The Running Thread - 2021

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

And never hit snooze!

Best advice ever!

 

[bovie]

Set your clothes out the night before.

Remind yourself when your alarm goes off why you don’t have time to run later and if you skip this run, you might skip more, and then whatever you’re training for (race, health, whatever...) will not be as good as it could have been.

I set them out. I really like the idea of reminding myself of the "why."

I've did 95% of my runs on the treadmill last year.

The "forcing myself to start" is the hard part for sure! The treadmill I have access to is pretty old and not the most cushion-y, so I think I'll be better off outside if I can swing it. Major props to you for rocking the tread!

I am an afternoon/evening runner the majority of the time but I've come across some podcasts discussion becoming a morning runner or just sticking to a morning routine.

Coaches on Couches
Brad Kearns

Listened to the first one and plan to do the second. Super practical advice.

I wouldn't tell you to suck it up, BUT, for me at least, dreading the cold before I get out there is almost always worse than it actually feels once I get going.

Agree. Kinda a "rip off the band-aid" thing I think.

I will not say that to you, but to ask you to consider that the old expression "there is no bad weather, just bad clothes" is generally true. I don't know how cold is cold to you, but for me almost anything above zero is workable if not real windy or icy.

Ya know, I went though the drawers and realized I actually have several of what you listed here. Not really in multiples, but enough to get me through tomorrow. It's supposed to be around 20 tomorrow. I don't anticipate much if any ice, so that's good.

Last winter when I was training for my first Disney Marathon I started getting up really early for my runs to practice for the early morning on Marathon weekend--and I live in Minnesota, so it was occasionally cold...

• If you're a coffee drinker, a big help for me is prepping coffee the night before--or get a coffee machine with an automated timer so it's already made for you!
• Setting your alarm clock (or phone, if that's your alarm) on the other side of your bedroom, like on your dresser, so you have to get up and walk across the room to shut it off instead of just reaching over to shut it off. And never hit snooze!

Good luck!

Shout out to you for getting out in real cold weather! I think I'm going to plan on coffee when I get back. I love the seven beautiful minutes of snooze SO MUCH, so will have to push through this.

Sleep in your running clothes. Yep, it's weird, but it makes it more work NOT to run than run. Along those same lines, prep coffee, water, shoes, socks, breakfast, vehicle, whatever it is you need to get out the door.
And watch this everyday:

I kinda love this, but I don't know if I could sleep in leggings? That video is great. I wanna go run right now.

 

[PrincessV]

All right, y'all. I think the time has come that I'm going to have to become a morning runner. I've just missed too much lately, and I'm getting frustrated with myself and with other demands on my time. I wouldn't mind it if it weren't for the cold right now. I think it's going to be waking up, driving to a spot with a sidewalk, and getting it done. I do have access to a treadmill if super desperate, but I'd rather not. Any tips/ wisdom??

Feel free to tell me to suck it up and not be a wimp.

You've gotten, and will get, lots of good advice on making morning runs happen. I'm here to say if they aren't working out for you, find a way to make something else work. I hate morning running. It leaves me tired the rest of the day, and I just don't enjoy it the way I do in the early evenings. I do suck it up and do some weekday morning runs in summer, only because I live in FL and the cumulative fatigue of months of extreme heat is a killer. But since I've been working from home, I decided to try doing all of my runs in the early mornings, and after a few months... I hated it. I'm back to running when I'm done with work, around 5pm, and I'm MUCH happier! If doing the morning thing winds up working for you, fantastic!! But if it doesn't, I encourage you to consider other options.

 

[bovie]

Well guys, AM run #1 in the books. I can't promise this will last, but I kinda loved it. @Kerry1957, you are 100% correct regarding clothing choices. It honestly wasn't worse than a 45 degree run once dressed appropriately. Granted, I was wearing every truly warm piece of running clothing I own. The only thing really cold was my face at first, and my legs/ butt a bit. Really hope I can make this a habit.

 

[SheHulk]

Well guys, AM run #1 in the books. I can't promise this will last, but I kinda loved it. @Kerry1957, you are 100% correct regarding clothing choices. It honestly wasn't worse than a 45 degree run once dressed appropriately. Granted, I was wearing every truly warm piece of running clothing I own. The only thing really cold was my face at first, and my legs/ butt a bit. Really hope I can make this a habit.

Now you don't have it hanging over your head the rest of the day that you have to get your run in!

Related to all this, I had to get out in 5 degree windchill today, and as predicted, the dread of it was much worse than the actual doing it because I dressed appropriately. I was rewarded with a Bart Yasso sighting at the end of my run (for all you old Runner's World readers)! He was heading out as I was walking to my car. If the weather is good enough for Bart, it's good enough for me!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

If doing the morning thing winds up working for you, fantastic!! But if it doesn't, I encourage you to consider other options.

Along these lines, I think it's better to figure out what works best for you then to pursue something just because it works great for someone else.

 

[GreatLakes]

I will not say that to you, but to ask you to consider that the old expression "there is no bad weather, just bad clothes" is generally true. I don't know how cold is cold to you, but for me almost anything above zero is workable if not real windy or icy. I'm a fan of Smartwool for base layers (light weight and heavy weight), socks (run cold), and hats (regular and balaclava) and bought an Arc'teryx lined shell. None of it is cheap but I am now comfortable running the trails above 5 or 10 degrees with a base layer, a runDisney shirt, and the the jacket. I also have nano ice spikes, but will skip a day if the trails are really icy. The nano spikes work well, but for me I don't get a natural roll of my foot/shoe with each stride so I won't wear them for runs over 4 miles or so. I also wear tights/leggings (guys don't know what to call them) below 40 degrees, sweatpants below 25 degrees, and both below zero.

My mantra (stolen from somebody else) is that if you are not cold during the first mile you are wearing too much, and if you are not warm by the third mile then you are not wearing enough. Yesterday was a good example (24 degrees, cloudy, but with almost no wind in Chicago)...my hands were cold during the first mile or two with regular running gloves, they were fine for the next couple of miles, and I took them off for the last couple of miles.

I really just wanted to quote this to reinforce it. Good winter running gear isn't cheap but it will last if you take care of it and a few well through out layers can get you down into the negative digits. If you haven't done a trail run in the snow while more is falling you are really missing out.

I wanted to add it is a good idea to take notes on the temp and wind chill, how you dressed, and how you felt. It is easy to forget that adding that third layer made you miserable a few miles in when you are just staring out in the cold but good notes on previous runs will help you dress appropriately.

 

[FFigawi]

I really just wanted to quote this to reinforce it. Good winter running gear isn't cheap but it will last if you take care of it and a few well through out layers can get you down into the negative digits. If you haven't done a trail run in the snow while more is falling you are really missing out.

I wanted to add it is a good idea to take notes on the temp and wind chill, how you dressed, and how you felt. It is easy to forget that adding that third layer made you miserable a few miles in when you are just staring out in the cold but good notes on previous runs will help you dress appropriately.

Adding to the discussion on running in the cold....you should always feel a little chilly when starting your run. If you’re comfortable at mile 0, you’re going to be overheated and miserable by mile 2.

 

[DIS-OH]

Just popping in to say “hello” and to let you know real life has prevented me from dropping in here as much as I’d like.

Both my mother-in-law and father-in-law had been in declining health for some time and things have progressed to the point my husband and I have had to step in. Up until two weeks ago, they were living somewhat independently in their own home. It became clear that is no longer possible, so we have some decisions to make.

I miss being here and hope to be back as soon as possible.

 

[SheHulk]

January running:
Total miles: 132.6
Average pace: 11:50/mi

Getting ready for the virtual Princess half!

 

[shellott-hill]

January Totals...

Activities 20
Total Distance 130.94 mi
Total Activity Time 20:50:57 h:m:s
Activity Calories 14,456 C
Total Elev Gain 4,498 ft
Average Speed 6.3 mph
Average Heart Rate 144 bpm
Average Run Cadence 175 spm

 

[Bree]

I can’t believe January is over already! I met my monthly goal of 100 miles, ran my fastest mile and completed the WDW Virtual Half Marathon.

January Running
Miles: 107.20
Total Time: 18:26:11
Average Pace 10:19

 

[huskies90]

January miles = 145

Pretty average/uneventful running month for me.

2020 total miles = 1,777
2019 total miles = 1,656
2018 total miles = 1,673

 

[avondale]

January 2021

running: 127.9 mi
--average pace: 12:44 min/mi
--total time: 27.14 hr

walking: 75.3 mi

tennis: 8 hr

My running level is finally back to a pretty normal amount after my marathon in November. Walking is down quite a bit from December, but I got a ton of walking miles in December between Christmas and New Year's for a Garmin challenge. Tennis is way down from normal at this time of year - in January 2020, I played 20 hours of tennis.

 

[flav]

January 2021 totals
Distance: 192.8km (120mi)
Average pace: 6m34s/km (10:37/mi)

The road and weather conditions were pretty good for January. It allowed me to complete my training plan pretty much at the target paces.

I had time trial today and I really, really, really did not feel like doing it up until the day before when coach told me that the goal wasn’t necessarily to PR. So I took it as building my time trials experience and settled for a fast but not fastest 10k. I demonstrated that I could replicate my PR or better on a consistent way if I wanted to.

 

[gjramsey]

January Totals:

Total Miles - 155.98 mi
Total Time - 22:03:27 h:m:s
Average Pace - 8:29
Avg HR - 141 bpm
hiking/walking/biking - ~30 mile

Not too sure where January went!

 

[Guidman]

January Totals
231.33 miles
7:13 avg/mile

 

[Smilelea]

January Totals:
101.5 run miles 13:14 avg pace
15.9 walk miles
21.37 other miles

9:01 - 1 mile PR!

January was a good month as far as fitness goes. The boys received their kids race medals for MW so that motivated them to get out and walk, which gave me a few more walking miles too.

 

[Novatrix]

Has anyone tried the Yaktrax run traction cleats? I'm trying to find something that will allow me to feel stable running on thick black ice.

January Totals:
102.8 miles
9:30 min/mile pace
Total Time: 16:16:25 hr:min:s

 

[FFigawi]

Has anyone tried the Yaktrax run traction cleats? I'm trying to find something that will allow me to feel stable running on thick black ice.

I used them when I lived in Russia. They're best on packed, frozen, and hard snow. They're decent on ice.