The Running Thread - 2018

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: Wow, this is tough to pick just one. Never been to Boston or Tokyo, been to Paris and will be going to Berlin and London this summer. Would love to run any of these.

But at the end of the day, I think Boston is the Holy Grail so will go with it.

Bonus: Don't drink coffee! I love the smell of just ground coffee beans, but never liked the taste!

 

[FlashAM7]

ATTQOTD: New York. I would say Boston but I would rather earn it and qualify on my own than be given automatic entry.

Bonus: Love coffee. I will normally drink 2-3 cups every morning. The best cups of coffee I've had have been from Kona Cafe at the Poly, Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco, or Blue Mountain Coffee when I was in Jamaica.

 

[AFwifelife]

ATTQOTD: I would have to pick Berlin because I love love love Germany. Haven’t been back since high school. Runner up would be Tokyo because I haven’t traveled to that part of the world yet.

Bonus: I’m not a picky coffee drinker but I do drink it most days. Lately I haven’t been able to drink it in the morning due to tummy grumbles but I try to get a cup or two in midday.

 

[Disney at Heart]

ATTQOTD: I don’t want to run any major world marathons, because I can’t take the pressure of being competitive at my age, but can I just take all the trips and have fun being a tourist?

ATTBQOTD: @camaker @Jules76126 @Barca33Runner @KSellers88 @gjramsey Wow! I thought I was the only one in the world who doesn’t like coffee.
During 30 years of school teaching, coffee was the only beverage offered at most meetings. I’d mix coffee, water, and creamer, then add two tsp sugar. Then I’d sip a little, get a queasy stomach and shaky hands, and pour it out. DH always orders a pot at Kona Cafe, and I have actually been able to finish a cup. The best coffee I’ve ever tasted, but that’s not saying much.

 

[Novatrix]

ATTQOTD: Definitely Tokyo since we're including hotel and airfare in this hypothetical scenario. I've been to all the other places, and would love the excuse to visit Asia. Plus, I could always arrange the flights to have an extended layover in Fiji or Hawaii on the return for some much deserved marathon recovery. That hotel's still included under this hypothetical scenario, right?

Bonus QOTD: I adore coffee, even though I mostly drink tea and have quite the collection of both. My favorite coffee ever was a medium blend from Red Frog Roasters in Costa Rica, but my daily go to is Trader joe's shade grown ground espresso blend. To add sugar would be sacrilege, just add a dash of milk/cream to change the color from black to brown, then off you go.

So, after a much better than expected race this weekend, it looks like I'll be doing Dopey this year! I basically set as a goal that I would do Dopey once I broke the 2 hour half marathon mark, and despite a cold drizzly day with vicious headwind at the Jersey Shore on Sunday I ran a half in 1:51:01. I'm super pleased at beating my previous PR (set last October) by 21 minutes, but there's a small part of me that keeps whispering if I'd only run a minute and 2 seconds faster I could be in corral A for Disney races. I'll hopefully get it next time though. #firstworldproblems

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: If you were to get free entry into a World Marathon Major race of your choice (including airfare and hotel), which one would you choose? Is this a race you've run before or one you'd be running for the first time?

Bonus QOTD (continuing with our beverage theme): Coffee. Let's talk coffee. Do you drink it? How much? How often? What's your favorite coffee?

This is hard. I’d love to do Boston or New York. I’ve heard incredible things about both. If I had to choose I’d probably say Boston because it’s harder to get into. New York at least has a lottery.

I drink coffee sometimes but not all the time. I usually am a Starbucks guy but it has to be something other than regular coffee like a white chocolate mocha.

 

[MissLiss279]

Have those of you who don't run with headphones due to safety concerns seen the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium and Trekz Air headphones? They use bone conduction technology to transmit sound through your cheekbones and sit in front of the ear, leaving it free to hear your surroundings. These were a game changer for me and especially welcome as I hate having earbuds stuck down into my ear canals. Not trying to convert anyone over who's not interested, but if you would like to be able to listen to things during running but were concerned about compromising your safety I think this design offers the best of both worlds. They also work great with glasses and sunglasses, too. BTW, that's not me in the picture. I've got more hair and don't look nearly so good...

So... I have purchased a pair of these this weekend. I’ve been doing a lot more runs on my own than I used to, and I’m still okay running with no music/audiobooks. I thought it would be nice and maybe help time go by a little quicker and I could get through my audiobooks faster. Tried them on a run for the first time yesterday. I like them. They are so weird, though! And you really can still hear everything around you. I have not been a fan of earbuds because they usually make my ears hurt after a while. I’m hoping they will work great on my plane ride to Disney this week. With the ear plugs, maybe that will help keep more of the plane noise down, and allow me to keep the volume down too. Thanks for the recommendation!

As a northerner who first encountered sweet tea around here (you wouldn't think it, but Baltimore is technically south of the Mason-Dixon line, it's a different world down here), YES. For me at least, sweetened iced tea is just enough sugar; sweet tea is instant diabetes. Holy cow it's sweet.

This reminded me, that it was adjustment for me to sweet tea, and now it’s hard to go back to sweetened tea.
I grew up in Oklahoma on sweetened ice tea. Then one summer I worked at a camp in the hill country of Texas where they had sweet tea every day for dinner. I had to water it down for the first several weeks, but eventual got used to it and drank it full strength. Now there is no going back! I also think Sweet Tea is more readily available at places than it used to be (or maybe I’m just paying attention to it more now...).

 

[Keels]

QOTD: If you were to get free entry into a World Marathon Major race of your choice (including airfare and hotel), which one would you choose? Is this a race you've run before or one you'd be running for the first time?

Tokyo, no question. London is my least-favorite foreign city, and I’ve been to Berlin once and don’t really feel the excitement about doing a marathon there.

I’m actually planning a 2020 trip to Tokyo for the Olympics, so maybe I just have Tokyo on the brain.

 

[TheHamm]

Question to the QOTD: In this fantasy, would I also have had time to train for a marathon?

ATTQOTD: Tokyo (1)I love Japan, and I have walked about half of the course in the past, but it would be fascinating to do the whole thing (2) The Japanese are always polite and they would kindly carry me off the course and seek medical attention for me, and apologize for making the course so difficult for someone who did not understand they needed to do more to prepare. (3) I could make it a family trip! We are planning this already, but DH and I seem to have the opportunity for work to pay for one of us only in the summer, which I will decline. (4) It is too early for Cherry Blossoms, but close to the time where Plum Blossoms come out, and I like that better. (5) Mos Burger is on the course, and I would stop. (6) in this fantasy, I could also pick the hotel, right? Because the hotels with buckwheat pillows are out, I want a western style hotel for pre-fantasy-race day.

ATTBQOTD: Coffee YES. More than I care to count. I did not drink coffee until mid-college when I worked as a bank teller and the only way to leave your window was to go for a cigarette or a cup of coffee. It was definitely swill, but then I was all in. My favorite coffee is Greenwell Farms full city roast, from Kona. Apparently they sell it to other companies and it is sold on the mainland under different names, but I swoon when DH orders it for Christmas and hopefully Mother's day. I do not share well and only brew it on Saturdays when we are not leaving the house so I can enjoy it. When it is not horrible outside I will go as far as waking up extra early to have a cup on the back porch before the family wakes.

 

[Dis5150]

ATTQOTD: Tokyo. I would love to visit Asia and go to all the Disney's over there after racing.

Bonus: I currently drink one cup of coffee a day. I have never liked coffee until this past year. But it is a cup on the lowest Keurig setting, topped off by Fairlife chocolate milk, cream and sf vanilla creamer. So it is less than half coffee, lol. I have to microwave it as it is totally cooled off by the time I add all that stuff to it. I'm thinking I will up my coffee game though - Thursday is my birthday and my mom bought me a turquoise, compact Keurig for my office. My DH recently started working out where I work and his office has terrible coffee (and he drinks it all day). So with the Keurig in my office I will get extra coffee for myself and visits from him during the day.

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: Chicago, for sentimental reasons. My grandfather ran this every year when they lived in the area; I was close to him, we used to walk together all the time and he always wanted me to be a runner. He passed away suddenly when I was 13, so he never got to see me take the sport up. He loved this race and he loved the city, so I have always wanted to do this in his memory.

The only city I have not been to before is Tokyo, so that would be cool too. I just hate flying that far!

Bonus: Must have a cup every morning. On the weekend I will have a second cup in the afternoon because it will keep me awake. During the week I just go for a Dark Roast K-Cup because I'm short on time (Green Mountain Dark Magic is my go-to). When time allows, we do freshly grind beans and brew via pour-over. We try to buy locally roasted beans, but I do love Kona blends. And I always drink it black!

 

[JBinORL]

Tokyo for financial reasons, London for impossible-to-get-into-otherwise reasons.

I’m actually planning a 2020 trip to Tokyo for the Olympics, so maybe I just have Tokyo on the brain.

Wife and I are doing the same! Tokyo has been on my bucket list for a long time, so we're going to combine that with an Olympics trip

 

[cburnett11]

ATTQOTD: I'd love to do Boston and hope to qualify someday. I'd probably choose one of the overseas races just to get the free airfare. I was lucky enough to get selected in this year's NY lottery, so will be able to check that one off in November.

ATTBQOTD: I drink a decent amount of coffee, but I'm not a coffee snob. I do appreciate a good cup, but don't always turn my nose up at lesser brews.

 

[SarahDisney]

Bonus QOTD: I love coffee! I would love to drink more of it, but unfortunately I have a bladder condition that flares when I have too many foods & beverages that are high in acidity. I have found a coffee maker that makes a decent low acid coffee and that is what I stick to most days, limiting my intake to a cup and a half, and occasionally I'll get a real coffee somewhere and savor it.

If you like iced coffee (I know not everyone does), you should try cold brew. Its significantly less acidic ... I think it's because there's no hot water involved, and the hot water is what brings out the acid in the coffee beans.

Bonus: I hate coffee. I don't get the appeal of a beverage that requires copious amounts of sugar and cream to somewhat (and only somewhat) mask the flavor of burnt bitterness. I'm also not a fan of hot drinks, in general. I'll slink away now before .

If you need copious amounts of cream and sugar, you're doing it wrong. For good coffee, only a little cream/milk (or nothing) will be fine.

Sitting here day 2 of no power (and no estimate of its return) and probably most pissed off at not being able to watch the marathon. Won't desert my dog to find a spot.

Yikes! I hope you get power back soon!

ATTQOTD: New York. I would say Boston but I would rather earn it and qualify on my own than be given automatic entry.

Imaginary welcome to my city!

So, after a much better than expected race this weekend, it looks like I'll be doing Dopey this year! I basically set as a goal that I would do Dopey once I broke the 2 hour half marathon mark, and despite a cold drizzly day with vicious headwind at the Jersey Shore on Sunday I ran a half in 1:51:01. I'm super pleased at beating my previous PR (set last October) by 21 minutes, but there's a small part of me that keeps whispering if I'd only run a minute and 2 seconds faster I could be in corral A for Disney races. I'll hopefully get it next time though. #firstworldproblems

Congrats on the new PR!

Question to the QOTD: In this fantasy, would I also have had time to train for a marathon?

Maybe?

 

[run.minnie.miles]

QOTD: If you were to get free entry into a World Marathon Major race of your choice (including airfare and hotel), which one would you choose? Is this a race you've run before or one you'd be running for the first time?

This is hard! I would be most honored to run Boston. But because William, Kate and Harry were in London a few years ago, I think I have to pick that on the off chance of seeing them

Bonus QOTD (continuing with our beverage theme): Coffee. Let's talk coffee. Do you drink it? How much? How often? What's your favorite coffee?

I love coffee! I find a good cup of coffee to be one of the best simple pleasures in life.

I drink a large cup of Starbucks Veranda Blend (blonde roast) black every morning.
About 2/3 of the time, I go for an afternoon latte. I am partial to a skinny cinnamon dolce latte (Starbucks), but also enjoy an iced caramel macchiato or a seasonal drink. I am fine with milk and sweetener in espresso or iced coffee, but never in hot brewed coffee. Also, aside from sensitives or allergies, I do not understand how anyone prefers almond or coconut "milk" over the real stuff.

 

[Keels]

Tokyo for financial reasons, London for impossible-to-get-into-otherwise reasons.



Wife and I are doing the same! Tokyo has been on my bucket list for a long time, so we're going to combine that with an Olympics trip

My husband HATES the Olympics, but has always wanted to go to Japan - so this is the perfect opportunity to get there ... he gets a trip paid for by work, I get to go to the Japanese Disney Parks! He’s still not totally on-board, but his boss is my friend so it will happen whether he likes it or not.

I’m actually trying to figure out a way to make it to all of the Asia parks while I’m in the relative area, since we’ll probably be there for at least three weeks.

 

[Barca33Runner]

If you need copious amounts of cream and sugar, you're doing it wrong. For good coffee, only a little cream/milk (or nothing) will be fine.

I know that's doing coffee wrong. Problem is, for me, there's no way to do it right. It's just not to my taste. As with alcohol, I'm glad there are people who like it and I'm happy to leave them my share.

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: I'd pass. The thought of running a full marathon terrifies me. My sights are on a half at this point. I'd cheer everyone else on though!

Bonus: I didn't start drinking coffee until a couple years ago. One cup a day, brewed from my old Keurig, usually an Aldi brand Colombian. Milk, 1 tsp sugar, and if its Sunday added chocolate and fat free reddi whip.

 

[Jules76126]

It is freezing in Boston and torrential rain. I feel bad for everyone running as the headwinds is also there. Definitely less spectators out today.

 

[JulieODC]

Just saw the elite women pass - amazing! But it is downright miserable out there.