The Running Thread - 2018

ATTQOTD: I regret nothing...nothing running related has been a dud. Too much running going on to anger the running Gods. :D

And none of that is true. I need to run more. My lame FitBit was a bust for me. Because of work, I had to remove it so often and I ultimately thought it was lame. I’m desperate for a Garmin or an iWatch.
 
Whaaaaaaat?!? You're amazing lol. I downloaded a separate interval timer because I didn't know you could do it in runkeeper. Thaaaaank you!!!!!


Does it ding or something after every interval?
I use this feature for my speed workouts. You can set it by mileage or time and then I also set it to say fast or slow. At the interval change, mine will say "1 mile fast" or "2 min slow". That way I know what I should be doing in case I forget haha.
 
ATTQOTD: After Avengers, I made sure to put my race water bottle somewhere obvious so I could find it come Dark Side time. So of course, I could not find it come Dark Side time and had to order a new running belt from Amazon. My old belt had a special interior zippered pocket for drivers license and cash. The new belt did not. Sure enough, I managed to lose my drivers license and cash very early on into the Dark Side 5K while hassling with pulling the phone in and out of the belt for photos. Thankfully runDisney found my license and called me, so that ended well. But in no longer trusting the belt to safely hold my ID and phone, I resorted to putting my phone in my short pockets during the 10K and Half. Well at some point during the Half, the My Disney Experience App inadvertently opened and managed to cancel the Flight of Passage and Flight of Passage only fastpasses for the next day. I realized this only because I was looking at the app while waiting for my sister to get ready and realized that the Flight of Passage pass had vanished. Disney was great about what happened, and here's what I learned from that episode.

1. Know your FP+ reservations before the race(s) and make sure they are still there afterwards.

2. If one is missing, notify concierge at your Disney resort as soon as possible. While they cannot fix the problem from there, they can contact the central office who can determine when the FP+ was deleted. If the central office cannot restore the FP+, you will need to go to Guest Services at the park where the FP+ reservation was and they can restore it. A note was put on my account and when I went to Animal Kingdom guest services the next day, they restored my deleted FP+.

Suffice it say, the new belt has been retired and I'm using the tried and true belt again.
 
Whaaaaaaat?!? You're amazing lol. I downloaded a separate interval timer because I didn't know you could do it in runkeeper. Thaaaaank you!!!!!


Does it ding or something after every interval?

I use this feature for my speed workouts. You can set it by mileage or time and then I also set it to say fast or slow. At the interval change, mine will say "1 mile fast" or "2 min slow". That way I know what I should be doing in case I forget haha.

Just like @jennamfeo said, it talks to you at each interval to tell you what speed (fast, slow, steady) and either how long (time- minutes or seconds) to run it or how far (distance - miles or km) depending on how you set it up.

Once I figured out that feature, it was a game changer for me.
 


ATTQOTD--Almost every shoe I've bought outside of my New Balance racing flats has been a bust. I had really hoped I'd like Altras since they're zero drop, but they're shaped funny (kinda like clown shoes?) and it hurts my knees to run in them.

Still, I would say the biggest bust in terms of running purchases has been my Apple Watch. It's a fine gadget for everyday use, but it has really failed me in terms of run tracking. I used to use the Nike app to track my runs on my phone. Unfortunately, the app on the phone and the app on the watch cannot seem to get it together. I have a devil of a time even starting a run on the watch app if I have the phone with me too (I push the start "button" on the watch face and it does nothing. I have to mash it 10-15 times before it will start. Not an issue when I leave the phone at home though. No amount of deleting and reloading the apps on both devices seems to fix it....). Also, the GPS tracking is poor and I've quickly grown out of the basic level of information it provides. If I got it first, I'd probably just wear my Vivoactive everyday. But my fiance bought me the Apple watch, so that's what I wear to work. It looks goofy to wear two watches all day!
my Apple Watch started doing that too... I used to be fine and then a few months ago it started taking forever to load the exercise app.

I’m training for a half in 4 weeks, and I don’t know what my real pace is since the watch can be glitchy.

I need to remember to use the Strava app on my phone, but I always forget.
 
I used to wear the Saucony Guides. Not super cushioned, but some cushioning, they're stability shoes, and they lasted me around 400 miles. If you have a running store near you, I'd say it's worth going in and trying them on to see if the cushion feels okay for you.

I use Saucony Guides as well and I like them. They have a decent amount of cushioning and are in the stability shoe category, but they only last closer to 250 or 300 miles for me.


Thanks for the suggestion! Saucony has never been mention as a stability shoe. Probably because no one around here carries them. :sad2: I’d love to get them before the 12k but I may have to wait until I’m in Orlando for Wine and Dine. The downside of living in a small town where no one thinks you should run unless something is chasing you!

my Apple Watch started doing that too... I used to be fine and then a few months ago it started taking forever to load the exercise app.

I’m training for a half in 4 weeks, and I don’t know what my real pace is since the watch can be glitchy.

I need to remember to use the Strava app on my phone, but I always forget.

DH’s Apple started doing the same thing. Apple support had me unpair it then pair it again restoring from the backup. It’s worked fine since then. It fixed my GPS issues as well when it started not seeing my routes. Don’t panic when it says erasing all content on the watch. I’ve restored from backups both times with nothing lost.
 
Which version do you have? I got an Apple Watch series 3 back in June and it has been awesome. I check it against MapMyRun from time to time and it is right on. I don’t use a 3rd party app as there weren’t any that I really liked, so I just used the Apple Workouts app. I’m glad I did that. Once I got used to it, it’s really good for what I need.

Also, I don’t run with my phone (nowhere to put it), so it has been great. I think I’ve seen people say that if you want to track in a 3rd party app to use a bridge like RunGap that ports your Apple workout over. Your issue could have been with the Nike app rather than the watch.
I have the series 3 but use runkeeper as my tracker. I have used the workouts app but prefer what runkeeper has on the watch face during the run.
 


I have the series 3 but use runkeeper as my tracker. I have used the workouts app but prefer what runkeeper has on the watch face during the run.

Yeah me too...RunKeeper is also what I use. I don’t have the Apple Watch yet, but so far I love how RunKeeper works and tracks my activity.

Speaking of which...does anyone know how to add friends on there? I feel like last time I tried it would only let me friend people who were in my contacts or Facebook friends.
 
ATTQOTD: I hated the Superfeet inserts. My feet kept hurting and it ended up aggravating my IT band big time. I thought it was my shoes and it was only until I switched inserts that I didnt have anymore issues.

Biggest race concerns: I absolutely hate being late to anything so I always have worries about making it to a race on time. It always ends up me just killing a lot of time before the race starts but I’d rather do that than be freaked out about cutting it close. My very first Disney race was way too hectic for me. We stayed at Riverside and got on a bus a little before 4am and didn’t be make it to our corral until the national anthem. It stressed me out way too much so I’m one of the ones on the first bus from now on.
 
Yeah me too...RunKeeper is also what I use. I don’t have the Apple Watch yet, but so far I love how RunKeeper works and tracks my activity.

Speaking of which...does anyone know how to add friends on there? I feel like last time I tried it would only let me friend people who were in my contacts or Facebook friends.
Go to the friends fab on the bottom then click the plus button in the top right. At least that’s how it works for me.
 
QOTD: Of the Disney races you have run or planning to run, tell us about two of your favorite spots along the course and two spots that you do not like. With W&D, Marathon weekend, and Star Wars weekends all on the horizon, maybe some of our answers can help prepare those who havent run a Disney race can be better prepared for the good and bad of the different races.

ATTQOTD: I've only run the marathon so my answers will pertain to that particular race. The good: Early on in the race, running down main street. Crowds are awesome and the view is magical. My other choice is entering Hollywood Studios. I know once I get there I am nearly done and I am likely to finish the race. Also at that point there are plenty of things to look at to keep my mind off of how uncomfortable I am. Now for the bad: The portion of the course that is a out and back with the u-turn. Making the turn just kills my momentum, its just the worse. My second choice had two options and after much thought it has to go to with the ESPN World Wide of Sports. For starters, it seems to take forever to get through. I think the reason for it is because of how many turns you take while in it and the narrow paths you run on. I do like the little time on the track and the baseball field. It doesnt help that near the end of this section of the course is where one would typically hit the "wall". Once you leave though you feel a little relief as you watch others just about to start what you just finished, until a mile later when you deal with the only challenging hill / overpass of the course. They do make this part fun with the army guy from Toy Story though.
 
QOTD: Of the Disney races you have run or planning to run, tell us about two of your favorite spots along the course and two spots that you do not like. With W&D, Marathon weekend, and Star Wars weekends all on the horizon, maybe some of our answers can help prepare those who havent run a Disney race can be better prepared for the good and bad of the different races
I have never done wine and dine yet so I can’t speak for those courses.

As for marathon weekend this is a little tough. I’ve done all four distances multiple times now.

For the 5K and 10K there is nothing better than running into Epcot with the music playing and the torches lit. It’s one of my favorite things. I am not a huge fan on running on the highway right outside Epcot though.

For the half- this is my least favorite course. I love running through the castle and finishing with the choir this is the same for the full as well. The biggest issue with the half is the very little amount of park time we get. I wish that could be changed.

The full- I love the castle, running through each park, riding Everest, running through Champion stadium, the spectators at each park and ESPN and of course the choir at the finish. The spectators for the full are definitely the best of any of the races.
 
ATTQOTD: for Marathon weekend, I have two favorite spots: (1) running through MK with the castle lit up and great crowds cheering you on & (2) reentry to Epcot when you know the golden choir and finish line are just a few minutes away. For the DL half, running through CarsLand was awesome! The mile of cars from the automobile club was great too.

Least favorite spots were the long stretch between the racetrack and Animal Kingdom with the incredible sewage aroma in the air at MK, and at DL the final part of the course on the Anaheim streets that you are running under bridges/overpasses before heading back to the park and finish line.
 
What a great question. I love it! I have only run the marathon, and there are definitely parts of the course I love and parts I dislike. One of my favorites used to be the run into EPCOT early in the race when it was still dark and Spaceship Earth was all lit. Just so cool. But that's no longer a part of the course. I love the run down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, of course, with the crowds lined up and cheering and the castle straight ahead. The challenge here is to control the urge to start running too fast (An 8-minute mile! What??). And, for some reason that I really cannot explain, I love running through Animal Kingdom. The scenery is just different; it feels like another spot on earth to me. Strange. On the flip side of the coin, they can bulldoze that ramp from World Drive to Buena Vista Drive right before you enter Hollywood Studios. In a ridiculous side story, while running up that ramp during my first marathon in 2007, they were offering up tongue depressors covered with a bio-freeze like product. I was ignorant and thought it was some sort of gel/food and nearly grabbed one and shoved it in my pie hole. Luckily, I realized at the last moment what the product was, but to this day the thought makes me ill. That ramp, though, sucks. They need to add another green Army man there, instead of just a medical tent for folks about to die. Also, with the exception of the baseball stadium, I have never cared much for the trek through ESPN. Too many turns - way too many turns - to make me happy. Plus, you're creeping up on mile 20, the infamous "wall," and it just seems to go on forever. Overall, however, I love the course. I love the support. I love the experience. I can't wait to run it again in January.
 
What a great question. I love it! I have only run the marathon, and there are definitely parts of the course I love and parts I dislike. One of my favorites used to be the run into EPCOT early in the race when it was still dark and Spaceship Earth was all lit. Just so cool. But that's no longer a part of the course. I love the run down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, of course, with the crowds lined up and cheering and the castle straight ahead. The challenge here is to control the urge to start running too fast (An 8-minute mile! What??). And, for some reason that I really cannot explain, I love running through Animal Kingdom. The scenery is just different; it feels like another spot on earth to me. Strange. On the flip side of the coin, they can bulldoze that ramp from World Drive to Buena Vista Drive right before you enter Hollywood Studios. In a ridiculous side story, while running up that ramp during my first marathon in 2007, they were offering up tongue depressors covered with a bio-freeze like product. I was ignorant and thought it was some sort of gel/food and nearly grabbed one and shoved it in my pie hole. Luckily, I realized at the last moment what the product was, but to this day the thought makes me ill. That ramp, though, sucks. They need to add another green Army man there, instead of just a medical tent for folks about to die. Also, with the exception of the baseball stadium, I have never cared much for the trek through ESPN. Too many turns - way too many turns - to make me happy. Plus, you're creeping up on mile 20, the infamous "wall," and it just seems to go on forever. Overall, however, I love the course. I love the support. I love the experience. I can't wait to run it again in January.

We share many of the same thoughts on the course! The part about the tongue depressor is funny because a guy I know was running the Boston Marathon and thought it was GU on a stick and ate it. He quickly realized it was Vaseline. I imagine that kept his mind entertained for a while trying to clear his mouth of that lol.
 
Great question! One of my least favorite spots was during the Tower of Terror 10 miler. There was kind of a trail like area that wasn't paved. And it was pretty dark since this was a night race. So it just felt really treacherous in that area. And I'm not a fan of that stretch of long highway between Animal Kingdom and ESPN or Hollywood Studios.

As far as favorites, I really like the Boardwalk area and of course, love Main Street.
 
We share many of the same thoughts on the course! The part about the tongue depressor is funny because a guy I know was running the Boston Marathon and thought it was GU on a stick and ate it. He quickly realized it was Vaseline. I imagine that kept his mind entertained for a while trying to clear his mouth of that lol.

You know, one of these years they're going to start putting something that actually is nutritious and edible on tongue depressors (anti-fatigue pudding or something), and there isn't one chance in hell I'm going to eat it.
 
ATTQOTD:

My first runDisney race was the marathon weekend Half in 2015. I hadn’t been to Disney in a few years, and making that turn onto Main Street, seeing the castle lit up for the first time in a long time, is a great memory, probably what got me hooked on runDisney.
Other than that there are several good areas. I, too, really enjoy running through the Animal Kingdom. I think I like all the trees. I ran the Wine & Dine ‘Quarter’ Marathon, and running through the Osborne Lights was amazing. I am glad I got to experience that.

Bad things: worst - I hate that extremely banked cloverleaf ramp that you have to run up!! (I don’t know all my areas that well, so can’t say for sure where it is.) There are other banked ramps that I dislike too, but there is one you do a full circle on.
Long stretches of highway...

I’m one of those that doesn’t mind WWofS. Yes there are a lot of turns, and you spend several miles in there, but there is a lot more to look at. The mileage doesn’t drag on to me in there like it does on the stretches to and from the MK.
 
ATTQOTD:

Good question!

5K - it's so short what do you say? Least favorite the start just out on the roads. Favorite - running around Epcot in the dark!
10K - Again least favorite is out on the roads and the bests are Boardwalk and Epcot again
Half - My least favorite course. :( Best is Main Street and heading to the castle. Least is all the street running back to Epcot after exiting MK far too soon.
Full - I have too many favorites!! Main street is obviously the best for me, so I'm going to cheat and list my next favorites. :D 2) Animal Kingdom. My favorite park first of all and the half-way point and Expedition Everest and the first chance for beer. What's not to love? 3) That final mile through world showcase. It's an amazing victory lap as you approach the finish line. Least for the full. I used to hate WWoS, but the last couple of years I haven't minded it as much. So, I'm going with the section by the treatment plant. Yuck! :sick:
 

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