The Running Thread - 2019

[Waiting2goback]

 

[FFigawi]

My legs sink too. I can swim but I always joke I sink like a rock. This is why the swimming is the thing that scares me the most.

Here’s an example of their entry level suit. Built for people like us with no flotation in our legs.

https://huubdesign.com/collections/...-5-triathlon-wetsuit-mens?variant=51326351636

 

[Bree]

Anyone here have fibromyalgia? How do you deal with it and run?

I’ve been in denial with this diagnosis thinking it’s just cuckoo whackadoodle nonsense, but the last two weeks have been so bad. Rheumatology has ruled out a mile long list of autoimmune diseases. Right now I hurt head to toe with flu like body aches and my head is so foggy. I was prescribed a medication on Tuesday and I’m starting an elimination diet to see if anything I’m eating is triggering me. Hoping I bounce back soon because Wine & Dine is next week!

 

[cburnett11]

Just couldn't let this quote pass, although I will not comment any further.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I had to read it 3 times before the real meaning sunk in.

I need to proofread better.

 

[TheHamm]

today's run situation:
It was 40 °F and dark. I could not find gloves. I could not find a hat or ear band. I could not find anything but shorts. It was dark and foggy under the street lights. I could not find motivation and decided to regroup for a shorter lunch run instead.

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

 

[jennamfeo]

NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

I wear my Noxgear all the time -- even on my running path that is strictly runners and bikers, and I get compliments all the time from the bikers that they can see me super far away.

 

[avondale]

today's run situation:
It was 40 °F and dark. I could not find gloves. I could not find a hat or ear band. I could not find anything but shorts. It was dark and foggy under the street lights. I could not find motivation and decided to regroup for a shorter lunch run instead.

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

I run on sidewalks in my neighborhood and generally avoid crossing the main secondary streets and only cross the smaller streets. I tend to run in the evenings (but it's rush hour).

I wear a neon-yellow reflective vest. I clip an LED light on the front and on the back - these are for visibility to others and can be a solid light or different frequencies of flashing.

To see my way, I do use knuckle lights. I absolutely never carry a water bottle, so I wasn't sure I'd like them, but they stay on pretty well. I really don't like the weight of a headlamp - maybe if I could test a bunch, I would find one that I like, but that's too much money and time. The knuckle lights are not hugely bright, but sufficient for me. They fade gradually as the battery is used up.

With this get-up on, I was running through the neighborhood in the dark one night and someone who had just driven home and parked got out of her car and said, "Wow, you're really visible." So I figured I had accomplished my mission.

When I was training for MCM a couple years ago, and I was out running in the mornings in the dark, I would pass other runners with headlamps on so that they could see the path. They really were not greatly visible TO me. I could see that something with a light was coming, but the distance and velocity were hard to judge. I feel like that may be similar for someone driving if you're only wearing a headlamp. So I try to have parts that are for others to see me and parts that are for me to see where I'm going.

 

[MissLiss279]

today's run situation:
It was 40 °F and dark. I could not find gloves. I could not find a hat or ear band. I could not find anything but shorts. It was dark and foggy under the street lights. I could not find motivation and decided to regroup for a shorter lunch run instead.

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

I use my Night Runner 270 shoe lights and they are very visible to on coming traffic. Since they move with each foot movement, it’s kind of any unusual light pattern that is different and can make you stand out. I think headlamps may not move (bounce) as much, so they may blend in kind of like street light more.
I also have a Noxgear vest that I use occasionally. I also run on pretty well lit sidewalks, but anything to help vehicles see you at intersections is a good idea.

 

[camaker]

today's run situation:
It was 40 °F and dark. I could not find gloves. I could not find a hat or ear band. I could not find anything but shorts. It was dark and foggy under the street lights. I could not find motivation and decided to regroup for a shorter lunch run instead.

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

I wear my Noxgear Tracer360 if it's going to be dark for a significant portion of my run. If the run is going to take me through some areas with inadequate lighting, I'll generally carry a headlamp in my pocket and pull it out like a flashlight when needed.

 

[DopeyBadger]

NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

It's overkill, until it isn't. When I wear mine, I am as confident as I can be that someone SHOULD be able to see me if they were looking. I'm like a running disco ball. But it doesn't give off that much light to light your path, and doesn't project forward a ton. So I recently added this combo:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CV3VTYB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HQPFHWL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I made this headband light into a chest light using a HR strap. I put this light on first, and then the Noxgear one. Because of the placement of the Noxgear buckle I can hold the chest light in place. I've been using this combo for a few weeks and there has been zero movement of my makeshift chest light.

 

[AntimonyER]

There is a two mile paved, lit loop for walkers/joggers about 10-15 minutes from my house. For early morning or evening runs, I pretty much stick to there, as I have zero high viz run gear.

 

[PrincessV]

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

Mine is a really different situation than most, so this probably falls into the Do As Others Say, Not As I Do category...
I have some stretches of road with no sidewalk and no lights, and some stretches of sidewalk, too, that have no lights: I love a headlamp to handle those so I can see where I'm going.

I live in an area of mostly retiree drivers and, well, I've found over the past couple decades that it's really best if they don't see me at all and I just stay out of their way on that short stretch of dark road without sidewalks. I've tried all the lights and reflection and as soon as they see that, they turn their wheels and come right at me, I have to jump out of the way into the grass and we both wind up with a big scare. It all goes better when I see them coming and just step off to the side, in the dark, turn off my headlamp, and let them safely pass without noticing I'm there.

When I'm on sidewalks, I have a red flashing light I clip to my shirt so anyone on a bicycle will see me as they approach from behind, but that's pretty rare - I'm usually the only one out on the sidewalks in the dark. I don't trust vehicles to see me at intersections day or night: I cross with the signal and look, look, look again and again as I cross to make sure no one's running the red light.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Even with reflective clothing I don't trust drivers. Once the days get short, usually post Thanksgiving until Princess weekend, my after work runs move to the treadmill or the local HS parking lot (3 laps is a mile). Boring, but I've had close calls even in the daylight.

 

[opusone]

NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

Not overkill at all... very light weight, people can see you no matter what direction they are coming from, and you can pick which light pattern you want to use (some are very obnoxious to make sure folks see you, and some are your basic, solid colors). It also contains a reflective band around the chest for reflecting car headlights. I typically hate running with extra stuff (flashlight, headlamp, iPhone, extra gear), but the Tracer360 hasn't been a problem for me. I wear it almost every morning from fall through early spring, and I have not had a problem with a car (or bike) not seeing me since I got it 4-5 years ago.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I don't usually run in the dark, but I do have a few little clip lights that are either solid or flashing that I attach to me when I do. My treadmill is currently packed away as we are re-drywalling our basement, so I've definitely noticed I am lacking outdoor running (or in my current case, slow walking) gear.

I drive on a paved road with absolutely no shoulders (speed limit of 55mph, so everyone goes at least 60mph) everyday to/from work. There is a couple that walks right on the road right at 7:30am or 5pm. I've found that they are sometimes difficult to see in broad daylight, let alone at dawn or dusk. I like to think I'm a focused driver and it scares me to see them on there... it really opened my eyes to my view on drivers being able to see me when I'm on foot.

 

[RunningGamer]

I regularly run stupidly early in the mornings. I have a collection of brightly colored, neon tops, socks, and sweat/headbands that I pair with a couple of the Nathan Lightbender RX armbands that allow me to have a light people in front and behind me can see, a different color on each arm, and a couple different flash patterns to choose from. Typically do red on the left and green on the right so it's easier for people to tell whether I'm running at or away from them like sidelights on a boat or a plane. The different blinking colors have really helped to grab people's attention since they're not use to seeing different colored lights flashing out of sync with each other on the road.

As far as armbands go, I've found these ones are incredibly comfortable and light. Have never had a problem running with them in tanks or without a shirt for chaffing or slipping and they can expand quite a bit so I've been able to fit them over a thicker jacket too when I've gone running in the "you're nuts to be outside at all" temperatures of Midwest winters.

 

[girliea]

Anyone here have fibromyalgia? How do you deal with it and run?

I’ve been in denial with this diagnosis thinking it’s just cuckoo whackadoodle nonsense, but the last two weeks have been so bad. Rheumatology has ruled out a mile long list of autoimmune diseases. Right now I hurt head to toe with flu like body aches and my head is so foggy. I was prescribed a medication on Tuesday and I’m starting an elimination diet to see if anything I’m eating is triggering me. Hoping I bounce back soon because Wine & Dine is next week!

@Bree I don't, but you are in my thoughts. I know some folks who have fibromyalgia and it seems to me that each person has to find their own way with the disease. Anti-inflammatory diet seems to be something I've heard works for more than one of my friends. If I hear of anything specific I will certainly share it with you. You are one tough lady and I know that you'll find a way to deal with this.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

today's run situation:
It was 40 °F and dark. I could not find gloves. I could not find a hat or ear band. I could not find anything but shorts. It was dark and foggy under the street lights. I could not find motivation and decided to regroup for a shorter lunch run instead.

What do you all use for dark runs?

I run on sidewalks that are lit, but still cross at some darker intersections where I can see but I wonder how many early, sleepy drivers can see me. I dislike carrying a water bottle so I do not see knuckle lights as a great option. I am not sure if shoe lights or a head lamp increase visibility OF me vs. of the street. NOx gear seems overkill, but maybe not?

Today was the first time I used my headlamp running in the dark, but I am usually a mid-day runner. I want to step it up the safety a little more, though, as I am starting to enjoy being a weirdo out there on my own at the break of dawn, which is only going to get quieter as things get closer to ski season(up until 7 am on pow days and 9 am on groomer days).

I felt over dressed today today so I took my soft shell off, then ended up standing in some snow gun over spray while taking pictures/video and ended up being glad I had the jacket.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Question: For Disney races, do you set a goal in your mind? I know some people run these for time but I'm guessing that the majority do it for fun. How do you calculate what your goal should be with character meet and greets? Or do you just not care what your time is?

I've realized recently that for me, just finishing is the best goal to set for any race. Since my professional life has certain periods of the year that are extremely stressful with extremely long hours, I've come to understand that when I set a time goal and fail to meet that goal, I beat myself up over that failure too much.

I'm not saying that we should not set goals. Even time based goals. I am saying that we should examine why we do this and what we hope to gain from it in setting those goals. In my case, not worrying about time beyond fast enough to finish helps me enjoy and appreciate the race so much more.

For my first Disney marathon, I did set two stretch goals. A photo of me during the race that clearly shows I'm in Disney World and one character photo. I have no photos from my first runDisney race and did not want to repeat that again. Ended up stopping for a lot of character photos and still finished.

How to do you display your Medals?

I've been planning on buying a medal holder off etsy for a long time now, but have yet to actually follow through. As of right now, some medals hang proudly in their shadow box, others sit semi arranged on a display table, some are just displayed loosely and a couple of Star Wars medals are propped up against a Star Wars photo frame with a special photo in it.

 

[PrincessMickey]

My brother has an ambitious goal of a half in every state. He wants to run 4-5 a year or so. I might join him for a few, I’m sure once I get started I’ll end up making it my goal too. Anyway, he was looking for input on the best half’s in every state so I thought this would be a good place to get ideas and get a list started.

So what’s your favorite half in your state or one that you’ve done.

for Colorado I would say for scenery the Colorado marathon/half marathon or Rocky Mountain half. For closeness to Denver, colfax half because it goes through the zoo and a fire station.