The Running Thread - 2016

[Mickey's sweetheart]

AQOTD: I feel best running 5 days a week but it's easy to slip to 4 days when I'm being lazy. The number of days doesn't change when I'm training for an event but the types of runs does. I'll do intervals or hills and a longer long run during a training cycle as opposed to just running for maintenance and enjoyment at other times.

 

[tacboze]

So...when you do a race...what does your warm up entail? Do you do it before the race starts?

Currently, I'm walking for 3 minutes as a warmup. (Just followed whatever Galloway told me to do)...but I'm wondering: on race day, do I get there early and do my 3 minute warm up before getting in the start line? Do you do that as the first part of your race?

I'd love to hear what everyone does that works for them.

Thanks, y'all!

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

And even if you decide to try the 10K and don't finish for some reason, it still doesn't mean you failed. You fail by quitting. If you try, don't succeed, and keep trying then you didn't fail, you learned from the process. If you don't finish and then never run again, that's when you fail.

There is nothing to add to that but 'Amen Brothers and Sisters'.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

For anyone willing to give it, I could use some advice:

Started running 5 weeks ago. Goal is to do the princess half in feb.

I want to sign up for a local race between now and then to get even a tiny bit experience of a race.

On Nov 19, I could do a 5k or 10k...not sure which to do.
My long runs right now are over 3 miles; I don't have a run over 6 miles for another 7 weeks (2 weeks after this race).

Should I push and try for the 10k, or keep my slow and steady pace and run the 5k?
I'm worried about pushing too much and "trying to get ahead", but on the other hand, if I can do the 10k in nov, I think my confidence would be higher for the remainder of my training for the half.
If I can't finish the 10k...that's going to be detrimental to my mental game. Fear of failing has held me back my entire life. I'm wondering if I should do the 5k since I already can run/walk that distance.
Advice? Comments?

Thank y'all so much.

My suggestion would be to follow your training program you have, so if your program doesn't have you run 6 miles until after the race, I would do a 5K. Just my two cents. You'll do great, whatever you decide! And the princess half is so fun- you're going to love it!!!

Despite electrolytes and compression socks after yesterday's run, I ended up having spasms in my calves all night long. And a giant knot right behind my knee on one side. It was a long night!

I'm sorry

So...when you do a race...what does your warm up entail? Do you do it before the race starts?

Currently, I'm walking for 3 minutes as a warmup. (Just followed whatever Galloway told me to do)...but I'm wondering: on race day, do I get there early and do my 3 minute warm up before getting in the start line? Do you do that as the first part of your race?

I'd love to hear what everyone does that works for them.

Thanks, y'all!

With all of the walking I do, from the parking lot, back and forth to bathrooms, walking to the start line- I consider all of the that my warm up pre-race. I do some dynamic stretching while waiting. I think following your 3 minute walk is a good idea!

 

[opusone]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a upgrade from my Forerunner 620 to the Fenix 3 HR Titanium unless someone can give me a compelling reason why not to do it.

I'm ready to give up having to wear a chest strap and my vivofit.

So, I can't tell if you want to be talked into or out of it, but I can probably do both.

If you are looking for a great looking watch that you can wear all the time, and oh, just happens to also do everything you could ever want from a running/triathlon watch plus much more (navigation features, etc), it would be a great upgrade for you.

However, if you are looking for a pure running or triathlon watch and don't really need all the bells and whistles as well as the significant extra weight and cost of the Fenix 3 HR, you can do better with the 235 or 735XT. These both have the same wrist-based optical HR monitor as the Fenix 3 HR. The downside is that these watches don't look as good for everyday wear, but they weigh less than half of what the Fenix 3 HR does (and even less depending on the exact Fenix 3 strap you pick), and the cost will be less.

It really just depends on how you will be using it and exactly what you will be using it for... as well as what features/specs matter most to you.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a upgrade from my Forerunner 620 to the Fenix 3 HR Titanium unless someone can give me a compelling reason why not to do it.

I'm ready to give up having to wear a chest strap and my vivofit.

Yeah, I'm with @opusone. The Fenix is gorgeous, and great if you've got sizable wrists. (It's huge.) I ponied up for the 735XT as my plan is to start triathlons after Dopey. It's a GREAT watch: lightweight, great features, and sized well for me. However, I still wear the chest strap on shorter runs because it records some very interesting data.

If all you need is some HR data, you don't need to go as far as the Fenix. (The 235 is also very good.) Even if you're a triathlete, it might be too much. But if you're doing a lot of outdoor stuff like skiing, hiking, and especially climbing, you might like the barometric pressure altitude feature, which I have to admit is pretty sweet.

So, the Fenix is no joke as far as features go, and it's serious eye candy. BUT, it's a LOT of watch. Just depends on your needs!

Or... forget all that and just do it. You know you want it. Just don't blame me if you miss your next mortgage!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

So...when you do a race...what does your warm up entail? Do you do it before the race starts?

Currently, I'm walking for 3 minutes as a warmup. (Just followed whatever Galloway told me to do)...but I'm wondering: on race day, do I get there early and do my 3 minute warm up before getting in the start line? Do you do that as the first part of your race?

I'd love to hear what everyone does that works for them.

Thanks, y'all!

5k or 10k, I jog about a mile and then do some strides to get my legs ready for the high turnover. This allows me to go all out from the very beginning of the race. On a cold morning, my goal is to work up a mild sweat before the race.

Longer than a 10k - I just make my first mile my warmup. I do some light walking and lunges before the race, but I don't do any warmup running.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

So...when you do a race...what does your warm up entail? Do you do it before the race starts?

Currently, I'm walking for 3 minutes as a warmup. (Just followed whatever Galloway told me to do)...but I'm wondering: on race day, do I get there early and do my 3 minute warm up before getting in the start line? Do you do that as the first part of your race?

I'd love to hear what everyone does that works for them.

Thanks, y'all!

If I have a little space to work with, I do a series of lunges, leg swings, single leg deadlifts, high knees, and butt kicks. The main part is the lunges, of which I do 5 each side of the following: regular forward lunge, forward lunge with a twist, side lunge, 45 degree lunge, step back lunge. Then I just kinda hop about (subtly, not like a crazy person) to keep the blood flowing. As the corrals move up I typically throw in some high knees and butt kicks as the crowd opens a bit. Hope that helps!

 

[croach]

For anyone willing to give it, I could use some advice:

Started running 5 weeks ago. Goal is to do the princess half in feb.

I want to sign up for a local race between now and then to get even a tiny bit experience of a race.

On Nov 19, I could do a 5k or 10k...not sure which to do.
My long runs right now are over 3 miles; I don't have a run over 6 miles for another 7 weeks (2 weeks after this race).

Should I push and try for the 10k, or keep my slow and steady pace and run the 5k?
I'm worried about pushing too much and "trying to get ahead", but on the other hand, if I can do the 10k in nov, I think my confidence would be higher for the remainder of my training for the half.
If I can't finish the 10k...that's going to be detrimental to my mental game. Fear of failing has held me back my entire life. I'm wondering if I should do the 5k since I already can run/walk that distance.
Advice? Comments?

Thank y'all so much.

I'd do the 5k as a first race experience. Enjoy it and get used to the excitement of race day. Maybe look for a 10k in December if you want another race to do but the 5k will give positive momentum to move forward with.

 

[keahgirl8]

I'd do the 5k as a first race experience. Enjoy it and get used to the excitement of race day. Maybe look for a 10k in December if you want another race to do but the 5k will give positive momentum to move forward with.

Agreed. Don't push the distance until you're ready for it. If you can get a 10K in before the proof of time deadline, that would be ideal, but don't do something you're not ready for.

 

[ebradley23]

So, I can't tell if you want to be talked into or out of it, but I can probably do both.

If you are looking for a great looking watch that you can wear all the time, and oh, just happens to also do everything you could ever want from a running/triathlon watch plus much more (navigation features, etc), it would be a great upgrade for you.

However, if you are looking for a pure running or triathlon watch and don't really need all the bells and whistles as well as the significant extra weight and cost of the Fenix 3 HR, you can do better with the 235 or 735XT. These both have the same wrist-based optical HR monitor as the Fenix 3 HR. The downside is that these watches don't look as good for everyday wear, but they weigh less than half of what the Fenix 3 HR does (and even less depending on the exact Fenix 3 strap you pick), and the cost will be less.

It really just depends on how you will be using it and exactly what you will be using it for... as well as what features/specs matter most to you.

Yeah, I'm with @opusone. The Fenix is gorgeous, and great if you've got sizable wrists. (It's huge.) I ponied up for the 735XT as my plan is to start triathlons after Dopey. It's a GREAT watch: lightweight, great features, and sized well for me. However, I still wear the chest strap on shorter runs because it records some very interesting data.

If all you need is some HR data, you don't need to go as far as the Fenix. (The 235 is also very good.) Even if you're a triathlete, it might be too much. But if you're doing a lot of outdoor stuff like skiing, hiking, and especially climbing, you might like the barometric pressure altitude feature, which I have to admit is pretty sweet.

So, the Fenix is no joke as far as features go, and it's serious eye candy. BUT, it's a LOT of watch. Just depends on your needs!

Or... forget all that and just do it. You know you want it. Just don't blame me if you miss your next mortgage!

I just went and tried one on. It's HUGE on my wrist, but it is nice looking. I went ahead and made the purchase. Sam's Club has a great deal right now. The Titanium HR version with both the Titanium band and a silicone band for $599. I don't know how much use I will get out of the extra features. Maybe I'll start hiking because I have the watch

 

[rteetz]

Well @DopeyBadger im sorry I couldn't bring Bucky a win but it was quite the game. To take #2 Ohio St. to overtime is pretty dang good. Badgers had plenty of chances. To tie this back to Disney the best band one college sports did the Lion King for their half time show. 81,000 people yelling, jumping and going crazy all game long. It was an experience I'll likely never forget.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Well @DopeyBadger im sorry I couldn't bring Bucky a win but it was quite the game. To take #2 Ohio St. to overtime is pretty dang good. Badgers had plenty of chances. To tie this back to Disney the best band one college sports did the Lion King for their half time show. 81,000 people yelling, jumping and going crazy all game long. It was an experience I'll likely never forget.

Happy to hear you had a great time! And isn't that serendipitous that they play Lion King for you. You win some and you lose some. They put themselves in position to win, but it just takes a few more plays going one way or the other to win.

 

[Slogger]

I haven't posted this in a while, but it is a great motivation/confidence builder. I watch it almost everyday and definitely race days. (And I can annoy my wife by quoting the last paragraph verbatim!)

"So believe that voice that says you can run a little faster and you can throw a little harder, and that for you the laws of physics are merely a suggestion..."

That was a really great video. Thanks for sharing.

 

[gjramsey]

Capital to Coast Race Report: A road relay race is a much different experience than most any other road race. This one is a 36 leg 223 amazing miles race from Austin to Corpus Christie through many small towns and back roads. Our 12 person and two drivers team loaded up at 2:30 am Friday morning to head to Austin and our 6 am start time. 65 teams started the race, most at 4am, about a dozen at 6 with us, about 12 more at 8 am and 4 super fast teams started at 10 am.

I was the last runner in Van 2, so I had legs 12, 24 and 36. We started on time, and our van met van 1 at exchanges 1 and 2. Got some food in us and went to rest for several hours before we started our legs just outside Lockhart TX. Right before we were going to start, the weak cool front tried to blow through and rained for about 20 minutes, and had a very brief drop in temperatures. My leg started just outside Seguin TX and was just over 8 miles. I started my leg at 5:33 pm with a nice toasty temp of 86. First couple of miles were on black top, and the road was freaking hot. My feet were felt like they were on fire. Once I got to concrete, things got much better. Some nice rolling hills along my leg, with 235 feet of elevation gain. Finished my leg in 1:05:04 (8:08 pace) and got 1 roadkill. Van 1 took over, and ours headed back to Seguin to grab some dinner. After dinner, we headed to exchange 18 to rest for several hours.

My second leg started at 6:05am at a very humid 63 degrees with a beautiful near full moon to light the night. This leg was along a highway, and the amount of traffic at time of morning was surprising. Heard lots of critters off the side of the road and narrowly missed stepping on a dead skunk and a dead deer. Made for some interesting running! Most of our night time legs we were by ourselves, no other teams in sight. Finished my 7.11 mile second leg in 59:18 (8:20 pace). The Garmin showed there was a lot of downhill on the leg, but I swear I ran uphill almost the whole leg (121 ft elevation gain for the leg)! The team had a hotel room for the night, van 1 used it first, and after our legs, we headed to the room to get a shower and some rest in Beeville TX.

Saturday was a very toasty day, and the RD said this was by far the hottest of the 7 Capital to Coast races, and most teams were struggling with the heat. To allow the teams to finish by 6pm, he allowed teams to have multiple legs going at the same time. So van 1 had their 5 and 6th runners going at the same time, and we started our runner 1, and then moved up and dropped off runner 3 at the start of his leg (van 1 was going to come up and support him), and we headed back to runner 1. If we would have run our legs in order, we would have finished around 7:22 pm. We ran our last three runners in order, and I was able to start my final leg at 4:20 pm with temp of 91 degrees. My final leg was across a causeway that had a couple of rises for boats to go under. I was going along at a nice clip until the final rise. My legs pretty much died at that point. My splits for the leg were 7:56, 8:12, 7:44, 9:12, and 11:24! Can you guess where the second rise was? Finished the 5.35 mile leg in 48:25 (9:03 pace). The team met me at the final corner, and we ran across the finish line together on the beach next the to USS Lexington Aircraft carrier. Team cumulative time was 37 hours 25 minutes.

After the race, we had rooms at a hotel on the beach and celebrated our experience (some team members a little more then others)!

This was my third road relay, and this was the hardest and hottest, but also the most fun and rewarding of the three.

Sorry for the novel! I will update with some pictures later today

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Capital to Coast Race Report: A road relay race is a much different experience than most any other road race. This one is a 36 leg 223 amazing miles race from Austin to Corpus Christie through many small towns and back roads. Our 12 person and two drivers team loaded up at 2:30 am Friday morning to head to Austin and our 6 am start time. 65 teams started the race, most at 4am, about a dozen at 6 with us, about 12 more at 8 am and 4 super fast teams started at 10 am.

I was the last runner in Van 2, so I had legs 12, 24 and 36. We started on time, and our van met van 1 at exchanges 1 and 2. Got some food in us and went to rest for several hours before we started our legs just outside Lockhart TX. Right before we were going to start, the weak cool front tried to blow through and rained for about 20 minutes, and had a very brief drop in temperatures. My leg started just outside Seguin TX and was just over 8 miles. I started my leg at 5:33 pm with a nice toasty temp of 86. First couple of miles were on black top, and the road was freaking hot. My feet were felt like they were on fire. Once I got to concrete, things got much better. Some nice rolling hills along my leg, with 235 feet of elevation gain. Finished my leg in 1:05:04 (8:08 pace) and got 1 roadkill. Van 1 took over, and ours headed back to Seguin to grab some dinner. After dinner, we headed to exchange 18 to rest for several hours.

My second leg started at 6:05am at a very humid 63 degrees with a beautiful near full moon to light the night. This leg was along a highway, and the amount of traffic at time of morning was surprising. Heard lots of critters off the side of the road and narrowly missed stepping on a dead skunk and a dead deer. Made for some interesting running! Most of our night time legs we were by ourselves, no other teams in sight. Finished my 7.11 mile second leg in 59:18 (8:20 pace). The Garmin showed there was a lot of downhill on the leg, but I swear I ran uphill almost the whole leg (121 ft elevation gain for the leg)! The team had a hotel room for the night, van 1 used it first, and after our legs, we headed to the room to get a shower and some rest in Beeville TX.

Saturday was a very toasty day, and the RD said this was by far the hottest of the 7 Capital to Coast races, and most teams were struggling with the heat. To allow the teams to finish by 6pm, he allowed teams to have multiple legs going at the same time. So van 1 had their 5 and 6th runners going at the same time, and we started our runner 1, and then moved up and dropped off runner 3 at the start of his leg (van 1 was going to come up and support him), and we headed back to runner 1. If we would have run our legs in order, we would have finished around 7:22 pm. We ran our last three runners in order, and I was able to start my final leg at 4:20 pm with temp of 91 degrees. My final leg was across a causeway that had a couple of rises for boats to go under. I was going along at a nice clip until the final rise. My legs pretty much died at that point. My splits for the leg were 7:56, 8:12, 7:44, 9:12, and 11:24! Can you guess where the second rise was? Finished the 5.35 mile leg in 48:25 (9:03 pace). The team met me at the final corner, and we ran across the finish line together on the beach next the to USS Lexington Aircraft carrier. Team cumulative time was 37 hours 25 minutes.

After the race, we had rooms at a hotel on the beach and celebrated our experience (some team members a little more then others)!

This was my third road relay, and this was the hardest and hottest, but also the most fun and rewarding of the three.

Sorry for the novel! I will update with some pictures later today

This sounds awesome, good job! I REALLY want to do a relay one day, and this one sounds pretty dang cool.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: What are your objectives for the races you do leading up to a goal race?

ATTQOTD: My goal for these races are to gauge fitness and adjust training accordingly. Sometimes there isn't anything to adjust and I continue as planned and other times the races are eye openers.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: Most of the time, I have been using races leading up to the goal race as either a training run with no time goal, or a tempo run to also gauge my current fitness. Relay races do not fall into either category! Those are for the experience and probably should be done outside of training for a goal race....oh well!

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: What are your objectives for the races you do leading up to a goal race?

I use them to practice pacing & fueling, and to gauge my fitness. They're also serve as fully supported training days.

 

[PrincessV]

So...when you do a race...what does your warm up entail? Do you do it before the race starts?

Currently, I'm walking for 3 minutes as a warmup. (Just followed whatever Galloway told me to do)...but I'm wondering: on race day, do I get there early and do my 3 minute warm up before getting in the start line? Do you do that as the first part of your race?

I'd love to hear what everyone does that works for them.

Thanks, y'all!

It totally depends on the race distance, where the race is, and what my objective is for it. For Disney races, for instance, my goal is just to have fun, so the walking around the start area and some stretching in the corral is plenty: I don't want or need to go out fast from the start. For small, local 5Ks, I like to get a solid mile in before my race - most of that will be an easy run-walk, with some fast pick-ups at the end. About the same for local 10Ks and halfs if I'm actually racing them for time, but more like a 1/2 mile warm-up instead of a mile.

ATTQOTD: I rarely run races as part of training, so it doesn't come up much. I do have W&D 5K/10K/half coming up on the road to Dopey, though... that'll count as one of my back-to-back-to-back runs, and I'll be taking it all at an easy pace. No real goal other than to enjoy the ride!