally run that much with intervals on long runs so I usually eat between 2-4 each mile after the third mile in. I'm not sure if that's the right way or if your way is more accurate but I generally don't have problems with it.

 

[DVCFan1994]

If you want areas in Worcester to run I can give you some safe ones. You could also go to West Boylston and run around the reservoir. It's not that far from Princeton, the roads are wide and well lit if you run at night, and they aren't travelled heavily but enough that it should prevent any attacks. There are also usually other runners and bikers out as well.

A little crazy you mentioned that route - I run the reservoir frequently, probably my favorite route. That's where I don't feel safe, because of the lack of traffic. I'm going to go into Holden instead, my PT starts from WB and runs to Holden says he gets passed by a car at least once per minute. I also found a few groups who run at about my pace on the Central Mass Striders page, so I'm hoping in a month or so once I'm more recovered I can join up with those. I've always wanted to, but have been hesitant to run with a group. This incident may just give me the push I needed.

 

[LSUlakes]

Made it through the night. Looks like water is starting to go down.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Made it through the night. Looks like water is starting to go down.

So glad to hear this Jerry, hope you guys are out of the woods now. Stay safe brother.

 

[DVCFan1994]

Made it through the night. Looks like water is starting to go down.

So glad to hear this! I hope things continue to improve.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

@LSUlakes I'm so happy to hear the water is going down. You, and your family and neighbors have been in my thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine going through such a scary situation.

 

[LindseyJo22]

Made it through the night. Looks like water is starting to go down.

Very glad to hear this. I'm newer to the thread, but I've been thinking about you and hoping the flooding was getting better.

 

[roxymama]

Glad the water is moving in the right direction. Praying for @LSUlakes and everyone else being affected by this weather!

I can offer up a QOTD to distract us all a little from our daily grind and the not so fun challenges that have been popping up that are out of our control.
If you could conjure up an ideal Disney race for you where price and getting there etc, was no issue, what would be...
1) The disney park location
2) The distance
3) The theme
4) The character you will meet
5) The medal
bonus: If it was a challenge what would be the specific challenge you'd have to do for the additional medal?

My answer:
1) Magic Kingdom & Epcot
2) 10 miles
3) Night race themed to disney attractions. So mile markers and music specific to classic rides. With opportunity to hop on a few rides along the course.
4) Minnie mouse in her old future worl rainbow outfit would be my #1
5) A tea-cup
Bonus: I'd love to do a 5k & a 10 mile or 1/2 as a challenge. Skip the extra morning of 10k wake up

 

[FFigawi]

My race:

1. Epcot
2. 1 mile
3. Beer Mile
4. Mr. Incredible. He seems like a beer guy.
5. Bottle opener shaped like Spaceship Earth

 

[roxymama]

My race:

1. Epcot
2. 1 mile
3. Beer Mile
4. Mr. Incredible. He seems like a beer guy.
5. Bottle opener shaped like Spaceship Earth

YAAAAAAAS! I am glad I asked this question.
And on the right day with the right mix of security not caring and open enough walk-ways, you really could make almost any day at Epcot a free beer-mile day.

 

[camaker]

Glad the water is moving in the right direction. Praying for @LSUlakes and everyone else being affected by this weather!

I can offer up a QOTD to distract us all a little from our daily grind and the not so fun challenges that have been popping up that are out of our control.
If you could conjure up an ideal Disney race for you where price and getting there etc, was no issue, what would be...
1) The disney park location
2) The distance
3) The theme
4) The character you will meet
5) The medal
bonus: If it was a challenge what would be the specific challenge you'd have to do for the additional medal?

Here we go:

Captain Jack Sparrow presents the Pirates of the Caribbean Moonlight Madness Half Marathon Weekend

1) Magic Kingdom and Epcot
2) 5k, 10k & 1/2 Marathon (all night races)
3) Pirates of the Caribbean
4) Jack Sparrow, Capt Barbossa, Davey Jones, Skeletal Pirates and other denizens from PotC
5a) 5k - Skeletal and normal pirates beneath a moon showing the transition
5b) 10k - The Black Pearl
5c) 1/2M - Capt Jack Sparrow with his compass
5d) 10k + 1/2M challenge - The Cursed Coin

For courses, I'll be a bit derivative and go with the stock WDWMW courses. 5k & 10k at night through Epcot and adjacent resorts with the World Showcase fires lit. PotC music and quotes throughout similar to what they did for SWDS. 1/2 marathon start at Epcot and run to MK with the route tweaked to run past PotC in addition to through the castle.

I'd be signed up for this race weekend in a heartbeat!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Love the question @roxymama

1) DL and DCA
2) 15k-10 miler
3) A dusk start would be nice where you would get to Carsland when it's dark. It would probably be amazing to run through that place at night. I like the Disneyland theme they do for DLH weekend so I would keep that but maybe make the sub theme Disney through the years
4) Oswald, some Mickeys from different years, maybe Snow White, Alice, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, The Fox and the Hound etc (one character that could represent each decade)
5) The Walt Disney Studios castle logo

For a challenge: a 5k in the morning and then the 10 miler at night and call it the ink -n- paint challenge with a Mickey medal that goes from black and white to color

@camaker Love your ideas, I would totally sign up for that race!

 

[DVCFan1994]

Awesome question @roxymama!

1) Epcot, Boardwalk and HS.
2) 10 miler in the morning.
3) The theme would be Pixar.
4) The course would have tons of Pixar Characters from a variety of movies including Toy Story, Cars, Wall-E, Incredibles, Nemo, Monsters Inc and more.
5) Medal would be a spinner with the Pixar bouncing ball on one side and Luxo Jr. on the other.
Challenge: A 10k the morning before, for a 10 and 10 challenge

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

If you could conjure up an ideal Disney race for you where price and getting there etc, was no issue, what would be...
1) The disney park location
2) The distance
3) The theme
4) The character you will meet
5) The medal
bonus: If it was a challenge what would be the specific challenge you'd have to do for the additional medal?

Great question! Hard to top the Disney Beer Mile, but here's what I would do.

1) All of them
2) 125-ish miles
3) Ragnar-style relay beginning at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, running up the coast to Port Canaveral (so that we can do a loop around the space shuttle) and then across to Disney hitting all the parks and ending up in either World Showcase or Disney Springs
4) Lots...it's over 100 miles! Buzz Lightyear at Port Canaveral obviously. Dreamfinder and Figment need to be included. Plenty of opportunity to get some real obscure characters on course with the distance.
5) I don't really care so long as there's a church key involved to open my beer

I would also love to see a Triathlon down there...

 

[roxymama]

Great question! Hard to top the Disney Beer Mile, but here's what I would do.

1) All of them
2) 125-ish miles
3) Ragnar-style relay beginning at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, running up the coast to Port Canaveral (so that we can do a loop around the space shuttle) and then across to Disney hitting all the parks and ending up in either World Showcase or Disney Springs
4) Lots...it's over 100 miles! Buzz Lightyear at Port Canaveral obviously. Dreamfinder and Figment need to be included. Plenty of opportunity to get some real obscure characters on course with the distance.
5) I don't really care so long as there's a church key involved to open my beer

I would also love to see a Triathlon down there...

If they offered a 7 disney locations in 7 days (similar to the 7 continent marathon challenge) would you do it? I added in Aulani to make the #7 and also because it would be a heck of a place to stay and relax and "recover." I would 100% do it if I could just trade fitness and ability with you for one week

 

[Barca33Runner]

If you could conjure up an ideal Disney race for you where price and getting there etc, was no issue, what would be...
1) The disney park location
2) The distance
3) The theme
4) The character you will meet
5) The medal
bonus: If it was a challenge what would be the specific challenge you'd have to do for the additional medal?

The Dopey already has pretty much everything I am looking for in a challenge, so in a general sense I'd just like to see a price decrease and quality increase (things are OK as they are, but they could always be better) for that set of races.

If I'm inventing something new I've got a couple ideas:

Sugar Rush Half Marathon

1) WDW (any park(s) would be fine)
2) Half Marathon
3) Wreck-It Ralph. It would be kind of cool to go through multiple parks with each one featuring the theme/characters from the games in the movie (Hero's Duty, Fix-It Felix, Jr. and finishing in Sugar Rush)
4) Any characters from Wreck-It Ralph. I would particularly like to express my distaste to the true villain of the movie, Gene.
5) Ralph's Hero's Duty Medal

I love Wreck-It Ralph so this would be a fun one for me and the movie involves, in a very literal sense, a quest for a medal.

90's Cartoon Weekend (Still brainstorming name ideas)

1) WDW (again any park(s)-I've never been to DL so I can't really envision anywhere but WDW)
2) 5K, 10K, Half
3) Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers, Talespin, Goof Troop
4) All the characters from our favorite 90's cartoons. Hard to think of who I'd single out, but Gadget, Monterey, and Zipper would be a must.
5) Probably each race would be themed to one of the shows and a Challenge Medal themed to a fourth. I've probably left some shows out and there would potentially be an odd man out situation.

So those are my personal ideas. I'm sure the decorating extravagance that I'm picturing would be well beyond the scope of what Disney would be able to do, but this was fun to think about.

 

[DopeyBadger]

If they offered a 7 disney locations in 7 days (similar to the 7 continent marathon challenge) would you do it? I added in Aulani to make the #7 and also because it would be a heck of a place to stay and relax and "recover." I would 100% do it if I could just trade fitness and ability with you for one week

You know I was trying to think of a race, but I don't have to anymore. Give me a 7 for 7 challenge with all Disney races and EVERY character EVER in existence as a meet and greet. I'M IN! Who cares about time then? That would be EPIC!

Here's a starter list: ignore non-disney ones of course!