The Running Thread - 2019

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD:
Short 1-6
Medium 7-12
Long 13+

 

[Slogger]

Paging @LSUlakes ....I've got a race to add for this weekend:

March 31st - Philly Love Run Half Marathon - goal 2 hours.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD:
Short: 1-4
Medium: 4-8
Long: 9+

 

[Kazrak]

QOTD: A simple question I have been thinking about lately, what distance do you consider a short run, medium run, or long run?

Short: 5k or less
Medium: More than 5k, up to 10k
Long: More than 10k

I've actually been thinking about this recently, how a 5k has become a short run for me. I have two 5k runs planned for mid-week training, where it wasn't that long ago where a 5k would be the weekend long run.

 

[mtnmjd]

ATTQOTD:
Short 1-5
Medium 6-10
Long 11+ miles

 

[avondale]

QOTD: A simple question I have been thinking about lately, what distance do you consider a short run, medium run, or long run? There is no wrong answer for this question, it's purely based on your experience of running. (Thanks for the suggestion again folks!)

Short run: < 6 miles
Medium run: 6 to less than 10 miles
Long run: 10 miles and over

This roughly follows my training paces at the moment: a short run is less than an hour, a medium run is between 1 - 2 hours, and a long run is 2 hours and over. I hope that as I get faster, my feelings on this will change.

 

[chuckille]

LA Marathon recap:
Since I’ve gotten back into running just over a year ago, I’ve had the goal of running a marathon. I tried last year but I had some serious IT band issues that prevented me from running more than 2 miles. So I rested, the symptoms improved, and this winter, I looked into marathon races. A friend had run the LA marathon and I decided to sign up with him.

The weather was going to be nearly perfect for me...highs in mid 60s and start temp of ~55deg. The only issue I dealt with at the start was the mass of people in the corrals. I used the bathroom too late and I couldn’t get to my pacing area so it was 30 minutes after the race started that I finally crossed the start line.

My goal has always been sub 4hr so I paced myself at 9/mile. The first few miles were challenging because there were so many walkers/slow joggers and I had to dodge them. I was in the groove for the first 15 miles, going at my goal pace and looking at all the sites. I grew up in LA and lived there in my late 20s/early 30s as well so I have fond memories of the course. Chinatown, Hollywood, Sunset Blvd, and Beverly Hills were in the first 15 miles.

Then, as we were turning on to Rodeo Drive around mile 16-17, my right quad began clenching up. I tried to run through it but it continued and I had to stop and massage it. That helped but shortly after running some more, my left quad did the same and both were spasming consistently. I could not run fast anymore and the cramping battles continued with my calves joining in. I thought maybe nutrition was an issue so I tried eating oranges, pretzels, anything but nothing helped.

Miles 17-25 was as physically painful an experience as I remember. My routine was jog at 12/mi, cramp up after a block, stop and walk like a zombie for a block, and do it all over again. There were amazing sites from mile 15-25, West LA (where I used to live), the VA hospital (where I worked for a bit), Brentwood (where I went out a lot) but I passed them without a thought in my mind! I had serious thoughts of quitting and stopping the pain all over my lower body but I pushed that aside and just looked for the next mile marker.

Obviously my 4hr goal was done, but I kept doing the math to see if I could do a sub 4:30, then sub 4:45, and finally 4:50 was a possible goal. I was averaging 14/mile at the end and as I turned on to Ocean Blvd for the final mile, I continued to walk/jog and crossed the finish line at 4:48:09. The minute I stepped over the finish line, my right calf cramped up and I couldn’t move but it was done.

My postmortem thoughts are that I didn’t train long and hard enough. I need to do longer long runs (longest was 15 miles), more strength training, and more impact and hill training. I told myself I could do better and will try for another marathon in the next 6-12 months! But I’m glad I got this first one out of the way and it opened my eyes on how brutal and tough a marathon truly is.

 

[avondale]

ATTQOTD: short: 4-5, medium: 6-8, long: 9-10+

@TheHamm - sorry your race didn't go the way you wanted. I was just reading an article about not using pacers and it was the same thing you mentioned - they may start out too fast, which is fine for them since their PR is much faster than their pace, but disaster if you're trying to get to your PR. I was thinking about using a pacer for my next race, but reconsidering now. If I see them at the expo or starting line, I'll probably ask them their strategy and which aid stations they'll stop at.

Just to show the opposite side of this...I just used a pacer for my marathon and they were fabulous (there were 2 for our group). They hit even splits right on the target pace through 18 miles. That's where I had to drop out of the group because my legs could no longer hit the target pace.

 

[Neon Cactus]

LA Marathon recap:
Since I’ve gotten back into running just over a year ago, I’ve had the goal of running a marathon. I tried last year but I had some serious IT band issues that prevented me from running more than 2 miles. So I rested, the symptoms improved, and this winter, I looked into marathon races. A friend had run the LA marathon and I decided to sign up with him.

The weather was going to be nearly perfect for me...highs in mid 60s and start temp of ~55deg. The only issue I dealt with at the start was the mass of people in the corrals. I used the bathroom too late and I couldn’t get to my pacing area so it was 30 minutes after the race started that I finally crossed the start line.

My goal has always been sub 4hr so I paced myself at 9/mile. The first few miles were challenging because there were so many walkers/slow joggers and I had to dodge them. I was in the groove for the first 15 miles, going at my goal pace and looking at all the sites. I grew up in LA and lived there in my late 20s/early 30s as well so I have fond memories of the course. Chinatown, Hollywood, Sunset Blvd, and Beverly Hills were in the first 15 miles.

Then, as we were turning on to Rodeo Drive around mile 16-17, my right quad began clenching up. I tried to run through it but it continued and I had to stop and massage it. That helped but shortly after running some more, my left quad did the same and both were spasming consistently. I could not run fast anymore and the cramping battles continued with my calves joining in. I thought maybe nutrition was an issue so I tried eating oranges, pretzels, anything but nothing helped.

Miles 17-25 was as physically painful an experience as I remember. My routine was jog at 12/mi, cramp up after a block, stop and walk like a zombie for a block, and do it all over again. There were amazing sites from mile 15-25, West LA (where I used to live), the VA hospital (where I worked for a bit), Brentwood (where I went out a lot) but I passed them without a thought in my mind! I had serious thoughts of quitting and stopping the pain all over my lower body but I pushed that aside and just looked for the next mile marker.

Obviously my 4hr goal was done, but I kept doing the math to see if I could do a sub 4:30, then sub 4:45, and finally 4:50 was a possible goal. I was averaging 14/mile at the end and as I turned on to Ocean Blvd for the final mile, I continued to walk/jog and crossed the finish line at 4:48:09. The minute I stepped over the finish line, my right calf cramped up and I couldn’t move but it was done.

My postmortem thoughts are that I didn’t train long and hard enough. I need to do longer long runs (longest was 15 miles), more strength training, and more impact and hill training. I told myself I could do better and will try for another marathon in the next 6-12 months! But I’m glad I got this first one out of the way and it opened my eyes on how brutal and tough a marathon truly is.

Congratulations! I did LA two years ago and love that course (I grew up there also). Great job pushing through.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Just to show the opposite side of this...I just used a pacer for my marathon and they were fabulous (there were 2 for our group). They hit even splits right on the target pace through 18 miles. That's where I had to drop out of the group because my legs could no longer hit the target pace.

Exactly the same experience. Pacers were on the money at every split. I lost them at 18, but still managed to hang on on hit my goal.

I don't know if it makes a difference, but my race had 3 pacers for each pace group. Maybe with 3 pacers, they are able to moderate the tendency to go out too fast.

 

[dis_or_dat]

@avondale and @OldSlowGoofyGuy - now I may reconsider my reconsideration!

@chuckille - amazing job powering through the pain! Would love to run by my old haunts.

 

[avondale]

I am hoping that folks here might be able to point me to some resources. I've tried browsing the Dis boards a bit, but not sure where to start. Sorry that this is off-topic for running.

My trips to WDW in the past few years have been for adults. I've recently been tasked to organize a trip for my mother, my sister and my sister's son, and me. The trip is really for the son, who is now 3.5 yo and never been to WDW. (They are from PA, so WDW is their target.) My sister hasn't been to WDW in 20+ years.

Where should I be looking for help in planning this trip? I don't have kids, so I've never planned for that age group. We are looking pretty far out - possibly March 2020 or January or March 2021. (Is the week after marathon weekend horrible?)

Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[CDKG]

QOTD: A simple question I have been thinking about lately, what distance do you consider a short run, medium run, or long run? There is no wrong answer for this question, it's purely based on your experience of running.

This was my suggestion. I was thinking about how as my training has evolved, my definition of these distances has changed. I was curious what distances others define as short, medium and long runs.

Short - 5 miles or less
Medium - 6-8 miles
Long - 9+ miles

 

[FFigawi]

I am hoping that folks here might be able to point me to some resources. I've tried browsing the Dis boards a bit, but not sure where to start. Sorry that this is off-topic for running.

My trips to WDW in the past few years have been for adults. I've recently been tasked to organize a trip for my mother, my sister and my sister's son, and me. The trip is really for the son, who is now 3.5 yo and never been to WDW. (They are from PA, so WDW is their target.) My sister hasn't been to WDW in 20+ years.

Where should I be looking for help in planning this trip? I don't have kids, so I've never planned for that age group. We are looking pretty far out - possibly March 2020 or January or March 2021. (Is the week after marathon weekend horrible?)

Thank you for any suggestions!

I'm sure any Disney travel consultant can help with your planning. Try checking with @Keels or @tigger536 to start with.

 

[CDKG]

ATTQOTD:
Short - 60 min or less
Medium - 60 to 90 min
Long - 90 min or more

Good answer! My mileage definitions roughly fit into your time definitions.

As a side note, the difference between 8 and 9 miles for me (medium versus long run) also corresponds to the difference between one treadmill session and two. (I have an older treadmill that literally stops at 99 min.) Of course when marathon training season rolls around again, 17+ miles defines CRAZY long runs (three treadmill sessions)!

 

[CDKG]

Congratulations @chuckille on finishing your first marathon! It may not have turned out the way you hoped, but that takes nothing away from an amazing accomplishment!

 

[Waiting2goback]

QOTD: A simple question I have been thinking about lately, what distance do you consider a short run, medium run, or long run? There is no wrong answer for this question, it's purely based on your experience of running. (Thanks for the suggestion again folks!)

ATTQOTD: Short run = 1 - 7 miles
Medium run = 7-13 miles
Long run = 13+ miles

Short- 1-5
Medium- 6-10
Long- 11+

 

[Jules76126]

Has anyone run Beach to Beacon? I entered the lottery thinking I would not get picked and got the email this morning saying I did. I feel like on one hand fate is telling me to run, but on the other hand I have heard that the logistics for the race can be a nightmare in terms of parking. I have till Sunday to claim my lottery entry.

 

[TheHamm]

I am hoping that folks here might be able to point me to some resources. I've tried browsing the Dis boards a bit, but not sure where to start. Sorry that this is off-topic for running.

My trips to WDW in the past few years have been for adults. I've recently been tasked to organize a trip for my mother, my sister and my sister's son, and me. The trip is really for the son, who is now 3.5 yo and never been to WDW. (They are from PA, so WDW is their target.) My sister hasn't been to WDW in 20+ years.

Where should I be looking for help in planning this trip? I don't have kids, so I've never planned for that age group. We are looking pretty far out - possibly March 2020 or January or March 2021. (Is the week after marathon weekend horrible?)

Thank you for any suggestions!

I do not find the disboards particularly helpful with general planning, but if you have a specific question the Family Board is a collection of sometimes useful information. So I suppose I am more able to suggest what not to lean on that what is a helpful resource. I think if you were not versed in Disney world, a guide book would be a start but I assume you are beyond that. I have looked at some aimed for planning with kids, for example the unofficial guide to WDW with kids, and found it not terribly more helpful than the original version. However, if you can get it at your local library it may be worth skimming the sections about strollers, in park splash pads or kidcot stops that as an adult traveler may not be on your radar. A good TA should be able to make all the suggestions if you were looking for minimal effort on your end. My top kid planning advice is make a great plan and be aware that 50% of it will need to be abandoned on the fly, and it can still be a fantastically fun and magical adventure. Good luck with all those family memories!

 

[txdisneygrl]

ATTQOTD yesterday:

I don't run near the mileage many of you lovely people do. So by my standards...
Short: 1-3.5 (a 5k is basically my base at this point)
Medium: 4-6
Long: 7+