The Running Thread - 2016

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD: I have no answer.... but I'm learning so much! Thanks for your tips, everyone!

 

[CherieFran]

ATTQOTD: I probably have fairly mediocre form (and a big time heel strike) but I don't get too fixated about it. I mostly just try to relax periodically, particularly in my shoulders and arms.

 

[Miranda]

Would it be possible for me to wear it on my other wrist rather than my forearm?

I'll check my instructions at home if I can find them but in all of there promotional data is shown being worn ride below the elbow. I also sent a twitter question to dcrainmaker to see if he had any thoughts. He's usually pretty responsive there.

The PDF says on the inside forearm, but there is official documentation somewhere that mentions you can alternatively wear it on your upper arm. I can't find the paperwork I have in the mess that is my desk. But really I think you can wear it anywhere on your arm and it should be ok. I wear mine on the outside of my upper arm above my bicep, like it was a phone case, because I didn't like it on my forearm, and have had no issues. This blogger review says he wears it on his wrist: http://runblogger.com/2015/01/scosc...ounted-optical-heart-rate-monitor-review.html

 

[mrsgryphon]

QOTD: Flash Forward. Today is November 14th, 2017. When you look back on the last year of your running career, what do you want to say about it? Limit of 5 words or less.

@FFigawi You have tomorrow's QOTD.

ATPQOTD: Still running, improving, enjoying it!

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

ATTQOTD: One of my many form problems is not keeping my arms up high enough. I have race pictures where my arms are straight down at my sides. I have a goofy (appropriate!) saying I repeat to myself: 'Hands in your face or you're losing the race!'
For those interested in the physics of it, it has to do with the length of a pendulum vs. its period. Shorter pendulums (arms in this case) swing faster.

 

[Keels]

QOTD: Today, let's discuss good running form. What do you think about while running in order to maintain good running form?

For me, it's really important that I lead with my normal foot over my little foot when I run, so I think a lot about that - and also where I'm striking (more forefront than midfoot/heel) because it helps to keep my gait as even as possible for someone with a 2-size difference in feet and uneven legs.

 

[cavepig]

Trying to catch up after vacation so I'll just jump in on form - I don't think about it too much, when I do I usually trip myself up. I do have to relax my feet & think to do it, especially my right foot, as a few years ago I started a habit of curling my foot (like holding it tight) when I changed shoes that apparently weren't the right type for me. I do think about breathing more probably.

Also, anyone else get this strange email from active, guess they accidently sent it out, oops:
TEST - Happiest Place on Earth
Saturday, January 3, 2015 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Disneyland Resort 1313 S. Harbor Blvd Anaheim,CA 92802
Anaheim,CA
:

 

[Slogger]

Finally catching up and wanted to thank everyone for your support and advice during my last marathon training cycle. Here's a recap of the Outer Banks Marathon weekend..........

Have you ever watched a movie and it's so good for 3/4 of the time and then kind of ends with a whimper and you feel somewhat disappointed? That's basically the story of my marathon. Mrs. Slogger and I drove to Outer Banks (NC) on Friday afternoon, packet pickup was smooth and easy, small expo with maybe 20 vendors (I bought a new armband for my phone, she got new headbands and we both purchased some running sunglasses). Check in at hotel and off to Thai place for dinner. Mrs. Slogger's idea Both our dishes ended up being extremely spicy and neither of us got a good night's sleep due to the spices.

Saturday, November 12 Outer Banks 8k. Started at the local high school track, 10-15 mph winds, and temps in the 40s. Pretty chilly. Our run consisted of a half lap on the track, running behind the school, some side streets and then to the gravel/sandy trail before turning around and coming back. Course was pretty nondescript and windy. This was Mrs. Slogger's first run of any kind since a 15k event on April 1st so we went very slow and easy. Nice finisher medal and long sleeve t-shirt, water, banana, and breakfast sandwich for finishers.

We had a real breakfast about an hour later and then drove the half/full course across the bridge and into Manteo. Glad that I did. Didn't realize the finish line was 3.1 miles from the top of the bridge (I assumed it was closer) and we also scoped out where to park for the morning shuttle buses.

Had late lunch at Hurricane Mo's (burgers and beer) and turned in early.

Sunday, November 13, Outer Banks Marathon- We checked out of the hotel room at 5 am and drove to the finish parking area to catch shuttle buses to our start areas. Both races are point to point and the ride was 20+ miles but felt longer on the school bus. Not sure if anyone else has been on a school bus in a while but those seats and leg room are pretty tight. Mrs. Slogger was starting the half at 7 am and my full was supposed to start at 7:20.

Temps were 43 and chilly at the start. Luckily the winds were calm today and not a factor. Started out slow and steady hoping to go about 30 seconds slower than my target pace but saw the 4:30 pace group right in front of me and they were flying out of the start gate through the first couple of miles. In fact everybody seemed to have a jackrabbit start and I tried to ignore them and maintain my target pace. After the first 3 miles I increased my speed and settled into a nice rhythm of 9:50ish miles. Slowly caught and passed quite a few people including the pace group from miles 3-10. The last 3 miles of the first half of the marathon are on a service road full of gravel/ruts/holes/sand/etc and I had to increase effort to maintain pace through this stretch. Also couldn't maintain good tangents because I was constantly dodging holes, sandy areas and other landmines. Just looking down instead of ahead can be taxing. The last half mile was an actual trail through the woods with more sand, single file running, more elevation, and I had to slow down. My 13.1 time was 2:10:12 which was right on my target pace of a 4:18-4:22 finish.

Settled in for the mostly flat second half of the marathon. The next 6 miles went pretty smooth but fatigue was becoming a factor and my Pandora music stopped playing somewhere around mile 18.5. Bummer. For the first time all day I felt tired. I slowed down and had to walk in a few spots, go to the bathroom twice, and had a long debate with myself about whether I was going to walk the rest of the way or keep trying. Each mile cost me more time and I had to admit defeat that today was not my day. No sub 4:20 marathon for me. No sub 4:30 marathon for me. No beating Oprah's time today.

Whoever said running is mental knows what they are talking about.

I rallied at the end and gave it my best effort for the last mile and gave the appearance of a strong finish for the crowd. But I knew I had come up short and finished with a 4:35:58 time. A PR of almost 29 minutes for me but I really thought I was going to make 4:20 and still on target at mile 20.

The weather was perfect, chilly start, but then sunny and temps in the 50s. Great crowd support, big thanks to people that handed out gummy bears as I was having a lot of stomach sloshing in the early miles and that helped to settle it down. Met some nice people before and during the race.
As I was nearing the finish line, a lady shouted my name and said "Only 800 yards to go, You got this!". Thanks, wait....what? I didn't know there would be math. I tried to figure out how far that was and thought about @Keels and @DopeyBadger since they both love math!!

Nice finisher medal and extra challenger medal, foil blanket, bbq, hot dogs, drinks, and pbj graham cracker combo plus Corona and Pacifico beer!!!
It's a nice event, you can probably tell that I'm not a fan of the trail section, but overall it's a fun race. Mrs. Slogger finished her half and was waiting for me at the finish line. No injuries for either of us and we drove home Sunday night.

Time for some R & R and to start planning for 2017 races!

 

[Keels]

Way to go, @Slogger! Proud of you, pal - even though there was #Math involved. A marathon is hard enough - no need to bring math into it!

 

[Baloo in MI]

ATTQOTD: Form... Don't look at me! I was at one time a fairly fast middle distance sprinter - 400 and 800 meters. Through all those years I learned some bad habits that I slip into when tired. I start striding out much too far which slows my cadence. I tend to tighten up when I get tired too. I have to really focus on relaxing, especially around my neck and shoulders. The last thing I do is begin to lean back. All bad sprinting habits for the runner on the last stretch of a rough 400 or 800...

I still think the 800 is harder than the marathon. Either way my form, unless I am really focusing on it, leaves room for improvement!

 

[jhorstma]

@Slogger Congrats! I love OBX, although sounds a bit brisk in November. I well know that trail section (ending of the Flying Pirate half in April) - like running up the sand dunes in Jockeys Ridge. How was the bridge crossing - any pics?

 

[DopeyBadger]

The instruction manual says to wear it below your elbow. Maybe shoot them a question and ask if it can be worn on the wrist?

Thanks, I'll do that!

The PDF says on the inside forearm, but there is official documentation somewhere that mentions you can alternatively wear it on your upper arm. I can't find the paperwork I have in the mess that is my desk. But really I think you can wear it anywhere on your arm and it should be ok. I wear mine on the outside of my upper arm above my bicep, like it was a phone case, because I didn't like it on my forearm, and have had no issues. This blogger review says he wears it on his wrist: http://runblogger.com/2015/01/scosc...ounted-optical-heart-rate-monitor-review.html

I'll check that out. Thanks!

Finally catching up and wanted to thank everyone for your support and advice during my last marathon training cycle. Here's a recap of the Outer Banks Marathon weekend..........

Have you ever watched a movie and it's so good for 3/4 of the time and then kind of ends with a whimper and you feel somewhat disappointed? That's basically the story of my marathon. Mrs. Slogger and I drove to Outer Banks (NC) on Friday afternoon, packet pickup was smooth and easy, small expo with maybe 20 vendors (I bought a new armband for my phone, she got new headbands and we both purchased some running sunglasses). Check in at hotel and off to Thai place for dinner. Mrs. Slogger's idea Both our dishes ended up being extremely spicy and neither of us got a good night's sleep due to the spices.

Saturday, November 12 Outer Banks 8k. Started at the local high school track, 10-15 mph winds, and temps in the 40s. Pretty chilly. Our run consisted of a half lap on the track, running behind the school, some side streets and then to the gravel/sandy trail before turning around and coming back. Course was pretty nondescript and windy. This was Mrs. Slogger's first run of any kind since a 15k event on April 1st so we went very slow and easy. Nice finisher medal and long sleeve t-shirt, water, banana, and breakfast sandwich for finishers.

We had a real breakfast about an hour later and then drove the half/full course across the bridge and into Manteo. Glad that I did. Didn't realize the finish line was 3.1 miles from the top of the bridge (I assumed it was closer) and we also scoped out where to park for the morning shuttle buses.

Had late lunch at Hurricane Mo's (burgers and beer) and turned in early.

Sunday, November 13, Outer Banks Marathon- We checked out of the hotel room at 5 am and drove to the finish parking area to catch shuttle buses to our start areas. Both races are point to point and the ride was 20+ miles but felt longer on the school bus. Not sure if anyone else has been on a school bus in a while but those seats and leg room are pretty tight. Mrs. Slogger was starting the half at 7 am and my full was supposed to start at 7:20.

Temps were 43 and chilly at the start. Luckily the winds were calm today and not a factor. Started out slow and steady hoping to go about 30 seconds slower than my target pace but saw the 4:30 pace group right in front of me and they were flying out of the start gate through the first couple of miles. In fact everybody seemed to have a jackrabbit start and I tried to ignore them and maintain my target pace. After the first 3 miles I increased my speed and settled into a nice rhythm of 9:50ish miles. Slowly caught and passed quite a few people including the pace group from miles 3-10. The last 3 miles of the first half of the marathon are on a service road full of gravel/ruts/holes/sand/etc and I had to increase effort to maintain pace through this stretch. Also couldn't maintain good tangents because I was constantly dodging holes, sandy areas and other landmines. Just looking down instead of ahead can be taxing. The last half mile was an actual trail through the woods with more sand, single file running, more elevation, and I had to slow down. My 13.1 time was 2:10:12 which was right on my target pace of a 4:18-4:22 finish.

Settled in for the mostly flat second half of the marathon. The next 6 miles went pretty smooth but fatigue was becoming a factor and my Pandora music stopped playing somewhere around mile 18.5. Bummer. For the first time all day I felt tired. I slowed down and had to walk in a few spots, go to the bathroom twice, and had a long debate with myself about whether I was going to walk the rest of the way or keep trying. Each mile cost me more time and I had to admit defeat that today was not my day. No sub 4:20 marathon for me. No sub 4:30 marathon for me. No beating Oprah's time today.

Whoever said running is mental knows what they are talking about.

I rallied at the end and gave it my best effort for the last mile and gave the appearance of a strong finish for the crowd. But I knew I had come up short and finished with a 4:35:58 time. A PR of almost 29 minutes for me but I really thought I was going to make 4:20 and still on target at mile 20.

The weather was perfect, chilly start, but then sunny and temps in the 50s. Great crowd support, big thanks to people that handed out gummy bears as I was having a lot of stomach sloshing in the early miles and that helped to settle it down. Met some nice people before and during the race.
As I was nearing the finish line, a lady shouted my name and said "Only 800 yards to go, You got this!". Thanks, wait....what? I didn't know there would be math. I tried to figure out how far that was and thought about @Keels and @DopeyBadger since they both love math!!

Nice finisher medal and extra challenger medal, foil blanket, bbq, hot dogs, drinks, and pbj graham cracker combo plus Corona and Pacifico beer!!!
It's a nice event, you can probably tell that I'm not a fan of the trail section, but overall it's a fun race. Mrs. Slogger finished her half and was waiting for me at the finish line. No injuries for either of us and we drove home Sunday night.

Time for some R & R and to start planning for 2017 races!

@Slogger I know the race didn't up going as well as you had hoped, but I am still very proud of you. Congrats! You took 29 minutes or roughly a 10% improvement on your time. A 10% improvement is massive! A race like this is one I had that reinvigorated my fire. So I know that in a few weeks you'll come back even stronger and next year you'll crush the 4:35, and smash a 4:20, and obliterate a 4:10, and maybe just maybe dominate the sub 4. #Math

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

ATTQOTD: For me, my personal running hero is my wife. She had started running and getting into fitness after our son was born in 2009...back then I had no interest in running or fitness in general. I thought I was an athlete because I golfed and played slo-pitch I was also overweight, tipping the scales at nearly 210lbs on my 5'8" frame. Since my wife was getting in better shape and part of that meant eating better, it also meant that I started to eat better by default. I ended up losing 20lbs or so that first year, then the next year I remember my wife stayed up watching infomercials one night at Disney when she couldn't sleep and informed me the next morning that she wanted to order P90X when we got back home and she asked if I would do it with her. I decided why not and began losing more weight and gaining muscle (thank you Disney & Tony Horton!).

I was on my second round of P90X when we went away to Mexico for a friend's wedding...I wanted to keep doing something but it was too nice to be in a gym, so my wife and I decided to go for a run on the beach, my first run since high school phys ed class. That was February 2012. I've been running ever since. I don't get to run all the time with my wife but we do enjoy getting out together, especially on the trails (which she also pushed me to start doing!). Earlier this year I had the honour and pleasure of running by her side as she conquered her first marathon, at Disney of course. Now she is training for Dopey and we are getting to do some of our runs together for that as well. Without my wife, there's a good chance I would still be golfing instead of running marathons and competing in triathlons. For these reasons and more, my wife is my personal running hero.

Before running (2009-ish)

2015 WDW Marathon, seeing my wife in the finish chute

Tomorrow's QOTD: You're on the clock @roxymama

 

[FFigawi]

I don't have a hero per se, but my wife does get the blame/credit for me running. When we started dating, she was training for her first marathon. I was the water boy on race day, dashing all over the course to meet her with a backpack full of water, shoes, socks, etc. She didn't need any of it. The next year, when she said she was running it again, I signed up too thanks to my competitiveness and my fervent desire to not be the water boy again. And here we are today. She ran her last race a few years ago and I've moved on to crazy ultras and Ironman triathlons.

 

[ebradley23]

ATTQOTD: I'm another that has to give credit to my husband for the reason I run. We were overweight for most of our marriage. My husband more so than me. He decided in 2012 that he wanted to run the Monument Ave 10k before he turned 40. He trained for it, and finished the race 4 days before his 40th birthday. He didn't eat right though, so he was still heavy when he ran it. I thought to myself "If he can run it fat, I definitely can". I started my couch to 5k plan a week later. We started eating right, and we lost a combined 100lbs in 6 months. I always thought I would only train up to the 10k mark, but DH kept signing up for longer races. I'm so competitive that I can't let him out do me. I almost stopped at the half marathon distance. I kept saying I was fine never running farther. He knows how to press my buttons though. He simply pointed out I would always have a blank in my PRs in Garmin Connect if I never ran a marathon. He knew it would bug the crap out of me after he pointed it out. He was right, and I signed up for my first marathon shortly after he made the comment. Now he got this crazy bug to run a 50k, and once again I can't let him have the longest distance in our family.

 

[DopeyBadger]

ATTQOTD: Great question @CheapRunnerMike!

I'll answer this with two categories: Inspirational Hero and White Whale

My inspirational hero is my daughter, Gigi. I've told the story many times, but my doctor told me in 2012 that if I wanted to enjoy the life of my children I needed to make some lifestyle changes. So I used that as motivation to make changes and make myself healthier. I went from an overweight 250 to a much healthier 160. And when you come home from a tough training run, or a difficult race, and you see that smiling face of your child looking back at you, it's indescribable. She doesn't care if I'm first or last, if I PR'd or had my worst, she's always proud of her dad. It's a great perspective turning moment everyday.

Me pre changing my life around



Me with my little inspiration!



My white whale is an entirely different type of running hero. It's someone I know that I am chasing or striving to be as good as for my next upcoming event. I typically keep these people secret. I watch their training closely. See what they're doing to try and pick up on little things that can make me better. I use these people on my training runs when things get tough and think to myself well what is the white whale doing today? They're probably pushing to get better, so you better too. Whenever I surpass my white whale I always end up choosing another.

2012 - M was my white whale. One of my wife's friends. She had run a marathon, but told me I couldn't do it. I set out to prove her wrong.
2014 to May 2016 - C was my white whale. He was someone I went to college with. His time in the marathon was 3:35ish so I strived to beat it. I finally bested it in May 2016 with my 3:28. He has yet to beat that time. Although we both know that if he really tried he probably could beat my current 3:23.
May 2016 to present - I've since surpassed every runner I know in my personal life, and thus have had to branch out. I currently have two white whales. I found Jamie Dawes on the Strava Dopey group. She is an absolute badass. She sets course records, wins overalls, and races nearly every other weekend. She is better than me, but not by so much that I think I couldn't be as good as her. And I'll admit that my other current white whale is @CheapRunnerMike. Like Jamie, Mike is a badass. Taking names and kicking butt on a daily basis. So keep getting better Mike, because it only pushes me harder.

 

[SunDial]

I don't have a hero per se, but my wife does get the blame/credit for me running. When we started dating, she was training for her first marathon. I was the water boy on race day, dashing all over the course to meet her with a backpack full of water, shoes, socks, etc. She didn't need any of it. The next year, when she said she was running it again, I signed up too thanks to my competitiveness and my fervent desire to not be the water boy again. And here we are today. She ran her last race a few years ago and I've moved on to crazy ultras and Ironman triathlons.

Isn't it funny how that works. I was similar. Close friends were running Disney back in 2010, 2011, 2012. I went with them to be their photographer. I was chasing them all around the course shooting the event for them. Then I decided to join them. Thought I would take the Nikon on course and shoot run from that perspective.

That was a short lived idea. So I started my running career with the ToT 10 miler in 2013. Then right into a half at Disney in January. Not one 5k or 10K before hand. Now they have almost stopped running. 1 or 2 5K's a year, while I have moved onto triathlons.

And thanks again John for the Garmin 920 watch info. Ordered last night and will be here tomorrow.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

Based on your clarification "…who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running," the answer is my wife and kids. They are the reason I run now. When I was younger, I ran and did triathlons for myself, but then after my Ironman in late 2002 and the birth of our first child in early 2003, I stopped pretty much all athletic endeavors to focus on life for many years. When I picked it back up, it was solely to get healthier in order to be around as long as possible for my family.

Unfortunately, we seem to be in that phase of life where friends (most with young kids) are starting to die much earlier than they should. It's very sad on many fronts, but it does make you focus on what's important and how you want to live for your family. So, I've decided I will control what I can, live life to the greatest extent, and leave the rest to a higher being (or fate/luck/karma if you so choose). Have fun and improve yourself!

 

[Keels]

QOTD: Who is your personal running hero? By this I don't mean Meb or Pre or even Forrest Gump...I mean who is the person in your life that inspires you and makes you want to get out running yourself. This could be the person who first introduced you to running or someone you met along the way of your running journey...it's your hero so you can make up the rules

It's not ONE person per se, though they each inspire me and motivate me in different ways - but it would definitely be my "Sole Sisters", my group of closeknit girlfriends. All but one lives here in Funkytown, but each day we challenge each other - not just in running, but in life. These are women that have finished Chicago, NYC and Boston, who place regularly in our local events and who fiercely represent the "Believe it, Achieve it" mantra.

We've seen each other through so much - babies and loss of parents, changes of jobs, marriage, you name it. But the best thing is an idea is never too crazy for these gals ... there's always at least one of my Sole Sisters that's ready to jump on-board for a challenge.



Also, RIP that pink headband ... I loved that thing.

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD: My running hero is my sister. As with others I have told this story a lot on here: My sister decided in August 2011 that she wanted to run the 2012 WDW Half Marathon to help her get in shape after having her second child. I was 260+ at the time and had always been ashamed and embarrassed by my weight but had always been too lazy to do anything about it. She wanted someone to run the race with her and I'm sure she never expected me to be the one to volunteer, but I saw it as my chance to prove everyone wrong and finally get in shape. Well, that first Half Marathon I continued to give into my worst habits and was in the 250 range and woefully undertrained when I embarked on the 2012 Half. I finished, but it was not pretty. I had blisters all over my feet and could barely walk for the next few days. Fortunately, we both caught the bug and continued to run. I've lost over 60 pounds over the years and, despite being almost constantly disappointed in myself for not training hard enough/correctly, running has become a fantastic part of my life. She is still faster than me, but I have never been competitive about that kind of stuff. We have run the 2013 Marathon and 2014-2016 Dopey Challenge at Disney in the intervening years. We always run the Half together during Dopey. Here we are last year with Scrooge shortly after entering Epcot:


I've always run with idea of getting myself into better shape for if/when I have kids of my own, but I've somewhat given up on that dream. So I run to be in shape to be able to play with my nieces and nephews and my dog. I'm so much happier with where I am now than I was when she came up with the idea to run that Half and it is an idea that I never would have even considered if she had not come up with it. I'm incredibly fortunate to have her continuing to push me toward bigger and better goals.