The Running Thread - 2018

[ChipNDale86]

Thought I'd join in on this thread since I completed my first @DopeyBadger training run yesterday. It was a nice & easy 4 miles w/ strides and I actually hit my goal pace (+/- 4 seconds) each mile! It's starting to get really warm here in NC so I'm going to try to take advantage of the easy days!

 

[KSellers88]

For those of you that ran Hotlanta this year and in past years (I think there were a few of us), how did you feel about your race this year vs. last/ previous years? I finished 2 minutes slower than last year, which is disappointing given that with my current PR times, i should have been faster than last year by quite a bit. It felt hotter this year though, so I'm interested to hear what others thought.

I have run all five of these races, and it was definitely hotter this year than last year. Last year was the best weather of any of them as it was fairly pleasant. It just felt brutal out there yesterday.

Due to some knee issues the past month, I was unable to do any kind of hill training and minimal running. Yesterday was not easy, but even if I had been in perfect shape, the heat would have done me in quickly. I just do not do well in heat and humidity.

I finished 4ish minutes slower than last year. I also completely forgot that the last 5k was basically all hills and wanted to throat punch myself for signing up for this race again. LOL. Once it was all over I was glad I had done it again though!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

ATTQOTD: For runs less than 30 minutes, no. For over, yes.

 

[LSUlakes]

Thought I'd join in on this thread since I completed my first @DopeyBadger training run yesterday. It was a nice & easy 4 miles w/ strides and I actually hit my goal pace (+/- 4 seconds) each mile! It's starting to get really warm here in NC so I'm going to try to take advantage of the easy days!

Welcome to the thread! Not sure where you are located in NC and its probably a little late for this summer but there is a cool "adult" running camp put on by ZAP (Link here). If you are really new to the sport or just looking for some different advice I highly recommend the camp. It's up in the mountains so even in the summer, morning temps felt great being in the mid 60's. The week I went was the bear week and it included a 5 mile race up Grandfather Mt. It was cold at the top. Good luck with your training and we look forward to you being a part of our little discussions.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD: I also burn really easily, so I do wear sunscreen when/if I will be running during the times of 10am until 5ish. Maybe I should extend those times, but I don’t usually burn outside of those times. I know I am still getting UV rays though, and my dad has had a spot of cancer removed before so I know I am susceptible...

 

[SarahDisney]

ATTQOTD: When I remember, absolutely.
So ... like once a month.
But I really should do it every run. Better safe than sorry.

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: My face moisturizer has sunscreen in it, so technically yes. I will put sunscreen on my arms and legs if I am going to be out for more than an hour...when I remember. I also try to wear hats if possible.

 

[ChipNDale86]

Welcome to the thread! Not sure where you are located in NC and its probably a little late for this summer but there is a cool "adult" running camp put on by ZAP (Link here). If you are really new to the sport or just looking for some different advice I highly recommend the camp. It's up in the mountains so even in the summer, morning temps felt great being in the mid 60's. The week I went was the bear week and it included a 5 mile race up Grandfather Mt. It was cold at the top. Good luck with your training and we look forward to you being a part of our little discussions.

Thanks! I'm in Winston-Salem so not too far from the mountains. I'll look into it!

 

[Dis5150]

ATTQOTD: Always.

 

[apdebord]

ATTQOTD: I always have SPF 15 on my face and neck...but no, I do not apply anything other than that for runs. I'm Irish/American Indian so while I'm pale-ish, I don't burn (unless I'm on the top deck of the Disney Magic and lose track of time in my lounge chair)! I certainly have some interesting short and sports bra tan lines however...

 

[Sailormoon2]

QOTD: Summer running topic: Do you use sunscreen to protect your skin during your runs in the summer?

Only if I am running between the hours of 10am and 4pm for longer than 30 minutes, as 1) I live in Canada-not to say it isn't hot and sunny right now, but no where near Southern U.S. levels and 2) I tan well

 

[rteetz]

How comfortable is everyone running alone in unfamiliar cities? I'll be on a work trip in November, and found what looks to be a great route in the city where I'll be(right along the river). But I know zilch about the city, so I'm unsure how safe and runner-friendly it is. It's Milwaukee, so maybe @rteetz can chime in.

If you’re gonna run I recommend down by the lake front. Great scenery and runner friendly.

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: Summer running topic: Do you use sunscreen to protect your skin during your runs in the summer?

I’m a bad person and don’t wear sunscreen.

 

[Jules76126]

I don't wear sunscreen when running but probably should.

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD: I had second degree burns as a child after spending an entire overcast day at water park and being slightly loose with truth when my mom asked if I was wearing sunscreen (because, you know, time putting on sunscreen was time not on a water slide). I spent an entire week with my shoulders and almost my entire back covered in blisters and barely able to move or sleep (not to mention very painful, but not quite as extensive, burns on my face, neck, arms and legs). Since then my goal is to maintain a beautiful Edward Scissorhands-esque complexion.

 

[TheHamm]

Running randoms....

-Am I stupid for charting out the races I want to do for the next 11 months, and going ahead and creating a weekly training schedule for them? It's pretty amazing how my training schedule includes some shorter races that match EXACTLY the distance I planned on doing for my long run that week anyway. That's a sign, right?

-How comfortable is everyone running alone in unfamiliar cities?.

(1) if you are looking for validation, you are in the correct thread. Seems like a sign to me!
(2) I struggle with this. I have high tailed it out of sketchy neighborhoods, and I have found myself on a not-really-a-path-that used to be a path and cut my runs short. My concern is with running in what could be a sketchy area when extending my distance and perhaps finding myself exhausted and more likely to panic.

QOTD: Summer running topic: Do you use sunscreen to protect your skin during your runs in the summer?

Do you get notifications when someone searches a term in your thread? I was just yesterday looking back at this topic from previous posts!
After 7am I use sunscreen. I am trying to streamline my get out the door process so I can squeeze in a little more distance on my time constrained lunch break and am thinking a spray would be faster than a cream hence my looking back at the thread. I am struggling with new running tanks as my fav is no longer made and I do not want anything strappy or racerback as it is even more hard to reach spots needing sunscreen.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

-How comfortable is everyone running alone in unfamiliar cities? I'll be on a work trip in November, and found what looks to be a great route in the city where I'll be(right along the river). But I know zilch about the city, so I'm unsure how safe and runner-friendly it is. It's Milwaukee, so maybe @rteetz can chime in.

I also live in the Milwaukee area, so I second what @rteetz said. The Lakefront is definitely a runner friendly area and where I’d choose to go.

 

[JM735]

ATTQOTD: I rarely use sunscreen. Sometimes I will use it at Disney after multiple days in the parks or at the pool.

 

[Disney at Heart]

Something I've done in the past is compare percentile finishes from year to year. For example, let's say there were 1700 runners this year and you finished in 800th place.

800/1700 = 47%

Now look at how many people finished in 2017, let's say it was 1950.

1950*0.47 = 917th place (just round if decimal).

Now look through the 2017 results for the runner who finished in 917th place. What time did they finish in?

Let's say your time was 2:20 in 2018 at a 47% finish and the 917th place runner in 2017 was a 2:16 finish. This would lead me to believe that this year's course was about 4 min (or 2.9% (4 min/140 min) more difficult than last year. Do the last 3-4 years and you get a general idea at the baseline time for the percentile finish and the ebbs and flows to more challenging weather condition years from others.

Using this method has a few assumptions:

1) The race course is the same.
2) We assume that the population of runners from 2017 to 2018 is roughly equal. No real good way to prove this one way or another, but as long as there was nothing special differentiating the 2017 pool of runners from the 2018 pool of runners, then in most cases this is a safe assumption.
3) No extenuating circumstances influenced the pools time other than weather. Example, no train crossed the course forcing people to stop or it wasn't black flagged and many entries weren't recorded, etc.

Doing this helps isolate the actual race day conditions as a variable for how difficult the course was from one year to the next.

I always look at my percentage/place on a run. I usually fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. In the Remarkable River 10k on Sunday, I placed 123/246 overall (50%), 64/159 females (40.3%), 3/8 F60-64 (37.5%). So I'm doing ok for my age, although I'll never be "fast." On halfs and fulls I usually fall a little further behind.

@LSUlakes Results for Remarkable River 10K: Time- 1:08:34. I wanted to be <1:05:00, but the heat and humidity were fierce, and I always run by feel. I ran the first two miles straight, starting out with the 11:25 pace group and catching up with the 10:30 group for a moment, but then had to start taking walk breaks and ended up with an 11:04 pace.

ATTQOTD yesterday: Winter cold is the worst because it can turn into bronchitis in a heartbeat. Rarely do I have a summer cold, although the older I get, the more allergies I have to pollen giving me constant sinus drainage in the spring.
ATTQOTD: I rarely use sunscreen for runs because I avoid running in the middle of the day in the summer, and the sun in the winter is much less intense. Ex: Ran 6.1 miles this morning in the Florida sun on vacation at the beach. Started at 6 am running on the beach before the sun was actually out for about 3 miles, came back through a shady neighborhood for 3 miles after the sun was out, before the UV index got above "low." BTW The sunrise was beautiful! On the unusual occasion when I know I am going to be running in the sun, I will wear sunscreen. Ex: Peachtree Road Race on July 4th!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD: I try not to run in the intense sun, but I am a sunscreen wearer! No tan is worth a burn. I am super fair complected and burned more as a dumb teenager trying to tan than I care to admit.