The Running Thread - 2021

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD Goals: I've thought about this the past few days and am trying to come up with goals that are more long term focused. I have immediate and short term goals, but I also want to set goals that require work after the immediate and short term goals are met. This will keep me going when during a time when there may not be anything to work towards.

Immediate Goal: Finish the 3 different WDW Virtual Marathon events I registered for. After life complications some stemming from the virus restrictions in California derailed my training, I reluctantly, but correctly decided to turn my virtual marathon idea into a multi day virtual marathon to reduce injury risk. In my case, the virtual races are providing the desired effect, namely kicking my motivation into a gear that involves actually doing something today instead of threatening to do something next week. Here are the rules I set for myself for the multi day virtual marathon.

1. 26.2 miles must be completed over the course of 6 consecutive days. The final day will be longer, thinking around 6-9 miles depending on where the days leading up to the final day land mileage wise.
2. Since I signed up for the virtual 5K, then at some point during the 4 days of what would have been marathon weekend, I must run at least 3.1 miles.
3. I also registered for the Castaway Cay virtual 5K, so next week even as I reduce the miles quite a bit, I must do 3.1 miles on one of those days.

Short Term Goal 1: Finish the 2021 virtual Princess 10K and Princess Half Marathon races. I registered for these races separately to give myself flexibility on when I complete each distance. If I decide to turn them into the 10K/Half Challenge, I can find another way to reward myself for the challenge. I still hope to do the half on the day the half was supposed to take place.

Short Term Goal 2: Finish the 2021 virtual Star Wars Rival Run + Kessel Run Challenge. As I registered for the challenge, I will do the 10K and Half distances on back to back days. When is still to be determined since the original race dates come at an inconvenient time and since it's virtual, I may choose a more convenient weekend.

Now comes the tricky part. There is nothing on the calendar after Star Wars. So I want to select goals that keep me going after that while realizing that I do not know what race options will be available by then especially since I live in California.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Found this in my mailbox today!

 

[flav]

What to wear in 2021?

A year ago, we were spending our first day at Disney World for Marathon Weekend. So glad we did! I ran Dopey so I got six running long sleeves shirts. I have worn them pretty much every day since last March, except for summer. Being Canadian, I do not have access to the runDisney virtual races. So, are there any 2021 tech long sleeve shirts you recommend or should I just stick to 2020 forever?

 

[camaker]

Found this in my mailbox today!

View attachment 548767

Nice! Hopefully mine will come soon. I wasn’t expecting it until the end of the month based on what they were projecting for delivery.

 

[FFigawi]

What to wear in 2021?

A year ago, we were spending our first day at Disney World for Marathon Weekend. So glad we did! I ran Dopey so I got six running long sleeves shirts. I have worn them pretty much every day since last March, except for summer. Being Canadian, I do not have access to the runDisney virtual races. So, are there any 2021 tech long sleeve shirts you recommend or should I just stick to 2020 forever?

These are my favorite long sleeve tech shirts

https://sportsciencewear.com/collections/its-a-stretch

 

[Grabnar]

What to wear in 2021?

A year ago, we were spending our first day at Disney World for Marathon Weekend. So glad we did! I ran Dopey so I got six running long sleeves shirts. I have worn them pretty much every day since last March, except for summer. Being Canadian, I do not have access to the runDisney virtual races. So, are there any 2021 tech long sleeve shirts you recommend or should I just stick to 2020 forever?

If you can afford it I'd recommend the Rabbit shirts, especially their merino wool blend (if it comes back into stock; the SS version is good too). I've tried out a little over 10 different shirt brands at this point and they're my favorite along with the Black Diamond wool shirts. I'm in Houston so our climate's a little different though! These are great base layers for <45F, and good standalone for 40-70F.

I got really into merino wool this year because it's so good at heat regulation; I can wear the short sleeve versions in the 100F/90% humidity summers without feeling stifled, and they stink a lot less than the poly blend shirts that I'd been using

 

[PrincessV]

It sounds like you may have a bad watch. I haven't seen any issues with my writs HR even below 0. Of course wrist HR is only so accurate but it shouldn't jump that much unless the sensor is bad, it needs a firmware update, or it isn't tight enough against the skin.

I actually got an HRM-PRO for Christmas so I just started using an actual strap which is much more accurate. If you want to train based on HR it is the best way to go.

Honestly, I don't really care if it tracks right or not - I am so not data driven, lol! I mostly use it for intervals when I'm listening to a podcast while running (and don't want my run app interrupting with interval alerts) and because I can actually read its huge numbers without reading glasses to tell time. But I disconnected it from Bluetooth a few months ago, so yeah - it's probably overdue for an update.

 

[GreatLakes]

What to wear in 2021?

A year ago, we were spending our first day at Disney World for Marathon Weekend. So glad we did! I ran Dopey so I got six running long sleeves shirts. I have worn them pretty much every day since last March, except for summer. Being Canadian, I do not have access to the runDisney virtual races. So, are there any 2021 tech long sleeve shirts you recommend or should I just stick to 2020 forever?

I second Merino wool for winter. I just started wearing them last winter and it is my go to fabric for cold weather now. I have a few different Merino pieces that I love. They are more expensive but if you take care of them they will last. The other plus is they do not need washed after every run and it is best if you don't. I know that sounds weird but if you hang a shirt after a run and let it dry you will not smell any odor on it. When you do wash them use the gentle cycle, a detergent like Sport Wash, and dry them flat.

The pieces I have are below:

Helly Hansen Warm Freez - This looks discontinued but their Lifa Merino line looks like the current version
Smartwool 250 Base Layer 1/4 zip
Tracksmith Fells Waffle Layer
Tracksmith Brighton Base Layer
Tracksmith Harrier Long Sleve

 

[mr incredibleS1]

A week ago I asked a question here about doing a “20 miles in 20 hours” challenge to finish off the year 2020. I really appreciated the advice I got and I wanted to give a quick report on how this challenge went.

My goal was to run 1 mile every hour between 4am and midnight, for a total of 20 miles and 20 hours. The “rules” I set for myself allowed me to run these miles at any point during the hour … which meant I could potentially do a mile at 4:45am and then another one at 5:05am and those would count for hour 1 and hour 2 respectively. But I couldn’t do 2 miles at 4:30am and then not do a mile during the 5am-6am hour. I also decided that I could run the miles on different routes if I wanted to and they didn’t all need to start/finish from my home.

So, I got up just after 4am on New Years Eve and it was around 40 degrees outside and was raining a little, but the rain only lasted for the first couple of miles. I think I started my first mile around 4:30am. It was my first time running with my new Noxgear light vest/straps and my first time running by myself at such an early and dark hour. It was a little intimidating at first but I soon got used to it. I did another mile soon after 5am and then tried to take a short nap. I think I got about 20 minutes of sleep before heading out again - it was a struggle to get up and run again after only just drifting off to sleep. That was the only nap I took during the challenge. The first 6 miles I did on the same route from my house. I remember feeling that these miles were a bit boring and the excitement of starting this challenge was wearing off, especially since most of my family were still asleep so I couldn’t share any of the excitement with them yet. I did miles 7-12 at off-site locations, each around a 10 minute drive from my house. Most were places that I had run regularly during the year so it was nice to revisit those routes on the last day of the year. I took my husband and kids with me for some of those miles and that made it extra fun. Miles 13-20 were all done from my house on the same route again, and were mostly all in the dark. The last 2-3 miles I was pretty over the whole idea but I keep going until I had finished the task I had set for myself! My legs were never really tired until the last couple of miles. It was a good feeling to complete the challenge and to know I’d finished the year doing something a bit crazy but also feeling strong because I had been able to do it.

My overall thoughts about the challenge were that it was a fun thing to do once, especially during a year in which there were hardly any races or events to participate in, but I’m not sure that I’d do it again, at least not on my own. I think it would have been a lot more fun if I’d done it with other people. Doing it on my own in the dark, the novelty wore off fast. I definitely tried to make it fun through-out the whole day though, and mostly succeeded! My favorite parts of the challenge were the miles when my husband and kids joined me and I got to run in some of the favorite locations. I also had fun taking photos after each mile and posting them on my social media and it was nice to have friends give me some virtual encouragement. At some point I realized that doing 1 mile each hour and then having a short rest, felt a lot like doing an interval workout that just lasted all day! And it was a very long day. Even though I was only running for around 11minutes each hour, it did feel like I was going all day, between getting myself ready to run, running, hydrating or eating before heading out to run again, driving to a new run location, etc. It filled up the entire 20 hours with not a lot of time for much else. And I was very sleepy by the end!

Anyway, thanks again for the advice - it helped make the challenge a success, and hopefully my recap might be useful for anyone else considering a similar kind of challenge.

That was a very ambitious challenge! Did you feel at the end of the day like you would when you run 20 miles at once or did it feel different. Did you find yourself tightening up in between the runs?

 

[sky13]

I posted occasionally in the running threads over the last couple of years, but stopped posting towards the second half of 2020. Was still running, but less than I was doing before and just squeaked past my revised running goal of 2 km/day (732 km) in 2020! Alas, the reduced running and overall events of 2020 meant that I unfortunately gained back some of the weight I lost in 2019 - I lost around 30 pounds and got comfortably into the healthy BMI category, but gained 5 pounds of it back in 2020 - not the end of the world as still in healthy BMI category, but would be nice to get back to where I was at the end of 2019!

Anyway, I have just bought a treadmill, which I am incredibly excited about as it means no more excuses not to run because it's raining or the park is crowded! And means I can run at all times of the day now as well.

Running and health goals for 2021
- Run an average of 2 km/day (total of 730 km).
- Run consistently
- Lose 5 pounds or so of weight

 

[RunDopey]

ATTQOTD Goals for 2021:

rD based goals:
- register for Dopey 2022
- Do my part for the It's A Small World CRAW team. If the opportunity arises, get my wife on the team.
- Run a 3:45 full or 1:40 half for PoT. These always seem to "hurt" more than the ultra distances. I will need to change up my training if these become possible in 2021.

General running goals:
- Continue to improve as an ultra runner. I am now able to maintain ~70mi per week without injury.
- Continue 2x week group strength training with a focus on glutes/core. I believe doing this for the last 9 months is the reason for this years improvement. The group part helps me with consistency and accountability
- Finish Rocky Raccoon 100mi in February with a satisfactory performance. That does not necessarily translate into a time so much as a perception. This will be my fourth 100 miler if I finish and I am yet to be satisfied with my races to date. I am always very happy to finish the distance, as there are so many things that can (and have) gone wrong in ~24 hours of running.
- Run the Brazos Bend 50 miler in April with my wife while ensuring she enjoys the race. I feel this will be my most difficult goal this year
- Run the Keys100 in May to support the RD and improve upon my previous finish. A lot of undue ugliness ensued after the race was cancelled last year.

Life goals:
- Maintain gratitude for the remarkable good fortune we have had during the pandemic.
- Be more generous and kind to *everyone* I interact with in my life.

 

[r2d2_runner]

That was a very ambitious challenge! Did you feel at the end of the day like you would when you run 20 miles at once or did it feel different. Did you find yourself tightening up in between the runs?

Thanks! I have actually never run 20 miles all at once (my longest distance is a half marathon) but I can say that after 13 miles of my 1-mile-per-hour challenge, I felt better than I usually would after 13 miles of a half marathon. On the other hand I was running all these miles at an easy pace, not a race pace, so that could have been a factor too. After 20 miles I was starting to get a little tightness in my legs but I was fine the next day and was able to do a 3 mile run. So, I would say that this challenge was physically easier than doing all those miles at once, but mentally it was still challenging to be actively engaged in this task all day long for 20 hours straight - I definitely wanted to just do my last 3 miles all at once just to get the job done! It was a fun to attempt something a bit different though.

 

[huskies90]

It's a new week, how about a new Question of the Day…?

QOTD: What are some of the things you did when you started running that you have since learned not to do today?

As I went out for a run the other day, I was thinking about my shoes and how they are approaching their max mileage target. And it got me thinking about how I never tracked mileage on my shoes when I started running and I would wear them until they basically fell apart. I can only imagine how many miles some of those old shoes had on them. It made me think about other stuff I would do when I first started running but don’t do today.

ATTQOTD:

1) Not tracking shoe mileage
2) Not wearing moisture wicking clothing
3) Not running most of the time at comfortable paces. I would try to run every run as hard as possible - like I was running a race.

 

[Dopey 2020]

That could well be my exact answer, I started running in cotton tee shirts, whatever sneakers I had (90% of my day was in work boots so I had absolute garbage for sneakers to use for anything) and every run was full effort, thinking that’s how to get faster right?
After reading many posts here of all places, I found the errors of my ways and now:
Get the proper attire
Get the right shoes, rotate and track mileage
Easy pacing, easy pacing, and after that, easy pacing

I will also add, I never tracked mileage ran, or how often I ran. Now I track as much data as I have time for knowing that makes for a better plan, and a plan is the only way to improve as well as help prevent injury.

Used to run with my phone and wired earbuds, now my watch and airpods

Used to think 5K was more than enough, now I’m a few marathons into thinking a 50K would be fun

 

[softball chick]

ATTQOTD: Similar answers from what I've seen so far:

-Wearing cotton t-shirts instead of dry fit tops (and often tank tops unless it's winter)
-Running with wired headphones instead of my wireless ones now (so many times having them yanked from my year)

My third answer though is I started off incredibly embarrassed to have people see me doing run/walk intervals. When I first started out, my run intervals were very short. I always felt like anyone driving by would judge me with all the starting and stopping, to the point where I wouldn't do any running unless I was on a side street that wouldn't have many people driving past me. Looking back, I know how silly it was of me to think this way but I was very self conscious about everything when I first started out. Now I use intervals as needed without even giving them a second thought

 

[C.beara]

ATTQOTD: I exclusively ran on the treadmill when I started out. This could be me:

I started off incredibly embarrassed to have people see me doing run/walk intervals. When I first started out, my run intervals were very short. I always felt like anyone driving by would judge me with all the starting and stopping

I was so self-conscious about how slow my run intervals were, and the fact that I was doing run/walk that I would not run outside at all, which meant that when I was ready to run outside I had to relearn how to pace myself and what running felt like. It was a really weird feeling.

 

[r2d2_runner]

ATTQOTD: I have learned to:
1) Run at an easy pace! At first I really struggled to increase my distance beyond 3 miles, but learning to slow down really helped me to run for longer durations.
2) Pre-hydrate
3) Run without headphones/music. I realize that this is not for everyone, but I initially used music to distract myself from the pain of running ... but now that I enjoy running a lot more I have embraced the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts during the run instead. It is nice to have that time to mull over ideas or process new information.

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: Probably more mental things than physical.....

--Stop neurosing when one or two training sessions don't go well. It's not the end of the world.
--Don't project forward race-readiness based on early training form, i.e. stop thinking "How will I ever be ready to race by then"

 

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD: It took me years to understand what train slow to run fast really means. I always trained at race pace. Since I remain very slow, this did not lead to very many injury problems. However once I understood what train slow to run fast actually means and truly implemented real intervals as opposed to making it up on my own with no outside source explaining it to me, I discovered that I enjoyed long runs substantially more and recovered from them a lot faster. This eventually wound up in me not just running two marathons, but actually enjoying them.

I also learned that incorporating some type of strength training helped me feel stronger and race a little bit faster likely because my core muscles were stronger so I could sustain faster paces longer.

To add to what @jmasgat so wisely mentioned, I have learned that consistent training throughout the duration of the plan means it's devastating if I get sick during training and have to skip runs. I got sick at the tail end of 2016 and had to skip some of my maintenance and long runs in order to recover. Even then I forced myself to gut out an absolutely miserable 12.5 mile run that really could have been a few miles shorter. 3 weeks later I had a great race. The volume of the plan carries you across the finish line when you're consistent early. This helped me immensely from a mental standpoint when I caught a nasty cold about 10 days before my first Dopey and marathon in 2019. Each day of Dopey I could literally feel myself getting stronger than I was the day before. Knowing I had already put in the hard work meant that I could quite literally allow myself to rest without fearing that all my fitness would be lost over the course of one week.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

QOTD: What are some of the things you did when you started running that you have since learned not to do today?

I don’t think I’ve ever shared this... but during my first 5K back in college, I ran in opaque black dress tights under my shorts. I didn’t have any leggings/athletic tights (or even really knew what they were other than how they looked!) and at that time everyone wore them under shorts! My tights looked the same...

That following summer, I told my fellow intern that I hoped to feel confident enough to someday wear tights/leggings without shorts. HA! That’s basically alllll I wear now.

I could also add that I don’t need to carb load for a 5K. Or wear cotton. Or old shoes. The list goes on...