The Running Thread - 2020

[avondale]

I would however like to find a sports bra that I love, so recommendations needed please!

I will only run in ShockAbsorber Ultimate Run Bra or Ultimate Run Bra Padded:
https://www.shockabsorber.ca/sports-bras/ultimate-run-bra-1.html
I used to buy them through different sellers on Amazon, but in the past couple years they have been harder to find on Amazon, especially in my size. I finally dug around and found their actual website - they are a Canadian company. I ordered my last two directly from them.

They are pricey, but they are great quality and they don't chafe, at least for me. (I still use body glide for the most chafe-prone spots just in case, but some sports bras just chafe everywhere, it seems like.) Over the last 4 years, I have bought 9 of them and am still using the newest 6. Eventually I find that the band tightens with repeated washings.

For the Ultimate Run Bra, definitely size up one size on the band (but not the cup). For the padded version, which I got most recently, I sized up on the band but found that it was stretchier and I probably didn't need to do that.

Also, I've tried their Active Multi Sport Bra, and I just don't like it as much.

 

[jmasgat]

(Also, I have been told it's a bit odd that I haven't bought new socks in ~4 years but that's true!)

My Swiftwicks are probably 10 years old, so don't feel bad.

 

[GreatLakes]

Can I pop in with a question of the .... day/week/page166?

Are you dedicated to your running accessories or do you enjoy tossing aside the old for the new and unknown? Many on this thread have lamented the change in shoe design from year to year, what about the rest of your gear?

I tend to go through cycles and I'll pay more for quality that will last. Socks I'm not all that particular about provided they are the right material and thickness and they are the accessory that wears out the most. The accessories I care the most about are for winter running. Last year I started to buy more Merino wool and investing in higher quality winter accessories. I have some items from Tracksmith that I love but my Smartwool 250 series top has been the best winter running purchase I have made. If I'm doing a hard effort I can get down the the low 20's without any other layer on top.

I have run in Mizuno Wave Riders for years but this summer switched to the Wave Shadow. I like having a slightly less built shoe but for winter I think it won't be enough so I just added some On Cloudflows to the rotation. I was also looking for less drop which the Ons give me. I've only done one treadmill and one road run in them so far but I like them.

 

[TheHamm]

I will only run in ShockAbsorber Ultimate Run Bra or Ultimate Run Bra Padded:
https://www.shockabsorber.ca/sports-bras/ultimate-run-bra-1.html
I used to buy them through different sellers on Amazon, but in the past couple years they have been harder to find on Amazon, especially in my size. I finally dug around and found their actual website - they are a Canadian company. I ordered my last two directly from them.

They are pricey, but they are great quality and they don't chafe, at least for me. (I still use body glide for the most chafe-prone spots just in case, but some sports bras just chafe everywhere, it seems like.) Over the last 4 years, I have bought 9 of them and am still using the newest 6. Eventually I find that the band tightens with repeated washings.

For the Ultimate Run Bra, definitely size up one size on the band (but not the cup). For the padded version, which I got most recently, I sized up on the band but found that it was stretchier and I probably didn't need to do that.

Also, I've tried their Active Multi Sport Bra, and I just don't like it as much.

This is very helpful! I have had the best luck getting them from Title9, but zero luck in 2020. I find your assessment of the sizing to be accurate.

 

[flav]

I would however like to find a sports bra that I love, so recommendations needed please!

I use Anita Momentum

 

[Baloo in MI]

ATTQOTD:
I am not picky about shorts, shirts, socks or compression gear. I tend to wear what I found on sale while shopping for shoes. Honestly, at my core - I am cheap! But I am willing to spend on shoes and that is where I stick to their same shoe; Brooks Ghosts and Hoka Cliftons and Speedgoats. I have been running in these shoes for many years.

 

[huskies90]

ATTQOTD: I don’t have tons of running gear/accessories but I am pretty consistent. I always run with my Apple Watch and stream music to my Jaybirds. I went all in on Asics Nimbus shoes and socks and have only worn them for the last 4 years. And since I have five unopened boxes in my closet, that will continue for the next few years. For clothes, I am not very particular and wear anything that is moisture wicking but recently I have been favoring compression shirts - heatgear in the summer coldgear in the winter - mostly generic brands. I am not picky and I wear everything way beyond their useful life.

 

[SheHulk]

I use Anita Momentum

I've been running, off and on, for over 25 years. At least 15 of those years have been at a higher weight with more sophisticated bra needs if you know what I mean. And I never loved a bra in my life until I got the Anita Air Control at my local running shop. I never even heard of this brand before but it was a revelation.

 

[Jules76126]

I am not that particular about running clothes. I tend to buy most of shirts/shorts/leggings at TjMaxx. I do wear the same shoes each time - Nike Pegasus. I do have a pair of fleece lined pants from LL Bean that I absolutely love for winter running and will buy another pair when these wear out.

 

[Smilelea]

When I find something I like I do try to buy it again. Most of the time, it's discontinued but I have a hard time justifying buying a lot up front. I'm more particular about my brand/type of summer running clothes than my winter. I found some sports tanks at Walmart that I love but of course I can't find that style anymore. They still have the brand but the style changed. I'm not as particular when it comes to bras/shirts. I'm also not very particular on the brand of bottoms but more particular on the style and fit. I want deep/large pockets so my phone fits and I need snug so they don't fall down. I do try to go cheaper but I have a few pairs of sparkleskirts that I prefer for races. They are so pricey that I try not to train in them much so they'll last longer. I found a brand of socks and sweat/headbands several years ago that I prefer and Amazon still has them (thankfully because I need more).
I am not flexible on brand of shoes.

ETA: With that said, I hope to be getting a koala clip for Christmas.

If you do get it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I saw these advertised and am curious. I don't really like the belts but I usually need extra storage on me for longer races.

 

[avondale]

This is very helpful! I have had the best luck getting them from Title9, but zero luck in 2020. I find your assessment of the sizing to be accurate.

I saw that they were now sold by Title9, but only in the bigger cup sizes, which would not work for me. I have no reason why they limit them that way - maybe they are trying to push women with smaller cup sizes toward different bras?

 

[Z-Knight]

what thoughts do people have on the future of runDisney? The covid is killing the both Disney and non-Disney races. They have now cancelled Star Wars weekend - and the wording implies it (AT BEST) is being rethemed, so not even star wars possibly (which is odd, given the recent Star Wars shows/movies announcement) for that weekend. The Disneyland races have effectively been permanently scrapped - since no updates now in a long time. My Travel Agent tells me that a majority of the runDisney staff is still furloughed, so that can't be good for the future. This is rather depressing in all honesty.

edit: It doesn't bode well for Paris runDisney either - their website won't load...sigh: run.disneylandparis.com

 

[camaker]

what thoughts do people have on the future of runDisney? The covid is killing the both Disney and non-Disney races. They have now cancelled Star Wars weekend - and the wording implies it (AT BEST) is being rethemed, so not even star wars possibly (which is odd, given the recent Star Wars shows/movies announcement) for that weekend. The Disneyland races have effectively been permanently scrapped - since no updates now in a long time. My Travel Agent tells me that a majority of the runDisney staff is still furloughed, so that can't be good for the future. This is rather depressing in all honesty.

edit: It doesn't bode well for Paris runDisney either - their website won't load...sigh: run.disneylandparis.com

I think things will come back when the situation is back under control. The fact that they have continued to register and plan for the races is a positive thing. With races finding ways to adapt, Disney learning control strategies through the parks reopening and subsequently increasing capacity and things looking a bit better until this fall’s massive second wave, I think they were probably feeling pretty good about the prospects of an April race. Things took a turn for the worse and they were forced to act.

I think the re-theming is a separate issue. Just because Star Wars is popular in the general public doesn’t mean it’s a compelling draw for runners. They have had trouble selling out the theme after the initial excitement of the inaugural. It’s not hard for them to compare those difficulties to the massive excitement of the villains sub-theme of Wine and Dine and see advantages to having a new or rotating theme to draw in larger crowds.

As for the RunDisney staff still being furloughed, how does that indicate anything about the future? It would be far more shocking if they had been brought back before there was an in-person race imminent. When they’re needed, they’ll either be brought back or replaced.

 

[SheHulk]

I think the re-theming is a separate issue. Just because Star Wars is popular in the general public doesn’t mean it’s a compelling draw for runners. They have had trouble selling out the theme after the initial excitement of the inaugural. It’s not hard for them to compare those difficulties to the massive excitement of the villains sub-theme of Wine and Dine and see advantages to having a new or rotating theme to draw in larger crowds.

100% agree with all of this. Princess seems to be a perennial draw because it's an opportunity for a girls' weekend. Wine & Dine has that big party at night, and, well, food & drink, which is always a draw. Marathon Weekend is the Big Kahuna of course and people keep coming back. But Star Wars seemed late to sell out many years. And I say this as someone who is a little more than a casual Star Wars fan, who runs, and ran this race weekend once: I absolutely loved it and would do it again but it's not something I would have major FOMO over every year like Marathon Weekend. A rotating theme can stay fresh and drum up excitement. I'm by no means happy to see it go but I can see where runDisney is coming from.

 

[GreatLakes]

I'm a little torn on the Start Wars theme but I do think some spring marathon will come back. I'm a big Star WSars fan but never had any desire to do that race for some reason. There hasn't been an on-property Star Wars race weekend since the new land opened I don't think so I could see them trying another weekend that runs through that land. I don't know that it would be the same Star Wars theme as the current one but they have plenty of cannon to go for.

What I would like to see myself is an "Epcot Double". Have a spring race during Flower & Garden like the fall race during Food & Wine. Just like the W&D you keep it themed to the event but you can have different weekend mascots each year if you'd like. Since F&G is basically a F&W light at this point you can even do the after hours party.

The bonus for rD is they could add another challenge to it. Do an event in the spring and the fall you can get an extra medal or something.

 

[huskies90]

what thoughts do people have on the future of runDisney? The covid is killing the both Disney and non-Disney races. They have now cancelled Star Wars weekend - and the wording implies it (AT BEST) is being rethemed, so not even star wars possibly (which is odd, given the recent Star Wars shows/movies announcement) for that weekend. The Disneyland races have effectively been permanently scrapped - since no updates now in a long time. My Travel Agent tells me that a majority of the runDisney staff is still furloughed, so that can't be good for the future. This is rather depressing in all honesty.

edit: It doesn't bode well for Paris runDisney either - their website won't load...sigh: run.disneylandparis.com

I think Disney and other companies will use the pandemic to make unpopular changes they may have been wanting to make for business reasons but didn't due to backlash. It will boil down to how runDisney fits into their future business model and how profitable it is - either directly or indirectly through bringing more people to the parks, hotels, etc. I don’t think live races will disappear completely. But I do expect there to be changes especially after seeing how popular and obviously more profitable the virtual races have been. I also wouldn't be surprised that while some changes may anger some of their most loyal runDisney fans, they may come up with some cool new things that will make a broader group of potential customers (and maybe some of us) happy, too.

 

[TheHamm]

I saw that they were now sold by Title9, but only in the bigger cup sizes, which would not work for me. I have no reason why they limit them that way - maybe they are trying to push women with smaller cup sizes toward different bras?

When I found the shock absorber, T9 had exactly 3 options in my size. And I bought it despite my ire at being labeled "plus size" because there were not other options. I don't know that they are pushing customers to different products so much as they have many more products they think are better (more popular, higher margin?).

what thoughts do people have on the future of runDisney? The covid is killing the both Disney and non-Disney races. They have now cancelled Star Wars weekend - and the wording implies it (AT BEST) is being rethemed, so not even star wars possibly (which is odd, given the recent Star Wars shows/movies announcement) for that weekend. The Disneyland races have effectively been permanently scrapped - since no updates now in a long time. My Travel Agent tells me that a majority of the runDisney staff is still furloughed, so that can't be good for the future. This is rather depressing in all honesty.

edit: It doesn't bode well for Paris runDisney either - their website won't load...sigh: run.disneylandparis.com

I think the current social and economic situation has given many organizations an opportunity to reflect, consider if their current business model can be tweaked, and as @huskies90 states, make unpopular changes. This happened across many industries in 2009, and is happening now. DL races are a different beast than WDW, and I do not see a clear path those returning regardless of all the 2020 chaos. WDW races served a purpose without some of the Anaheim challenges- at the end of the day they were designed to fill hotels and sell tickets during lower attendance weekends. Given the current park capacity limits and new attendance patterns, they may not need to create buzz in the same way as before. It can also be imagined that even if it is believed they can execute the race in a manner consistent with park safety requirements, the revenue per runner is lower now given participant density, new cleaning, additional transport needs etc, making the bar for rD profitability very different than it was a year ago.

As for Star Wars specifically, this was the race that appeared to sell out latest. There are probably many of reasons for this- maybe people do not love the theme, maybe people do not want to run in Fl in March/April, maybe we are all tired of the same course over and over, etc. While there are people who will be sad at the theme not being SW, and people who will be disappointed at the loss of their legacy status, it is an opportunity to see how they can bring in more revenue. Even on this board, there have been questions about dreaming up our ideal rD event, and many creative answers. This 'pause' on rD events and the announced retheming may prove an opportunity to re-explore those 10 milers, night races, a new themes, and see if something works.

 

[BigEeyore]

what thoughts do people have on the future of runDisney?

I am optimistic that race weekends will be back. While I am heartbroken about the decision regarding SW, I don't think Disney is going to bail on the other three race weekends. The other 3 almost always sell out, and bring thousands of people to the parks and resorts during times of the year that attendance is usually low.
rD races are unique for what they offer - running thru the parks, character meets, beautiful medals, and the opportunity to enjoy the Disney parks after your race. And I don't know of any other 4 day event like Dopey anywhere in the US. So I feel like they will continue to be popular for years to come (once we all get back to some kind of normalcy!)

 

[GreatLakes]

I think Disney and other companies will use the pandemic to make unpopular changes they may have been wanting to make for business reasons but didn't due to backlash. It will boil down to how runDisney fits into their future business model and how profitable it is - either directly or indirectly through bringing more people to the parks, hotels, etc. I don’t think live races will disappear completely. But I do expect there to be changes especially after seeing how popular and obviously more profitable the virtual races have been. I also wouldn't be surprised that while some changes may anger some of their most loyal runDisney fans, they may come up with some cool new things that will make a broader group of potential customers (and maybe some of us) happy, too.

I do think there will be more virtual options for in-person races but I'm not sure about any other unpopular changes. If you eliminate the for-profit race companies, which I generally try to avoid anyway, I think most race directors will not want to make big negative changes that may scare away runners after a year they couldn't put on any (or many) races.

I have a feeling once it is safe to travel there is a lot of pent up demand. I've been chomping at the bit to travel again and had to cancel a lot of trips this year. I'm not going to rush back but once we are past the pandemic we already have a list of places we want to go. I think the race industry will benefit from that same pent up demand and we will see a lot more race travel once we get to late 2021 (hopefully) and beyond.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I am VERY particular about my running gear, and my pickiness increases with length of a run - things I'm fine with for a 5K may enrage me at mile 18.
Socks: SmartWool. Literally the only sock I'll wear anymore, for running and for non-running.
Shirts: There is but ONE tank in all of running tankdom I like - and Asics stopped making it. Fortunately, they last, because my pile of them is going on 8 years old and I've yet to find an adequate replacement.
Shoes: I HATE when I find the perfect shoe (looking at you, Glycerin 16) and the company goes and wrecks it (that's you, Glycerin 17)!