The Running Thread - 2019

[chuckille]

QOTD: What is your next big running goal to accomplish?

My next goal is to run the Portland marathon in October. It’ll be my 2nd attempt at that distance, and a chance to avenge my bonk-fest!

 

[Waiting2goback]

QOTD: What is your next big running goal to accomplish?

ATTQOTD: Mine is to get a new PR at the marathon distance in January 2020.

Goal 1: to have my surgery on my ankle, hopefully this fall, so I start running again.
Goal 2: probably a pipe dream at this point because I may never be able to run the marathon distance again, but to run Boston is my biggest goal!

Corral D for my next WDW half. Need to chop about 5 minutes off my 10k PR, or about 20 off my half marathon PR.

Be careful with this goal. Disney can always change how they do corrals again so I wouldn’t tie myself to an actual corral.

 

[Waiting2goback]

 

[geaux_half]

@geaux_half I am assuming you are from the Louisiana area? I rarely see someone using "Geaux" that isnt.

Born and raised in Ville Platte. I was actually living in Houston post Katrina when I created the username. Back in the New Orleans area across the lake in Covington now.

 

[SheHulk]

Hey guys I was off this board for a while, then I started lurking but now I want to jump back in if it's ok! Hope it's not rude but I'm not going to catch up on all 207 pages.

@jennamfeo looking at your list I remembered I also have run in Utah but it is a million years ago since I lived there so I probably forgot when we first made these states list. If you could add it please

My next big running goal is to lose some weight and really go for that sub-5 hour marathon this fall. It feels like more a mental game for me at this point than physical.

 

[Olallamom]

@jennamfeo please add me to the list. I have ran races in AZ, CA, FL, IN and WA

ATTQOTD from yesterday:
Running goal is to PR my next Marathon in February.
My ultimate training goal is a Boston qualifier. Might take a couple of years to shave off my pace, but I am seeing progress with MAF and Hanson training.

 

[jmasgat]

So we may not be as fast as this woman (No spoiler: we are not), but the photos are still fun and ring true!

https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/g27376713/every-race-photo/

So @LSUlakes maybe a future QOTD can be for us to post our best/worst/most embarrassing /funniest race photo?

 

[LSUlakes]

Born and raised in Ville Platte. I was actually living in Houston post Katrina when I created the username. Back in the New Orleans area across the lake in Covington now.

I'm from Opelousas, but live in Gonzales now. Learned how to cook a few things from some friends in Ville Plate and Eunice. Worked at Cooper Cameron (now called just Cameron I think) for a few years in the NDE department about 13-14 years ago. It was also the last time I've been to a Popeye's with a buffet! I had a lot of good memories from those days. For all the negative things brought upon the area during Katrina, it's the reason I called a girl I meet at a bar a few months before. That girl is now my wife and we next month is our 10 year anniversary. Nice little trip down memory lane there lol.

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: Since I have GPS watches on my mind, what are you currently using for tracking runs and what do you like and dislike about it?

ATTQOTD: I currently have a Garmin 235. It's only 3 years old, so I am crazy for thinking about switching. I like and dislike the optical HR monitor. I like I can see RHR all day long, it counts steps, sleep, good GPS signal, and a lot of other features. I dislike how the optical HR device sticks out and now I have a weird mark on my arm from wearing the watch all of the time. I also like cool gadgets and like having the new ones lol.

 

[Olallamom]

ATTQOTD:
I also have the Garmin 235. I purchased it about 4 months ago. I like it but yes I have an impression on my arm after runs. I find the HR monitor is not always accurate which is frustrating because I am doing my easy runs by monitoring my HR.
I have thought about buying HR chest monitor.
Not sure how it all works with the Garmin watch.

 

[AntimonyER]

ATTQOTD: I currently use a Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music. Not much not to like, I haven't used the music feature or garmin pay yet, as it just now finally got spotify support, and I always have my phone with me, so no need for those. It doesn't have native workout setup, but I just set them up via Garmin Connect app on my phone and then download them to the watch, and that works great. Great daylight visibility (the biggest problem for my old android smartwatch), GPS and All day HR seems to be decent too (other than elevation, but I live where it is VERY flat, so no real issues there day to day).

 

[LSUlakes]

ATTQOTD:
I also have the Garmin 235. I purchased it about 4 months ago. I like it but yes I have an impression on my arm after runs. I find the HR monitor is not always accurate which is frustrating because I am doing my easy runs by monitoring my HR.
I have thought about buying HR chest monitor.
Not sure how it all works with the Garmin watch.

You can buy a heart rate monitor and pair it with your watch via Bluetooth. While the wrist HR feature is neat, I have also found that it can be a little off at times as well. It's somewhat new tech so theres that and you also have to have your watch on tightly for better results.

 

[LSUlakes]

This week we have the following folks with races:

18 - @tigger536 - Mountain To Main Street (NG / N/A)
18 - @KingLlama - Horse Capital Half Marathon (NG / N/A)
18 - @rootbeerkid - Tie Dye 50k (Finish / N/A)
19 - @Kazrak - Bay to Breakers 12k (NG / N/A)
19 - @mtnmjd - Run to the Port Jeff Brewery 15k (1:45:00 / N/A)
19 - @huggybuff - Gold Country Half Marathon (3:14:59 / N/A)
19 - @roxymama - Chicago Spring Half Marathon (2:1X:00 / N/A)
19 - @MissLiss279 - Colfax Marathon (NG / N/A)

Best of luck this weekend with your race! If you need to revise your goal or have a change to make, please let me know. If someone has a last minute race they would like to add to the list, let me know as well. We look forward to hearing about how your race went!

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD:

I’ve got the Garmin FR 235 as well. For my purposes, it’s perfect. If I were both more affluent and a better/more competitive runner I could probably find something nicer; but the truth is I don’t come close to maximizing all of the features on this one so a change would be cosmetic.

As it stands I often feel as though I’m using a Wizard as a tip calculator.

 

[steph0808]

I have a 235 as well. I have had it for almost 5 years. Well, I had one for 4 years and a few months and then the latest update made the HR stay on all the time, draining my battery in less than a day. I contacted Garmin and they sent me a new (refurbished) watch without any hassle.

I pretty much like everything about the watch. However, I do agree about HR. Sometimes I get really high HR readings when I don't feel like I'm working that hard. But I don't want to go back to a chest strap like with my old Garmin, so I just live with it. Unless I really start HR training, the 235 is acceptable.

I also wish it had a longer Bluetooth range. If I plug in my phone to charge and walk like 20 feet away, my watch disconnects.

I also hate (but this would be true for any watch) that it doesn't count steps if I'm pushing a stroller or other item, since my arm isn't swinging.

 

[camaker]

QOTD: Since I have GPS watches on my mind, what are you currently using for tracking runs and what do you like and dislike about it?

I'm currently using a FR 935 that I got to replace a FR 235. I've found the 935 to be a huge upgrade on the 235 in just about every way. The band is more comfortable, it acquires satellites much more quickly, the HR monitor is less obtrusive, the battery life is far, far better, and the list goes on... I also like that I can use it to monitor my biking and it gives me some nice metrics around my training status, even though I don't necessarily like or agree with its assessment all the time. At this point, I really haven't found any negatives for it.

ETA: For those with the FR 235 and concerned about HR monitoring and getting aberrant readings, one of the things that watch is known for is cadence lock. It has a tendency to sometimes lock onto your cadence rather than your HR and can deliver some amazingly consistent, high HR profiles. One of the best ways to avoid that is to watch the heart icon before starting your run. If it's flashing, it's not locked onto your HR and can give inaccurate readings or go into cadence lock if you start running at that point. Wait until it goes solid before starting to run. Learning that cut down on my strangely inaccurate HR readings a lot when I had the watch.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: Since I have GPS watches on my mind, what are you currently using for tracking runs and what do you like and dislike about it?

I have a Garmin 920XT. I love the reliability, the long battery life, and the large screen. Mine is several years old, and while it still works fine, I have to admit I'm tempted by the new 945 or even a 935 now that they're being discounted. The only thing I don't like about the 920 is that it looks like a Garmin device and not a watch. It's not exactly fashionable enough to wear all day every day. Form over function, you could say.

 

[Guidman]

ATTQOTD: I have a FR 230 that's a little over three years old. Still working well and as long as I can see average pace, time and distance I'm fine. The new 245 or 645 look real nice but I would probably have no idea what to make of a lot of the metrics they track.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I use the iSmoothRun app on my iPhone. I like: that I can set up any intervals I want, set up and save specific workouts, the sound and tone of the voice-over commands, that it syncs with my music, that it records a ton of data I want (weather conditions, maps, elevation, avg pace, net pace, shoe mileage, fastest song, fastest mile, etc.), that I can program alerts for nutrition/distance/pace/time, and that it exports to Runkeeper. I dislike nothing, which is why I've been using it for 6+ years!

 

[Kazrak]

Be careful with this goal. Disney can always change how they do corrals again so I wouldn’t tie myself to an actual corral.

I'm aware. This is a smaller step to my larger goal of getting my 10k time under an hour.

QOTD: Since I have GPS watches on my mind, what are you currently using for tracking runs and what do you like and dislike about it?

I'm on a Garmin 235 as well. I like it for running but wouldn't want it as my daily-wear watch. I'm currently waiting for the next round of Android Wear devices to hit, where I'm planning to upgrade my Misfit Vapor.