The Running Thread - 2018

[TheHamm]

04 - TheHamm - Firecracker 5K (34:00 / 36:51)

This is in the running for my worst 5K time ever, but I would do the race again. I picked the goal time because it was slightly faster than I had been doing daily runs in the 3 to 4 mile range. But it was too darned hot and I woke up knowing I was dehydrated before I started.
The good: The track club had pacers even back to a 35 minute finish, which I have yet to see in a 5K. I knew I was not going to hang with the 33 pacer, but I was still holding out hope that 76* (seemed patriotic, right?) and 98% humidity would not be so bad. Also, the company who puts on the race seems to always have popsicles at the end, and this was no exception.

The bad: [1]I had planned to bike to the start, but had a flat tire. And I have not ridden regularly so the spare tube was well beyond needing to be replaced, and was not usable. No problem, 2 mile drive! Except I had to go around both the race route and the parade route, and almost did not get my bib. [2] It was HOT. If there had been water at the start I think it would have been decimated. I was just as sweaty at the end as I was in the beginning. [3] There was a silly ~0.7mile loop at the beginning, which was flat but not really shaded. [4] I was kind of running blind as I only knew the start and end points having never looked at the map. Also, while I usually use both Runkeeper and my fitbit, both have been failing (more later) so I had little feel for where I was other than 'hot, sweaty, thirsty, not done yet.'

Lesson: [1] buy new tire tube, remember to check for dry rot each spring, duh [2] The divergence between devices I had been observing for the last month is not going to get better. For example: Runkeeper 1 mile = 10:02 Mat mile 1 time = 11:07 (probably more than a mile as I ran every corner wide and avoided potholes) Fitbit mile 1 time=12:45. [3] do a better job with the potholes. I hit one, and went down while staring longingly at the water station down the block. even without this, I would not have hit my target time, but it did slow me down quite a bit, and now I have to consider how to keep the sweat from dripping down my arm to my elbow for the next few runs, the scab is not going to be sufficient.

Highlight, weird happening of the week: I was pretty bummed about running - slow, hot, hate the new shoes, generally irritated by work, want to go out and run more- and DH decided to cheer me up (ice cream would have worked) to tell me that when 2019 rooms went on sale he snagged one for marathon weekend in case I decide I am going to try the half. Shocked does not cover my reaction. I think he was looking for jumping up and down cheering with joy, but it was closer to when the doctor said 'twins!' and I sat in stunned silence. Still stunned and mostly silence. But the gears are turning.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: When was the last time you surprised yourself on a run and what was it?

ATTQOTD: I am in the process of getting back to running. I am doing short runs and increasing in small bits while adding days as well.... Or at least this is the plan. On my run yesterday I added distance and I thought it would be a struggle but doable. It went really well and I felt like I could do more when I was done! I didnt want it to turn into a run that would leave me sore the next day, so I did stop, but I'm looking forward to the future!

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: When was the last time you surprised yourself on a run and what was it?

It’s been a while. I think the last time was during marathon training on a run when I really wasn’t feeling it but kept going and I ended up with a good overall run. I’ll probably surprise myself again when I start doing longer runs again soon.

 

[avondale]

I smoked some Angus Beef hot dogs today and I'm pretty sure you would've enjoyed them.

For a moment, my vision of this was you using a hot dog as a cigar...

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: I’ve been struggling to hit a pace, the only one I can’t seem to hit on my training plan. The last 3 runs at this pace I’ve struggled and struggled and ended up gasping and out of breath when I shouldn’t be out of breath. Yesterday, I realized I’ve been holding my breath on most of my running intervals. So that was kind of a surprise.

 

[TheHamm]

QOTD: When was the last time you surprised yourself on a run and what was it?

Due to my lack of experience running, I find myself surprised frequently. I believe this is why I keep going out- to see what I can do. One of the biggest surprises was that I ran a 10K during the course of which we received half an inch of rain (not hyperbole), I met my time goal, I ended up liking running in the cool rain, and I realized I could have gone faster. 6/3/2018, the date I thought I had lost my mind.

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: I think the last one that comes to memory was in April. It was going to be a randomly hot day for that time of year (90ish) and I hadn’t adjusted to that weather yet for anything long. I really needed to do 10 in the morning; however I had to drop DH off at his 24-hour race location that morning and teach a cardio class at 10:30. So I dropped him off, then drove to the parking lot of where I teach classes. I was not feeling like running at all on the way over, but it ended up being one of the most euphoric runs I’ve ever done and was a training PR for that distance. Which was great because it felt so easy. Made it back to my car with an hour and a half to kill, so I went to Starbucks and then back to the studio to clean up before teaching. It was crazy how much energy that run gave me for the rest of the day!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD:
Just yesterday, but in a bad way. I have been trying to really limit carbs and felt like I couldn't run 2 min yesterday. I felt so defeated and may have shed a tear. For those that go low carb, does this get better?

 

[Kerry1957]

Race Recap: Pokanoka's Run 8 Miles Shabbona, Illinois

This is a relatively small (only 40 runners finished) trail race around a lake at a State Park west of Chicago. It's the 4th time I've run it and I established a new PW, as in personal worst. The good news is I didn't really care and am still glad I ran it this year. The course is very hilly with about 30% shade and 70% direct sun.

My original goal was to run it at my @DopeyBadger 10K pace and try to hang on the last two miles. Then I saw that the T + DP was going to be in the mid 160s (85 degree temp, 79 degree dew point) by the finish time, so I decided before the race to run at my HM pace. Well that lasted only four miles, and I decided to switch to my easy / long run pace. Unfortunately I was only able to keep that up for a few more miles before I resorted to walking up the hills and running easy pace on the flats and downhills. I was more tired after the race than I was for either HM I ran in May and June. You just gotta love summer runs!

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD:
Just yesterday, but in a bad way. I have been trying to really limit carbs and felt like I couldn't run 2 min yesterday. I felt so defeated and may have shed a tear. For those that go low carb, does this get better?

Yes! We did Whole30 last year and went cold turkey on carbs. I felt like I had the flu so I got to researching and found out that it’s a real thing called “carb flu” as you’re adjusting. If you can work in some sweet potatoes, that should work, it helped me to keep up with my training.

 

[tigger536]

Peachtree complete in 56:29! A Peachtree PR for me and only about 15 seconds off my overall 10K PR. I wish I had pushed it that last little bit, I was so close! It was also an "unofficial" 5K PR as my 5K split was 13 seconds faster than my 5K PR. Overall very happy with how this race went, and loved the early start. I skipped most of the beer/ drink stops, but I did take a PBR at about mile 1.5 (same place I did last year, I think this is tradition now). I got sprinkled with Holy water at St. Phillip's as always. I love this race and the people that come out to support it. I spent the rest of the day having fun with friends, starting at the ATC afterparty.

 

[Kerry1957]

ATTQOTD:
Just yesterday, but in a bad way. I have been trying to really limit carbs and felt like I couldn't run 2 min yesterday. I felt so defeated and may have shed a tear. For those that go low carb, does this get better?

I'm not sure if I can answer your question directly but...

I developed diabetes a few years ago. As part of my effort to improve my health, I went on a very low carb diet and started running. Since both activities started at the same time I do not have a "run with high carb intake" history. I can say that I still eat very, very few carbs and have run 7 HMs in the past three years. I will eat a peanut butter sandwich the morning of a race and some pasta the night before, but I train on almost zero amounts of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or fruit. I also do not drink much caffeine, but do enjoy a few beers a week.

I believe my body has adapted and I attribute my slowish finish times (2:30 HMs) to age (60) and weight (still 215 after losing 50 pounds) and not to the absence of carbs in my system.

So expect things to get better over the next few weeks and months!

 

[opusone]

QOTD: When was the last time you surprised yourself on a run and what was it?

Interestingly enough, my answer to this question happened at Disney World during Spring Break 2016. It was the first time that I had been at WDW during a heavy training period, so I really needed to get my workouts in. On the second morning, I had a 14-mile run scheduled. I left the Yacht Club just before 6:00am, dropped some water & e-gel behind a bush, and started out on my first 7-mile loop at my long run (fairly easy) pace.

I'm not sure what happened because after about 3-4 miles, I was already struggling a bit. Maybe I was still acclimating to the heat and humidity, but it wasn't going too well. Given that my heart rate seemed fine, I kept the planned pace up, but as I was finishing up the 7-mile loop, I was still struggling and pretty sure I was packing it in for the day instead of running the second loop. Although it doesn't happen very often, when I am mentally beat on a run, I have a tendency to quit the run and live to fight another day. When I stopped to get my water & e-gel, I really planned on walking back to the room.

But this time, after taking the e-gel, drinking some water, and looking at the great scenery around Crescent Lake for a couple minutes, I decided that I really wanted to try to go a little farther. I made myself slow the pace about 20-30 seconds per mile, and then just started running. I wasn't sure if I would just go around the Boardwalk or make it farther, but at least I was going to give it a shot. After about a mile, I actually felt much better, and I ended up running the complete second loop and finished the entire 14-mile long run. I'm still not sure why the first lap was such a struggle, but I am proud (and surprised) that I finished especially after I had decided to quit halfway through.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

ATTQOTD: When I broke my foot a few years ago. I have always pushed through injuries, and I was pushing through PF when the stride change led to the broken foot. It was the point when I had to formally recognize that age is an important factor to consider in all things now, and this includes my running.

So, yeah, I surprised myself. I was surprised to learn that I am really as old as the calendar tells me that I am.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Peachtree complete in 56:29! A Peachtree PR for me and only about 15 seconds off my overall 10K PR. I wish I had pushed it that last little bit, I was so close! It was also an "unofficial" 5K PR as my 5K split was 13 seconds faster than my 5K PR. Overall very happy with how this race went, and loved the early start. I skipped most of the beer/ drink stops, but I did take a PBR at about mile 1.5 (same place I did last year, I think this is tradition now). I got sprinkled with Holy water at St. Phillip's as always. I love this race and the people that come out to support it. I spent the rest of the day having fun with friends, starting at the ATC afterparty.

Congrats on the PRR PR and the almost PR. PRR combines a tough course and conditions. Even close to an overall PR is impressive.

I'm guessing Peachtree is one of the few places you can have a PBR AND get sprinkled with Holy water at the same place.

+1 on the early start time.

 

[ZellyB]

ATTQOTD:
Just yesterday, but in a bad way. I have been trying to really limit carbs and felt like I couldn't run 2 min yesterday. I felt so defeated and may have shed a tear. For those that go low carb, does this get better?

Yes it gets better. Your body definitely needs some time to adapt and getting better/faster at using fat as a fuel source. Just stick with it and it will get better.

 

[cavepig]

Honestly, I don't think I've ever surprised myself with running or thought much about it to be surprising at all.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD: I'm going to go with actually running. When I first heard of runDisney, I thought "that might be kind of cool to do, but I'm not capable of going a half mile without being out of breath, let alone 13.1 miles."

@LSUlakes I have a race to add to the calendar.

Sleepless Knight San Francisco Giant Race September 9, 2018

Still formulating a goal which will become clearer after I get coach the information he needs to set up a training plan.

 

[huskies90]

QOTD: When was the last time you surprised yourself on a run and what was it?

ATTQOTD: Last month when I did a last minute 10K which was my first 10K race ever. Since I did not know what to expect, it was a nice surprise to finish under my goal, come in 41st out of 800 runners and take first place in the Clydesdale division.

 

[kbenson13]

ATTQOTD: I'm going to go with actually running. When I first heard of runDisney, I thought "that might be kind of cool to do, but I'm not capable of going a half mile without being out of breath, let alone 13.1 miles."

Same here! I'm a lifelong swimmer. I never thought I'd be able to run, let alone run something as crazy as a half marathon. But I now have 4 halfs under my belt and am training for my first full marathon. I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a "runner" honestly.