The Running Thread - 2020

[KSellers88]

Yesterday was my first run of my new @DopeyBadger training plan. Although this is the 4th plan he has done for me over the last three years, there is always something new, exiting, and motivating to start a new plan. I'm preparing for my next "A" race, the Run the Bluegrass HM in Lexington, KY with its new date of October 3rd.

I know there was a fairly large runDisney group planning on running before the postponment. Is there anyone here on the Boards still planning to run it?

I had to change to the virtual option since I am due on October 17th, lol. They mailed me the race shirt, medal and my bib and the medal is gorgeous! So sad I am missing out and I really hope it is able to go on without an issue!

 

[TheHamm]

I recently changed from the Brooks Ghost 12 to the Adrenaline GTS 20 without trying them on. I haven't had any problems. Not what you asked, but possibly mildly helpful

Thanks!

If they are available in Prime Wardrobe you can get your normal size and 1/2 size in either direction. I did that with some hiking shoes. Beyond that some of the local running stores around here are allowing for curbside pickup and an at home try on period. Lastly, sites like Zappos usually have good return policies as long as you just wear the shoes inside a bit.

I think my kids would remind me we do not wear shoes in the house AND we do not run in the house if I were to try to test them out indoors. My concern is less the size and more the need for shoe companies to tinker and 'improve' and the result being unagreeable with my body. the 18s were fine when I wore them in the house, and mildly irritating on a treadmill, but a complete disaster on pavement/concrete.

 

[SheHulk]

My concern is less the size and more the need for shoe companies to tinker and 'improve' and the result being unagreeable with my body.

This makes me crazy too. The Brooks 8 were made for me, perfect in every way, I got way more mileage out of that pair of shoes than any before or since. I bought the 9's and they were a disaster for me. WHY

 

[FFigawi]

Who says you can’t hit a PR during quarantine? Some impressive times being thrown down.

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2020/0...rtson-gets-ar-at-2020-beer-mile-world-classic

 

[huskies90]

ACTUAL LIVE IN PERSON RACE REPORT!!

Firecracker 5K
Vernon, CT July 11, 2020 8AM

As I posted in my June monthly update, since virtual races are not really my thing and since I have been dying to do a race, I searched high and far for any race that actually updated their website with post pandemic guidelines and saying they were still on. In a sea of races that were either not updated, postponed, canceled or gone virtual, I found one small local 5K that claimed they were going with "social distance guidelines". It was chip timed and the plan was to have runners cross the starting line one at a time. They limited the field and put several other safety guidelines in place - many of the same ones we have been discussing for months - no water on the course, registration online only, masks at bib pick up, staying 6 feet apart, etc. They also reduced the price from last year’s race and eliminated shirts and medals and age group awards. Only the top 3 male/female would have awards mailed to them.

As luck would have it, Tropical Storm Fay was heading right for CT with the timing right around the race start time. All I thought all week was the only race not getting canceled due to COVID-19 was going to cancel due to weather. But Friday night the storm veered west of us and it cleared out by about 5AM. That left us with a steamy sunny morning with the 8AM temperature at 78° and a dew point at 72°. I didn’t care because I was racing today!!

The field was very small. The website said they were limiting it to 50. The course was an out and back on a flat converted rail trail. There was a convenient short trail parallel to the start area that acted as a queue for the runners. The race organizers asked everyone to self assigned themselves in one of three waves based on approximate finish time. I assigned myself to wave 1 which was for “under 22 minutes”. Then they tried to line everyone up in order they thought we would finish so there would be limited passing on the course. I was sixth in line. We walked down the parallel “queue” trail keeping at least 6 feet from each other. We turned off the queue trail and onto the main course trail and walked toward the starting line. At the race start, they sent everyone off one at a time leaving a few seconds between each racer.

I ended up passing the guys who went off third, forth and fifth and just could not catch the guy who went off second. Since the race was based off chip time, I knew I didn’t need to actually pass him to finish second. I figured he had about a 10-12 second head start. But needless to say I ended up finishing about 15 seconds behind him which equaled only 3 seconds difference in our chip times. I am honestly surprised I did not catch him as I usually finish so much stronger than I start but overall, I was pretty happy with my performance.

I finished with a time of 20:34 - 6:37/mile. 3rd place overall - first in my age group (remember very limited field). My last 5K was in 2014 and I beat my time from that race by 21 seconds however my PR is 19:33 and I broke 20 minutes 3 other times when I was in my 30’s. I was hoping to break 20 today but given the heat and humidity, I really can’t complain.

Now, I head back to Running in the USA to see if I can find another upcoming race. All of the Fall races I had planned to do have already gone virtual with the exception of Wine and Dine which has about a 5% chance of actually happening. I know the same race group has a double out and back half marathon on Labor Day which I think they could pull off with similar procedures. It seems like a very boring course but it might work. As I have been saying all along, with a little effort planning and the proper safety precautions, these smaller races can absolutely be done safely, especially based on what we have learned about covid spread - being outside is relatively safe.

 

[kleph]

I have a route I run a couple times a week that takes me by a really dilapidated looking cemetery. It's in a pretty industrial area but, even though it's a bit out of place, it doesn't really stand out. I stopped and looked at the historical marker during a recent run and discovered that it is the final resting place of Clyde Barrow of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame. Turns out he is buried with his brother Marvin who was also in the gang but was killed about a year before the famous couple was shot down in north Louisiana.

Sometimes it's worth taking a moment during a run to check out where you actually are. You can make some surprising discoveries.

 

[flav]

When technology is part of the problem (again)...

I went for a long run this morning. DH and DD did the first part with me. After what we know for sure is 2km, I paused the NRC app on my phone to see what they wanted to do, it was saying that we had only run 1.7km, obviously at a much lower pace than reality. That kind of issue has been happening recently. I stopped the run, killed the app, rebooted the phone and restarted everything. 2km later, same behaviour. So when I restarted NRC, I also started Strava to have a point of comparison for the rest of the run (50min and few seconds). NRC says that I ran 6.11km giving a 8:12/km average pace and Strava says that I ran 9.72km giving a 5:11/km average pace. That is a huge discrepancy!

I know myself enough to say that NRC is out to lunch.
One of Strava split seems a tad fast although feasible. If I trust Strava, then I am in the range of what I need to attempt BQ, a goal that I had thrown out of the window because of the paces NRC usually show. So now, I do not trust any of these or my phone.

Besides that, it was a great run. I tried Maurten for the first time and had a great level of energy the entire time. It also has a nice sweet taste. I felt like a hummingbird drinking little sips of that simple syrup.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Something new for me today, a group run. I do all my runs by myself, except for the couple of times I've run/raced with@garneska.

One of the guys in my yoga class setup a FB group for Northeast Georgia runners (primary in or around Gainesville). 6 of us met at 6:30 this morning and knocked out 7 miles in downtown Gainesville. It was a little too fast for me. My yoga instructor, Cait's dad (on the right), set the pace.

Even though it was too fast, I stuck around and did an extra, slow, 2 miles.

It was fun, challenging, and I'd definitely do it again.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

... My yoga instructor, Cait's dad (on the left), set the pace...

SO, I don't know right from left. Me on the LEFT and Cait's dad on the RIGHT of the photo. No wonder my running shirts are always inside-out.

 

[michigandergirl]

Both of my August trail races have now been cancelled. I'm pretty confident my fall races will cancel too. Between the cancelled races and doing some PT for SI joint dysfunction, my motivation to run has gone completely down the tubes. I envy those of you who are still running regularly.

I just felt like whining today, thanks for listening!

 

[TCB in FLA]

Something new for me today, a group run. I do all my runs by myself, except for the couple of times I've run/raced with@garneska.

One of the guys in my yoga class setup a FB group for Northeast Georgia runners (primary in or around Gainesville). 6 of us met at 6:30 this morning and knocked out 7 miles in downtown Gainesville. It was a little too fast for me. My yoga instructor, Cait's dad (on the right), set the pace.

Even though it was too fast, I stuck around and did an extra, slow, 2 miles.

It was fun, challenging, and I'd definitely do it again.

View attachment 509248

Downtown Gainesville is a great place to run. My first job out of college (UGA) was at The Times. I hope that paper is still going. Back then it was an afternoon paper, which really makes me feel ancient.

 

[SheHulk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1282737059204141062

 

[jmasgat]

Both of my August trail races have now been cancelled. I'm pretty confident my fall races will cancel too. Between the cancelled races and doing some PT for SI joint dysfunction, my motivation to run has gone completely down the tubes. I envy those of you who are still running regularly.

I just felt like whining today, thanks for listening!

Yeah, whine and cheese time, I hear you. Must be something in the MI water. I'm in PT for cervical spine issues and don't expect to run for the rest of the summer--if I'm lucky. I'll just be happy to get rid of the 24 hour pain and lack of all sleep.

Hmmm...maybe wine is in order.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

Downtown Gainesville is a great place to run. My first job out of college (UGA) was at The Times. I hope that paper is still going. Back then it was an afternoon paper, which really makes me feel ancient.

The Times is still going (but just barely). It's morning only now.

My first job, while in high school, was at the Bradenton Herald. Speaking pre-internet (I mean really pre): there's something special about reading the news hours before anyone else.

 

[nekonekoneko]

The article also mentions Rock and Roll Philadelphia. It doesn't mention The Philly Marathon, but that seems like it will also be caught in this.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1283019275918348288

 

[Tall Todd]

This one mentions the marathon
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/new...phia-big-events-canceled-coronavirus/2466732/

 

[SheHulk]

Both of my August trail races have now been cancelled. I'm pretty confident my fall races will cancel too. Between the cancelled races and doing some PT for SI joint dysfunction, my motivation to run has gone completely down the tubes. I envy those of you who are still running regularly.

I just felt like whining today, thanks for listening!

Since my fall marathon was canceled too, I think I'll join you!

 

[kleph]

the lack of motivation is a real problem right now for a lot of us. i was struggling with it in june and although i've been somewhat more successful handling it this month, it's not easy. particularly now it's gotten REALLY hot.

since i don't have a race to train for, i'm pretty much just trying to hit my monthly mile goal. but the real goal is to keep my conditioning from falling apart. i most definitely DO NOT WANT to spend a month or so getting back into shape if the situation changes and races become possible.

and, honestly, the fact that my runs are really the only excuse i have to get out of the house for a bit helps keep me going.

 

[Novatrix]

To no one's surprise, the Broad Street Run in Philly just announced that they are transitioning to a virtual run and will not hold an in-person event. Not a fan of how they didn't give a deferment or refund option, but at least part of the fee goes to charity.

For non-canceled fall races, come on Marine Corps and Honolulu marathon...

 

[DopeyBadger]

If anyone is looking for a HM or M option in September, a local company is pretty confident of getting a permit given their recent history with the county. Very limited availability for a race on 9/6/20. The marathon will not be certified for Boston purposes. Does not specify it is a road race at this time. They aren't doing aid stations but are doing some sort of bag drop system instead for most of their races. Worth a look.

https://runsignup.com/Race/Info/WI/Waukesha/DoLittleMarathon

https://www.facebook.com/SCSEVENTS/posts/4078067305568834

They've got a few other races still happening as well. A road 8 mi or HM on 8/29 just announced in Oconomowoc.

I believe @Kerry1957 just did one of their races this past weekend. Pretty sure I saw him in a video from their facebook page.

I'm not affiliated with this company in any way just sharing some possible races if anyone is close and wants to in person race.