The Running Thread --2025

[jmasgat]

Tap, tap , tap....is this thing on? (Wondering if I'm having tech problems, since I have seen no new activity on any forum thread since this morning. Or is everyone just out for a run?

Hmmm....guess it's just a quiet day.

 

[DianaMB333]

Tap, tap , tap....is this thing on? (Wondering if I'm having tech problems, since I have seen no new activity on any forum thread since this morning. Or is everyone just out for a run?

Hmmm....guess it's just a quiet day.

Indeed… today Detroit had a sunny 32F day then had to take advantage of it..

Funny how the body thermostat adjusts.. now 32F feels just a bit cold but not that bad… 2 months ago when I was living in Dallas, I wouldn't have gone out LOL

I guess it is similar to the placebo effect of the kt tape.. the mind is a wondrous marvel

 

[jmasgat]

Indeed… today Detroit had a sunny 32F day then had to take advantage of it..

Funny how the body thermostat adjusts.. now 32F feels just a bit cold but not that bad… 2 months ago when I was living in Dallas, I wouldn't have gone out LOL

I guess it is similar to the placebo effect of the kt tape.. the mind is a wondrous marvel

My run this a.m. (Suburban Detroit ) had some sun......it was puzzling at first, then I remembered what it was. A nice break from the nonstop gray.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

Tap, tap , tap....is this thing on? (Wondering if I'm having tech problems, since I have seen no new activity on any forum thread since this morning. Or is everyone just out for a run?

Hmmm....guess it's just a quiet day.

Sorry, busy weekend at work!

Place is looking great though, and business is good, although it may be the penultimate Sundance in this town

 

[Dopey 2020]

So I registered for the Niagara 50K in June, which brings up a question (or two) of the day.
How’s everyone’s calendar this year?
Doing any new to you races or distances?
Racing them or just for fun?

I’ll start with Springtime surprise in April
I was going to go do a series in Rhode Island but the calendar says no, and I’m looking for new races, so wanting to step up the challenge from marathon, decided on 50K. Haven’t been to Niagara in years so it will double as a nice June getaway.
Going to do Wineglass marathon in October, this will be my ‘A’ race as my time is improving and my Boston AG for 2027 changes post September I believe, just maybe…
Then Wine and Dine and prepare for Dopey ‘26.
If my calendar opens for something new and exciting, I’ll see then.

 

[The Expert]

ATTQOTD: My race calendar is a bit sparse right now, with just the SS 10K.

We've got non-running WDW trips in late May and late October. That second one overlaps with the first two races of W&D now that they moved the dates, so I may as well sign up for the 5K (and maybe 10K since I have a good costume idea for the theme).

There aren't a lot of casual races near me, and even those have such small fields I'm way too self-conscious of my slow pace to do them. I'm kind of looking for a medium-to-large but slow-pace welcoming HM or shorter in the region (New England) between March and November to at least have something to train for. (Suggestions welcome!)

In the meantime, once things thaw, I plan to actually utilize the trails nearby to at least mix up all the treadmill running, and I'll start training for my Happy challenge (MW 5k, 10K, HM) in early fall.

Edit to add: I signed up to volunteer at the Boston Marathon, so we'll see if that comes through. I won't be running but thought it would be a fun way to get involved with the event. I'll likely go down and spectate for it even if I don't get a shift.

 

[marty3d]

ATTQOTD:

My non-rD schedule is usually pretty light consisting of either my local 10k or Half in May but this year is looking a little different.

My quest to get a POT for at least B corral in the Marathon has led me to conclude I need to try a 10-miler so I'll be entering the lottery for the Broad Street 10-miler in Philadelphia (thanks @Novatrix for the suggestion!). That will be the first weekend in May.

Memorial Day weekend I'm running the 5k, 10k and Half here in Ottawa. Which race I focus on will likely be dependent on the 10 miler 3 weeks earlier.

October I'm running a local 10k.

November.... I'm crossing my fingers I get into the NYC Marathon via the lottery - if I don't I am very tempted to just buy an entry via a travel package. NYC is a bucket list item and I'm worried it will just get more difficult to get in every year.

@The Expert Have you looked at any races in Montreal? That's a pretty easy drive from Vermont and they have lots of runs - I haven't done any of them myself but the fields will be gig enough that I'm sure they have runners of every pace. Go a little further to Ottawa and I can tell you from experience (if you look at my MW times I don't go fast most of the time!) our races accommodate every pace right down to walkers. For example, for the half marathon in May, they have a walking pacer with a 3:15 finish.

 

[The Expert]

@The Expert Have you looked at any races in Montreal? That's a pretty easy drive from Vermont and they have lots of runs - I haven't done any of them myself but the fields will be gig enough that I'm sure they have runners of every pace. Go a little further to Ottawa and I can tell you from experience (if you look at my MW times I don't go fast most of the time!) our races accommodate every pace right down to walkers. For example, for the half marathon in May, they have a walking pacer with a 3:15 finish.

Oh, good call! We've been to Montreal a few times for concerts and events and it really is super close. Closer than any major metro in the US! My HM pr is 2:40 so 3:15 is definitely doable. I know we've got a few runners from that area here on the boards, too. So maybe @azrivest or @flav would have some ideas? Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
I am signed up for a 50k trail run in the end of August.

I might sign up for the local July 4th 5k, and I'm still wavering on signing up for anything else. Any summer races would be catered training runs, and I have a hard time justifying the cost of a race registration for something I can 100% do on my own, especially when my paces mean that I would be alone 90% of the time on-course anyway. Plus, our weekends are usually swamped with baseball and track meets from April-early June.

I'm debating something in late(r) fall because I don't want my 50k training to "go to waste" (that's such a stupid statement, but I know that there's going to be a significant gap in races after August and my training will slow way down) but I'm not sure what will fit in with XC, our schedule, and the weather.

 

[jmasgat]

I have no races on my calendar. I am training for a half--but that's because I like structure. I am at the point where the thought of racing depresses me since its always been a time focus for me, which is not a realistic goal anymore. So yeah.

Edit to add: I signed up to volunteer at the Boston Marathon, so we'll see if that comes through. I won't be running but thought it would be a fun way to get involved with the event. I'll likely go down and spectate for it even if I don't get a shift.

I'm signed up again. I picked Sunday expo stuff this time. Seems like the last few years I've alternated with race day and expo day.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I’ve got the Springtime 10-Miler coming up, but that’s it.

I’m in a quandary about the future, tbh. I’d sworn off anything longer than a half last year, and was ready to make MW my final half, even, because after 45 years of running and athletics, aging has caught up to me and running now causes me so much pain, long runs have become unbearable. I spent a year seeing specialist after specialist, doing PT, basically doing all the things available… and nothing has changed. Best I can figure, it’s the combination of age-related hormonal changes + a lifetime of wear and tear + multiple autoimmune diseases. I keep telling myself I should just be happy that I can still do shorter distances, and most people my age can’t even finish a 10K… but I am me and I’m not satisfied with that.

So IDK what to do moving forward. I NEED some kind of challenge. I’ve never done Goofy on its own and I was actually thinking “if I can just find a pair of shoes that works, maybe I can do it…” - and then I did an easy 5-miler yesterday and was unable to get down my stairs without excruciating knee pain. I have no interest in racing for time, can’t travel, and honestly have no interest in local races other than rD. W&D is mostly out because I can’t take vacation time in hurricane season anymore. MW is my next best option - 5K and 10K? Could I possibly manage 5, 10, and the half? “Just” the 10 and half? 5 and half? Skip it entirely and do Princess again, since in haven’t in ages? Skip all of them and do the full Springtime weekend in 2026? Stop running altogether and focus on my chess game?!

Yeah… tl;dr: I have NO idea what my future holds lol!

 

[Erika10021]

ATTQOTD:
We are signed up for Princess and Springtime Challenges. We are planning on signing up for W&D and I am very much looking forward to conquering the Dopey in January! We have a couple of small races we do locally, 5k and 10k, which are usually in October. Half tempted to try for the Broad Street run to see if I can get a good time. Depends on how the next two Disney race weekends, healing and training go. All in all, I am very much itching for the weather to not be so frigid so I can run more!

 

[Jules76126]

Planning on some race this summer/fall. But there are tons in New England so I will figure out which one later. I may do one when we are on vacation in Maine as I can walk to the start/finish. We shall see.

 

[marty3d]

ATTQOTD:
I am signed up for a 50k trail run in the end of August.

You just reminded me that I'm also considering my first trail race at the end of August - but a much more manageable 10k! (though 50k does sound interesting!). The only reason I haven't registered yet is that I want to see if I get into NYC. The 10k Trail run near hear is a hard one from what I hear and not sure I'd risk injury if I'm running NY.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: I have the Springtime Surprise Challenge in April, and I just signed up for the MN Landscape Arboretum's Bud Break 5K yesterday. It's May 4, and I'm determined to get faster on this course. The first time I ran it, I was sick and it was cold and rainy, and my headphones died halfway through, and my time was 39 minutes flat. The second time I ran it, it was a perfect day, I was in good health, my headphones worked, and I ran it in 39:09. And this year, there's a costume contest to dress up as your favorite flower to win a bouquet

Since I'm not doing W&D this year, I'm planning to sign up for Twin Cities Marathon Weekend's Loony Challenge--10K followed by 5K on Saturday, and then the 10 Miler on Sunday. The last time I signed up for Loony in 2023, the 10 miler was cancelled due to heat, and it wasn't much better for the Saturday races. I only did the 10 miler in 2024, and I did pretty well.

I think I'm going to work on speed, rather than distance over the summer to keep the workouts shorter and easier to transfer to the treadmill. I might jump into a 5K here and there, if I find any that are convenient (ie--somewhere in a suburb, not in Minneapolis, the drive and parking isn't worth it for 3 miles)

 

[camaker]

ATTQOTD: My racing schedule for this year is completely up in the air at this point. Two weeks of rest has not improved my hamstring at all. I've got a PT appointment this week to put together a plan, but it's hard to see a rapid return to running this spring. My normal March ultra is out of the question, so I'll play it by ear and see when I can get back on the road and maybe target a May/June half, if possible.

I'm going to completely retool my fall running. Running an October 100k has dramatically impacted my Marathon Weekends the last two years, so I'm going to cut them out entirely. Right now, I'm thinking of just targeting an October/November marathon, which should have a much better recovery profile leading into MW.

 

[azrivest]

Oh, good call! We've been to Montreal a few times for concerts and events and it really is super close. Closer than any major metro in the US! My HM pr is 2:40 so 3:15 is definitely doable. I know we've got a few runners from that area here on the boards, too. So maybe @azrivest or @flav would have some ideas? Thanks for the suggestion!

If you're looking for a relatively big field, I can see three events near Montreal:

1) As @marty3d mentioned, the Tamarack Ottawa weekend at the end of May probably has the best ambiance and is the most inclusive. The city really comes out and encourages runners all along the course. To give you an idea, these are their HM pacers:
Continuous: 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 2:00, 2:05, 2:10, 2:15, 2:20, 2:30
Run Walk: 1:50, 2:00, 2:05, 2:10, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45
Walk: 3:15
It would be my #1 recommendation as well. It always occurs on a weekend where I'm unavailable, otherwise I would run it every year.

2) The Montreal Marathon weekend in mid September has the biggest field. Last year the weekend had over 20k runners. They have "combos" similar to runDisney where you can combine races but no challenge medal It will probably sell out before the summer.

3) The Laval Firefighters Race in the first weekend of June. I've done it twice before since it's local to me. I won't do it again though: the course is difficult (net uphill) and it's competitive. I finished the half in 2:18 last year and was 1047 out of 1352 runners Very different to runDisney... There's no time limit though, the last runners finished in almost 4 hours.

 

[SheHulk]

ATTQOTD:
I just signed up for the Hot Chocolate 10k here at the beginning of April. I had been planning on not signing up for anything until Broad Street in May (everybody who is considering it, do it!), but that felt too far away since my disappointing marathon in January and I needed something to start training for right now. I know I'll most likely get into Broad Street, but last year was the first true lottery we have had in a few years, where more people entered than they had spots, and I didn't want to have a "maybe" as the next thing, I wanted a sure thing. A 10k on the horizon will force me to do some speedwork too.

I wanted to recycle (and adjust as needed) an old DopeyBadger plan, but it is very hard to do a mile time trial around here right now. The rail trails are still snow-covered, and I don't know where else to go, that actually has distance markers.

 

[nancipants]

I am doing the Princess Challenge next month. I have nothing else official on my calendar, but I want to do another half in the fall during marathon training, possibly Space Coast or Orlando again (it’s super convenient and I liked running with their pacers). Possibly try to run with the 2:45 pacers this time.

I also want to work on my speed over the summer, since running long distances in the heat is no bueno. I can handle a 5k, but I did a 10k last year at the end of September and it suuuuuuucked. What I really want to do is train for a 1:08 10k for a Disney half marathon POT, but the problem is finding a local race where the temps are still in my favor. Once April hits, the opportunity is lost, and even March can be iffy. Coming off marathon training and doing the Princess challenge, I don’t want to start training for speed until after Princess, which means I’d have to travel for a race. So, tbd.

 

[GollyGadget]

ATTQOTD: My spring has a lot going on but my fall is still very undecided. Coming up in late April I have a 10K where I’d like to try for a PR and then a road mile a few days later. That one will probably just be for fun, but running a mile all out is never fun so we’ll see.

A few weeks later I have another 10K because I really like the race and I figured it was good to have a backup for the PR attempt. Finally at the end of May I have a HM scheduled. We’ll see how training goes and what I plan to do as it approaches.

I know from experience that doing these three weekends has me ready for a break by the end but they’re all such a fun atmosphere and so close to my house that I have a hard time skipping them.

Fall is an entirely different story…I haven’t found any must do local races. I thought about finding a destination marathon, but it might be nice to take the year off of that distance. Plus I have some travel in September that would throw a wrench into training. Not impossible, but might just be better to stick with a shorter distance.

I’m also trying to figure out my January since that could impact fall 2025. I’m planning to skip MW in 2026 but that opinion changes daily. I’ve been looking at races in south Florida in January if anyone has a recommendation