The Running Thread - 2019

[avondale]

I was thinking that I timed my HM last weekend very badly in that it was summertime. But now I am thinking it was great timing, because my week off after the race coincided with the beginning of the northeastern heat wave.

Now, we are vacationing in northern Italy. They are having a heat wave, too. Venice is humid soup, with temps in the 80s F but heat indices in the 90s F. We walk down the street and in a few minutes, I'm dripping off my elbows. Most places here don't have A/C - fortunately our rental apartment does.

When we go to Florence and Milan toward the end of the week, they are supposed to be in the upper 90s F. And what are we doing? Walking around outside so that we can see everything! (Always, always, walking on the shady side of the street!) But, hey, we don't get to go to Italy everyday, so it's not like we're going to hide inside and miss it. I'm just glad that I'm not running in it - walking around is hot enough!

 

[camaker]

I was thinking that I timed my HM last weekend very badly in that it was summertime. But now I am thinking it was great timing, because my week off after the race coincided with the beginning of the northeastern heat wave.

Now, we are vacationing in northern Italy. They are having a heat wave, too. Venice is humid soup, with temps in the 80s F but heat indices in the 90s F. We walk down the street and in a few minutes, I'm dripping off my elbows. Most places here don't have A/C - fortunately our rental apartment does.

When we go to Florence and Milan toward the end of the week, they are supposed to be in the upper 90s F. And what are we doing? Walking around outside so that we can see everything! (Always, always, walking on the shady side of the street!) But, hey, we don't get to go to Italy everyday, so it's not like we're going to hide inside and miss it. I'm just glad that I'm not running in it - walking around is hot enough!

Make sure to check out the Venezia Running Company near the Rialto Bridge! They talked my wife into her first pair of Hoka's when we were there. They had a great Venezia Running Club singlet that I really wanted, but they didn't have it in my size. It's just a little hole in the wall place, but they were super nice!

 

[StacyStrong]

I'm not sure as to the current status of the race list, but I wanted to wish @StacyStrong and @KevM a fun time.
I myself am questioning the wisdom of even hitting the treadmill given the current heat wave here!

21 - StacyStrong - Chicago Rock N Roll 10k (1:27:00 / N/A)
21 - KevM - Double Trouble Trail Run (NG / N/A)

I came. I ran. I did not conquer. My time was 1:27:10 so 10 seconds short of my stated goal, but 22 seconds faster than my last race. I felt miserable throughout, however, which was not great for post race analysis. Humidity was up at 90% though and my training was derailed the last couple weeks so I'll take it.

Also, this finishing picture is SO awful, but also a hilarious and accurate depiction of how I felt.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Also, this pic finishing picture is SO awful, but also a hilarious and accurate depiction of how I felt.

In weird ways, these can make for the best photos because it tells the reality of a given race.

 

[dis_or_dat]

@StacyStrong - amazing job!

@avondale - kudos for checking the boards on your vacation! Venice brings fond memories since my husband proposed under the Rialto bridge (after convincing a gondolier to take us). Magical. Besides Venice, Florence was my favorite city of the big 4. Anyways - enjoy the gelato!!!!

 

[gjramsey]

How y'all survive humidity is beyond me. It was 90 degrees and 42% humidity this morning and I felt like I was drowning. Give me 100+ degrees of dry heat any day over this. Yuck.

42% humidity sounds heavenly! The "cold" front we are supposed to get tonight will knock our lows to upper 60s... I am excited about the possibility

 

[Chasing Dopey]

How y'all survive humidity is beyond me. It was 90 degrees and 42% humidity this morning and I felt like I was drowning. Give me 100+ degrees of dry heat any day over this. Yuck.

42%... Ooooh, yeeeaahh... That sounds amazing. That cold front is going to be glorious... and then Sufferfest 2019 returns next week.

 

[bananabean]

Yep! I don't usually use anything other than what shoes come with, but I needed a bit more under my arches in my Newtons. I really like Currexsole's products! They hold up forever, too.

Thanks! I’m going to give them a shot!

 

[avondale]

@avondale - kudos for checking the boards on your vacation! Venice brings fond memories since my husband proposed under the Rialto bridge (after convincing a gondolier to take us). Magical. Besides Venice, Florence was my favorite city of the big 4. Anyways - enjoy the gelato!!!!

Thanks. Venice has been very nice - definitely a different way of life. This trip is in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary, although Italy was in no way involved in us getting married. Gelato is a must at least once per day, especially when it is so hot. We are heading to Florence tomorrow by train, and the forecast high is 103 F!

 

[StacyStrong]

@LSUlakes

Can you add this when you get the chance?

November 2019
3 - StacyStrong - Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (2:09:00/ N/A)

 

[roxymama]

@LSUlakes

Can you add this when you get the chance?

November 2019
3 - StacyStrong - Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (2:09:00/ N/A)

YAY! @LSUlakes can you add me for the same race.

November 2019
3 - roxymana - Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (1:32:00/ N/A)

@StacyStrong Dis-chocolate-eating-meet?

 

[roxymama]

Also PSA: the hot chocolate races have finally started giving medals for 5k this year. They are little mugs instead of the big chocolate bars you get for the 15k.

 

[StacyStrong]

Also PSA: the hot chocolate races have finally started giving medals for 5k this year. They are little mugs instead of the big chocolate bars you get for the 15k.

I saw them! They're cute.

YAY! @LSUlakes can you add me for the same race.

November 2019
3 - roxymana - Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (1:32:00/ N/A)

@StacyStrong Dis-chocolate-eating-meet?

We just might be able to make something work!!!

 

[opusone]

YAY! @LSUlakes can you add me for the same race.

November 2019
3 - roxymana - Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k (1:32:00/ N/A)

@StacyStrong Dis-chocolate-eating-meet?

Hmmm… maybe I should sign up as well

 

[AntimonyER]

Morning all! Super excited as today the forecast is for a T+D of 145 for my lunchtime run, and cloudy, thats 15-20 degrees less than the average I have been running in.

In regards to the conversation last week about not running due to other issues besides health or injury, my wife and I just got back from an anniversary trip to Niagara falls, and I did not run once on that trip. Same with our previous family vacation in early June. Before those trips, my running was a sore subject in the house, even though 95% was done at lunchtime at work, when it had zero impact on family time. It had become just a perception that running was too high on my priority list (ie, ahead of family, wife, etc). Not running those two weeks definitely set me back on my goals for this summer, in preparation to attempt to BQ this winter, but in the end it was a good thing, as her perception of my running has changed 180 degrees, and she is encouraging me to start ramping up my training early, even though she knows that will take from family time to do so.

 

[gjramsey]

Not sure if this has been asked recently, so I figured why not through a question out.....

QOTD: Now that more then half the year is gone, what are your running goals for the rest of the year? Has it changed from what your goals were for the whole year?

ATTQOTD: My goals are about the same. Keep running, do several races it the fall, and stay healthy. I have not set any time goals for my races the rest of this year, after hitting my PR goal for the Half back in January.

 

[camaker]

Not sure if this has been asked recently, so I figured why not through a question out.....

QOTD: Now that more then half the year is gone, what are your running goals for the rest of the year? Has it changed from what your goals were for the whole year?

ATTQOTD:
Short Term - Complete Goofy next week and make a final determination on whether I'm going to attempt the 50 miler in February. I'm leaning towards doing it, but want to see how I feel after Goofy before committing.

Long Term - I'm struggling a little with what I want to do with 2019. Usually I have a race calendar set by this point that drives things, but not this year. I was 0/3 (Tokyo, London, Berlin) on the world major marathon lotteries and I was really hoping to have at least one of those to provide a focal point. I'm still dealing with the disappointment of not getting close to my 4:00 goal in Chicago and am debating whether to take one more shot at that goal or just drop back and run for pure enjoyment without any pacing targets. I tend to be very goal- and plan-driven, so right now I feel a bit rudderless.

ATTQOTD: I met my short term goal at the beginning of the year of getting through Goofy in good shape and running my 50 miler in February. I even went one better and ran another 50 miler in March!

I have ironed out my longer term goals for the year at this point, too. I decided to take a shot at a marathon PR at Space Coast in December to get the bad taste of Chicago from last year out of my mouth. In order to do that, I've returned to running 5 days/week to see if my legs can handle the increased load with the modified shoe inserts my PT made to combat my shin issue. I've been running a pre-conditioning plan over the summer to acclimate to the 5 day/week schedule before starting up the Space Coast training plan in mid-August. Fingers crossed, so far so good. So all I've got left on the docket for this year is to PR Space Coast and then bridge that into a healthy, fun Dopey.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: Dopey training starts for me in a couple weeks, so that'll take me through the rest of 2019!

 

[TheHamm]

QOTD: Now that more then half the year is gone, what are your running goals for the rest of the year? Has it changed from what your goals were for the whole year?

I like this type of question!

Short term goal- stay healthy for the next week and a half, start, finish, and enjoy my first half marathon- it IS at Disney so it has to be at least a bit fun, right?
Shortish term goal- run throughout the winter! I was pretty scared off of a NY Day run as it had rained the day before and was hovering around freezing (in conflict with goal above), but I did not hate the treadmill, even if I could not bring myself to do a long run on it. So, I want to keep up the lunch hour running outside through out the winter.
Longer term: Stay healthy, pick a second half marathon, run more this year than last, find a training plan I like.

I did start, finish, and enjoy both my first and second half marathon, and am signed up for a third. I am happy I ran outside most of the winter when there was no ice, but did not run as far as I had planned. Summer running should be easier than February, but it is not. I am still on track to run more this year than last, and I still do not seem to do well picking any sort of training.

I do not have ambitious goals at this time- stay healthy and happy are the ones I can commit to. I had hoped to work on speed over the summer, but that is going nowhere and I am reevaluating my desire to do so. I really cannot decide if signing up for a September race would help with my motivation or just leave me feeling defeated when I do not train as I think I should. I feel I have unfinished business with the distance, but I am not going to address it at Wine & Dine (It will be a fun run, not a do-over), and I am not sure the September option is my time. At this point my plan is to run the remainder of this summer as if I will run a half, and be fine dropping to a 10K after some family stuff is settled in mid-August. I aim to watch my kids run their first kids dashes, and hopefully do the turkey trot mile with them over Thanksgiving.

 

[roxymama]

Hmmm… maybe I should sign up as well

DO IT!!!! They removed the out and back around mile 5 down on the southern end of the course that I remember you not being a fan of.

ATTQOTD: I don't remember if I had a specific goal at the start of this year. Last year it was to run my marathon. And then I think I hit a goal wall. Because I finally did the "big one." In the spring I meant to try to break my HM PR but that didn't work out. So halfway point I'm into the beginning of my new training plan which is to run my first 10 mile race and to then back it up with a good showing at the HC15k a few weeks later. Will hopefully net me a new POT for future rundisney races since the one I'd been living off of is bound to expire soon. So my new goal is to just get back on track basically and run some fun races. And then decide when to rundisney again.