The Running Thread -- 2022

[HangWithMerida]

The month isn’t over yet. You’ve got time.

Rest days are sacred!!

 

[garneska]

May
Total Miles: 128
Avg pace: 7:50

Chaperoned my son's class 5k (ended up just being one student, even my son ditched me to run the 2k ). Somehow got major blisters trying to keep up with the walk/sprints. Silver lining is that my son wants to do the 5k with me next year!

 

[FFigawi]

Garmin went and made my next watch decision a little more difficult with the 955 release today. It looks like the features that it comes with that aren't on the Fenix 7/EPIX will eventually gt back ported so I need to decide if the better screen is worth $500.

I really want to upgrade from my 945

 

[Dopey 2020]

May
111.4 miles
10:28 avg pace

Happy to get my hundred miles with marathon taper and recovery.
Pace was slower than anticipated, we’ll see how summer maintenance goes.

 

[kps7795]

May
0 miles
0 avg pace

I still have two more weeks until my doctor authorized me to begin running again. However, I have swum 12,320 meters in my pool.

 

[GreatLakes]

I really want to upgrade from my 945

Right there with you. The total lack of stock for either is making me be a little more patient. I bought the 945 the day it was announce.

 

[FFigawi]

Right there with you. The total lack of stock for either is making me be a little more patient. I bought the 945 the day it was announce.

Same same. Glad I didn’t pull the trigger on the Epix. It’s a beautiful watch but I like the weight and feel of the Forerunner line better.

 

[Herding_Cats]

QOTD: Bears. Seems from some fb reports that there is a mama with 3 cubs that has been hanging out along my usual route. They have moved into the area and this is the 3rd or 4th sighting within a mile of my house, along my route, I've seen posted in the last week. What considerations (if any) do you take into account regarding wildlife during your runs, especially in the spring when there are babies/protective mamas?

I get the whole "they're more scared of you than you are of them" thing, but babies change the dynamic for sure this time of year. (There was a girl out on a run who was attacked by a mama bear a year or 2 ago about an hour south of where i live.)

 

[GreatLakes]

QOTD: Bears. Seems from some fb reports that there is a mama with 3 cubs that has been hanging out along my usual route. They have moved into the area and this is the 3rd or 4th sighting within a mile of my house, along my route, I've seen posted in the last week. What considerations (if any) do you take into account regarding wildlife during your runs, especially in the spring when there are babies/protective mamas?

I get the whole "they're more scared of you than you are of them" thing, but babies change the dynamic for sure this time of year. (There was a girl out on a run who was attacked by a mama bear a year or 2 ago about an hour south of where i live.)

The only animal I really worry about around here are ticks, no apex predators. I use Deet, never run shirtless on trails, and do a tick check when I'm done. If I'm traveling somewhere with trails I plan to run I'll do some research first but so far all the trails I've run have been in OH, WV, and PA in areas where ticks are the biggest concern.

 

[garneska]

@Herding_Cats i dont have to worry about running into a bear when I run (live in the city) but i do hike. I hike in black bear country. I have only run into bears a few times and honestly they have been pretty far away and on their way somewhere else. If I were running and saw a bear i would definitely stop. Hopefully they are moving away from you. If they start to come towards you be big (wave arms in the air) and LOUD. It should scare them to leave.

 

[HangWithMerida]

@Herding_Cats I also don’t run in bear country but have done a fair bit of hiking. My biggest concern is aggressive unleashed dogs. Does bear spray come in small cans? I’ve only ever had the big ones when I went hiking. Getting big and loud will likely do the trick but if there was a real chance of a bear encounter on my run, I would probably want some bear spray. That is scary!

 

[RuntheMouse]

@Herding_Cats I run in bear country and carry a small pepper spray and a small pocket knife with me when alone. I don’t worry too much but when I have an encounter with ANY wild animal I like to give them space and remember I’m in their “yard” and they have always gone about their business and left me alone. Like @HangWithMerida I am more concerned with unleashed dogs.

 

[Cabius]

Welp, I think I pulled a hamstring last night. I felt a snap or pop (definitely not a crackle) during a sprint interval, and an immediate sharp pain. I walked the rest of the way home (about 2 miles) without much pain, but it definitely felt off, and would hurt if I tried to jog on it.

It doesn't seem too bad. It doesn't hurt if I am sitting, standing, laying down, or walking with limited motion. It mostly feels very tight, and hurts only if I try to run on it or if I sort of twist that leg. There's swelling on the surface -- almost like a big welt -- but that's it so far.

I'm going to be diligent with RICE for a few days and see how things go, or if I need to go see a doctor. I'm hoping it's minor and I'll be back on the trails in a couple of weeks. We'll see...

 

[The Expert]

I live in the city and mostly run on a treadmill, but I have been doing wildlife photography for 15+ years in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Carry bear spray or pepper spray if you can, or they make small air horns. Those work well for dogs too and don't require proximity. It also helps to make noise so they hear you approaching. Sing, tie bells to your shoes, clap, etc.

 

[azrivest]

It also helps to make noise so they hear you approaching. Sing, tie bells to your shoes, clap, etc.

Was going to say the same thing. Be noisy so they hear you coming and have time to hide

 

[SheHulk]

Worst I've had is a seemingly rabid raccoon on the side of the rail trail. I was so afraid it would come at me that i literally stood there and watched it instead of running past, for like 5 minutes. There were maybe 3 other people like me paralyzed with fear. Finally a woman came jogging down the trail, and after assessing the situation, sighed, "Oh for Pete's sake," in a German accent, and just kept going. We all sheepishly went about our business and the raccoon didn't attack.

Oh but we did come across a bear on a hike many years ago. Our then-8-year-old was in front of us a bit. We heard him yell, "BEAR!!!!" and a bear went running away. My life flashed before my eyes. But I guess he just naturally did the right thing, he yelled and the bear ran away. I guess you can do like DS and yell at it if you see it. Cubs make me way more leery though. I'm a scaredy-cat.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Did you know today is National Doughnut Day? Why yes, I did plan my lunchtime run to include a stop at Krispy Kreme. Then I ran the last 0.5 miles home carrying the bag with my free doughnut


ID: a pair of running shoes with a Krispy Kreme doughnut bag between them

Bonus pic: my dog hoping the doughnut was for him

ID: same as above but with a Rottweiler sniffing the doughnut bag

 

[Naomeri]

PR’ed my half today! Either by 12 minutes (13.1 miles) or 5 minutes (course time/13.63 miles)

Race Report here

 

[Disney at Heart]

Got my Peachtree Road Race number today: time group C.

I will have to check when I get home but i am expecting my group to be similar.

DH and I got wave J—1:00 to 1:15 or something. Just right for me! I had 1:11 last year, I think, and that was with a stop to pet Mallory, which was more important than time last year!

 

[avondale]

QOTD: Bears. Seems from some fb reports that there is a mama with 3 cubs that has been hanging out along my usual route. They have moved into the area and this is the 3rd or 4th sighting within a mile of my house, along my route, I've seen posted in the last week. What considerations (if any) do you take into account regarding wildlife during your runs, especially in the spring when there are babies/protective mamas?

I get the whole "they're more scared of you than you are of them" thing, but babies change the dynamic for sure this time of year. (There was a girl out on a run who was attacked by a mama bear a year or 2 ago about an hour south of where i live.)

OK, so I have had two encounters with black bears that have required yelling/action.

The first time was hiking in Grand Teton National Park in 2017. My husband and I were heading back to the car, about 1/4 mile from the trailhead, when a woman and her teenage son came walking quickly our way and said there was a bear walking up the path. (It had been in the parking lot looking for garbage, despite the bear-proof garbage cans.) It wasn't close enough to be a threat yet, but kept walking up the path. We started yelling and clapping and waving our arms. It kept sauntering on toward us (I figure the trail was the path of least resistance.) A family of three came up behind us and necessarily joined us in our yelling and waving. I think we got two more people in our group, and finally the bear turned off the path and walked parallel to the path, maybe 20 feet off. Once it got by us and heading to wherever it was going, we all proceeded on our way to the trailhead - and we did report the bear to the park rangers.

My big take-away from that is that the advice to yell, make noise, and wave your arms to look big does let the bear know you're there, but he's not necessarily going to be scared at all of you - he will just avoid a confrontation. (By the way, my husband did have bear spray in case of a charge, but it didn't get to that.)

The second bear encounter that I've head was when I was running alone on the road after sunrise in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, within a resort-type residential area. This part of the resort had single-family houses well spaced out and lots of woods. I had just stopped at my turn-around point and heard something cracking branches coming out of the wood. I was expecting deer. No, a black bear maybe 50 feet away. (Oh crap!) He looked my way, and I immediately waved my arms big - instantly he turned away from me and crossed the road back into woods. As he crossed, I could see he must have had an injured back leg/paw because he wasn't walking on it. The woods were pretty sparse in that area and a decent number of folks were out walking their dogs, etc., so I warned people I ran into - apparently the bear was known to be around.

At any rate, I would recommend that you BE AWARE of your surroundings - maybe don't use those headphones, for example. If you see the bear, stop, wave your arms and yell. Don't expect her to run off like a scared deer, but she'll avoid an encounter if she can. Back away at a walk - don't run.

Making noise as you go can be useful, but the park rangers we've talked to have said that things like "bear bells" aren't really very effective - it's human voices that are what the bears will avoid. While hiking in bear country, we have encountered humans playing singing (or the humans themselves singing) to make themselves known.