The Running Thread - 2016

[MommaoffherRocker]

ATTQOTD: I will do core work for awhile and then get off track and not do it for awhile. Currently I haven't been doing anything. I keep saying I will start tomorrow but tomorrow never comes.

 

[Baloo in MI]

ATTQOTD: I suck at staying consistent with core workouts. I get into a grove where I do them consistently for about a month and then I skip one day for whatever reason and then another, and so on. All of a sudden it has been months since I did any type of core work. I know for me that it makes a difference in my running form and overall strength, so I need to stick to it. I think the big challenge is that I do not like to do them - period. I need to prioritize them and find some way to make it more fun for me. Oh yeah, and just get it done!

 

[FFigawi]

Great race report @FFigawi! I am utterly amazed at your body's capabilities! I loved that the spectators were so encouraging and shouting requested college football scores to you! Congratulations on accomplishing such a big feat!

The spectators were great! They were pretty much trapped in their neighborhood all day and made the most of it by partying & cheering.

 

[Keels]

If anyone's feeling bored this morning or afternoon, my IMFL race report is finally finished. It's in two parts because I got a little wordy.

Part I - https://jmsenger.blogspot.com/2016/11/imfl-race-report-part-i-pre-race.html
Part II - https://jmsenger.blogspot.com/2016/11/imfl-race-report-part-ii-race-day.html

YESSSSSSSSSSSS.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: One day a week I will do some arm and core work. I know I need to do more, but just can't make myself do it on other days.

 

[LSUlakes]

To start things off I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those effected by yesterdays events at Ohio State University and for those dealing with the fires in Tennessee.

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

ATTQOTD: The 10% rule on mileage increase. I think in certain situations that percentage can go way up or down depending on the situation.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

Proper form. I don't buy that there's one proper form to fit everyone. I think what you do naturally is best for you, and trying to force a radical change can cause injury. Sure, mid-foot or forefoot striking is generally more biomechanically efficient and pretty much a requirement at the elite and sub-elite levels, but if your body is built to heel strike, moving to a forefoot stride can do more harm than good.

 

[Ariel484]

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

Is it bad that my answer is "most things"? I can't think of a specific example but I feel like I see people (here on the DIS and elsewhere) quote some things like they are "gospel" - how to train, form, how to fuel, etc. - when no one can say for certain what works best for every single person. We are all different and it takes experimentation to find what works best - or, said way more eloquently, "we are all an experiment of one."

 

[Dis5150]

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

Proper form. I don't buy that there's one proper form to fit everyone. I think what you do naturally is best for you, and trying to force a radical change can cause injury. Sure, mid-foot or forefoot striking is generally more biomechanically efficient and pretty much a requirement at the elite and sub-elite levels, but if your body is built to heel strike, moving to a forefoot stride can do more harm than good.

^^This 1000%! When I started running I was told to only forefoot strike, was put in a pair of Nike Free's and it ended up putting me out of running for a couple of months, trying to heal my Achilles then my peroneal tendon. I now have some Brooks with a lovely sole to them, .8mm heel drop and I have not had an injury since (knock on wood!) Running the way my body naturally wants to run is working for me so aside from the occasional making sure I am not slouching, I go with it.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

You have to rotate shoes every other day. The shoes are foam and plastic, nothing magical happens after 24 hours to that material.

Undertrained is better than injured on race day. I agree with this, but this statement I feel is used too often to skip a workout, sleep in, cut a workout short, skip a few intervals, etc. Or maybe I just need better ability to see into the future.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

ATTQOTD:

Yeah agree that you can never take any advice as gospel. Running is the ultimate individual sport (well, there are probably other sports that are very individual as well . . . cycling, swimming, etc ). Getting other runners' advice is invaluable to me, but at the end of the day it's my body pounding the pavement and I need to do what makes sense to me. Like @FFigawi said form is a big one. I hurt my knee a bit when I concentrated on getting perfect form and stride over a period of a few months.

 

[ebradley23]

ATTQOTD: I'm pretty sure I've broken every "rule" out there. I've done new stuff on race day (wore clothes I purchased the day before my first marathon and prayed they didn't cause chafing). I have a wonky gait, so don't even try to tell me that my strike should change. I'm a woman that runs alone at night. Pretty sure most people would tell me that's a no-no.

The only rules I think aren't negotiable are: Run against traffic and stay hydrated.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: Cadence. 180 steps per minute is thrown around often as being the cadence to run at, but I think it is the same as form, shoes, nutrition, etc. Everyone is different, and needs to find what works for them.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Treadmill = Dreadmill.

I enjoy running outside, but I actually also really enjoy my treadmill!

 

[RunDisneyDad]

ATTQOTD: One that has oddly manifested itself over the past couple of years for me is the assumption that running downhill is easier than running uphill. I have found running downhill has become this awkward struggle for me. Its like I'm fighting to keep my balance and keep myself from sliding too much forward. Going uphill I sort of accept I'll be slowing down and try and run with better form and relax more.

 

[LSUlakes]

I think it was mentioned before in a QOTD, but has anyone tried out the noxgear tracer 360? How do you like it?

https://www.noxgear.com/tracer360

 

[DopeyBadger]

I think it was mentioned before in a QOTD, but has anyone tried out the noxgear tracer 360? How do you like it?

https://www.noxgear.com/tracer360

I've had one for about a month and love it. I honestly can't really come up with many downsides to it. Every once in a while the underside tube gets caught in my glove, but otherwise it's been great. I give it my 100% highly recommended thumbs-up.

 

[gjramsey]

I think it was mentioned before in a QOTD, but has anyone tried out the noxgear tracer 360? How do you like it?

https://www.noxgear.com/tracer360

I have one, and have used it for the nighttime legs on my a couple of my Relay races. I don't normally wear it for runs in my neighborhood though. It is very nice, and you really don't feel like you are wearing it, and I like it more then a reflective vest. Like @DopeyBadger , I have caught my hand on the lower tube every once in a while

 

[roxymama]

ATTQOTD: You have to run the tangents to have your fastest race.

Sometimes...yes. I think sometimes that tangent talk has a bigger impact for the front of the pack people or during less populated races; if you are in the middle of the pack with 1000's of runners all in the same little area of space its not always the best strategy for me. Sometimes to maintain my pace I just need to be in the most open areas and sometimes those are on the "less desirable" areas of a turn or sometimes I can't get over diagonally before a turn without slowing down behind the 50 other people who want to take the turn in the same manner. So while I try to know what good tangents for a course are ahead of time...I just have to keep my forward momentum going and sometimes that means going around a clog. I also hate tight 180 turnarounds and for the sake of my legs...I'll take em a little wide if I can.

 

[Barca33Runner]

QOTD: Are there things that are widely accepted as the norm or consensus opinion when it comes to running that you do not buy into? What are they? For example.... running hills at a steady effort rather than a steady pace... not sure how the heart rate people out there would answer this one?

I think I'm in pretty much in step with everyone else, it's an individual pursuit and I've never really assumed that something that works for others will work for me as well. As someone else mentioned, I don't view the treadmill as evil. I run more miles on the treadmill than I do outdoors. I know most people would think me insane, but with my social anxiety it's really difficult for me to work up the courage to run outdoors; running on my treadmill is what allowed me to get into running when I was too afraid to run in public and it is still vital to my training.