The Running Thread - 2020

[Guidman]

ATTQOTD:
Cold with no wind for sure, don't mind running in 20F at all. Once you warm up after the first half mile, it feels fine. The sustained wind is going to be there the whole time plus add some gusts in too.

 

[GreatLakes]

I miss having a
Question of the Day:
Wind: Winter is stopping in to say hello a little early in my neighborhood, and with the flip flop comes some windy conditions. If you have flexibility in your day, do you decide to run in 20F with no wind (also no ice) or 40F with 20mph winds?

Colder with no wind for me. I won't even wear a running jacket until it gets into the 20s with a wind chill in the teens but wind is never fun.

 

[FFigawi]

I couldn't let these statistics go without tabulating my own. I am in Maryland, just a few miles north of DC.

These are my T+D stats for all runs (126) from May 1 - Nov. 7 this year, at my home location - I didn't count runs from when I was on vacation somewhere else. As a note, I usually do my runs in late afternoon/early evening, which would definitely cause a bias compared to a morning runner in my area.

T+D	# of runs	% of total
< 100	16	12.7%
100 - 109	12	9.5%
110 - 119	7	5.6%
120 - 129	19	15.1%
130 - 139	25	19.8%
140 - 149	19	15.1%
150 - 159	25	19.8%
>= 160	3	2.4%

So, 22% of my runs with T+D 150 and over. I feel like I start to notice it at about 130 and higher, especially for longer efforts, and that is 57% of my runs. Geez, I didn't realize it was that many. This was a warm summer here...I think we broke the record for most consecutive days over 90 F or something like that.

And I don't know why there are so few runs in the 100 - 109 range.

Well, damn. Now there's another data set I'm going to have to start tracking.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD: I think I would prefer the colder temp with no wind. Living in Kansas, I often have to run with wind and it’s not my favorite; however we call the wind ‘Kansas Hills’ since we don’t have many of those around here.
It’s looking like my virtual marathon on Saturday is going to be a fun one... 45, 15mph wind, and rain... (I’m hoping writing it down may improve the forecast.) Just another reminder to not take too much stock in earlier forecasts. A few days ago it was mid-50s for a low to mid-60s for a high with no rain... and it continually got worse. Yesterday it was showing mid-50s for a high, and I thought that would be okay for rain. 40s may just be miserable...
I don’t really have a better day to run the virtual marathon, so I’ll probably still go for it. There’s no prediction for it to be a storm with lightning, so I’m hoping that holds true.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I miss having a
Question of the Day:
Wind: Winter is stopping in to say hello a little early in my neighborhood, and with the flip flop comes some windy conditions. If you have flexibility in your day, do you decide to run in 20F with no wind (also no ice) or 40F with 20mph winds?

Answer: T+D calcs can help temper my subjective complaints and pick appropriate running times in the summer, but I do not have that backstop in the winter. I have an arbitrary whining point of 25F this early into winter, so this is a challenging question for me to answer. If it is a sunny 20F, I will go out but if it is dark or overcast I'm probably picking wind and possibly cutting the run short.

Cold with no wind for me. Some runs are hard enough, the last thing I want it to be making it harder by running into the wind. Now, as someone said earlier, if it is 100% at my back, then give me the wind all day long. I don't mind the cold. I am actually a bit bummed. Our new house is on a very narrow road with lots of hills and turns so running on the side of the road can be hairy because there are so many blind spots. We also have no street lights so I haven't felt brave enough to run in the dark yet. With winter almost hear it means my only chance to run outside is on the weekends during the day. It has me on the treadmill during the week. I will say, the new treadmill we bought has been MUCH better than expected. I just pick a route anywhere in the world and it adjusts to the terrain so it's like I am running on the road. No more boring treadmill runs anymore. I don't know why but hill running on a treadmill feels way harder than the street.

 

[Waiting2goback]

On a side note, I haven't been around here much, again, because my knee pain is gone and I have been able to exercise consistently. I seemed to have corrected the knee pain with stretching and cross training. I bought a vertical climber so now I am alternating between running and the vertical climber to reduce impact. That along with some resistance training (which I never did before) seems to be working. I am still taking it slow but hopeful that I can pull off the Disney Virtual 1/2 in January. At this point the 10K won't be an issue so I am hoping to add both medals in January!

 

[GreatLakes]

Cold with no wind for me. Some runs are hard enough, the last thing I want it to be making it harder by running into the wind. Now, as someone said earlier, if it is 100% at my back, then give me the wind all day long. I don't mind the cold. I am actually a bit bummed. Our new house is on a very narrow road with lots of hills and turns so running on the side of the road can be hairy because there are so many blind spots. We also have no street lights so I haven't felt brave enough to run in the dark yet. With winter almost hear it means my only chance to run outside is on the weekends during the day. It has me on the treadmill during the week. I will say, the new treadmill we bought has been MUCH better than expected. I just pick a route anywhere in the world and it adjusts to the terrain so it's like I am running on the road. No more boring treadmill runs anymore. I don't know why but hill running on a treadmill feels way harder than the street.

I have a few roads like that around me. I've found that as long as you are not wearing headphone and really pay attention you can hear the cars in advance and get on the berm if they are on the other side of a blind hill. Have you tried a headlamp? I never really considered one for the roads and then I won one in a raffle and love it on dark nights if I'm running somewhere without streetlights.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I have a few roads like that around me. I've found that as long as you are not wearing headphone and really pay attention you can hear the cars in advance and get on the berm if they are on the other side of a blind hill. Have you tried a headlamp? I never really considered one for the roads and then I won one in a raffle and love it on dark nights if I'm running somewhere without streetlights.

I have a headlamp. I ran outside all winter last year. I love running outside even in the cold. I have all the reflective gear, and a Noxgear vest. So gear isn't the issue. But even during the day people drive around these corners like animals. There isn't a road around me better than the next.

I attached a shot from google maps showing one of the points of concern. I run against traffic so I can see the cars coming. See how if I am on the left side and a car is coming they would have a hard time seeing me and there is hardly any room for me to move over if needed. I have thought about crossing the street at these points but do I want to cross in the dark on a blind corner. There are about 6 or 7 spots like this and on the left is a reservoir, which is nice to run next to, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to dive over a guardrail into water either.

I am sure I will try it at some point and see how it feels. But so far I am not hating the new treadmill. I have run in CA a bunch of times, Disney, and HI. You would think HI would be nice running next to the ocean but so far the routes I picked were all hills. Oof! We'll see what happens.

 

[TheHamm]

I am sure I will try it at some point and see how it feels. But so far I am not hating the new treadmill. I have run in CA a bunch of times, Disney, and HI. You would think HI would be nice running next to the ocean but so far the routes I picked were all hills. Oof! We'll see what happens.

I was surprised that even running parallel to the beach meant lots of hills in HI!

 

[shellott-hill]

I prefer the warmer. It is because I live in an area where most of my runs are in the cold range. It gets old pretty quick!

I get cold easily and mostly wear a wicking layer, a fleece and then a running coat for the wind. With that I typically include a gator for keeping my neck warm, gloves and a toque. If I am training for a Florida race, I add extra layers to try and get my body used to the hotter weather.

If the temperature drops below -15C (5F), that's when I move the running to the treadmill.

 

[1GoldenSun]

Does anyone here use Currex insoles? Do they work better for plantar fasciitis than less expensive insoles? For my everyday shoes (non-running) I've tried a variety of insoles and haven't found the expensive ones to work any better than the cheaper ones, but the sales people at my local running shoe store say the Currex are the best.

 

[Kerry1957]

Does anyone here use Currex insoles? Do they work better for plantar fasciitis than less expensive insoles? For my everyday shoes (non-running) I've tried a variety of insoles and haven't found the expensive ones to work any better than the cheaper ones, but the sales people at my local running shoe store say the Currex are the best.

I am currently using Powerstep Pinnacle in my road shoes and Powerstep Originals in my trail shoes and both seem to work well. I had a pretty bad case of plantar fasciitis last year and the insoles, combined with a cheap boot from Amazon cleared things up. It seems a boot does not help everyone, or maybe not even most people, but it did help me.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I am currently using Powerstep Pinnacle in my road shoes and Powerstep Originals in my trail shoes and both seem to work well. I had a pretty bad case of plantar fasciitis last year and the insoles, combined with a cheap boot from Amazon cleared things up. It seems a boot does not help everyone, or maybe not even most people, but it did help me.

Thanks! I ordered a boot off Amazon and just slept in it for the first time last night. It may be purely psychological, but I feel like the foot that was in the boot is a little better than the other one this morning. I'm planning on switching between feet every night.

I've used Powerstep Original in my regular shoes and liked them. It's hard to know if there will be any real difference between insoles, and there can big a BIG difference in price. All the information I can find online is all over the place with no real consistency.

 

[garneska]

I use the boot. I switch it every night and I have been wearing it now for years. It was the only thing that helped but it took me 6 months of wearing it (actually at that point one on each foot) every night to get it to clear up. Now I can wear one boot and switch and when needed Gina few days without.

dont give up on it. It still may not help but it took me 6 months.

 

[PrincessV]

Does anyone here use Currex insoles?

I've never had PF, so I can't speak to that part. But I used Currex in some shoes that needed a bit more arch than provided in the sock liner and liked them. They're very well made and last forever, in my experience.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I was surprised that even running parallel to the beach meant lots of hills in HI!

That’s the tricky part, I wasn’t running along the beach. You can pick a route from google maps and I saw water so I picked a straightish road. It wasn’t along the beach. The whole state is an island so I happened to pick one of the roads that’s in the hills and to the left was cliff.

 

[GreatLakes]

I recommend using either Google Earth or the courses feature in Garmin if you are looking for a running route in an unfamiliar place. Both will give you an elevation chart.

Had my 5th in-person race of the year this weekend. It was a 5 mile trail race with multiple start times and each start time had everyone go off single file. The first half mile or so was on the road so you had plenty of room to get past anyone slower and into your own space before hitting the trails. I think I passed or was passed by a total of 5 people the entire time and there was no congrataging at the start of finish. All in all it was good to be out racing again and it felt safe.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

going to hop on the treadmill for a 5k turkey trot then prepare to overindulge

 

[Kerry1957]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

going to hop on the treadmill for a 5k turkey trot then prepare to overindulge

I'm off to do a "do it yourself" 5K turkey trot as well. Trying for a modern day (not 40 years ago in my early 20s) PR. I rarely run a 5K so I have a chance.

 

[flav]

I was supposed to try to beat my PR on the mile today (with a Cider Miler medal) in honour of American Thanksgiving (since imperial distances are an American thing) but the road conditions are horrendous. In the best case I would have an excuse for not succeeding and, otherwise, I would risk a serious injury. So I will go for a slow careful run and reschedule the mile trial to this weekend. Thanks for reading.
Happy Thanksgiving neighbors!