The Running Thread - 2018

[jennamfeo]

My CPA finally got back to us with our taxes and I was expecting to owe money, per usual, but not like this. Maybe I won't be doing Dopey. Hahahahahahha. I need a drink.

 

[PCFriar80]

My CPA finally got back to us with our taxes and I was expecting to owe money, per usual, but not like this. Maybe I won't be doing Dopey. Hahahahahahha. I need a drink.

You'll forget all about it by June 1st. The taxes that is, not the drink.

 

[jennamfeo]

You'll forget all about it by June 1st. The taxes that is, not the drink.

Maybe THAT'S why registration was delayed....

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Maybe THAT'S why registration was delayed....

I never even thought about that! (Our taxes have to be filed by March 1. bleh. I hate paying taxes.) I feel like this could almost work against rD though as so many people get tax returns.

 

[jmasgat]

Okay....after 2-1/2 days of no power (can you say "sleeping in a 49 degree house"?), we finally got power back......within an hour after I finally caved and made a non-refundable hotel reservation. I don't care. I am home, the house is warming, and I caught up on the thread.

ATTQOTD: I have no race that I can say the weather was dreadful. But then, I have an awful memory and like childbirth, some things are soon forgotten.

And bacon.....although ever since I started following Esther the Wonder Pig, I feel guilt.

 

[TheHamm]

That’s brown liquor ... #nope

'Clear Alcohols are for Rich Women on Diets" -Ron Swanson

 

[roxymama]

'Clear Alcohols are for Rich Women on Diets" -Ron Swanson

"Half the day I wonder if it's too late for coffee. The other half I wonder if it's too early for alchohol." - Ron Swanson

 

[AFwifelife]

ATTQOTD: I only have a handful of races and have had great weather each time. I'm sure I just jinxed us all.

Bonus: Bacon for life. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: I've only done one real race, it was cold but otherwise pretty nice. Honestly I was so excited it could have been a hurricane and I still would have been smiling and thinking it wasn't too bad.

Bonus: Eh. Depends on my mood. Either way it has to be turkey. Crispy turkey bacon or turkey sausage. I don't really like pork all that much.

 

[Novatrix]

"Half the day I wonder if it's too late for coffee. The other half I wonder if it's too early for alchohol." - Ron Swanson

So Parks and Recreation is on Netflix. You've inspired me to watch it.

 

[roxymama]

So Parks and Recreation is on Netflix. You've inspired me to watch it.

It's nice to know I inspire people

 

[BikeFan]

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations, and congratulations to @Wendy98 for finishing yesterday as well. Looking at the race stats, the 95.5% finish rate is amazing given the conditions. I finally caught up with several friends, and one had to drop out at mile 18 due to the conditions. Another spent 45 minutes in the med tent at mile 21 with hypothermia, but as soon as they got her body temperature back up and released her, she went right back out there to finish! At the finish she again had to be treated for hypothermia, but at least she crossed the line. Crazy, but I get it. At least the Darkside Half this weekend can't possibly be worse.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: Worst conditions were the first Heat Wave Warning weather of the season, nobody was accustomed, at my first race ever: 10k Tour du Lac Brome 2017. I learnt a lot, especially when to push and when to assess whether it is too much. I did make the time I was hoping for, passed the finish line and went to the med tent asking if they could please cool me down.

Bonus: Bacon but could live without.

 

[TheHamm]

Having now injured myself on a run, I feel like a legit runner. I may look less legit wearing safety glasses in case of hail. #puremichigan

I was running too hard to sing an improv, stylized, curse filled version of Hail to the Victors, so I knew I wasn’t being lazy out there fueled by my irritation.

I now feel justified in buying a hat (I have safety glasses covered) but upon reviewing the post a few pages back, there were few details from those who were in the ‘yes to hats’ camp. Any specific loves or hates of your running hats?

 

[KevM]

I now feel justified in buying a hat (I have safety glasses covered) but upon reviewing the post a few pages back, there were few details from those who were in the ‘yes to hats’ camp. Any specific loves or hates of your running hats?

My current choice of hat is Arc'teryx Calvus cap.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

That’s brown liquor ... #nope

brown liquor is tasty.

 

[beatlecat42]

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?

I don't see any marathons in my future...but if I were to make the jump, instead of one of the majors, I'd probably choose Athens...30+ years of brainwashing by my mother that the "real" marathon goes Marathon --> Athens would do that. (plus, you finish in the old marble Olympic stadium, which is fantastic). Because why go easy?

Ugh, coffee Just the smell of it makes me gag. Again, I blame my mother, who has been mainlining the stuff since she was 14 (and since she grew up in Europe, she means the real strong stuff, not this "watered down Americano nonsense").

Good morning!

Today's QOTD: After watching Boston yesterday and seeing several elite runners struggle or drop out, what are the worst conditions you have ever ran a race in?

Bonus QOTD: Bacon, sausage, or neither?

I try not to do things in awful weather...really, the worst conditions have been extreme heat and humidity; Baltimore Running Festival last year had red flags flying the entire duration of the races. Brutal heat, Baltimore humidity, and little shade on-course was a rough go of things.

Neither. (if anything, occasionally sausage). Although I do like the smell of Canadian bacon cooking, reminds me of dad cooking it up for himself at the holidays. And I'm firmly team Knope/Swanson in that you can have breakfast food for any meal. Yum.

 

[baxter24]

ATTQOTD: My most miserable race experience was back in March. Thankfully no rain but wind gusts of 20mph and faster the entire race. It only got worse when the course took us right off the beach were the wind just felt brutal. It blew from every direction except a tailwind.

Bonus question: As Ron Swanson said, “give me all your bacon and eggs. Please and thank you.”

 

[Waiting2goback]

I *think* that you can request an Elite bib and/or they offer Elite bibs to runners who qualify with a certain time. There is a girl I follow on Instagram that did not run this year, but got an Olympic qualifying time at CIM and she posted a picture where they had sent her an offer to be an Elite. I asked my husband if we were related to her (and of course his response was "WHO?" )! Maybe some of her speed could rub off on me or she could become my virtual training partner or something! LOL. Absolutely amazing!

Is her name Amanda? She lives in TX and has 3 boys? If so, I follow her too. I was thinking of her yesterday. If she ran she could have been the second place finisher, that's how fast she runs too.

I have a question for all you running shoe experts. I have 3 weeks until my next marathon and run 6 days a week. I have 2 pairs of shoes I have been alternating with, one with 300 miles on them and one with 60ish miles on them. Yesterday I ran in the 300 mile ones at my 10k pace for 5.5 miles and last night and today my hips are killing me. I'm pretty sure it is the shoes. There is zero possibility for a new pair of shoes before my race. So my question is, is it better to keep running in the 300 mile shoes and alternating them with the others or run every day in the 60 mile pair? I started alternating shoes based on comments and discussions on here about the benefit of giving my shoes time to "bounce back"?

I would try the 300 milers for one more run. If you get pain again retire those shoes and go with the new ones.

Ugh... I'm going to take a moment to be a negative nelly... but I'm really discouraged with running at the moment. I started running in 2014, was always slow but saw improvements in my speed through 2016. My first half marathon was 2:57 and my half marathon PR in December of 2016 was 2:50 (about 13 minutes per mile average). I also had a 5k and 10k PR in 2016 so it was a good running year.

But since then, I've just been getting progressively slower and slower and I'm not sure why. I didn't train consistently in the beginning of 2016 but starting in June 2016, I upped my running from 3 times per week to 4 times per week. I do speed work and I run hills. I strength train. And I still just keep getting slower. I started training for my first marathon (WDW 2018) and training went fairly well. Got in my 20 miler and everything. But I was swept a bit past mile 20 since I was behind pace due to knee problems. My half marathons last year were 3:10 and 3:19, a pretty drastic difference from the year before.

I had some tendinitis at the beginning of this year after the marathon so I haven't run for 4 weeks. I tried again this past weekend, just 2 miles, and it was an average of 17:30 per mile. Plus my heart rate was high. 40% was in zone 4. I can walk faster than that! I don't understand why I can feel like I'm working so hard but barely moving forward. It makes me wonder if there's something physically going wrong that I'm unaware of. I do have thyroid problems but I've been on medication for that for a long time and those numbers are normal on my blood tests. My most recent blood test did show high cholesterol and low vitamin D. I have started taking a Vitamin D supplement.

I guess I'm partly venting and partly looking for any tips. Can anyone think of other reasons that people may have a drastic slow down like this? I did turn 40 last year and I had gained some weight (7 pounds since my half marathon PR). Obviously I am working on losing weight, mainly for the purpose of getting my cholesterol down. I guess I should probably re-evaluate my running form too since clearly, the effort I'm putting in is going somewhere but it doesn't sound like it's going forward. It's just frustrating to feel like I'm working hard and doing the right things but continuing to get slower, to the point where I can walk faster. And if I can walk faster, what's the point in running?

When was your last physical? I would get checked out by the doctor to make sure everything is ok. You mentioned your HR was high. You wear a HRM while you run?

I have no expert advice, but would like to offer some encouragement and other things to consider as factors for slowing down. You mentioned blood tests for your thyroid, but was wondering if you need a more comprehensive blood analysis to check for anemia and other deficiencies in your blood stream. There are also some outside factors; lack of sleep, stress, diet, etc. that could be a factor in your situation. Have you considered some cross-training to give yourself a break from running? Maybe a different route with less hills and new scenery? A running partner or coach that can help with your pace?

Whatever it is, try to be patient in your approach. Don't give up. Modify your schedule and build in some checkpoints to track progress. It may take some time but the benefits will come. Most importantly, health checkup first and go from there. Good luck!

I agree with PCFriar80, most important thing is, you don't give up! Fighting through the discouraging times is very important.

@michigandergirl @Miranda @PCFriar80 Thanks! Duh, I didn't even think of iron. I guess I should ask my doctor for a more comprehensive blood test. I feel like I haven't been sleeping as well in the last year or two and have been wondering if I'm coming up on peri-menopause or something. I have no idea but I'm thinking turning 40 probably is coming with some hormonal changes, but I'm on hormonal birth control due to PCOS so I don't even know if that's possible. I guess that's another question for my doctor. And diet is definitely not on the right track, though I've made recent improvements there. Unfortunately, last year I fell into the trap of I'm training for a marathon, I can eat anything! Thanks for the ideas of things to look into.

As far as cross training, it's generally been running and strength training (body pump) at the gym with some yoga vidoes here and there. Last year, as marathon training increased, I have to admit that cross training decreased. Any recommendations from people for cross training?

Lots of people who train for marathons gain weight because they feel they can eat anything. I would also add the type of food you eat can make you feel tired and sluggish too. For example, gluten is known for making people feel sluggish even when they aren't allergic to it. Or just eating junk food in general. If you have put in 7 pounds you might want to look at WHAT your eating as well as quantity of food eaten in general of course.

 

[doctorintheTARDIS]

A little plug-- if you want a little of the Dark Side/Run Disney life in your life this weekend and are not running, I'm going to be covering it on my Instagram

I don't have the guts or selfishness to be this shameless, so please don't feel the need to follow me. But if you'd like to see pictures and such.... I'll be posting them