The Running Thread - 2018

[Sleepless Knight]

NOPE! You may not quit, I will not allow it. You will regret it for the rest of your life. You will always doubt yourself and anytime you attempt it in the future you will pysch yourself out of doing it. Yes, it is an intimidating distance. It is 100% scary for probably everybody that ever tries it for the first time. I even contend it is scary for repeat runners too, it is hard. HOWEVER, you CAN do it. Look how many people do it every year and keep going back for more. Doing it at Disney is even better because there is so much around you to keep your mind occupied and the time and miles will pass, I promise.

Everyone has ups and downs in training. There are some fast people on here, @Wendy98, for example. Go back about 2 weeks and read her story of how she got there. She worked at it, she believed in herself, and she made it happen. I don't know if you use Instagram. If you do go follow run2pr. Her name is Amanda. She is a mother of 3. She started out like a regular person, out of shape and fully doubting herself. She's in her mid 30's and she is going to the Olympic trials next year. She is currently injured with a torn labrum in her hip. You would never know it by her messages. I am not saying we will all be able to run in the Olympic trials, however you are only limited by your mind. If you tell yourself you can't run the marathon, you can't. If you tell yourself you will finish no matter what, you will finish!!! Don't limit yourself. I am telling you that you can do this and if you don't believe me then do it for me because I can't be there this year.

Thank you. I really appreciate this. Training had been going fine and then I hit a setback. Paces that were once difficult, but doable suddenly became impossible. My calf muscles began to act up and I had to cut a planned run short, something I haven't done in a couple of years now. Combine that with other frustrations in life unrelated to running and I felt really down.

During training for my first half, I made a lot of mistakes. But I believe the biggest came from not telling anyone my fears about not finishing. I allowed those negative thoughts and feelings to fester inside of me. On race day itself those fears manifested themselves in starting out way too fast in an attempt to "build the cushion" and nearly resulted in being injuring myself and withdrawing less than 1 mile into the race.

+1

Thought about posting something similar but didn't. I agree 100%. Thank you @Waiting2goback for spelling it out so clearly.

I appreciate your thoughts as well. Heading into my first marathon, I'm determined to not repeat the same mistake I referenced above. So on here I try to be honest about how I feel. I think it does two things for me.

1. I think expressing those fears and feelings somehow validates them. It also allows me to confront them and examine them instead of internalizing them and letting them consume me.

2. So many people here are so wonderful about sharing their successes and failures. And as I hoped, some would respond with encouragement and a heartfelt and sincere pep talk.

I was afraid to write it too. I am a very direct and blunt person so I was worried it would come across the wrong way but in the end I felt it was worth having people mad at me. : )

Speaking only for myself as you addressed at least part of your response to me, I needed it. I even told coach that I wasn't sure if I needed encouragement, a brief respite from running, to get out of my own head, or a swift kick in the rear.

And honestly, I don't think it came across as too blunt. I interpreted it as encouraging with real examples of people who have overcome great difficulties in pursing their running hopes and dreams whatever those hopes and dreams are. And at least for me, the phrase "I will not allow you to quit" came across as don't give up because it suddenly got hard.

+1 here too

@Sleepless Knight , based on your previous postings and your Avatar, I think you should throw in The Empire Strikes Back, jump to Dagobah, and let Yoda take over

Yoda: "...Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned"
(shuffling around of an X-wing)
Luke: "I don't believe it!"
Yoda: "That is why you fail"​

You're done stacking rocks, time to move an X-wing

Will it surprise you to know that I usually throw in The Empire Strikes Back on the eve of leaving for runDisney events just to pump myself with the widsom of Yoda? But I truly appreciate the reminder. This whole week and the responses here have reminded me of something that became easy to forget.

This reminds me that I also need to add Bolt to the pump up movie rotation because of the sheer manic energy of Rhino the hamster from that movie. "Let it begin! Let it begin! Let it begin!"

"Destiny? I've been expecting your call."

Honestly, today I feel a lot better than I did two days ago. I truly appreciate the support and encouragment I get here. My non runner friends and family offer plenty of well wishes and encouragement. This community also offers those things and experience that has come firsthand.

I don't know what my marathon experience will be, but I will not quit. And knowing that so many people are cheering for me as they go about their own races or tasks of that day will help sustain me on the course.

 

[PrincessV]

I love my Fitletic belt too. I have a question for Fitletic/SPI Belt (or any belt with a buckle and a pouch) users: do you wear the pouch in the back or front?

I wear the pouch in the back, since I generally don't access it during a run. It's easier to put on and easier to ignore that way.

I guess that puts me in the 'fanny pack' club with @Baloo in MI

It depends on which belt I'm using and why I'm using it... I have a Fitletic single stretchy pouch I use with bottoms that don't have enough pockets: it holds my inhaler, car key (which is, unfortunately, massive - why must the key and fob all be one, heavy thing??), ID and a $20 bill - for that usage, it goes in the back and settles into the small of my back without budging. I have a Fuel Belt with a bunch of little elastic loops to hold gels, and I can slide an amphipod pouch onto it, too, if I need more storage space for inhaler, key, etc.: the way the loops are situated, I prefer that one with pouch (or empty spot if I don't add a pouch) in front.

 

[r2chewbaccad2]

The air quality in the San Francisco bay area has been unhealthy/very unhealthy for the past 8 days. Here are pictures of the SF skyline taken a week apart. This is from the smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, approximately 170 miles away. Locally, the Berkeley half marathon and the North Face 50k have been cancelled. I can't believe that the Cal-Stanford football game hasn't been cancelled yet.

Since I don't have a dreadmill or a gym membership, I haven't run in a week. My step count is the lowest it's ever been. I think my body is appreciating the break from running though.
The forecast is for the winds to shift Sunday night, which will bring some relief. Rain is forecasted for Thanksgiving Day, which will help even more.

Update: as @dis_or_dat reported: the Cal-Stanford game has been postponed until 12/1. Go Bears!

 

[Jules76126]

View attachment 365650
The air quality in the San Francisco bay area has been unhealthy/very unhealthy for the past 8 days. Here are pictures of the SF skyline taken a week apart. This is from the smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, approximately 170 miles away. Locally, the Berkeley half marathon and the North Face 50k have been cancelled. I can't believe that the Cal-Stanford football game hasn't been cancelled yet.

Since I don't have a dreadmill or a gym membership, I haven't run in a week. My step count is the lowest it's ever been. I think my body is appreciating the break from running though.
The forecast is for the winds to shift Sunday night, which will bring some relief. Rain is forecasted for Thanksgiving Day, which will help even more.

That looks awful! I am glad you guys are getting some much needed relief next week. Wish we could send some of our rain/snow out west to CA.

 

[dis_or_dat]

View attachment 365650
The air quality in the San Francisco bay area has been unhealthy/very unhealthy for the past 8 days. Here are pictures of the SF skyline taken a week apart. This is from the smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, approximately 170 miles away. Locally, the Berkeley half marathon and the North Face 50k have been cancelled. I can't believe that the Cal-Stanford football game hasn't been cancelled yet.

Since I don't have a dreadmill or a gym membership, I haven't run in a week. My step count is the lowest it's ever been. I think my body is appreciating the break from running though.
The forecast is for the winds to shift Sunday night, which will bring some relief. Rain is forecasted for Thanksgiving Day, which will help even more.

Just announced it’s being postponed til 12/1.

I ran the Stanford Dish on Wednesday and it was just a huge blanket of brown smog. All the schools were closed today and the air isn’t expected to improve much til Tuesday!

I haven’t run since Wednesday, which is a huge deal for me since I’ll do almost anything to run. But they said today’s air is equivalent to smoking half a pack. And this past week of bad air is like smoking a cigarette every day for a year! I have a treadmill but it’s in my drafty garage. I may try to hit up a gym if I can manage it.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Go Bears!

Haha! Watched the 3rd quarter of the Cal-USC game, which was awesome.

Bad year for the PAC12 in general though, hope for better things in 2019!

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

1. I think expressing those fears and feelings somehow validates them. It also allows me to confront them and examine them instead of internalizing them and letting them consume me.

2. So many people here are so wonderful about sharing their successes and failures. And as I hoped, some would respond with encouragement and a heartfelt and sincere pep talk.

These reasons make sense to me. Since we're full of unsolicited advice today, I make the following suggestion:

When you have a negative thought, either mentally or on line, add a 'but'. Ideally the 'but' should include an course of action to remedy the negative thought.

Examples: I thought about not even starting the marathon, BUT I realized how much fun I would miss out on, so I'm not going to let that happen.

My calf tightness forced me to shorten a run, BUT I talked to DB about it and we made some adjustments to the plan, so I'm good.

This does several things:

1. Reassures you that everything will be alright.

2. Trains your mind to think like that so that if adversity hits during a race, you express the negative thought AND a plan to address the issue.

3. Alerts us than an intervention is not necessary.

 

[Kazrak]

View attachment 365650
The air quality in the San Francisco bay area has been unhealthy/very unhealthy for the past 8 days. Here are pictures of the SF skyline taken a week apart. This is from the smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, approximately 170 miles away. Locally, the Berkeley half marathon and the North Face 50k have been cancelled. I can't believe that the Cal-Stanford football game hasn't been cancelled yet.

Since I don't have a dreadmill or a gym membership, I haven't run in a week. My step count is the lowest it's ever been. I think my body is appreciating the break from running though.
The forecast is for the winds to shift Sunday night, which will bring some relief. Rain is forecasted for Thanksgiving Day, which will help even more.

Update: as @dis_or_dat reported: the Cal-Stanford game has been postponed until 12/1. Go Bears!

Yeah, same problem down here in Sunnyvale. We're decamping to Phoenix for Thanksgiving next week, assuming the plane can take off. I was hoping to get some more training runs in before the Turkey Trot, but fortunately this is just for fun and not for time.

 

[akrosie]

My first post, but I have to chime in here. I’m an old, slow runner. Discovering RunDisney about five years ago nudged me from walking to run/walk/run. Inspired by these boards and my running buddy, I signed up for Dopey last year. It would be my first full marathon, too.Training didn’t go as well as I hoped,but I did manage lots of shorter back to backs. By race weekend, my attitude was “I can do the 5, 10 and half, and start the marathon. After that, who knows.” I struggled with pace and kept slipping back. When the balloon ladies passed me, I just decided to do what I could and if they made me stop I would. Well, I finished! I never even got a warning, so I’m not sure how that worked. Anyway, the “do your best and just don’t quit” attitude can work, as I think you have already decided.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

These reasons make sense to me. Since we're full of unsolicited advice today, I make the following suggestion:

Speaking only for myself, I don't mind the unsolicited advice. In fact I appreciate that much faster runners with substantially more experience than me are so willing to reach out to me and offer their experience especially as that pertains to the marathon.

For years I practically insisted I would not run a marathon. At one point, I vowed I would only do so if it guaranteed me a visit to the set of a Star Wars movie. In my early time as a runner, I feared doing a 5K before the half because I thought it might wipe my legs out for the half. Touring Disney World on the very end of a cold and then running a half marathon a few days after that with normal Disney World touring thrown in convinced me that a 10K and Half back to back was not as impossible as I once believed. The insane idea to run a half marathon on just 3 weeks training when I registered for the race and started training 3 weeks before the race taught me that the more frequent running a marathon asks of me might not be so impossible after all.

When you have a negative thought, either mentally or on line, add a 'but'. Ideally the 'but' should include an course of action to remedy the negative thought.

This is why I appreciate unsolicited advice.

Examples: I thought about not even starting the marathon, BUT I realized how much fun I would miss out on, so I'm not going to let that happen.

Well, I did think about the money I had spent on Dopey registration so I realized I had already spent money on it. Sometimes I believe reasons like this are why runDisney stopped offering deferrals. I wonder if people kept deferring after beginning to comprehend what they had gotten themselves into.

3. Alerts us than an intervention is not necessary.

In my case, a small intervention was necessary. In real life, I've had people say "you're absolutely crazy (and not in a good way) for running" or "why do you run when it could kill you?" At best, it's along the lines of "I couldn't do it, but if you enjoy it, that's fine." And I really don't want to share my running challenges when the feedback I'm most likely to hear based on previous experience is a validation of their perspective on why I should not do this.

The day before my very first half, I met a couple in Disneyland wearing their marathon weekend shirts. They were so very encouraging to me. But in my head, I completely believed that they were just being nice because they didn't want to make me feel bad when I failed the next day. Well as fate would have it, who do you think I saw around mile 12 that very next day? Yep, that very same couple. Only now I knew they were not just being polite because I was on the verge of completing the very thing I had not believed would happen roughly 24 hours earlier.

I appreciate so much knowing that if I'm having a rough go of things in training that I can share that here and there are people willing to give me a pep talk and remind me of why I signed up for this in the first place.

My first post, but I have to chime in here. I’m an old, slow runner. Discovering RunDisney about five years ago nudged me from walking to run/walk/run. Inspired by these boards and my running buddy, I signed up for Dopey last year. It would be my first full marathon, too.Training didn’t go as well as I hoped,but I did manage lots of shorter back to backs. By race weekend, my attitude was “I can do the 5, 10 and half, and start the marathon. After that, who knows.” I struggled with pace and kept slipping back. When the balloon ladies passed me, I just decided to do what I could and if they made me stop I would. Well, I finished! I never even got a warning, so I’m not sure how that worked. Anyway, the “do your best and just don’t quit” attitude can work, as I think you have already decided.

As a slow runner myself, this helps me out so much. I try to be authentic or honest in my struggles in here in part so others who may be struggling can see that we all struggle. And I can't really begin to express how much it means to me when someone with the experience I'm working towards validates my fears and then reminds that they accomplished their goal. Whatever that goal is.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

In my case, a small intervention was necessary.

I thought about that after I posted. In that case, maybe something like this:

I had a problem, but I got it fixed. What do you guys think?

@akrosie may deserve the nomination for the best first post ever! Welcome!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I thought about that after I posted. In that case, maybe something like this:

I had a problem, but I got it fixed. What do you guys think?

I like that and see what you're saying, but again in my case it was the subsequent encouragement from you, @Waiting2goback , and @JeffW , and anyone else I missed who helped me finally get back to a good place about it. Expressing those frustrations and fears helped me process and confront them, but encouragement finally helped me want to conquer them.

This morning I realized that my calf felt good enough to go running tonight, but my heart wasn't really in it. In a few minutes I head out for my run with a desire to do so.

 

[garneska]

@Sleepless Knight this is for you. I am not Wendy fast, but I am sure some would say experienced and fairly quick. My next challenge after my successful Chicago marathon is a 50k trail race. Why because I spent the summer day hiking the Appalachian Trail in Ga, completed all 78 miles and all but 3 of those both north bound and south bound. I loved it so thought sure a trail race only slightly longer than a marathon, I can do this. Last weekend I went to a trail, I have only done a few trail runs, this was a much more technical trail. I had never done it before. I was supposed to do 2 loops of the 5 loop trail. That did not happen that first loop was so difficult and seriously made me think there is no way I can do that race. I was very discouraged after Sunday. However I am telling myself not to quit. Do that trail again, second time will be better. My plan is to run the trail again on Sunday and hopefully do that loop twice. I have to try.

Sometimes it is hard and you don’t necessarily get through your run (like last week for me) but you pick yourself up and dust off and try again. I am going to do it again Sunday. I hope to complete two loops this time.

I learned something though new trail scare me, so tomorrow heading up to the state park where the race is to hike the tough sections (there are two will do one tomorrow and one next moth) this way I can hike it and be prepared.

Good luck. Hope your run went well tonight.

 

[dis_or_dat]

@Sleepless Knight I'm also about to train for my first marathon and I'm scared as heck! Sometimes I wonder if I should even start since so many things can go wrong and it's such a time commitment. So it's easy to doubt yourself. But let's just jump on in - that's the only way to do it! One foot in front of the other, right?

By the way, if anyone wants to get ahead of the Christmas presents, the Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknits have been restocked!
https://www.nike.com/t/vaporfly-4-flyknit-unisex-running-shoe-v7G3FB

I run in the ultra cushioned Nimbus and had to go back to the Nimbus 17 for a wider toe box, so I'm not sure if these are right for me.

 

[PkbaughAR]

ATTQOTD: My phone goes in a pocket of my SparkleSkirts.

ATTQOTD: This is me too! Or in the pocket of my leggings.

 

[bevcgg]

This morning I realized that my calf felt good enough to go running tonight.

I use to have a lot of issues with my calf muscles cramping- no amount of rolling/stretching/icing etc would solve for long. My Dtr suggested taking a magnesium supplement and it was LIFE CHANGING for me! I am now training for Dopey with no issues at all. Might be something to explore?

Just do a bit of research on what type to take least you have a "milk of magnesia" effect instead.

 

[Baloo in MI]

@Sleepless Knight this is for you. I am not Wendy fast, but I am sure some would say experienced and fairly quick. My next challenge after my successful Chicago marathon is a 50k trail race. Why because I spent the summer day hiking the Appalachian Trail in Ga, completed all 78 miles and all but 3 of those both north bound and south bound. I loved it so thought sure a trail race only slightly longer than a marathon, I can do this. Last weekend I went to a trail, I have only done a few trail runs, this was a much more technical trail. I had never done it before. I was supposed to do 2 loops of the 5 loop trail. That did not happen that first loop was so difficult and seriously made me think there is no way I can do that race. I was very discouraged after Sunday. However I am telling myself not to quit. Do that trail again, second time will be better. My plan is to run the trail again on Sunday and hopefully do that loop twice. I have to try.

Sometimes it is hard and you don’t necessarily get through your run (like last week for me) but you pick yourself up and dust off and try again. I am going to do it again Sunday. I hope to complete two loops this time.

I learned something though new trail scare me, so tomorrow heading up to the state park where the race is to hike the tough sections (there are two will do one tomorrow and one next moth) this way I can hike it and be prepared.

Good luck. Hope your run went well tonight.

Good luck with the 50K! Trail running is a very rewarding challenge. Don’t be intimidated, stick with it. You legs will adjust and it will become natural. You might just grow to love it, I did. My best running memories in races and in workouts have all been when I am out on a trail in the middle of the woods appreciating nature and just fulling in the moment. Excited to hear how the training goes

 

[TCB in FLA]

These reasons make sense to me. Since we're full of unsolicited advice today, I make the following suggestion:

When you have a negative thought, either mentally or on line, add a 'but'. Ideally the 'but' should include an course of action to remedy the negative thought.

Examples: I thought about not even starting the marathon, BUT I realized how much fun I would miss out on, so I'm not going to let that happen.

My calf tightness forced me to shorten a run, BUT I talked to DB about it and we made some adjustments to the plan, so I'm good.

This does several things:

1. Reassures you that everything will be alright.

2. Trains your mind to think like that so that if adversity hits during a race, you express the negative thought AND a plan to address the issue.

3. Alerts us than an intervention is not necessary.

Back in his Oprah days, Dr Phil used to say the BUT in a sentence cancels the first part of the sentence out. He was using it as a reference in negative self-talk, like:
“I want to run a marathon BUT I’m so busy.”
“I want to lose weight BUT my family eats out all the time.”
“I want to run faster BUT don’t like to go the track.”

And Dr Phil is totally right! If you really wanted to run a marathon/lose weight/run faster, you would do the work. BUT the real answer is that it’s easier to say in your comfort zone.

@OldSlowGoofyGuy I love the way you flipped the BUT statements into positive self talk! My personal BUT statement for the next two months is “I’m dealing with an ankle issue and the weather sucks BUT I have a new training plan, have adjusted my finish time expectations and have folks I can talk to if needed.” Thank you for reminding us to flip the switch!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Sometimes it is hard and you don’t necessarily get through your run (like last week for me) but you pick yourself up and dust off and try again. I am going to do it again Sunday. I hope to complete two loops this time.

Once again this community reminds me of things I believe and in some instances know from my own experience, yet temporarily forget when disappointments occur.

From Batman Begins:

Alfred: Why do we fall Master Bruce?

Bruce Wayne: So we can learn to pick ourselves back up again.

I'm also about to train for my first marathon and I'm scared as heck! Sometimes I wonder if I should even start since so many things can go wrong and it's such a time commitment. So it's easy to doubt yourself. But let's just jump on in - that's the only way to do it! One foot in front of the other, right?

Well, it was only a matter of time before I had to go and quote Yoda.

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to suffering."

I love your mentality of jump right in with both feet. And on many a training run and a couple of races, one foot in front of the eventually carried me across that finish line. Including my very first race where I was done approximately half a mile into the race. Sometimes stubborn determination is a great asset for a runner to have.

“I want to run a marathon BUT I’m so busy.”

I almost bought a t shirt once that said "Destroy Excuses." This was before I decided to tackle the marathon. I've talked to a few people who express their own versions of the BUT statement in a negative way.

"That sounds awesome, BUT there's no way I could run that far."
"That sounds like so much fun, BUT doesn't it destroy your knees?"

As an FYI, I once uttered a variation of that first statement when I read about the inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon. I never thought about it again until I talked to some runners after my second consecutive visit to Disneyland over half marathon weekend and they were kind enough to explain in enough detail that I didn't need to be fast, nor did I need to be an experienced runner to maintain that pace with proper training. I believe they told me something along the lines of "it will be difficult, but if you train for it, it's very doable." And they were absolutely correct.

 

[avondale]

I had a weird experience on my run today.

Context to explain why it was weird: I am a middle-aged small white woman. I am fortunate to live in an area with a good network of paved multi-use trails within a very close distance. It is a very friendly area. Usually everyone you pass going the other direction - runners, walkers, and even some cyclists - will smile or wave or say "hi" or comment about the weather.

I had a 7EB run today before lunch. My EB pace is not very fast. I rarely pass runners going in the same direction as me. When runners pass in the same direction, usually we also wave or say "hi" going by.

There was another middle-aged small white female runner that I was slowly but surely catching up to several miles into my run. As I approached her, I thought she looked like she was struggling: her gait seemed a bit off, like she was trying not to limp. She wasn't keeping a very steady pace. I was considering whether I would ask her if she was OK when I passed her.

I got up beside her, and she suddenly took off like I had bitten her! She was definitely having issues, as she sort of hopped and skipped in her surge, definitely trying to not impact the ground in certain ways. I think my jaw may have literally dropped at how she clearly did this because I was passing her.

She got a little ahead of me and slowed back down, and sure enough, my steady pace meant that shortly I caught up to her again. Again, when I got along side, she took off. I called out, loudly because she had headphones, "You know, this is not a race!" It was just so weird and kind of rude. Also, it made me tense to think that we would be doing this over and over again for who knows how long.

Well, we were just about a tenth of a mile or so from a traffic light, where we both got stopped. I caught up to her and stayed out of arm's length and said, "You know, I didn't mean anything by passing you. I am just trying to keep a steady pace." I know she knew I was talking to her, but she wouldn't look at me or acknowledge in any way that I was there. This whole thing is totally out of character for this area.

When we got the walk signal, she took off again - fortunately for long enough to get enough ahead of me that I didn't catch up to her for another mile, where it was apparently her turn-around point. I gave her a wide berth passing her as she turned around, and again she wouldn't even look at me. So strange!

I have a lot of experience advising college students, and I know that there's usually more going on "behind the scenes" than meets the eye, but I am having a hard time explaining this runner's behavior. Every time I passed someone else going the other way who waved, it just reinforced how strange it was. Anyway, I will eventually shrug it off, but it just left me with such a weird feeling. Kind of ruined my run because I felt like I was projecting some kind of axe-murderer vibe or something.