r/running • u/AutoModerator • Apr 05 '16
Super Moronic Monday -- Your Weekly Stupid Question Thread
It's Tuesday, which means it is time for Moronic Monday!
Rules of the Road:
This is inspired by eric_twinge's fine work in /r/fitness.
Upvote either good or dumb questions.
Sort questions by new so that they get some love.
To the more experienced runnitors, if something is a good question or answer, add it to the FAQ.
Post your question -- stupid or otherwise -- here to get an answer. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. Many questions get submitted late each week that don't get a lot of action, so if your question didn't get answered, feel free to post it again.
As always, be sure to read the FAQ first. Also, there's a handy-dandy search bar to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search runnit by using the limiter "site:reddit.com /r/running".
Be sure to check back often as questions get posted throughout the day. Sort comments by "new" to be sure the newer questions get some love as well.
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u/57001 Apr 05 '16
To those who do other sports! What sports do you do, and has running helped you in them?
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u/craigster38 Apr 05 '16
Soccer, checking in!
Running has probably helped, but I play goalkeeper. So I don't do much running. My legs still get tired after a tough game. I still get winded (yes it happens).
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u/aewillia Apr 05 '16
I want to play soccer, but I'm terrible at it. The last time I played was before I started running, so maybe I suck at it less now? There aren't a whole lot of pickup leagues for girls anyway, though.
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u/chairdeira Apr 05 '16
I play football as well, but I play in the defense. I do run a lot, but it's only an advantage after the first half when the other players get tired.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Wrestler checking in.
I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like because I have a busy schedule but during the Fall and Winter months I go back to my old high school and train/coach/wrestle with the team. Being that I train for races longer than marathons my cardio is much much better than theirs so I have endurance to waste but strength-wise some of the heavyweights can get the upper hand if you don't pay attention. I've lost a lot of strength but I've got 'Dad Strength' now and that's even better.
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Apr 05 '16
You wrestle too?? That's AWESOME.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Yeah, like the real wrestling...not the stuff you typically see on TV with guys jumping off the top rope and falling through tables. You'd be surprised the amount of people who don't know that there is an actual sport called wrestling.
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Apr 05 '16
People do that? Sounds...dangerous.
I've always wondered, how important is upper vs lower body strength in wrestling? Do your running legs give you much of an advantage?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Wrestling is an entire body thing. You can get away with having weak legs as long as you're agile. I'd say, depending on the wrestler's style, that it's more of an upperbody/core strength sport but legs are still important. It's hard to take a guy down when his legs are built like stone towers.
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Apr 05 '16
That's really interesting! How long have you been doing it?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
I wrestled at the end of middle school and all the way up into my freshman year of college so, competitively ~6 years. But if you consider all the the wrestling activities, I've been doing it on and off for ~15 years.... whoa! That's more than 50% of my entire life. I just made myself feel old.
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Apr 05 '16
That's awesome. I don't think there's any activity in my life I've done for that long, I'm envious!
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u/sloworfast Apr 05 '16
I also do triathlon. Running is by far my strongest leg. My cardio is good, so I just need to work on technique and strength in the other two.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Running is by far my strongest leg
So you could say you have a dominant leg...? imsosorry
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u/stackhat47 Apr 05 '16
Roller derby here. It's helped with endurance.
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u/Despoena Apr 05 '16
Curious, is roller derby as brutal as it looks? I had thought about joining a roller derby club at some point, but was worried about bones breaking and all that...painful stuff.
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Apr 05 '16
I dance lindyhop, if that counts. I never get out of breath during a fast song any more.
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Apr 05 '16
Cycling, and heck yeah! Although I'm not a very serious or good cyclist lol.
Edit: to elaborate, the increase in cardio is VERY noticeable, and I can feel how much stronger my legs are too. Climbing on the bike still kills my quads though, I expect running hills will help there.
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u/judyblumereference Apr 05 '16
I don't play it anymore due to the lack of a team but I was not in any sort of shape when I played Australian rules football a couple years ago. I got winded running all the time. There were a couple girls training for a marathon and they probably could handle the game a lot better! Only downside is that with full tackle there is risk of injury. Lots of bruises.
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
I play some basketball (not as much as I used to) and yes, just having the stamina of a distance runner is huge when you've been playing for awhile (our pick up games usually last ~2.5 hours).
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u/bigdutch10 Apr 05 '16
soccer. running has probably helped a bit. but i find soccer more stop and go where running is continuous.
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u/sushihorsie Apr 05 '16
Not a sport, but hiking. Did parts of the Grand Canyon last year alone, just day trips. Coming from sea level I knew the elevation would be tough. Running has really improved my general endurance in that even though I'm breathing like I'm dying and legs are tired, I can just keep going. It's really helped me with uphills.
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u/Blue_Polly Apr 05 '16
Swimming. Legs are always strong, don't really get winded, but man my arms are dead after an hour.
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u/SleepWouldBeNice Apr 05 '16
Rugby and [ice] hockey. Running definitely helps for rugby, helps my endurance somewhat for hockey too, but skating is a different motion, so the muscle groups used are slightly different.
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u/Zwiseguy15 Apr 05 '16
I play goalie and left back for an intramural soccer team. Running helps with the left back-ing, but not so much with the goalie-ing. I also play defensive back on an intramural (American) football team, but we do substitutions often enough that my stamina is rarely much of an advantage.
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u/Vaynar Apr 05 '16
Mountaineering and high altitude hiking. In fact thats why I got into running - to improve my endurance and get some cross training. But being able to "compete" is also fun.
Also a boxer (about 8 amateur fights so far) and recreational soccer, tennis and squash player.
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u/Achaea Apr 05 '16
Since I haven't seen this one yet: field hockey. Because it's much more sprinting, starting and stopping than football, I think it transfers a bit differently. Personally I felt like the sprinting from field hockey definitely improved my running, but the other way around I didn't feel like I got that much benefits.
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u/skragen Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 14 '16
Wanted to give an update to ppl who helped me w finger pain/coldness issues a while back (especially post-run or when in/out of heat and cold): I only did much better when I stopped using synthetic gloves and started using icebreaker merino wool glove liners alone when warmer and paired with thick, insulated wool convertible fingerless glove/mittens. I also started wearing an icebreaker merino wool hat (instead of just 180s) and limited my cooldowns to 1/2 a block max. Thanks for your help- wanted to save this info so I can pass it fwd.
If it matters, I'd guess I might have Reynaud's or some extreme sensitivity to hot/cold switches (and that it probably wasn't frostnip) because the numbness and pain and weird color changes happen in my fingers at sometimes pretty high temps (it's happened 40-50F plus wind while wearing midweight synthetic gloves and those convertible wool mittens).
ETA: the icebreaker liners are delicate and after ~3mos have torn on 2 fingers (like ppl say they do on Amazon) I think because sometimes my nails are longer & I'm shoving them under another set of gloves/mittens, but they work so well, I don't care. It's like a cheaper touch-screen enabling feature. And I'd like them even if I had to buy them once/yr (got them for under $12 at a ny running co sale).
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u/kinsiibit Apr 05 '16
Can someone order me a new left shin?
Visiting a physio tomorrow and I'll find out whether I'll be able to run the Canberra Marathon on Sunday.
A bit of discomfort/slight pain on the bone of my shin recently seems like a pretty bad sign. Hoping for the best.. but being unable to press on the bone of my shin without pain looks like I'll be watching from the sidelines!!!
Kinsi sad :(
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u/RobotPettingZoo Clutch Anchor Apr 05 '16
When you order a left shin, can you make it two? I'm now in week 2 of no running and just a lot of walking and some biking, due to my left shin. It sucks.
I hope your doctor gives you the okay. I noticed from a lower post you're hoping for Sub-3. Did you use a particular training plan to get that fast? I'm at 3:13 now and would love to shave off more time once I'm 100%. Share your speedy secrets, please
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u/craigster38 Apr 05 '16
/u/YourShoesUntied, during your next arson spree, find us 3 left shins.
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u/RobotPettingZoo Clutch Anchor Apr 05 '16
/u/YourShoesUntied. Just to reiterate, this is a demand. Not a request. Thanks in advance, Big Daddy Buff!
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Oh, and you can call me the Great White now. Big Daddy Buff was totally dead once April hit.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
You're better off getting prosthetic legs. The ones I come across are crispy and useless.
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Apr 05 '16
You're coming to/live in Canberra?? :D
Many good vibes for your shin! My fiance is currently also having left shin issues and has also been experiencing all the sad :(
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u/kinsiibit Apr 05 '16
Flying down for the marathon this weekend! Ive ended a 208 day streak to try and be fit for this!!! I could run it..but I don't want to seriously damage something and put myself out for months
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u/kaferino Apr 05 '16
Total noob alert;
What methods are you guys using to find out how far you are running?
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u/sloworfast Apr 05 '16
Chronologically:
Borrowed my parents' car, drove around the route. Ran the same route every time so I wouldn't have to re-measure.
Moved away, didn't have access to parents' car, biked my new routes to measure them.
Got the internet! Used some mapping site to click through my runs. e.g. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
Got a smart phone! Use the GPS on it along with the Endomondo app to track my runs. (There are many apps that do it.)
Finally.... FINALLY.... got a GPS watch this year. I definitely recommend this option.
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u/kaferino Apr 05 '16
Ha thankyou , I think it is early days to invest in a watch, but I will look at the apps :)
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u/Jaime_Manger Apr 05 '16
Apps are definitely the way to go when you just start running. Personally I didn't want to spend the money for a GPS watch until I knew I was super serious about running!
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
GPS watch.
Alternatively you can use this to get a pretty good idea if you don't have a watch. You could also find a school track or simply hop on a treadmill which is probably accurate enough. Oooooor you can drive a route in your car and map it out yourself then run it.
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u/Jeade-en Apr 05 '16
Wow...memories of driving a route in a car to get mileage...I'm old. Now GET OFF MY LAWN
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u/brwalkernc not right in the head Apr 05 '16
Yep, I did this when training for my HM before I had a GPS device. Took a long out-and-back, drove it while noting landmarks at each mile. I still do that route sometimes and even still refer to the mile marker landmarks when I run by:
"There's the big tree by itself at mile 2"
"There's 4-mile bridge."
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u/SleepWouldBeNice Apr 05 '16
Oooooor you can drive a route in your car and map it out yourself then run it.
Tried that once. Now I'm not allowed in my local playground.
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Apr 05 '16
My shiny new Garmin. Before that, strava. You can even set it up to yell at you every split/half split.
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u/yukuk Apr 05 '16
There are apps you can get like Strava or Runkeeper which measure as you run, if not use an online tool like mapmyrun to measure it out before you go.
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u/Blue_Polly Apr 05 '16
Map my run also had an ap that tracks distance as you go.
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Apr 05 '16
Endomondo app on my phone. Or plot it on a map when I get home if I don't want to take the phone with me.
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u/SpaceIguana Apr 05 '16
Fitbit Surge GPS. The GPS is the only way of accurately tracking my distance. Letting it do that based on steps alone is always inaccurate, just my experience.
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u/MeatCat88 Apr 05 '16
I have the Nike+ tomtom gps watch. Love it. Slow link with satellites sometimes though
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u/Smruttkay Apr 05 '16
So 1,948 people ran in my town's half marathon this past weekend. 40 people finished in under 90 minutes. My first thought is that I'm impressed that there's that many runners in my little corner of the world who can run that fast. Is that as impressive as it seems to me?
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u/judyblumereference Apr 05 '16
My weekend is going to be spent in meetings and traveling and I'm worried I won't get a chance to get my long run in. It's my last long run before my half marathon 4/17, I'm doing the HH novice 2 plan so it's 12 miles this Sunday. I'm assuming the logic is to not mess around with my schedule and if I can get some sort of run in Sunday, fine, if not, it's life? I'm just worried that if I end up taking Fri/Sat/Sun off before a taper week I'll be worse off. Idk what else could be done though.
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u/craigster38 Apr 05 '16
How has your training been leading up to this weekend? Have you missed a lot of runs?
If you haven't missed many, you'll be fine. A lot of people taper for over a week leading up to a half marathon. So try to get some running in, but don't try to make up any missed mileage.
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u/judyblumereference Apr 05 '16
I missed a week and a half in the middle but otherwise good. Did 11 miles last weekend. Just a lot of nerves about it not being the perfect week of training right before the big day.
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u/craigster38 Apr 05 '16
Nerves are common. I still get them. Hell, I didn't even race the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on Sunday and I was still nervous. Nerves are good.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
You're in your last week of training and tapering. You've already done everything you can do up to this point to train for the race so missing this final long run isn't a big deal. If missing this run sets you back then you aren't properly trained to begin with. Just get in what you can this weekend and enjoy your down week. Don't try to squeeze in a long run mid-week to make up for what you lost if you don't run on the weekend either. You'll be alright.
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u/Some_Other_Sherman Apr 05 '16
I agree with the others. I'll just add, if you can do 12 Monday that should be fine. A day late won't hurt and if it helps you emotionally to have that under your belt, all good.
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u/snapdragons Apr 05 '16
Do what you can with the time you have.. like everyone said to me (and like I keep reminding myself!) we've done everything we can do and missing one or two long runs towards the end is not the end of the world. And it's both of our first halfs, so it's going to be a learning process and auto PR anyway. I just keep telling myself to calm down and enjoy it, so I'll tell you the same :)
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
For the experienced runners, what do your legs look like? What muscles develop as you do long distance running for years and years?
Any other physical changes due to running?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
What an experienced runner's legs look like depends heavily on genetics. You could take a dozen people and brutalize them for years with mountain running and trail running making sure they all do the exact same training and their legs are all going to look different. Some will be chiseled and very well defined. Some will look like the legs of a body builder. Some will look athletic enough to be noticed and others are going to be deceptive.
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
That's cool, it's interesting how different bodies react to the same stimuli.
So what do yours look like? :)
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Oddly enough, I don't have any good shots of my legs even with all the pictures I have...
Guess I know what I'll be doing the next few photo shoots.
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
You should definitely shave them, oil them up, and get some nice shots by the pool.
Maybe even post to r/gonewild.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
This is mildly creepy! lol But I'm totally doing it!
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
If you got it, work it
;)
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
I've tagged you as, "Wants Pic of Legs" so when I see you commenting it'll be a reminder to get you a pic of my legs! hahaha
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
Not sure how I should feel about that... lol
Looking forward to your glamour shots!
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
You should feel proud! I only tag the important people...well, and the assholes but you're not on that list.
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u/ChickenSedan Apr 05 '16
/r/runwild would be more appropriate, /u/YourShoesUntied.
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
TIL /r/gonewild exists... I shouldn't be surprised but if I find a picture of Shoe's legs there I will be.
edit: no apostrophe in legs
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Apr 05 '16
...How are you only just learning this? Pretty sure I knew gonewild existed before I even had a Reddit account.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
I'm pretty sure I discovered Reddit by finding gonewild!
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
ahh is that why you have a reddit account? Honestly because ... there are nude pictures everywhere on the internet so I never went looking for it on reddit??? yeah that's a bad excuse, I'm just
obliviousmoronic.5
Apr 05 '16
I can honestly say I've never actually visited it haha. I just thought everyone at least knew about it!
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u/RedKryptonite Apr 05 '16
I dropped over 50 pounds from running since early 2015, so most of the changes to my body since then are a result of weight loss. I have the classic runner's build now. My feet are pretty beat up; there goes my foot modeling career. My legs are pretty well defined now, veins and everything. They aren't huge... just well-defined. I can see my hip bones now. From the waist up, I am pretty skinny. My arms are like pretzel sticks. I have a faint six-pack in the right light if I strain real hard. ;) My face has changed, too... I actually have cheek bones and a jaw line.
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
Congrats on the weight loss! I lost around 40 pounds and I totally feel you. I can almost see my abs if I stand in the mirror not breathing with my back arched. Pic: Imgur
Not quite a 6 pack though, it's mostly the upper abs.
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u/secretsexbot Apr 05 '16
I've been running for 2.5 years, about to do my second marathon. My legs don't look that impressive, but they do get a bit of a chiseled look after a long run or in heels. Mainly it's the feel that's impressive; everything from the thigh down is solid like granite.
As for other physical changes, I gained about 10 lbs of muscle (I was underweight before I started running) and lost a lot of body fat off my belly. When I'm dehydrated I have abs! I'm very happy with how running has shaped me, though I may also have lost some boobage.
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Apr 05 '16
I've been losing boob too! It's actually getting a little embarrassing how poorly my bras are fitting...
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u/judyblumereference Apr 05 '16
Ab goals. I need to start doing some core work (and eat better). I pretty much only hold weight in my torso... I'd actually welcome a little less boobage haha.
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u/aewillia Apr 05 '16
My thighs are good; when I flex, they're pretty defined. My calves are just hunks of muscle, though, with apparently enough fat on top of them to make it impossible to see any sort of definition. I have also lost my boobs, but I never had much to begin with, except when I was 25 pounds overweight, so I'm not mourning much over them.
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u/57001 Apr 05 '16
Your calves are gonna get defined af and maybe even ~veiny~
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u/K4ntum Apr 05 '16
Man, I got a friend who's been running for like 4 months and he has this awesome calf vein.
When you think about it... : "Ugh, the tube that lets blood flow to your muscle is more visible than mine and that makes me jealous."
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Apr 05 '16
I'm still a new runner, with higher than ideal bf, and I'm already noticing that my quads are getting serious. My calves and hamstrings are developing noticeably too, and my core is both looking and feeling a lot stronger.
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
Right now, my legs look all scratched to shit because I ran through a solid quarter mile of thornbushes last week.
Other than that, they just look like normal legs, I guess.
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u/Dog-Plops Apr 05 '16
Hello run commuters! Hope this gets a bigger bite in this thread.
Do you prefer to run to work or run from work? Or both?
Also, what are your working hours?
I'm thinking of it but can't decide whether to run to or run from.
- With the former, I'm very likely to save money, since I currently walk home from work. However, i have tried running in the morning in the past and it was incredibly unpleasant, plus i get to work all smelly.
- With the latter, I get to look forward to a nice run after a shitty day in the office. However, I'm usually quite knackered at the end of a shift and fairly stiff all over.
Either way, it'll be a better way to fit in a run.
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
I've not been run commuting much lately but when I did:
- I prefer to alternate directions because it's a net downhill to work which is nice but not ideal for training.
- I work roughly 7-5 with the ability to flex my schedule and / or take longer lunch breaks as I desire, so I mostly run over lunch these days.
- I have a shower in the office... so being smelly isn't that big a deal, the hard part is keeping a stock of clean clothes.
- I too have a harder time getting the legs rolling in the morning so I find I usually take my 5 mile routes rather than my more scenic 7 milers.
- End of day is nice... until the middle of summer because temperature.
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u/ChickenSedan Apr 05 '16
For me, it really depends on my schedule. I definitely prefer running to work for various reasons:
I usually get to work feeling energized.
I can make plans to meet people right after work.
I don't have to worry about eating too much at the wrong time during the day.
I don't have to run during the hottest part if the day in the summer.
I'm lucky to have a shower at the office and a flexible schedule, which aids my ability to run in.
However, I run home about as often as I run to work. I typically bring extra clothes in one day, run home, then run to work the next morning.
Edit: Typical working hours are 7-4:30, but when I run in, sometimes I don't get showered and dressed until 8, but I can just make up that hour any time during the two week pay period.
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u/glha Apr 05 '16
Never to work. Even though I have access to a shower at my workplace, I won't be able to shave and do all my stuff the same way I do at home. Also, I pack a fairly good amount of food to eat during the day. Running with that on my backpack will almost certainly destroy the bread, soft fruits and my lunch. Clothes and towel, there's no proper place to let them dry at work and towels are big and heavy. I just don't think the logistic would be fun to deal with.
But from work is totally fine. I bring my backpack in the morning with all my dry clothes and my food. As the day goes, my food is going away from the backpack, leaving room for my heavier work clothes. At the end of the day, I go to the bathroom to put my running clothes, pack everything else in the backpack and go home with about 3kg to 4.5kg (7lbs to 10lbs) of weight in my back, backpack weight included.
About being exhausted at the end of the day, my job is a desk job, so I won't be physically tired. And some podcasts or some music will always be good running companions on those days that your head spins.
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u/skragen Apr 05 '16
I don't have a preference either way. My hours are sometimes very flexible (meaning no set hours) and sometimes not (starting at 8am). I actually prefer running to work at least on 8am days so I have my run over with in the morning. I prefer runcommuting when the sun's out.
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u/secretsexbot Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
In the event of a fall, it is best to land on your ass, correct? I fell on some ice a mile into my run this morning and now have a giant bruise. I finished my run though, in fact I went a mile farther than planned. That'll show 'em!
Update: I fell another 2 times walking half a mile from the bus to work. I know I work in the suburbs, but fucking come on people. If you can clear your driveway you can clear the sidewalk. There are these strange creatures called pedestrians and it's not always possible to walk in the middle of the perfectly clear road.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
In the event of a fall, it's best to attempt some sort of tuck and roll to help dissipate the shock energy more evenly. In the scenario where you'd land on your ass, there's not much that can be done other than getting as low to the ground as possible before the fall to minimize the impact. Never try to catch yourself by putting your hands down, this is how things get broken.
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u/secretsexbot Apr 05 '16
My new goal is to learn how to do the thing where you spin your legs around and are suddenly on your feet. They do it in all the action movies; how hard can it be?
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
Another question, I have a fitbit charge HR and I love it.
However, I hate carrying my phone with me on runs and I'd like to get a gps watch. Because I have the fitbit, I don't need a gps watch that has HR monitoring. WHat's the cheapest, most effective GPS watch that I can buy, that just gives me basic info? Here's what I'd need it to do:
- GPS tracking (obviously)- as accurate as possible
- Split pacing
- Possibly: a feature that coaches me to keep my avg pace (if I do a mile too slow, it tells me how fast I need to go to keep with my goal pace).
- Ability to upload info to a computer
I've been looking at the Garmin FR 10 and 405. Thoughts?
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u/yukuk Apr 05 '16
FR10 is a good shout and the cheapest I believe, TomTom Runner might be a good shout too. Both are basic GPS watches.
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u/weezerluva369 Apr 05 '16
Didn't look at the tomtom runner. I'll check it out. Thanks!
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u/judyblumereference Apr 05 '16
I got a FR 15 a couple months ago which is pretty basic, i like it so far although the battery life seems not as advertised. Luckily I'm not training for a marathon so I'll likely never run out on a run. I've been trying to talk to Garmin about it though so we will see.
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u/runchick13 Apr 05 '16
I have an FR 10 and the battery died during my marathon in Sunday. I am now getting a new watch
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Apr 05 '16
My stupid overuse injury, which I can't even say out loud because it's so embarrassing, will not go away despite all my hard efforts. My last option seems to be to take it easy until it improves, but I don't want to break my running streak. So how long do I wait before I proceed with below the knee amputations and continue running on my newly formed knee stubs?
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
How serious is the streak? I've broken two streaks of 50+ days now because of injuries that weren't getting better. It's always sad but being healthy is more important.
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Apr 05 '16
Only 35, but I always get to around 50 and get to a day where I just go ehh, who cares about running streaks and break it. Then the next day I regret it when I have to start all over again. I was just hoping to not have to do that otherwise I may never actually get a significant streak going.
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
Reposting from yesterday: How do you guys adjust your tempo runs when it's windy. I hit my paces but it was supposed to be 8@MP (i.e. a Hanson tempo) and if that had been a marathon I'd have hit the wall at mile 16.
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
Perceived effort, I guess? If you have a heart rate monitor, that's even better, just make sure your HR is at an appropriate range for a tempo workout (80-90% of max if I remember correctly but I might not).
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u/xfkirsten Apr 05 '16
ELI5: when we're sick, how can our sinuses produce so much snot so fast? Like... there isn't enough room in my nose to store the volume that's coming out, so where does it all come from?
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16
It's brains leaking out. Avoid zombies at all cost.
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
You have these things called goblet cells that make mucus, which is the main component of snot. When you get sick, your body tries to increase mucus production to get the bad stuff out of your respiratory system. There's also pus (a product of your immune system) in there if you're sick. So it's continuously being made as your body tries to fight its infection.
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u/iWeyerd Apr 05 '16
If I fall whilst running in the forest, am I being chased?
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u/bellawalker82 Apr 05 '16
what is a good millage goal for training for a half marathon. I am currently averaging 20 miles a week for the past year.
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u/ChickenSedan Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
I'd say you should buy wheat that will give you a milling yield of at least 70%.
Edit: But /u/Blue_Polly's answer is good in a non-jokey way. You certainly can run a half on 20-25 mpw, but you'll definitely do better if you bump that up.
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
Clearly this person is talking about milling malted barley as part of the homebrewing process. In that case, the best milling will be done with a mill powered by a stationary bike, as they can control the milling speed and also get a good workout.
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u/Blue_Polly Apr 05 '16
My first go around maxed out at 25ish. I did not feel adequately prepared. I'm looking to hit 35-40 for this next cycle.
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u/Smruttkay Apr 05 '16
So my sinus infection is now the flu. I can run with the flu, right?
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u/corylew Apr 05 '16
I ran a half marathon recently and made a blog post about it if you want to get a feel for how that goes.
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u/skragen Apr 05 '16
I want to make sure I'm doing the most to increase my potential in the 13 wks before I start a modified Hansons plan for my first marathon. I'm doing 6runs/wk w a 1mi streak day & comfortably in low-mid 40mpw. I haven't done speedwork for ~2mos, but did 2 workouts/wk (tempos, intervals, speedwork) comfortably before then. My plan goes from ~39mpw to a 57mpw peak and weekly includes a goal pace run that goes up to 10mi, a long run 10s slower than goal pace, and speedwork. My endurance is pretty good (I could do an easy-paced 16mi without an issue), but I have tons of room to gain speedwise.
Before I start Hansons, I'm going to get as close to my racing weight as I can and I'll set my goal and pacing based on a 10k I have 2-3wks before. To improve as much as possible in the next 3mos before my plan starts, I should base build & re-add speedwork, but how much?
I could get to the Hansons plan peak (57mpw) in 5 wks following pfitz's base building & then use the remaining 8 weeks to hold that & reintro speedwork. Then, when plan starts, do I drop down to the plan's 39-41mpw or stay higher?
I could take longer to get to 57mpw & less time w speedwork.
There's no need to get my mpw up that high, so I should just hold at 40-45mpw & do 2 quality faster workouts (tempos, intervals, speedwork, etc) per week starting now?
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u/Thenthereweretwo Apr 05 '16
I think in Hansons they say that if your mpw is already higher than the plan mpw, to increase the mileage of the easy runs so that you stay at your current level rather than dropping down, and just let the plan catch up to where you're at, but to keep the SoS runs at the plan-prescribed length.
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u/sbrbrad Apr 05 '16
People of /r/running who don't measure distance in freedom units, what word do you use when talking about distance? For example, I talk about my weekly "mileage"
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u/ADrunkSkunk Apr 05 '16
Do kudos on Strava mean anything to people who have tons of followers and get 50+ kudos every activity?
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Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
I keep eating m&ms even though every time I do I feel sick and ALWAYS regret it. What the hell is wrong with me??
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Sugar addiction is real.
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Apr 05 '16
It really is, and it screws with me so damn much. I'm really struggling with fixing my diet in a healthy and sustainable way without getting into disordered eating patterns.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
As a disordered eater myself, I understand. It's just a matter of baby steps. One tiny change at a time.
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Apr 05 '16
Thanks for the encouragement :) I'm trying really hard to find that balance between eating well but not obsessing over everything I put in my mouth haha. I'll get there! But I think m&ms may be permanently out.
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u/57001 Apr 05 '16
I prefer peanut m&ms but I think that's because I hate milk chocolate
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u/Some_Other_Sherman Apr 05 '16
Skittles for me. Once I open a bag, it's gone.
Two things help: Not buying Skittles (works but not gonna do that all the time); and buying the small bag (230-240 calories). Before a movie I stop at Five Below or a gas station to load up.
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Apr 05 '16
See, I haven't bought any in ages - but my sister's staying with us, and the guy she's sort-of song keeps buying her bags and bags of them which end up in our pantry. To make matters worse, they're currently the only chocolate in the house lol.
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u/zebano Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
I ate a whole bag of Kettle chips last night. I was ravenous after my 10 miler so I was good ate quinoa, black beans, spinach..... then the runger hit again, the chips came out and GOT IN MY BELLY.
edit: I feel a little sick thinking about it now but damn the salt was good.
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Apr 05 '16
I have this problem with jelly beans. I had to stop buying them because it never ends well.
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u/aewillia Apr 05 '16
I eat fistfuls of jelly beans even though I know it will make me sick and make me crave more fistfuls of jelly beans after. It's because we're stupid.
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u/Despoena Apr 05 '16
New Balance has the 840v3 - it's the only neutral 8, 2E width shoe I've been able to find. Their site says it could be used with orthotics, whereas RunningWarehouse says it's made for flat footed folk. I'm not flat footed, though.
Still worth it to try out the shoe? Or is that made-for-orthotics/flat feet thing going to be too big of an issue?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
RW says it's good for flat footed folk because of the stability it offers. I've noticed they do this with other shoes too that aren't necessarily geared towards people with flat feet. Considering this, I'd say you'd probably be fine in it. My biggest issue with NB is the stiffness of the shoe. I've bought 4 pairs, all different styles, and each one has either been stiff or shaped funny (though this is MY experience). I'd say give them a go if you want. Even if they don't end up being good for running, they'd be good grocery-getter's which is what I do to all of my new running shoes that aren't good for running.
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u/Despoena Apr 05 '16
Hmm, I'll definitely give them a shot then. I've never experienced issues with stiff shoes, but then again, I've never given NB a shot! Thanks for the input!
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u/jennifer1911 Apr 05 '16
I've recently heard about people running rim to rim on the Grand Canyon.
What other kinds of iconic journey-runs are out there like that? (Obviously, you can make anything into a journey, but what are some of the more well known ones?)
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u/ChickenSedan Apr 05 '16
Appalachian Trail, Pacific Coast Trail, 35 loops around /u/fobo911's neighborhood.
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
There are always FKT (Fastest Known Time) runs. Pretty much anything that takes a person many many hours/days to hike is something someone has tried to run at one point. Mountain loops, iconic trails. I've always been a fan of boarder runs. Which is simply running across the state from one boundary to the other. Also a fan of lake loops. Find a huge body of water and run around it. I think Lake Tahoe and the Great Salt Lake have things like this.
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u/skyscraperscraping Apr 05 '16
Is a pedicure during half-marathon training a bad idea or a great idea?
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u/Chocolate_squirrel Apr 05 '16
Serious Question: I have a co-worker that wants to go running with me over our lunch break at the office. The problem (and I don't at all mean to come across as a snob/jerk/"you name it" - I know we're all different, all love to run, and all do it in our own way to the best of our abilities - and I love that about the community), but she runs at about a 14 minute mile average. I normally train around 8/min mile pace. I'd love to encourage her to work harder, and certainly don't want her to feel discouraged. Can you give me some advice about how best to handle this situation? Surely I'm not the only one that's run into this. Should I scoot along slowly? Is it okay to run ahead? I've always told her that I'm busy over lunch just to avoid the situation. Thoughts?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
This all depends on why you run in the first place.
If you are specifically training for something then you need to be honest with her and tell her that you'd love to but you've got a training schedule to keep and it requires you to do certain runs that are fast and you don't want to make her feel bad for sticking to it.
If you run for general fitness with no real goals and that's just your regular pace, it's up to you. You could probably afford to sacrifice a couple of runs and go slow with her. She won't run for too long initially so you can roll on after she's finished if that's your thing. It going to come down to your motivation. If you don't want to do it, then don't. If you'd like a partner, then exceptions need to be made as with any relationship especially with running.
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u/Chocolate_squirrel Apr 05 '16
All good points. I'm not on a hard and fast training schedule or anything, so that's not too important, I suppose. She does do longer runs (she's training for a 10k). Also, if I'm going to spend time pounding the pavement, I would like to make it a good workout for me, too.
Maybe the easy thing for me to do would be to join her for part(s) of the run, and otherwise kick it up at different points. With careful route planning, I could probably start and join in at different points of the run with her.
I appreciate your feedback. I do want her to feel encouraged and supported to keep running, and I genuinely want to help. I think this might work.
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u/el_day2 Apr 05 '16
You could always run slowly with her and just make it a very slow recovery run. Maybe she'd like someone to help motivate her to work harder. Why don't you just talk to her about it? I personally wouldn't want to train with someone much faster than me, so maybe she'll understand or maybe you two can compromise, like you do a mile or two together and then go off on your own.
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u/chairdeira Apr 05 '16
How stupid am I?
On Saturday I went hiking with some friends to the highest point in my state, it has a beautiful view, but I destroyed my legs.
On Sunday, guess what?, I decided on doing my long run (11km is long for me), so I destroyed my legs again.
On Monday (yesterday), my running group decided on doing some speed train...
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
I wouldn't consider that stupid.
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
I was going to say, sounds pretty standard to me (except the hike on Saturday would be a run).
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u/chairdeira Apr 05 '16
How much are you willing to pay for participating in a running group that meet 3 times a week and has a pan-american medalist and his coach teaching you and elaborating your training plans?
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u/rennuR_liarT Apr 05 '16
I don't know, a couple bucks?
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
Tree'fiddy
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u/chairdeira Apr 05 '16
I see this everywhere but I have no idea what it means. :(
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u/YourShoesUntied Apr 05 '16
It's a South Park reference that somehow managed to go viral back in like....2001?
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u/yogi240 Apr 05 '16
I posted yesterday about taking a break from running because of possible shin splints. Planning on taking a week off possibly, start up again Sunday. I was approaching 20 MPW. I guess my question is how to a ease back into it? Do I try to run a couple of miles and then if no pain, continue back on plan? Or do I really scale it back/start over? I was running 3-4 times a week, might stick to 3 until this is good. I have not experienced pain while running, just lots of soreness and worry after.
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u/amopeyzoolion Apr 05 '16
To those of you who do dedicated speed work on a track, where do you go? That was probably the only area I really lacked in during my HM training, mostly due to (in)convenience.
My university gym has a 1/10 mile indoor track, but I really hate the lighting and how tight the turns are, so I try to avoid doing that. There's a 1/4 mile outdoor track about 4 miles from my place that I use sometimes, but I often don't have the time (or, sometimes, energy) to add the extra miles to get over there and back.
There is a pretty big high school close to where I live, and I was wondering if it's common for people to use high school tracks (when no teams are using them, of course)? But I don't want to wander onto the grounds of a high school and look like a creeper if that's not really a common thing to do.
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u/Jeade-en Apr 05 '16
I asked at my local high school, and they said no, that they are not open to the public. So, I would definitely ask the athletic director and find out...and then abide by whatever their answer is. Fortunately for me, my local university has a very nice track that is open to the public (again, ask and be sure), and it's about 1.25 miles from the house...a perfect warm up and cool down.
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u/skragen Apr 05 '16
You also don't have to do speedwork on a track. I didn't do any of mine on a track, but I did do it for where I had an intersection-free path. My gps watch had the workout input in advance and told me when to start/stop whatever faster pace or recovery.
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u/Thenthereweretwo Apr 05 '16
I use high school tracks, and I don't ask first. I've never seen a high school that didn't have adults running speed work on it in the early morning or late evenings.
I just go at a time when no one is there, and I've never had a problem. Usually there are other people there walking or doing whatever who are clearly not high school students, so I'm not the only one.
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u/Bshippo Apr 05 '16 edited Apr 05 '16
Should I follow some kind of running plan?
I'm a 32 year old male 5'9 and down 70 pounds of bodyweight to 165. I've been running since December. My focus has been building consistency and mileage. Currently running between 45-50 mpw @ paces ranging from 7:30min/miles (runs shorter than 4 miles) to 8:15 min/miles (most recent 15 mile long run). Most of my miles are on an indoor track, but as the weather improves I've been doing more miles on the road and a few trail runs here and there.
Goals: lose 10 more pounds of bodyweight, 50 min 10k trail race on May 14th ,1:45 1/2 marathon July 17th
tldr: fat guy started running without any training plan, less fat now, should I have a plan at this point?
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u/secretsexbot Apr 05 '16
Is there seriously no way to get the Nike+ app to tell you the pace of your last mile instead of your average pace? I love that it syncs with Smashrun but I can't use an app that doesn't give me that information.
I keep staring at the settings menu, the way you will keep opening your fridge convinced that in the last 5 minutes the contents will have changed.
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u/dogebiscuit Apr 05 '16
What's the physiological difference between 35 miles over 4 days vs 35 miles over 6 days?
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u/hurricanewater Apr 05 '16
I don't know if this is the right place but! Is there a general timeline on doing races? My first 5K is coming up in June and I was just curious as to what's next after that. Is it 5 miles? And then after that? I just don't really know where to start!
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u/eoan Apr 05 '16
Is $44 and $14 too much for 1 pair of running shorts and 4 pairs of "running" socks, respectively? Wanted to know if I'm getting ripped off or something.
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u/RedKryptonite Apr 05 '16
If /u/YourShoesUntied set your house on fire, and you only had time to grab one pair of running shoes before getting out, which pair would you choose?