The Running Thread -- 2022

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

@garneska, @Disney at Heart, and any other North Georgia runners: I registered for the Hartwell Dam Run 5K. I'm not in shape to race and I'm going on a mini-vacation right before the race, so will be 27:15-ish. (Fat, drunk, and stupid in no way to go through life, son).

5K is nearly dead flat (74 ft total ascent), scenic views of the lake the whole way, you get to start in one state and finish in another, and you get to say 'Dam' as much as you want. Registration close May 3rd.

https://www.classicraceservices.com/event-details/44th-annual-lake-hartwell-dam-run-5k-10k

 

[Guidman]

Pittsburgh Half Recap
It'd be an understatement to say I was pumped up for this with the race being canceled the last two years. It was great to have it back for the city. The weather all week shifted from high 40s and clear to upper 50s and rain forecast at some point. There was some brief drizzle during the national anthem and intermittent rain for the first few miles but nothing too bad until mile 10. It started to be pretty steady then, picked up a bit over the next few miles and mile 13 was basically in a downpour.

The plan/goal was to run in the 1:28-1:29 range, so be around 6:45/mile. I guess it was excitement since I went out in 6:34 for the first few miles. Slowed down a bit through mile 9. There's a bridge at mile 10.5 that is a steady incline for close to a half mile, didn't slow down too much there. The last ~1.5 mile is downhill or flat so you can really hammer it to finish. Finished in 1:26:07, new PR by 10 seconds. Didn't expect that to happen at all, legs felt great the whole time.

Even with the rain, I had an awesome time. Everyone seemed really excited to have the races back. They had a pretty good elite field too for here (J. Ward, A. Abdirahman, J. Hasay, A. Tuliamuk, C. Rotich).

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Me: I can run many miles fast! (First sub-2 HM, woo!)
Also me but several hours later: mY mAxImUm SpEeD iS tWo MiLeS pEr HoUr

Race days are fun

 

[DopeyBadger]

April 2022 Training Summary

Running duration = 25:26 hours
Running mileage = 178.0 miles
Average Pace = 8:35 min/mile (about 70 sec/mile slower than recent Marathon)
Average HR = 126 (19 bpm less than recent Marathon)
Strength Training = 0:39:45 hours
Total Training Time = 26:06 hours

G training = 1.2 miles

April was a good month for me. Just in a holding pattern for now. I haven't completely committed to my next training cycle yet, but based on the amount of time until the Madison M (28 weeks) I'm leaning towards just continuing this holding pattern until July. I'm considering switching things up and following a Canova style training plan this time around. It isn't wildly different than any other marathon training plan I've used recently, but he offers his own unique twists that I'd like to see whether they work for me. So during this period of time before the "real" training starts, he advises doing no more than 60 min per single run at what is a relatively easy pace. Also during this time, he suggests getting in the gym to build up power and explosion. So weights and plyo are on the docket for the next 8 weeks until the "general" phase begins. Pleasantly surprised with how many miles I'm putting in and still feeling good. I've mostly transitioned away from the treadmill after my post-Princess stint. G and I have two 5ks coming up (one in May and one in June).

 

[garneska]

@garneska, @Disney at Heart, and any other North Georgia runners: I registered for the Hartwell Dam Run 5K. I'm not in shape to race and I'm going on a mini-vacation right before the race, so will be 27:15-ish. (Fat, drunk, and stupid in no way to go through life, son).

5K is nearly dead flat (74 ft total ascent), scenic views of the lake the whole way, you get to start in one state and finish in another, and you get to say 'Dam' as much as you want. Registration close May 3rd.

https://www.classicraceservices.com/event-details/44th-annual-lake-hartwell-dam-run-5k-10k

@Disney at Heart how is the cell reception up there? I am on call next weekend so I have to be reachable. I have to see how long the drive is and find out about the cell service, ibut have not seen @OldSlowGoofyGuy in a while.

edit to add ugh 2 hours to get there and on call. Going to think about it.

everyone in for PTRR?

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

My targeted ads have been showing me recovery sandals/footwear. (Oofas. I think) has anyone tried them, or other brands?

 

[sandam1]

My targeted ads have been showing me recovery sandals/footwear. (Oofas. I think) has anyone tried them, or other brands?

Oofos are the BEST! I have been wearing them around the house virtually non-stop since this past fall when my PT told me that I shouldn't be walking around barefoot. They aren't cheap, but they are worth it.

 

[Disney at Heart]

@garneska, @Disney at Heart, and any other North Georgia runners: I registered for the Hartwell Dam Run 5K. I'm not in shape to race and I'm going on a mini-vacation right before the race, so will be 27:15-ish. (Fat, drunk, and stupid in no way to go through life, son).

5K is nearly dead flat (74 ft total ascent), scenic views of the lake the whole way, you get to start in one state and finish in another, and you get to say 'Dam' as much as you want. Registration close May 3rd.

https://www.classicraceservices.com/event-details/44th-annual-lake-hartwell-dam-run-5k-10k

Glad you are going to make it! The Lake Hartwell Dam Run does have the most beautiful dam scenery! There’s no pressure to have your best dam pace, but with the flat course, many people do! I’ll be handing out bibs starting about 7:00 and then running the 10K. Holler at me when you check in.

@Disney at Heart how is the cell reception up there? I am on call next weekend so I have to be reachable. I have to see how long the drive is and find out about the cell service, ibut have not seen @OldSlowGoofyGuy in a while.

edit to add ugh 2 hours to get there and on call. Going to think about it.

everyone in for PTRR?

Cell reception is very good, at least for Verizon and AT&T. That’s all I really know about. It is a 2 hour drive, but generally easy. Just up I-85 until the last 25 minutes through the countryside. Hope you can make it!

And YES to PTRR and Embassy Suites Buckhead.

 

[camaker]

My targeted ads have been showing me recovery sandals/footwear. (Oofas. I think) has anyone tried them, or other brands?

Try to find somewhere you can try them on before buying them. Oofos tend to be very polarizing. People either love them and think they're the absolute best product ever made or really dislike them a lot. It's all about what your feet like. I fall into the latter camp. When I put them on, the arches are so high and firm, I feel like I'm walking on seesaws. Very uncomfortable. I have found the Hoka Oras to be better for my feet.

 

[HangWithMerida]

My targeted ads have been showing me recovery sandals/footwear. (Oofas. I think) has anyone tried them, or other brands?

I have a pair of slides and a pair of flip flops from PR Soles. Love them! Not the most attractive shoes but super comfy. Could be a good option if the arch thing mentioned above doesn‘t work for you as the footbed isn’t molded.

 

[Jillfo]

88 miles for April
347.1 miles YTD 2022

 

[GollyGadget]

Pittsburgh Half Recap
It'd be an understatement to say I was pumped up for this with the race being canceled the last two years. It was great to have it back for the city. The weather all week shifted from high 40s and clear to upper 50s and rain forecast at some point. There was some brief drizzle during the national anthem and intermittent rain for the first few miles but nothing too bad until mile 10. It started to be pretty steady then, picked up a bit over the next few miles and mile 13 was basically in a downpour.

The plan/goal was to run in the 1:28-1:29 range, so be around 6:45/mile. I guess it was excitement since I went out in 6:34 for the first few miles. Slowed down a bit through mile 9. There's a bridge at mile 10.5 that is a steady incline for close to a half mile, didn't slow down too much there. The last ~1.5 mile is downhill or flat so you can really hammer it to finish. Finished in 1:26:07, new PR by 10 seconds. Didn't expect that to happen at all, legs felt great the whole time.

Even with the rain, I had an awesome time. Everyone seemed really excited to have the races back. They had a pretty good elite field too for here (J. Ward, A. Abdirahman, J. Hasay, A. Tuliamuk, C. Rotich).

Congrats on the pr! It's awesome that you found the good in a race with less than ideal conditions.

Me: I can run many miles fast! (First sub-2 HM, woo!)
Also me but several hours later: mY mAxImUm SpEeD iS tWo MiLeS pEr HoUr

Race days are fun

Way to go on breaking the 2 hour barrier! Hopefully your walking returns to normal in a few days

 

[pluto377]

Race Report- LI Half marathon

I was supposed to run this in 2020, so I was glad to finally get it done. However, I was in much better shape 2 years ago. For where I'm at, I had a great race and my pace was pretty much exactly what I expected. Weather was perfect with a start temp around 54, although I would have like a little more cloud cover. It was a very sunny course.

I really struggled in miles 9, 10 and 11. The course was pretty flat, but so boring. So so boring. There was no entertainment, no spectators and I was so slow I was basically alone the entire time. It felt more like a supported long run than a race. Once I hit mile 12 I put my @DopeyBadger fast finish training into action and managed to get a last mile time that was 30+ seconds faster than the previous mile.

The other demoralizing thing about this race was that there was a marathon also today, so it was a 2 loop course for the full runners and 1 loop for the half. I was passed by the lead marathoner at like mile 8.5. Not really the boost you need when you're struggling, lol.

The lesson for me after this one is that I can't do anything longer than a 10K unless it's a huge race with lots of crowd support and entertainment and all the bells and whistles.

One funny thing- Around 6 miles in I was approaching a runner from behind and I saw her put her hand up to signal a walk break (totally unnecessary as there was no one around her). Then I saw her pull over to the side of the course and take a selfie with an astronaut statue. As I passed her about a 1/2 mile later, I slowed and asked if she was a runDisney runner. I mean, who else would take selfies and signal walk breaks? And sure enough, she was wearing a runDisney Rival Run shirt and told me she's aiming for her first Dopey in January!

 

[Novatrix]

April Totals
Miles: 80.6 miles
Avg Pace: 8:51/mile
My marathon that I was training for at the end of May was postponed by a week, and since a) the new date would take place after several days of hiking in Yosemite and 1st visit to Disneyland and b) I had lost training time in January and February due to injury, I figured there was no way I could PR the event so I withdrew from the race. Severely took my foot off the training accelerator once the date change was announced, as my next marathon isn't until October.

Now on to the beginning of May totals...
Race Recap: Broad Street Run

Broad Street Run, back to its normal date and time for the first time since 2019. This was the 42nd annual run, with two runners in the field having completed the event every year since inception! 20,276 runners finished this year, over twice the number who finished during last year's postponed October date.

Since it's such a large race, everyone was sorted into different color corrals based on predicted on finish time (honor system). The corral starts are spaced 3 to 5 minutes apart (depending on how large the previous corral size.) Every corral is released to the sound of the Rocky theme and then the runners are off running south on Broad Street.

It's a net downhill course (132ft ascent, 266 ft descent) going through the center of Philadelphia. Similar to last October, it didn't end in its traditional location of the Naval Shipping Yard due to construction, instead looping us off Broad street. I still prefer this revised course to the traditional one, as it's a shorter walk back to Citizen's Bank parking.

Weather was my version of perfect for the run today, with a 50F start rising to 55F by the time I finished, no wind and sunny. I paid more attention to the landmarks this year than I had in any previous year (I've run it 3 times before in person), as while I was pushing myself I wasn't pushing myself to the point of exhaustion. Also, this was my first time running the race that my final mile was significantly faster than the previous 7 miles (still went out fast on the 1st two), so a win there. It was just a nice day to be out for a run, a nice course, a ton of crowd support (although less than pre-covid, at the race organizer's request) and a really great finish area. (Free Kodiak pancakes, Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and Ketel One vodka samples make for a heck of a combination.)

Went in mentally thinking I'd be around 1:18, was pleasantly surprised at finishing with 1:16:37. All in all, a good day.

 

[Dopey 2020]

April
101.1 miles
avg pace 10:00/mile

Happy with that including a week vacation at Disney with only a few short runs. We’ll see how May goes with a couple long runs this/next week and then prepare for the Steel Rail Marathon towards the end of the month.

 

[flav]

21k de Montréal race report part 1 (April 23 2022)

Warning, this is long, I have two years of quiet to catch-up!

I choose that race when planning for the year in January. I wanted to add an opportunity for a faster HM. DD was later offered a race at the same event to represent the school foundation and raise funds. She choose her favourite distance, the 5k. Interestingly, my mom and I had raised funds for them the year before when everything, including the 21k de Montréal, was virtual.

As the months passed, I became a bit negative about the race: I didn’t like the medal, friends had chosen Ottawa instead, I skipped a few training sessions because of work and vacations, rain was forecasted, etc. To add to DD and I disappointment, another completely separate event canceled their 5k race so we had to shuffle some of her plan to peak two weeks earlier. Packet pickup would have been difficult and annoying because it was only offered Thursday and Friday until 7PM but the school nicely picked up both of ours and I was very grateful for it.

Road and bridge congestion was announced for that weekend so we planned for taking the public transit midway to get there. Plus parking onsite was expensive. The were no car on the road so we decided to finish the drive and save 45 minutes of efforts. Plus the car could offer some warmth in the mean time. We arrived two hours before the 5k start

The school principal, the chair of the board and the foundation organizers were waiting for all the school runners. We talked running. They were thoroughly impressed that their top fundraiser was also aiming for a sub-20 5k… at 14 years old.

The sky was clear but it was cold. After her warmup routine, DD was less shivering but decided to change into a long sleeves when it was time to remove her coat and pin her bib. I walked with her towards the first corral and she told me that it was a good day, that she had it in her. She took her position surrounded by men a solid head taller than her. They took off. I had not long to wait to see the first ones come back. It was eventually DD passing the timing mat: third woman with a time of 19:22. They took a picture of the first three right away. You can guess which one is DD:



It turns out there were no podium and no medal other than the finishers’ medal, unlike what was on the website. Maybe it will come in the mail. She got congratulated by many. The most amazing tribute came from a stranger she ran with. They realized they had the same tempo and kept challenging each other during the race. When he realized she was getting tired with 500m to go, he gestured her “like at the 2021 Olympics Marathon“ and encouraged her. She said she would not have made it without him. He came and talked to us. He was amazed by her maturity as an athlete. They became allies and friends while running that speed. To all runners I say, any small gesture of encouragement can have a huge impact on someone else self confidence! Amazing! Thanks C.

Looking at the results later, we learnt that the displayed leaderboard shows gun-time of 19:24 irrespective of chip-time. We also saw that the fourth woman had the same gun-time as DD (she is right behind her on the arrival pictures). The reverse positions would have been crushing. We noted that the same lady won first place on the 10k earlier that day so we also know that she would have been faster otherwise. Respect and congratulations to her. Lesson learned for where to place yourself in a corral even if you look like a small kid amongst a sea of grownup men!

For some reasons, the fifth lady was 5 minutes and a half slower which almost made me regret not changing for the 5k. But DD needed to shine by herself and I needed to gather my energy and enthusiasm for the HM the next day!

 

[flav]

21k de Montréal race report part 2 (April 24 2022)

I already mentioned how I was not looking forward to that race. I knew my preparation was suboptimal so I wasn’t sure what my objectives were. The choices were: beat my official PR (1:55:48), improve/officialise my unofficial PR (1:54:01), get a Disney POT (1:53:44) or aim for the stars (1:49:59). I settled on a strategy after talking to coach: Run between my M to start (5:27 min/km) and my HM tempo (5:13 min/km) and try to hold it as long as I could. That would tell the most about my current fitness and still potentially beat my official PR.

The night before, my neighbour called to offer me a ride with her running club who were volunteering at the race. I accepted. The weather forecast put back rain as a solid possibility.

The next morning, as I was reluctantly getting ready, DH said that it was a good thing that I was going with other people that would pump me up a bit about the race. Thanks to them, I made it early and in a better mood. It was very cold though. I admit to staying in the bathroom building to warmup. Plus my stomach was not feeling that great.

After my warmup routine, I went to the bag check and switched from short to long to short sleeves all the way to the table. With only a few minutes to spare, I positioned myself in the corral between the 1:50 and the 2:00 pacers. Go!

Besides the fact that I was losing my pants at the beginning (I have many of the same and took the slightly too loose one), I settled at a pace that felt comfortable for a HM. There was gravel on one of the km. The views of the city were nice. First 5k in 26:24 (5:17 per km) I took two Cliff Blocks.

The route was exposed to wind for the next 10k. The race is held on St-Hélène and Notre Dame Islands, right on the St-Lawrence River. We went around the water bassin used for boat races (canoe, kayak, …) and open water swimming events. And also on the F1 track, circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

I mostly reconnected on the joys of racing in that portion. There is one of the supporters that I saw a few times that was calmly telly people to keep their rythme. Then there was my car pooling friends that encouraged me. And there is even someone who recognized me on course and yelled my name. I ran the second 5k in 26:31.

I was slightly annoyed that there were not timing mats at km 15 or 16 (10 miler) so I took screenshots. The third 5k was in 27:04. I knew I was slightly slower. I had needed a boost and taken a Maurten 100 CAF but water was scarce. So after I found some, I switched to my bottles filled with Maurten 320.

The last few km were tougher. I figured why give up now and slow down, might as well give what you can and see the result. I finally crossed the finish line and my phone rang, DD was calling to congratulate me. She’s the one who announced me that I finished in 1:53:32 (5:23 min/km average). It is a PR (and even a S2 PoT ).

I gathered my medal which I will hang proudly. It is an accomplishment that I am happy about. It means that my base is good. That I can perform even when I feel the odds are against me. And that there is a chance that I will continue improving. Most of all, it is the first time I push speed in a race without hating it. Maybe it had to do with lower expectation hence lower pressure.

Now the best celebration will be running with the leaves budding and the flowers blooming! Thanks for reading.

 

[SheHulk]

My targeted ads have been showing me recovery sandals/footwear. (Oofas. I think) has anyone tried them, or other brands?

When I put them on, the arches are so high and firm, I feel like I'm walking on seesaws. Very uncomfortable. I have found the Hoka Oras to be better for my feet.

I loooooove my Oofos and it's exactly because of that high arch. I always want a high arch in my running shoes and can never find arches high enough. I can't walk around barefoot in the house, it leads to running injuries somehow, so I wear them constantly inside. But, yes, try them first by all means.

 

[HangWithMerida]

@flav Congrats on the new PR and yay for POT! Way to stick with it even when you weren’t really feeling your race. And congrats to your daughter as well. Super speedy!!

 

[FFigawi]

@flav congrats to both you and your daughter!