The Running Thread - 2021

[Herding_Cats]

ideally, yes I would like to stick with in the garmin family since i'm pretty comfortable with the app and stuff at this point. Honestly, I don't *need* anything higher than my FR35 right now, but I would *prefer* something that is a little less clunky-looking since I wear it all the time. If DS would have said YES, I WOULD LIKE ONE on Monday (when I specifically asked both of them about one) I would have gotten the venu or vivoactive 4s. My biggest needs are: gps tracking, manual and auto-lap options, minimum 6 hour battery life in gps mode....more would be better, under $250 (under $200 would be even better,) and rosegold strongly preferred. I have looked at ALL of the options and open-box choices and I'm not finding what I want for the price I'm willing to pay.

 

[GreatLakes]

ideally, yes I would like to stick with in the garmin family since i'm pretty comfortable with the app and stuff at this point. Honestly, I don't *need* anything higher than my FR35 right now, but I would *prefer* something that is a little less clunky-looking since I wear it all the time. If DS would have said YES, I WOULD LIKE ONE on Monday (when I specifically asked both of them about one) I would have gotten the venu or vivoactive 4s. My biggest needs are: gps tracking, manual and auto-lap options, minimum 6 hour battery life in gps mode....more would be better, under $250 (under $200 would be even better,) and rosegold strongly preferred. I have looked at ALL of the options and open-box choices and I'm not finding what I want for the price I'm willing to pay.

With that criteria it looks like you have two Garmin options, the Venu Sq/music or the FR55. Assuming you don't care about the golf features it looks like you'll have more training options with the FR55 and more lifestyle and gym options with the Venu Sq. The Venu Sq Music edition comes in rose gold for $250.00.

 

[flav]

For those who run fast and want to BQ, you have until November 12th:
https://www.baa.org/baa-announces-2...Nm-F-zuW03AWgDiWllLQVasikH4XW5NI_TDAGi5m_s848ETA: Corrected the date. The qualifying window began on September 1, 2019 and will close at 5:00PM ET on Friday, November 12.

 

[dobball23]

I have a number of running shirts (moisture-wicking ones that I think are made of polyester). They are still in great condition. They smell clean after I wash them, but almost as soon as I put them on (even if I'm not going running) they start to smell. Does anyone have a similar scenario with their shirts? Any tips to get them so they don't smell immediately?

 

[LdyStormy76]

I have a number of running shirts (moisture-wicking ones that I think are made of polyester). They are still in great condition. They smell clean after I wash them, but almost as soon as I put them on (even if I'm not going running) they start to smell. Does anyone have a similar scenario with their shirts? Any tips to get them so they don't smell immediately?

Not running shirts, but my zoo volunteer shirts started doing the same in 2016. I began presoaking them in a vinegar and water mixture and air drying. I had a 5 gallon bucket that was just for soaking, and as soon as I took the shirt off it went into the bucket and soaked until laundry day. Added more vinegar/water each week. It took a while but things started to improve.

 

[dobball23]

Not running shirts, but my zoo volunteer shirts started doing the same in 2016. I began presoaking them in a vinegar and water mixture and air drying. I had a 5 gallon bucket that was just for soaking, and as soon as I took the shirt off it went into the bucket and soaked until laundry day. Added more vinegar/water each week. It took a while but things started to improve.

Thanks for the tip! Is there a ratio of water-to-vinegar that worked for you?

 

[Herding_Cats]

there's a company that makes a detergent specifically for tech fabric. I don't have this problem, but their reviews are very promising, and you can order just a sample pack to try it (would only be a few dollars to try it.) It's "rockin green platinum activewear detergent." I know about them as a cloth diaper detergent company that a LOT of my online friends used years ago when they were first starting out, so it's not like it's a brand new company making wild claims. YMMV, as always.

 

[LdyStormy76]

Thanks for the tip! Is there a ratio of water-to-vinegar that worked for you?

um, well, I just poured, then topped off to cover the shirt(s). If I had to guess, probably 1 quart vinegar to 2 quarts water, which is why I usually didn’t dump the bucket out each week and instead just kept adding more vinegar and water to the container so that the shirt(s) were always covered. I will suggest having a designated item to use to help push the shirt down until it is soaked and the air bubbles are out so your hand does not smell like vinegar.

 

[The Expert]

You can also add vinegar to the liquid soap or bleach dispenser on your washer. I do this with my towels when they start to get a little crusty.

 

[PrincessV]

I have a number of running shirts (moisture-wicking ones that I think are made of polyester). They are still in great condition. They smell clean after I wash them, but almost as soon as I put them on (even if I'm not going running) they start to smell. Does anyone have a similar scenario with their shirts? Any tips to get them so they don't smell immediately?

First, I hang my workout clothes to dry after wearing and before throwing into a hamper. I add 1/2 to 1 cup baking soda, depending on load size, to my tech clothes wash. Wash on warm, cool rinse, extra rinse, low heat dry. A couple of my oldest UA HeatGear shirts never get totally un-stinky anymore, but they're easily a decade old.

 

[GreatLakes]

I have a number of running shirts (moisture-wicking ones that I think are made of polyester). They are still in great condition. They smell clean after I wash them, but almost as soon as I put them on (even if I'm not going running) they start to smell. Does anyone have a similar scenario with their shirts? Any tips to get them so they don't smell immediately?

I highly recommend this Sport Wash from Atsko. I use it on all my tech clothes and have no issues at all with odor. A little goes a long way.

Anything Merino Wool you'll want to take off after your run and let air dry. It may seem weird at first but you should not wash Merino wool after every wash. I can get about 10 runs in before I wash and hang dry mine.

 

[Grabnar]

I highly recommend this Sport Wash from Atsko. I use it on all my tech clothes and have no issues at all with odor. A little goes a long way.

Anything Merino Wool you'll want to take off after your run and let air dry. It may seem weird at first but you should not wash Merino wool after every wash. I can get about 10 runs in before I wash and hang dry mine.

Merino wool solved this issue for me. Poly tech clothes are problematic, nylon less so. Other recs from the thread work well for me on non-wool clothes. Definitely looking into the activewear detergent recommended though!

 

[Herding_Cats]

I have a shoe-rotation question! I will preface it with the statement that I like shoes, so it’s skews a little more to the “useful” than the “absolute necessity” side of things.

When I got fitted for shoes last summer I got NB880s. And my feet have no issues. But the 1080s came in teal and were on a very nice sale, so I bought myself a pair in January. I have since learned that my feet don’t love the 1080s past about 6 miles. I have been taking turns with both pairs (using the 1080s for shorter <4mi runs and the 880s for longer runs) but I’m wondering if I should look into getting another pair of 880s at some point this summer so that I’m not running in new shoes in October.

I probably put 100-150mi on the 880s last year (mostly treadmill) and have run about 240mi so far this year splitting the mileage between the 2 pairs, and have around 300-350mi left on my training plan.

Is this a useful idea? Me simply trying to justify another pair of shoes? Total overkill?

 

[flav]

I have a shoe-rotation question! I will preface it with the statement that I like shoes, so it’s skews a little more to the “useful” than the “absolute necessity” side of things.

When I got fitted for shoes last summer I got NB880s. And my feet have no issues. But the 1080s came in teal and were on a very nice sale, so I bought myself a pair in January. I have since learned that my feet don’t love the 1080s past about 6 miles. I have been taking turns with both pairs (using the 1080s for shorter <4mi runs and the 880s for longer runs) but I’m wondering if I should look into getting another pair of 880s at some point this summer so that I’m not running in new shoes in October.

I probably put 100-150mi on the 880s last year (mostly treadmill) and have run about 240mi so far this year splitting the mileage between the 2 pairs, and have around 300-350mi left on my training plan.

Is this a useful idea? Me simply trying to justify another pair of shoes? Total overkill?

At the beginning of my running journey, like you, I was careful to buy shoes only when I was almost done with them. I am now in a “if there is a good sale on a nice color, buy it”. I have three pairs in rotation. I use the most used one for shorter runs. I try to keep a stash ready and do not delay retiring a pair when required. Also, it makes good gift ideas so that is a fun and useful way to build a stash. If you find the pair you like now, why not buy it? You should not have to break it in for very long if it is something you used before.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD

I usually replace my shoes when they get to around 300-350 miles. I do usually rotate 2-3 pairs of shoes. I also like to run races in shoes that have less than 100 miles (and typically more than 10 miles). If they are same version of a shoe that I have been running in, I usually only need a couple runs to make sure they feel good.

@Herding_Cats I think based on the amount of miles you have run, it would make sense to go ahead and get a new pair of shoes, and start breaking them in, but only use them sparingly until your race.

 

[ShelATX]

I'm in agreement with the rotating shoes idea. It serves my feet and legs better to do this. I start my new shoes out on the treadmill (I use it in bad weather), then promote them to outdoor long trail runs after they are a bit broken in, which doesn't take too long.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I mean....I may or may not have a rewards credit with JackRabbit right now, and when we take the kids "back-to-school shopping" there's a NB outlet where we go.

My other thought is that the 880s I'm running in apparently changed when they put the new version out (I think the drop is different) so I'm kind of wondering if I need to "stock up" on the ones I currently have before they are all sold out.

 

[ShelATX]

I was faced with the same dilemma when a version upgrade changed my NB1500s. My decision was to buy a pair of each the previous and new versions. I found out shortly I preferred the previous so bought 3 more pair to store and use when needed. I used the newer version only for short runs or walks and the previous ones for my long runs.

 

[PrincessV]

Is this a useful idea? Me simply trying to justify another pair of shoes? Total overkill?

I have a stash of shoes because they change them every year and often not for the better - I stock up when I find something I like. I generally have one pair dedicated to long runs: they start out on short runs until I've got 15-20 miles on them, and then they only do long runs until they start feeling not-so-great - usually around 175-180ish miles. (I rarely get much more than around 200-250 miles out of a shoe, so at 175, they're nearing the end.) They then become short, easy run shoes until completely dead and retired. Meanwhile, I have a couple pairs of short run shoes rotating - some are shoes I love for a few miles but not longer, and some are dedicated for short speed efforts. Right now, I'm using 5 pairs in a 2-week cycle, and have 4 long run pairs in boxes to be rotated in when the current long run shoes retire.

 

[camaker]

My other thought is that the 880s I'm running in apparently changed when they put the new version out (I think the drop is different) so I'm kind of wondering if I need to "stock up" on the ones I currently have before they are all sold out.

I go through 6-7 pairs of shoes per year, so I wholeheartedly endorse the “stock up” strategy. In order to keep costs under control I typically buy one model year behind. When a new model is about to be released, I’ll buy a pair of the current model and “audition” them to make sure they still work for me. If they do, I’ll stock up on them as soon as they hit clearance.

I just got done with that process, as a matter of fact. Ghost 14s are due to release in July, so I bought a pair of Ghost 13s in May and put them into the rotation. They work just fine, so I’ve been stocking up on them using a combination of the clearance price and local running store coupons. In addition to the 2 pairs of Ghosts I currently run in, I have 1 pair each of Ghost 11 and 12 and 4 pairs of Ghost 13s in the closet. That’ll get me through to next May/June when I’ll start the whole process over again.