The Running Thread - 2019

[TheHamm]

Opinion Needed: I do not think POT races need to be USATF certified based on my reading of the rD page. Does anyone think that a chip-timed race with a webpage of results will count? There is a runmichigancheap.com race I can try to negotiate out of family obligations to run. My previous POT race is lovely and flat and I just had to schedule a work trip over it, so I am looking for something new.

 

[SheHulk]

I've worn a full size sombrero for a 5k, ran with a full roll of toilet paper for part of a Marathon,

The crowd in general may be getting a little less fun but you, Sir, bring up the average.

 

[Slogger]

@LSUlakes
Would you mind adding this to the race calendar:
10/13 Steamtown Marathon (3:35:00/N/A)

Thanks.

Steamtown is a great event. Usually the leaves are peaking and the trail/bike path is very scenic.
Watch out for the downhill section, followed by 6 more downhill sections!!!

 

[Slogger]

This sort of thing will only cause division

With apologies to @Keels in advance......

Quite the calculated response @FFigawi.
I guess you could say our days of discussing math are numbered.

 

[Keels]

With apologies to @Keels in advance......

Quite the calculated response @FFigawi.
I guess you could say our days of discussing math are numbered.

You're killing me, Sloggs.

 

[baxter24]

ATTQOTD: Two boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts!

Ran the Krispy Kreme challenge with my husband. We did the "casual run" where you eat as many or as little donuts as your want. Neither of us wanted to get rid of the basically entire boxes of donuts minus a few so we each carried ours back. My husband wasn't in the best running shape so I ended up toting his and mine for two miles back.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

I'm back home after attending my 40th high school reunion in Bradenton, FL. We had a great time!

I won't bore you with the details (old people drinking and dancing) but will mention a couple of on-topic items.

But first a picture from the wayback machine. YoungBlondeGoofyGuy:



Theme park: On the way down, we spent the night in Valdosta, GA. I saw that there's a theme park with 6 or 7 roller coasters, Wild Adventures Theme Park. Better yet, they had $25 admission after 5PM.
DW and I bravely went after driving 5 hours. The park was clean and well maintained. The employees were pleasant, although not as well-informed as Disney CMs. Despite it being literally 100 degrees, we had a good time. I had about a dozen coaster rides with no line. Every ride was walk up and get in the next car. I did come to the conclusion that I'm too old for wooden coasters. It was like I could feel my brain bouncing around inside my skull.

Running part one: I managed to run 4 of the 6 days we were gone, mostly 4 milers in both Valdosta and Bradenton. I thought North Georgia was hot, but it can't compete with South Georgia and Florida. I had the special pleasure in Bradenton of getting rained on, then the sun immediately came out so you could see the steam rising off the pavement.

Running part two: I decided to get one more run in the day we headed back from Valdosta. I didn't set the alarm. I just planned to run if I got up on time and skip it if I didn't. Before we go to bed, I see DW fiddling with the hotel alarm clock. She didn't say anything about it. I go to bed and evidently don't look at the clock (you can see where this is going). I wake up at 5, look at the clock and decide it's too early and go back to sleep. I wake up at 6 and decide that's perfect. I get up and put my running gear on. The last thing I do is put on the Garmin. It lights up as I do. It's frigging 3:37 in the morning! I'm wide awake and ready to go, so I did a hellish 9 miles in the sweltering heat. To make it even more fun, I had to do half mile loops around the hotel/restaurant area that's lit up. I only spent the first 30 minutes hating my DW, then decided the whole thing was pretty funny.

Running part three: I wasn't the youngest looking guy at the reunion, but I was certainly the fittest! Yay running and exercise!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

This sort of thing will only cause division

Reminds me of how 4 out 3 people have trouble with fractions.

The most unusual thing I've probably had with me is a portable charger- I didn't want to run out of battery during the marathon, but didn't need it.

I needed my portable charger during the marathon so I was glad that I had it.

No regrets. Look out for a sombrero and maybe the return of some pom poms in the future.

I vote for the urbran sombrero from Seinfeld.

Anybody feel like the crowd has gotten slightly less fun over the years?

Sometimes I think it's more a matter of more races so the crowd gets spread out. Or else people decide to channel their costume energies to one race weekend per year. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Not really holding but the strangest things were in 2016 - a lady running the Light Side 10k in high heels and during the inaugural 2015 Star Wars Half - people running in tandem as an AT-AT.

 

[camaker]

That's a sousaphone. I've actually been looking for one to run with. Our Tuna Run relay team name is "I thought you said Tuba run" (it's a low ley race experience). I think Sousaphones are easier to run with given the way you wear them. So far all the ones I've found are several hundred $ and thats too much for a pun.

Are you going to be out there this year? Our Tuna Run team name is “Tuna Gives Me the Runs”. Thus far we have elected to run without visual aids.

 

[avondale]

Random QOTD based on above:
What is the oddest thing you have run with or seen someone else run with?

Good question! I can't think of anything that would be that odd, but I can't wait to hear the answers from everyone else!

 

[avondale]

Are you going to be out there this year? Our Tuna Run team name is “Tuna Gives Me the Runs”. Thus far we have elected to run without visual aids.

Some of my former Ragnar team was going to get together and do the Tuna Run this fall, but we were short a few members and didn't find them in time for the early registration date. Most of the team didn't want to register with the assumption that we would add on the remaining team members later due to a bad experience with a late addition in our last Ragnar. I'm a bit bummed to miss it, so I hope you both will post race reports afterward!

 

[camaker]

Some of my former Ragnar team was going to get together and do the Tuna Run this fall, but we were short a few members and didn't find them in time for the early registration date. Most of the team didn't want to register with the assumption that we would add on the remaining team members later due to a bad experience with a late addition in our last Ragnar. I'm a bit bummed to miss it, so I hope you both will post race reports afterward!

I’ve run it and posted race reports the last two years. It’s one of my favorite running experiences. The first year I did it, I joined a team where I had never met any of my teammates. We hit it off and kept the core of the team together for the following year, but they told me some crazy stories from the year before I joined featuring some team members that just did not mesh with the group. 36 hours in a van with tired, incompatible people can be miserable! I don’t think the race usually fills up, so maybe you can fill out the team and register a little later. How many more team members did you need? We ran that first year with 9-9.5 team members.

 

[KevM]

Two or three times, I have run the last half mile of my work run route with a bag of food from Sheetz (gas/convenience store chain here) because I didn't bring lunch to work, and I didn't want to have to drive back out after my run to get food.

People probably thought I was crazy (or really hungry).

There has been the occasional Saturday or Sunday morning where I’ll run to my local Wawa grab a breakfast sandwich and run back home with it to eat in the house.

Some other unusual things I can think of that I’ve seen people run with

There’s a pumpkin run not to far from me where people are given a pumpkin to run with.

I always shake me head, in wonder, when i’m at a race and see a person in a dinosaur costume.

Same for the person I’ve seen that ran in a suit, including what certainly looked like dress shoes.

On more than one occasion I’ve seen people carry flags for an entire race.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Opinion Needed: I do not think POT races need to be USATF certified based on my reading of the rD page. Does anyone think that a chip-timed race with a webpage of results will count? There is a runmichigancheap.com race I can try to negotiate out of family obligations to run. My previous POT race is lovely and flat and I just had to schedule a work trip over it, so I am looking for something new.

My understanding is that you should be good. Timed race with online results, but it doesn't have to be USATF certified.

 

[rteetz]

No regrets. Look out for a sombrero and maybe the return of some pom poms in the future.

You won't be the only one with a sombrero.

 

[AntimonyER]

ATTQOTD: At my last half, a guy was running the 10K in a full tuxedo. At the 10K I ran, my daughter's inflatable T-Rex costume was borrowed as the race mascot. The young man wearing it ran the kids run. I give props to him, I have run a few sprints in that costume while chasing my kids around, its hard enough to run 20 ft, and he ran over a mile in it!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I never saw him at the expos or talking to people. I had no idea he ever went to the expo until I read someone's comment elsewhere. Did he just wonder around or at some point did he have a booth/area?

I have seen him wandering at every expo I have been to, I don’t think he’s ever had a booth though.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

My understanding is that you should be good. Timed race with online results, but it doesn't have to be USATF certified.

Agreed - most of my rD times submitted were not USATF certified courses. All have been accepted. Chip times and results posted online are a requirement, but even very small races seem to do that now.

 

[Chaitali]

In a couple local races around DC I've seen a guy who juggles while he runs! I was pretty impressed with that one. Though I have also seen him drop his juggling implements and have to stop and pick one up. So not sure how safe that really is.