The Running Thread -- 2022

[fatmanatee]

An absolute blast and the toughest race of my life. Def recommend if you can make it here but make sure you train hard for the hills.

 

[kps7795]

An absolute blast and the toughest race of my life. Def recommend if you can make it here but make sure you train hard for the hills.

View attachment 717064

Congratulations! I can't wait to hear about the race. Are you going to give us a race report?

 

[Herding_Cats]

QOTD:
We runners do tend to like our accessories (this is possibly the most expensive "free" sport there is!) so today I'm wondering about recovery shoes such as Oofos, hoka oras, etc. Do you like them? Use them? Hated them? Not worth the cost?


after my long run yesterday my feet were angry with me and I essentially limped around the house for the rest of the night (which is VERY similar to what happened after i ran the half last year for MW and made my a bit panic-y about how i'd feel about the full.) I'm fine today, but I'm wondering if recovery shoes could be something to add to my christmas list...

 

[sandam1]

QOTD:
We runners do tend to like our accessories (this is possibly the most expensive "free" sport there is!) so today I'm wondering about recovery shoes such as Oofos, hoka oras, etc. Do you like them? Use them? Hated them? Not worth the cost?

I adore my Oofos slides. I wear them all of the time at home and as much as I can get away with at work. The slides work well because I can still wear socks. Not the height of fashion, I know, but comfort first.

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: I have a pair of Hoka recovery slides that I got for winning a race. I wear them once in a while--but not for recovery, mostly just too lazy to put something else on to go outside in. I have tried every so often to use them as a recovery aid--but honestly, I don't know what they're supposed to help you "recover" from! And since I don't have foot/leg issues, they don't do anything for me. Also, I am a barefoot person all the way.

 

[camaker]

QOTD:
We runners do tend to like our accessories (this is possibly the most expensive "free" sport there is!) so today I'm wondering about recovery shoes such as Oofos, hoka oras, etc. Do you like them? Use them? Hated them? Not worth the cost?


after my long run yesterday my feet were angry with me and I essentially limped around the house for the rest of the night (which is VERY similar to what happened after i ran the half last year for MW and made my a bit panic-y about how i'd feel about the full.) I'm fine today, but I'm wondering if recovery shoes could be something to add to my christmas list...

ATTQOTD: Running toys are always fun! I think there's an important follow-up question here, though. Do you have somewhere you can try some of the options on before asking for them for Christmas?

Hands down the most common response you're going to get is "OMG, get some Oofos, they're the best!" Which is true, unless it's not. Oofos are probably the most polarizing piece of running gear I've run across. People either absolutely love them or absolutely hate them. I can't wear them. The arch support is so high it makes me feel like I'm walking on seesaws. I like the Hoka Ora slides. The size of the cult following that Oofos have can't be a coincidence, though. As a result, I always suggest people find a way to try them on before buying. It would be such a bummer to get a nice pair of Oofos for Christmas unseen and unauditioned only for them not to work for YOUR feet!

 

[The Expert]

Oofos are probably the most polarizing piece of running gear I've run across. People either absolutely love them or absolutely hate them. I can't wear them. The arch support is so high it makes me feel like I'm walking on seesaws. I like the Hoka Ora slides. The size of the cult following that Oofos have can't be a coincidence, though. As a result, I always suggest people find a way to try them on before buying. It would be such a bummer to get a nice pair of Oofos for Christmas unseen and unauditioned only for them not to work for YOUR feet!

THIS! I bought a pair of Oofos at an rD expo one year and the arches were way too high for me. I also made the mistake of buying a flip-flop style when I can't stand flip-flops and anything between my toes. I ended up giving them to a running friend. I picked up a pair of Hoka slides from the REI end of summer sale and LOVE them. Definitely find somewhere you can try them out first.

I wear them after long runs or back-to-back runs when my feet or calves are hurting and they do help that soreness to go away faster. I even take them to WDW to wear them around the hotel after long park days. And you can wear compression socks with them! Again, not the height of fashion but at home or the hotel I don't care.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

ATTQOTD: Running toys are always fun! I think there's an important follow-up question here, though. Do you have somewhere you can try some of the options on before asking for them for Christmas?

Hands down the most common response you're going to get is "OMG, get some Oofos, they're the best!" Which is true, unless it's not. Oofos are probably the most polarizing piece of running gear I've run across. People either absolutely love them or absolutely hate them. I can't wear them. The arch support is so high it makes me feel like I'm walking on seesaws. I like the Hoka Ora slides. The size of the cult following that Oofos have can't be a coincidence, though. As a result, I always suggest people find a way to try them on before buying. It would be such a bummer to get a nice pair of Oofos for Christmas unseen and unauditioned only for them not to work for YOUR feet!

I got Oofos last year and I love them, but there was an adjustment period for sure. I do wear flip flops, but the design was maybe a little wider than I was used to. It also could've been the fact that almost two years into COVID and I hadn't worn shoes that often either. I'm barefoot most of the time at home, and if it's chilly, I have house slippers. When I started a hybrid model at work, the biggest change was having to wear shoes all day!

 

[azrivest]

ATTQOTD: I'm also team Hoka Ora

 

[SheHulk]

ATTQOTD: I walked around in the house barefoot most of my life. But once I started training harder, I started developing posterior tibial tendonitis. Even prior to this, I always thought shoes felt best when they had a really high arch support. I guess walking around barefoot with tight lower-leg muscles led to irritation of that tendon. Since I started wearing Oofos around the house instead of going barefoot, that problem has completely gone away (knock wood). I notice a difference even if I go barefoot in my house for a few hours now. Never going back. But that's because of my specific problem.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

ATTQOTD: I used to have Oofo slides and loved them as I need the arch support. Problem is my dog loved them too. After losing a second pair to her chewing (the only shoes she would chew) I couldn’t bring myself to buy another pair as I’m not great at remembering to make sure they are put up. I’ve now got Olukai slides that I love. Not as much cushioning as the Oofos, but just as good of arch support and comfort. And the dog doesn’t seem to like them which is a definite win!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

ATTQOTD: I love my Oofos but haven't tried any other brand. I do find that the "oomph" of the Oofos goes away fairly quickly-- I wear mine a lot (basically anytime I'm in my house). Whenever I replace a pair, I can definitely tell a difference. I plan on getting a new pair pretty close to MW.

I have both the slides and the flip flop version. My massage therapist told me the slides might be better for my feet because flip flops can result in curling toes for a grip.

I have worn them around parks and wore them when I was walking around Chicago for my triathlon and regretted it both times. My feet hurt afterward. I think they're more for leisure.

 

[xjillianpaige]

I have oofos and I like them. I don't know that I swear by them. I also have pretty easy/basic feet and would never wear shoes if it were socially acceptable to go barefoot. But I think I'll like my oofos more when I really wear them down a bit more.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: I don’t have actual recovery shoes, but the best feeling in the world is switching into my Sanuk Yoga Slings as soon as possible after a race. A woman after the half yesterday watched me switch into them and was like “that’s brilliant, I’m definitely doing that next time” so I, of course, gave her all the details and told her that there’s a Sanuk store in Disney Springs and that they might have discounts with the race bib (I know they did at Springtime)

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: nope, no recovery shoes for me. I pull on my knee-high compression socks and park myself on the couch for a while lol! If I have to go out somewhere, like grocery shopping, I just pull on my usual casual outdoor shoes - Birks or old running shoes.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'm starting to look at Christmas gifts (and birthday because my house has 3 birthdays less than 3 weeks after christmas) and I have a watch question because Black Friday is only 2.5 weeks away.

DS2 is getting serious about running. He's almost 15. Was #5 on his XC team this season (his team finished 7th at state finals) and he's seriously considering switching from baseball to track this spring because there's a pretty good chance that he could run in college, at least at the D3/4 level. (Him switching is a big deal because DH and I are both baseball coaches at his school.) Right now he has a FR35. I'm considering "upgrading" his watch (because combo xmas/bday gifts are definitely a thing hah!) and am looking for some input. I have compared stuff on the websites, and at this point it's going to come down to what's going to be the best value for the cost.

I want something for him that has a "track run" option, which means FR55, FR245/255/745/945 or a Fenix 6 or 7. Looking at battery life, the FR55, 945, and Fenix all will supposedly go 2wks on a charge without GPS, and the fenix and 945 are the winners on GPS battery life.

Pricewise today it looks like on amazon I would pay
FR55: $170
FR245: $205
FR255: $359ish
FR745: $389 (renewed) or $439
FR945: $351
Fenix 6pro: $389
Fenix 7: haha NO

Are the higher model numbers worth the additional cost? Less cadence lock? More accurate GPS? Is battery life the only "real" benefit?

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm starting to look at Christmas gifts (and birthday because my house has 3 birthdays less than 3 weeks after christmas) and I have a watch question because Black Friday is only 2.5 weeks away.

DS2 is getting serious about running. He's almost 15. Was #5 on his XC team this season (his team finished 7th at state finals) and he's seriously considering switching from baseball to track this spring because there's a pretty good chance that he could run in college, at least at the D3/4 level. (Him switching is a big deal because DH and I are both baseball coaches at his school.) Right now he has a FR35. I'm considering "upgrading" his watch (because combo xmas/bday gifts are definitely a thing hah!) and am looking for some input. I have compared stuff on the websites, and at this point it's going to come down to what's going to be the best value for the cost.

I want something for him that has a "track run" option, which means FR55, FR245/255/745/945 or a Fenix 6 or 7. Looking at battery life, the FR55, 945, and Fenix all will supposedly go 2wks on a charge without GPS, and the fenix and 945 are the winners on battery life.

Pricewise today it looks like on amazon I would pay
FR55: $170
FR245: $205
FR255: $359ish
FR745: $389 (renewed) or $439
FR945: $351
Fenix 6pro: $389
Fenix 7: haha NO

Are the higher model numbers worth the additional cost? Less cadence lock? More accurate GPS? Is battery life the only "real" benefit?

I have a Garmin 245 Music, and it's good enough for me. I guess the question is, is your DS2 going to be a super data junky and want all the data, or is he more likely just going to want an accurate watch that can measure optical HR in a closed system? I charge my watch every 3 days or so, run with Music (which drains battery), and do about 8-9hrs running per week. The watch takes about 45-60 min to fully charge.

 

[garneska]

@Herding_Cats I have a 945 and DH has the Fenix 6 (not pro). My watch prior to the 945 was the original Vioactive. I do like my 945 a lot more than my Vioactive. I don't have a lot of issues with cadence lock, it happens but not frequently. I don't have issues with my GPS but my DH has lots of issues with his. LOTS. We have also called Garmin help a few times because of it. All they ever did was software updates and it did not help. Point being you can get a dud watch regardless what you get. In fact I really don't want to change mine out because it is very consistent. I don't want to risk getting one with a bad GPS in it. As for charging i tend to charge mine when i am in the shower. I don't use most of the data but it is nice to have. I got the 945 because i was dabbling in triathlons and wanted something i could use for that. Plus i can use it for swimming.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I guess the question is, is your DS2 going to be a super data junky and want all the data, or is he more likely just going to want an accurate watch that can measure optical HR in a closed system?

See, this I don't know. He doesn't even use the lap button on his 35 right now when they do repeats, but at the end of the season he was *finally* at least pausing his watch during recovery intervals and resuming it for the workout portion of repeats. I think he doesn't really know what all his watch can do, and what he can do with the data. But I also don't necessarily want to close him off from it if he decides in a couple of years that he DOES want the data, if that makes sense.
His 35 lasts a few days, and charges quickly, but it was becoming an almost weekly occurrence where his watch would die during practice because he forgets to charge it. Kids. *sigh*


ALSO, not related at all, but I've been preaching making sure they keep their easy days easy and last night DS2 told me all about how his buddy at practice did his "easy run" at 5:58 pace and what a terrible idea that was. "HUNTER doesn't even run sub-6 on an easy day!" (Hunter, who is Mr XC for the state of Michigan this year.) "All he's doing to do is have a crappy workout tomorrow and get injured in the long run."

 

[DopeyBadger]

See, this I don't know. He doesn't even use the lap button on his 35 right now when they do repeats, but at the end of the season he was *finally* at least pausing his watch during recovery intervals and resuming it for the workout portion of repeats. I think he doesn't really know what all his watch can do, and what he can do with the data. But I also don't necessarily want to close him off from it if he decides in a couple of years that he DOES want the data, if that makes sense.
His 35 lasts a few days, and charges quickly, but it was becoming an almost weekly occurrence where his watch would die during practice because he forgets to charge it. Kids. *sigh*

Realistically though, if he does change in his mind for more in-depth data than even I collect (and I collect a lot of data on my self), then he'll probably want the newest fanciest watch in a few years anyways. It's not like the 245 cuts you off from an already deep well of data. My watches seem to last me about 2-4 years before I feel the need to upgrade. I got a Garmin 620 in Dec 2014, Garmin 235 in Dec 2016, and Garmin 245 in Sept 2021. It looks like the Garmin 245 claims 24hrs GPS battery life (no music) and the Garmin 35 claims 13hrs. So you'll get about double the battery life or half the headaches. The 255 says 30hrs and 945 says 36 hrs. So for $150 more you get 6-12 hrs more battery life.