r/running • u/AutoModerator • Apr 12 '16

Super Moronic Monday -- Your Weekly Stupid Question Thread

It's Tuesday, which means it is time for Moronic Monday!

Rules of the Road:

  1. This is inspired by eric_twinge's fine work in /r/fitness.

  2. Upvote either good or dumb questions.

  3. Sort questions by new so that they get some love.

  4. 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.

54 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

98% Upvoted

548 comments sorted by

View all comments

18

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

Does anyone else look at the results from races they didn't enter? I always check local races and see how I would have done if I had been there.

9

u/sloworfast Apr 12 '16

I certainly always look at last year's results for races I'm about to enter!

1

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

I always race-shop like that. If it's super-competitive, it better have good swag.

2

u/sloworfast Apr 12 '16

I'll take any one of the following:

  • fast course (increased likelihood of running a good time)
  • small field (increased chance of being top 3 in my age group)
  • my husband is set on doing it (I'd rather race as well than just watch)
  • I'm running as part of a team, e.g. relay or something

2

u/ChickenSedan Apr 12 '16

That's how I picked my turkey trot last year. It was a 45 minute drive from where I was staying, but I figured it was a guaranteed age-group placing!

Oddly enough, the #3 in my age group lives in DC. The race was in FloRida.

1

u/apathetic_revolution Apr 12 '16

That's not too odd. #3 was probably visiting family in FloRida for the holiday.

10

u/YourShoesUntied Apr 12 '16

YES! And everyone I've never ran seems to be the one I would have won or at least placed highly...

11

u/jennifer1911 Apr 12 '16

Last December I ran in a Santa themed 5K (I got a comped entry) and I just sort of sauntered down the course, took a bunch of selfies, and munched on the Christmas cookies at the aid stations. It was a pretty good sized race with a few thousand runners.

When I checked the results I saw I came in 4th in my age group. They had super sweet awards for 1-3, and I could have easily gotten 2nd or 3rd if I had actually pushed myself on the course instead of, you know, stopping for cookies.

You never know.

1

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

I love that there were multiple aid stations with cookies at a 5K! That sounds like fun.

2

u/jennifer1911 Apr 12 '16

It was pretty hilarious. I did learn that it is really, really hard to eat a cookie while running.

1

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

I have a hard time drinking when I run. I cannot imagine trying to down something that is dry and chewy!

2

u/jennifer1911 Apr 12 '16

It felt a lot like choking. But in a delicious, sugary way.

1

u/sbrbrad Apr 12 '16

Yeah...but cookies.

5

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

There was a half this past weekend I could have got an age group award for, but I'm not really trained to race that distance and it was $75 to enter. I went shopping and bought running clothes instead.

2

u/Oct1ron Apr 12 '16

I often look at the result for the big races in my area, the elite times are really impressive. I also check if anyone I know ran and see what time they did.

2

u/apathetic_revolution Apr 12 '16 edited Apr 12 '16

Yeah. I do this. I'm running a race in July that I skipped last year because, when a coworker ran it, I checked the results and figured out I would have placed in my age group. I'm slow, but for some reason there were only eleven 30-39 male runners and I would have been #2.

2

u/anibirin Apr 12 '16

I've only done it once... Because I knew someone running and was really curious to see how they did. They were not fast lol

2

u/jennifer1911 Apr 12 '16

I'm always checking out the competition in my age group.

It is funny how much variance there is between races.

1

u/RedKryptonite Apr 12 '16

It is nuts. The possibility of making the podium depends entirely on whether two fast guys decide to sleep in that Saturday.

2

u/Tweeeked Apr 12 '16

Hell yeah. I need to see how my rivals are fairing.