Ran a 10k - Official Thread

[ChiefD 20,030]

Well la-di-da mr. fatty will just fly down to st louis and stroll around downtown and watch the brewers beat the stupid cardinals and puke up his pre-race meal but then pound some of those tasty desserts and then run in gale force hurricane winds while picking off guys and finally finish in 3:09 while not in ideal marathon shape even thought that time is pretty bad-### to the rest of the schlubs around here and then go have beers and watch the brewers beat the stupid cardinals again which is always a good day and hold hands with gian probably...... 

[tri-man 47 9,234]

3 minutes ago, ChiefD said:

Well la-di-da mr. fatty will just fly down to st louis and stroll around downtown and watch the brewers beat the stupid cardinals and puke up his pre-race meal but then pound some of those tasty desserts and then run in gale force hurricane winds while picking off guys and finally finish in 3:09 while not in ideal marathon shape even thought that time is pretty bad-### to the rest of the schlubs around here and then go have beers and watch the brewers beat the stupid cardinals again which is always a good day and hold hands with gian probably...... 

@ChiefD does not disappoint.  

 

Never underestimate the power of the Gians' gracious hosting abilities, though.

[El Floppo 29,525]

1 hour ago, Juxtatarot said:

Nobody racing this weekend? Surprising. It’s the perfect time of year in most of the country.

[gruecd 7,595]

3 hours ago, Juxtatarot said:

@gruecd Great job! Hanging in there during a marathon when you know you’re at less than top shape can certainly be a more impressive effort than those rare times we’re cruising by surprising ourselves and banking PR time.

I did notice from the pictures that you were packing on the pounds though.

Thanks. And also you’re a ####.  

[ChiefD 20,030]

Why I will never run the Kansas City Marathon.

 

Expand that elevation chart. This course is so stupid. 

[tri-man 47 9,234]

Hmm.  Proper push-up technique.

Still looking for an ideal video on joggling form.

[ChiefD 20,030]

Hey @JShare87 - Farmers Market season opens today. The summer routine starts now.

[JShare87 4,369]

2 hours ago, ChiefD said:

Hey @JShare87 - Farmers Market season opens today. The summer routine starts now.

I was wondering what I was missing in my life. 

[ChiefD 20,030]

Full day so far. Got up and knocked out 6.4 miles - heart rate was high but that seems to be the norm on my Saturday morning runs. Probably shouldn't drink half a coke before I start. 

Anyway, after that:

1. Farmers Market. Way more available than I expected: lettuce, radish, sweet potatoes (probably from the fall harvest but still good), asparagus, red and white onion, cilantro

2. Bakery - daughter wanted a ham and cheese thing they sell there in a fluffy pastry, and a snickerdoodle for my son

3. Quik Trip (the good one) for a big phat coke

4. Grocery store - had to pick up a few ingredients. Making street tacos for dinner tonight

5. Ninfas Mexican taquerio - fresh made tortillas. still warm from the oven. Knocked out a couple of those on the way home.

6. Concrete guy showed up to give me a bid on my driveway and garage floor.

7. Made marinade for my chicken for tonight, so it will soak up all that goodness all day.

8. All done before 10:00 am.

Since the Royals got rained out yesterday, we get a double header today and then Sporting KC opens their MLS season tonight! Garage TV, cold beer, grill in the front and a fire pit later - this is livin' boys and girls.

Have a good weekend!

[Zasada 3,641]

This morning I went out for my usual Saturday long(er) run.

Glute pain was about the same as always, but lately I've been having some lower right leg pain of unknown origin.  Been getting worse, but I don't know what it is or what to do about it.

Anyways, knock out out the first few kms at a decent pace.

At 7K, my headphones die.  Despite showing 40% charged at the start of the run.  Sigh.  

This, combined with my leg pain, makes me just want to head home and call it a day.

But I stick with it.  Over the next few kms, I notice my km paces are faster, even though I'm not really being intentional about it.  Then my average pace for the run (so far) crosses that psychological 5:00/km (8:00/mi) mark.  That's a big deal for me.  "Maybe I can finish a long run with a pace below 5:00/km?", I ask myself.  

So get a little more intentional with my paces, and all of a sudden I'm in the ~4:35/km (~7:20/mile) range.  

A HM PR starts to creep into my mind.  I didn't feel like doing the math, but I thought maybe I could run with some purpose for the last 10K and take a shot.

Got to my target 27.3km distance (~17mi), and shut off the watch.  Upload to Strava.  I see it gave me a 1:41:28 HM.  My official PR is 1:41:59.  My Strava best estimated time is lower than both, but that was a GPS error during my last HM race.

Not a bad run, considering I was really thinking about calling it quits a quarter of the way into it.

Despite my nagging/new injuries, I appear to be improving in fitness.  Need to find a race.  Not only to go for an official PR, but to put an honest race effort into a run.  Something I haven't done since the FBG race series.  

Now I'm off to see my first movie in over a year.  Mrs. Z and I rented the whole theatre for a screening of "Back to the Future".

(LOOK AT ME I RENT ENTIRE THEATRES)

It was only $100, a surprising price.

Will really enjoy the popcorn today.  I earned it!

(LOOK AT ME I NOT ONLY RENT ENTIRE THEATRES BUT SPLURGE ON MOVIE THEATRE POPCORN)

[Juxtatarot 11,734]

6 minutes ago, Zasada said:

This morning I went out for my usual Saturday long(er) run.

Glute pain was about the same as always, but lately I've been having some lower right leg pain of unknown origin.  Been getting worse, but I don't know what it is or what to do about it.

Anyways, knock out out the first few kms at a decent pace.

At 7K, my headphones die.  Despite showing 40% charged at the start of the run.  Sigh.  

This, combined with my leg pain, makes me just want to head home and call it a day.

But I stick with it.  Over the next few kms, I notice my km paces are faster, even though I'm not really being intentional about it.  Then my average pace for the run (so far) crosses that psychological 5:00/km (8:00/mi) mark.  That's a big deal for me.  "Maybe I can finish a long run with a pace below 5:00/km?", I ask myself.  

So get a little more intentional with my paces, and all of a sudden I'm in the ~4:35/km (~7:20/mile) range.  

A HM PR starts to creep into my mind.  I didn't feel like doing the math, but I thought maybe I could run with some purpose for the last 10K and take a shot.

Got to my target 27.3km distance (~17mi), and shut off the watch.  Upload to Strava.  I see it gave me a 1:41:28 HM.  My official PR is 1:41:59.  My Strava best estimated time is lower than both, but that was a GPS error during my last HM race.

Not a bad run, considering I was really thinking about calling it quits a quarter of the way into it.

Despite my nagging/new injuries, I appear to be improving in fitness.  Need to find a race.  Not only to go for an official PR, but to put an honest race effort into a run.  Something I haven't done since the FBG race series.  

Now I'm off to see my first movie in over a year.  Mrs. Z and I rented the whole theatre for a screening of "Back to the Future".

(LOOK AT ME I RENT ENTIRE THEATRES)

It was only $100, a surprising price.

Will really enjoy the popcorn today.  I earned it!

(LOOK AT ME I NOT ONLY RENT ENTIRE THEATRES BUT SPLURGE ON MOVIE THEATRE POPCORN)

I know you always have aspirations for trails and ultras but you could really cut your street race times if it were a priority instead.  We're very similar runners in multiple ways.  

[Zasada 3,641]

1 hour ago, ChiefD said:

Full day so far. Got up and knocked out 6.4 miles - heart rate was high but that seems to be the norm on my Saturday morning runs. Probably shouldn't drink half a coke before I start. 

Anyway, after that:

1. Farmers Market. Way more available than I expected: lettuce, radish, sweet potatoes (probably from the fall harvest but still good), asparagus, red and white onion, cilantro

2. Bakery - daughter wanted a ham and cheese thing they sell there in a fluffy pastry, and a snickerdoodle for my son

3. Quik Trip (the good one) for a big phat coke

4. Grocery store - had to pick up a few ingredients. Making street tacos for dinner tonight

5. Ninfas Mexican taquerio - fresh made tortillas. still warm from the oven. Knocked out a couple of those on the way home.

6. Concrete guy showed up to give me a bid on my driveway and garage floor.

7. Made marinade for my chicken for tonight, so it will soak up all that goodness all day.

8. All done before 10:00 am.

Since the Royals got rained out yesterday, we get a double header today and then Sporting KC opens their MLS season tonight! Garage TV, cold beer, grill in the front and a fire pit later - this is livin' boys and girls.

Have a good weekend!

Fresh tortillas... mmmm. 

This, with the baseball double-header, sounds like a fantastic way to spend an afternoon while making dinner.

What's the cold beer of choice in the @ChiefD household?

[Zasada 3,641]

4 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

I know you always have aspirations for trails and ultras but you could really cut your street race times if it were a priority instead.  We're very similar runners in multiple ways.  

Wow, that's super-flattering!  Thanks, GB.

For the next couple/few months, I really have no choice but to run streets.  So maybe make the best of it and target a PR or two.

While it isn't fantastic training for trails, it's the hand I was dealt.

Edited April 17 by Zasada

[El Floppo 29,525]

Yeah, Zasada...that was kick ###!

[ChiefD 20,030]

1 hour ago, Zasada said:

Fresh tortillas... mmmm. 

This, with the baseball double-header, sounds like a fantastic way to spend an afternoon while making dinner.

What's the cold beer of choice in the @ChiefD household?

Miller Lite. 

[Brony 7,695]

Nice PR @Zasada! Bad ### 

[SteelCurtain 4,057]

1 hour ago, Juxtatarot said:

 We're very similar runners in multiple ways.  

This is an amazing compliment. 

Edited April 17 by SteelCurtain

[bushdocda 3,627]

3 hours ago, Zasada said:

Now I'm off to see my first movie in over a year.  Mrs. Z and I rented the whole theatre for a screening of "Back to the Future".

This is awesome. 
(nice run GB)

[bostonfred 31,335]

On 4/14/2021 at 9:46 AM, bostonfred said:

Sunday 8.0 MAF pace

Monday 4.1 MAF pace

Tuesday 3.1 fartlek (5.3 to 8.0mph on treadmill)

Wednesday 7 miles outdoors

Thursday rest day, covid shot

Friday rest day, recovered from covid shot

Saturday 5 "fast" miles on the treadmill.  Really it was just 6mph but my heart rate got up around 157 for most of the second half.  6mph outside is an easy MAF run, but inside it's more like 5.3.  Makes no sense but whatever. 

Total for the week 27.2

Will do a long run tomorrow and shoot for 30 miles next week. 

[gianmarco 29,373]

29 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

Wednesday 7 miles outdoors

Thursday rest day, covid shot

Friday rest day, recovered from covid shot

Saturday 5 "fast" miles on the treadmill.  Really it was just 6mph but my heart rate got up around 157 for most of the second half.  6mph outside is an easy MAF run, but inside it's more like 5.3.  Makes no sense but whatever. 

Total for the week 27.2

Will do a long run tomorrow and shoot for 30 miles next week. 

It makes sense.  Don't underestimate the effects of not being in optimal condition.

P.S. -- Solid week, good work.👍

Edited April 17 by gianmarco

[JShare87 4,369]

2 hours ago, gianmarco said:

It makes sense.  Don't underestimate the effects of not being in optimal condition.

P.S. -- Solid week, good work.👍

Exactly. Only idiots run after COVID shots. I’m a few drinks in and feeling like @gianmarcoon a Zoom call. All I can think about is how concerned I am with @ChiefD’s coke consumption, and how intrigued I am about another grown man’s Saturdays.

Edited April 18 by JShare87

[lumpy19 8,416]

Is toe Vaseline to prevent blisters?

[gianmarco 29,373]

9 minutes ago, lumpy19 said:

Is toe Vaseline to prevent blisters?

"For many people, yes, but not for everyone"

-- @tri-man 47

[bushdocda 3,627]

43 minutes ago, lumpy19 said:

Is toe Vaseline to prevent blisters?

[El Floppo 29,525]

9 hours ago, lumpy19 said:

Is toe Vaseline to prevent blisters?

It's a sex thing

[bostonfred 31,335]

2 minutes ago, El Floppo said:

It's a sex thing

Like the nip guillotine?

[El Floppo 29,525]

Just now, bostonfred said:

Like the nip guillotine?

In a yin/yang way, yes.

[bostonfred 31,335]

just used mapmyrun to see how long my 7 mile run is and it's actually 7.66 miles and I've been running it in an hour and a couple minutes so apparently I've been running outside at 7mph not 6. I had been guesstimating based on Google maps.  Now I'm even more confused about my slower treadmill pace.  I vaguely remember thinking that the treadmill at the gym seemed easier than the one in my house, and the one in a hotel gym was easier than both.  Maybe the incline is messed up or the speed isn't accurate or something. Or maybe mapmyrun sucks.  But going 6mph on the treadmill yesterday for 5 miles felt harder than going 7mph outside for 7.6 and my heart rate averaged higher too.  

Edited April 18 by bostonfred

[gianmarco 29,373]

1 hour ago, bostonfred said:

just used mapmyrun to see how long my 7 mile run is and it's actually 7.66 miles and I've been running it in an hour and a couple minutes so apparently I've been running outside at 7mph not 6. I had been guesstimating based on Google maps.  Now I'm even more confused about my slower treadmill pace.  I vaguely remember thinking that the treadmill at the gym seemed easier than the one in my house, and the one in a hotel gym was easier than both.  Maybe the incline is messed up or the speed isn't accurate or something. Or maybe mapmyrun sucks.  But going 6mph on the treadmill yesterday for 5 miles felt harder than going 7mph outside for 7.6 and my heart rate averaged higher too.  

Maybe this will be the last straw to get you on Strava.

[bostonfred 31,335]

3 minutes ago, gianmarco said:

Maybe this will be the last straw to get you on Strava.

I just plugged in the same route kn strava and it said 6.94 miles.  Well, there goes any excitement i was feeling. Thanks for ruining everything as always. 

[gianmarco 29,373]

4 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

I just plugged in the same route kn strava and it said 6.94 miles.  Well, there goes any excitement i was feeling. Thanks for ruining everything as always. 

Fwiw, I meant to start using Strava WHILE you run, not to map it out there. 

Let the hate flow through you.  I can feel it. Join the Strava group and come to the dark side.

[El Floppo 29,525]

35 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

I just plugged in the same route kn strava and it said 6.94 miles.  Well, there goes any excitement i was feeling. Thanks for ruining everything as always. 

AHA!!!!

 

#mapmyrunrules.  #suckitgian

[bostonfred 31,335]

43 minutes ago, gianmarco said:

Fwiw, I meant to start using Strava WHILE you run, not to map it out there. 

Let the hate flow through you.  I can feel it. Join the Strava group and come to the dark side.

I don’t really know what I'm supposed to do with it I have a fitbit inspire hr watch that I bought a couple years ago I have no idea if it does gps but I doubt it. I don't know how to make any of this stuff connect but I spent an hour this morning getting my stupid Google generated strong password to sync with my stupid fitbit website which doesn't save when you go into Strava to connect the accounts and then i had to find my strava password and it said ok you need to change your password and set permissions to download heart rate and then it crashed and made me start over with logging in to fitbit and I hate you

[gianmarco 29,373]

5 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

I don’t really know what I'm supposed to do with it I have a fitbit inspire hr watch that I bought a couple years ago I have no idea if it does gps but I doubt it. I don't know how to make any of this stuff connect but I spent an hour this morning getting my stupid Google generated strong password to sync with my stupid fitbit website which doesn't save when you go into Strava to connect the accounts and then i had to find my strava password and it said ok you need to change your password and set permissions to download heart rate and then it crashed and made me start over with logging in to fitbit and I hate you

If you run with your phone, just download the app on your phone. You can start and stop your run there and it has all the GPS stuff. I did that for a long time before getting a running watch.

ETA --Looks like your fitbit has GPS and can sync to Strava so it should be straightforward. Although sounds like it's not for you, but should be

Edited April 18 by gianmarco

[tri-man 47 9,234]

40 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

I don’t really know what I'm supposed to do with it I have a fitbit inspire hr watch that I bought a couple years ago I have no idea if it does gps but I doubt it. I don't know how to make any of this stuff connect but I spent an hour this morning getting my stupid Google generated strong password to sync with my stupid fitbit website which doesn't save when you go into Strava to connect the accounts and then i had to find my strava password and it said ok you need to change your password and set permissions to download heart rate and then it crashed and made me start over with logging in to fitbit and I hate you take that to the bank bromigos

Long last sentence fixed.

[-OZ- 8,511]

🙇‍♂️👴

First back to back "long" (not compared to you animals) runs in a while. I've forgotten how much it sucks to run on tired legs. And that it is different running on legs tired from cycling vs another run. But it was a perfect day here, started in the mid 40s, warmed up to 60 by the time I finished. Just about a 9 minute pace. Which is pretty much my HIM run goal. 

Someday I'll enjoy running again. 🤷🏿‍♂️

[Juxtatarot 11,734]

I experienced a lot of heel pain during the last mile or so of my run yesterday.   It was bad enough that I was limping a bit.  I'm glad it didn't happen earlier because I would have had to walk home.  

I considered taking today off but decided to roll out my calves really well and test it out.  I'm glad I did.  Pain was mostly very minor but a little worse up hills and if I picked up the pace a bit bit.   I could sense it would be aggravated if I ran fast and really pushed off.

I've had this type of thing before although mostly with my left heel and this is the right one.  I'm fairly sure it's caused by tight calves.  I haven't been as careful with keeping them loose as I should.

I had signed up for a 5K next weekend and a half marathon the weekend after that.  I think I'll be OK but I'll monitor it, be careful, and be diligent about rolling and stretching.

 

 

Edited April 18 by Juxtatarot

[El Floppo 29,525]

5 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

I experienced a lot of heel pain during the last mile or so of my run yesterday.   It was bad enough that I was limping a bit.  I'm glad it didn't happen earlier because I would have had to walk home.  

I considered taking today off but decided to roll out my calves really well and test it out.  I'm glad I did.  Pain was mostly very minor but a little worse up hills and if I picked up the pace a bit bit.   I could sense it would be aggravated if I ran fast and really pushed off.

I've had this type of thing before although mostly with my left heel and this is the right one.  I'm fairly sure it's caused by tight calves.  I haven't been as careful with keeping them loose as I should.

I had signed up for a 5K next weekend and a half marathon the weekend after that.  I think I'll be OK but I'll monitor it, be careful, and be diligent about rolling.

 

 

Gl, mang.

You plan on going all out on these races?

[Juxtatarot 11,734]

1 minute ago, El Floppo said:

Gl, mang.

You plan on going all out on these races?

Yes

[El Floppo 29,525]

3 minutes ago, Juxtatarot said:

Yes

 

Gonna be a fun couple of weekends for us spectators!

[gianmarco 29,373]

4 hours ago, bostonfred said:

I don’t really know what I'm supposed to do with it I have a fitbit inspire hr watch that I bought a couple years ago I have no idea if it does gps but I doubt it. I don't know how to make any of this stuff connect but I spent an hour this morning getting my stupid Google generated strong password to sync with my stupid fitbit website which doesn't save when you go into Strava to connect the accounts and then i had to find my strava password and it said ok you need to change your password and set permissions to download heart rate and then it crashed and made me start over with logging in to fitbit and I hate you

So, I thought about you during my run this morning.  I think it's finally time.

I know you fight against it, but it's time to accept the fact that you are a running nerd.

1)  You have been running consistently for a while now and are approaching 30 miles per week.  That's not insignificant.

2)  You have a HR monitor and use it for running/training.

3)  You visit this thread.

It's time.

First of all, you should start to look at your running in terms of paces instead of speeds.  I know you primarily used a treadmill for a long time, but now that you are venturing outside and adding volume, using pacing is standard for all runners, especially the nerds.  MPH is for cars.  We do XX:XX minute miles.  Secondly, the Strava thing is not just a rite of passage here.  It's a great tool to help catalog your runs, compare efforts, evaluate progress (and setbacks), and have accountability not to mention the ability to offer really good feedback from guys here.  So, while it's not necessary, there's a good reason why virtually all of us in this thread are in our group and follow each other.  It's not a competition and no one "judges" (well, mostly no one).  Speaking as one of the slower guys here, no one here has ever said anything about how slow I've gone on a run.  If I'm hearing stuff, it's about not getting out there or about overdoing it.  And it's always helped.  And I've learned so much from these running nerds here so this is my way of giving it back.

So, I think it's worthwhile to take the time to get those accounts up and synced so that you can use the tools you have and continue down this road of running and staying healthy even if you never decide to race. 

[Dr_Zaius 997]

3 hours ago, Juxtatarot said:

I've had this type of thing before although mostly with my left heel and this is the right one.  I'm fairly sure it's caused by tight calves.  I haven't been as careful with keeping them loose as I should.

I agree with your assessment.  I battled this for months a few years ago (mine was mainly my right heel), and rolling the calves and doing eccentric heel drops were what seemed to finally work.  I tend to get lazy with the stretches and rolling, but the few minor instances I've had in the last year have been helped by rolling the calves.  

Edited April 18 by Dr_Zaius

[bostonfred 31,335]

2 hours ago, gianmarco said:

So, I thought about you during my run this morning.  I think it's finally time.

I know you fight against it, but it's time to accept the fact that you are a running nerd.

1)  You have been running consistently for a while now and are approaching 30 miles per week.  That's not insignificant.

2)  You have a HR monitor and use it for running/training.

3)  You visit this thread.

It's time.

First of all, you should start to look at your running in terms of paces instead of speeds.  I know you primarily used a treadmill for a long time, but now that you are venturing outside and adding volume, using pacing is standard for all runners, especially the nerds.  MPH is for cars.  We do XX:XX minute miles.  Secondly, the Strava thing is not just a rite of passage here.  It's a great tool to help catalog your runs, compare efforts, evaluate progress (and setbacks), and have accountability not to mention the ability to offer really good feedback from guys here.  So, while it's not necessary, there's a good reason why virtually all of us in this thread are in our group and follow each other.  It's not a competition and no one "judges" (well, mostly no one).  Speaking as one of the slower guys here, no one here has ever said anything about how slow I've gone on a run.  If I'm hearing stuff, it's about not getting out there or about overdoing it.  And it's always helped.  And I've learned so much from these running nerds here so this is my way of giving it back.

So, I think it's worthwhile to take the time to get those accounts up and synced so that you can use the tools you have and continue down this road of running and staying healthy even if you never decide to race. 

That's the nicest thing anyone has written or said to me in a long time. I'd like to think it's not just part of the recruitment process. 

I was thinking about how fun it would be to share my runs when I did my long run Wednesday and finished with a sprint and then a sudden stop and slow walk and then a jog again before walking the rest of the way and it was actually because I decided to finish my run strong but then there was a ####### turkey in the middle of the road when I was on my way home, I stopped to pick up a stick in case the thing got mean and charged me which those ####ers actually will do, but my knee almost gave out when I stopped suddenly so I walked gently for a little bit and then realized there was a guy doing yard work who saw the whole thing so I acted like nothing happened and bravely jogged past the turkey until I was out of his sight and then used my last bit of energy to walk. If my fitbit were able to capture that I was going to post it but it turns out I need to carry my phone to make that work. 

Which brings me back to the thing about buying a proper smart watch.  And honestly it amazes me that there isn't one that has the features I'd want because they aren't really that crazy.  A cell connection in case I need to make or receive an emergency call... would be helpful. But also to stream audio for podcasts, audible or other audio books, xm radio, or just Spotify. Turns out all the watches have Spotify but none of them have cell connections except the galaxy 3 and it uses a crappy proprietary operating system so there's no apps for it so congratulations on having a cell connection you can't use for anything but phone calls. But none of the other watches have good apps for listening to anything but Spotify and then I have to figure out how to sync everything up. Or I can just wait and hope that the Samsung 4 has the stuff I want since they're apparently switching to something called Wear OS.  Fortunately when I asked the running nerds here you all offered your advice which was to get what you had but you all have different watches and if thats the level of commitment required to be a running nerd then I guess that’s not out of my range. 

But I just got back from my 6.94 mile seven mile run, and made a conscious effort to go fast so I could sync my fitbit to Strava and see how I did and when I got back it didn't show me how long it took but thats ok I'll check the app but the fitbit isn't connecting over Bluetooth and I'm about to pick a different hobby because this is frustrating as ####.

So I'm having what some of you would call a recovery snack or some bull#### but I'm going to call it a Victory Meatball and I'm going to shower and then hopefully my fitbit will have figured out how to sync up with some app on my device so I can see how I did. 

[gianmarco 29,373]

27 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

That's the nicest thing anyone has written or said to me in a long time. I'd like to think it's not just part of the recruitment process. 

I was thinking about how fun it would be to share my runs when I did my long run Wednesday and finished with a sprint and then a sudden stop and slow walk and then a jog again before walking the rest of the way and it was actually because I decided to finish my run strong but then there was a ####### turkey in the middle of the road when I was on my way home, I stopped to pick up a stick in case the thing got mean and charged me which those ####ers actually will do, but my knee almost gave out when I stopped suddenly so I walked gently for a little bit and then realized there was a guy doing yard work who saw the whole thing so I acted like nothing happened and bravely jogged past the turkey until I was out of his sight and then used my last bit of energy to walk. If my fitbit were able to capture that I was going to post it but it turns out I need to carry my phone to make that work. 

Which brings me back to the thing about buying a proper smart watch.  And honestly it amazes me that there isn't one that has the features I'd want because they aren't really that crazy.  A cell connection in case I need to make or receive an emergency call... would be helpful. But also to stream audio for podcasts, audible or other audio books, xm radio, or just Spotify. Turns out all the watches have Spotify but none of them have cell connections except the galaxy 3 and it uses a crappy proprietary operating system so there's no apps for it so congratulations on having a cell connection you can't use for anything but phone calls. But none of the other watches have good apps for listening to anything but Spotify and then I have to figure out how to sync everything up. Or I can just wait and hope that the Samsung 4 has the stuff I want since they're apparently switching to something called Wear OS.  Fortunately when I asked the running nerds here you all offered your advice which was to get what you had but you all have different watches and if thats the level of commitment required to be a running nerd then I guess that’s not out of my range. 

But I just got back from my 6.94 mile seven mile run, and made a conscious effort to go fast so I could sync my fitbit to Strava and see how I did and when I got back it didn't show me how long it took but thats ok I'll check the app but the fitbit isn't connecting over Bluetooth and I'm about to pick a different hobby because this is frustrating as ####.

So I'm having what some of you would call a recovery snack or some bull#### but I'm going to call it a Victory Meatball and I'm going to shower and then hopefully my fitbit will have figured out how to sync up with some app on my device so I can see how I did. 

I think the Samsung Active 2 LTE has everything you need, especially if you have a Samsung phone.

It does Spotify

You can install other apps through the Galaxy App store. I have the non-LTE version and love it. Very lightweight, can't tell it's even on my wrist. Works great with my Galaxy phone.

And the watch is on sale now too.

[SteelCurtain 4,057]

6 hours ago, gianmarco said:

So, I thought about you during my run this morning.  I think it's finally time.

I know you fight against it, but it's time to accept the fact that you are a running nerd.

1)  You have been running consistently for a while now and are approaching 30 miles per week.  That's not insignificant.

2)  You have a HR monitor and use it for running/training.

3)  You visit this thread.

It's time.

First of all, you should start to look at your running in terms of paces instead of speeds.  I know you primarily used a treadmill for a long time, but now that you are venturing outside and adding volume, using pacing is standard for all runners, especially the nerds.  MPH is for cars.  We do XX:XX minute miles.  Secondly, the Strava thing is not just a rite of passage here.  It's a great tool to help catalog your runs, compare efforts, evaluate progress (and setbacks), and have accountability not to mention the ability to offer really good feedback from guys here.  So, while it's not necessary, there's a good reason why virtually all of us in this thread are in our group and follow each other.  It's not a competition and no one "judges" (well, mostly no one).  Speaking as one of the slower guys here, no one here has ever said anything about how slow I've gone on a run.  If I'm hearing stuff, it's about not getting out there or about overdoing it.  And it's always helped.  And I've learned so much from these running nerds here so this is my way of giving it back.

So, I think it's worthwhile to take the time to get those accounts up and synced so that you can use the tools you have and continue down this road of running and staying healthy even if you never decide to race. 

I remember when @gianmarco first joined the thread and told us he just wanted to get healthy and had no interest in running anything longer than a 10K.  A year later, the guy is running marathons and half marathons like its no big deal.

 

@bostonfred - I don't know your financial situation, but I think if you spent the money on a good watch, you would find this to be a much more enjoyable experience.  With all due respect, I don't know a lot of runners who rely on Fitbit.  Most runners I know are using a Garmin watch.  But @gianmarco did some research for you, so take advantage of whatever he shared as well.

 

 

[gianmarco 29,373]

Just wanted to mention that weather here in April is sometimes really stupid.

Tomorrow, April 19th, sunny, high of 68.

Tuesday, April 20th, snow at 7am through 3pm, low of 28.

[MAC_32 13,071]

3 minutes ago, gianmarco said:

Just wanted to mention that weather here in April is sometimes really stupid.

Tomorrow, April 19th, sunny, high of 68.

Tuesday, April 20th, snow at 7am through 3pm, low of 28.

It is, but it doesn't bother me for running purposes. Can usually bank on one horrendous day per week this time of year, so that's the rest day.

[ChiefD 20,030]

@gianmarco is a drug dealer. Walk away slowly when he starts talking.

[bostonfred 31,335]

13 minutes ago, gianmarco said:

Just wanted to mention that weather here in April is sometimes really stupid.

Tomorrow, April 19th, sunny, high of 68.

Tuesday, April 20th, snow at 7am through 3pm, low of 28.

We got a couple inches of snow Friday 

It was gone this morning and I got a little sunburnt running 

When I was in grade school we were taught that March comes in like a liom and goes out like a lamb but the calendar looks different now

[bostonfred 31,335]

1 hour ago, SteelCurtain said:

I remember when @gianmarco first joined the thread and told us he just wanted to get healthy and had no interest in running anything longer than a 10K.  A year later, the guy is running marathons and half marathons like its no big deal.

 

@bostonfred - I don't know your financial situation, but I think if you spent the money on a good watch, you would find this to be a much more enjoyable experience.  With all due respect, I don't know a lot of runners who rely on Fitbit.  Most runners I know are using a Garmin watch.  But @gianmarco did some research for you, so take advantage of whatever he shared as well.

I don't think it would be difficult to train to complete a fall marathon at this point. I could do 9 miles pretty easily right now and three months of increasing  by ten percent a week would get me to 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 26.2.  I think everyone in Boston has imagined running the Boston marathon at some point so it's not like I don't have any interest, but it's not something I want to explicitly train for right now. I'm old and fat and I'm trying to get into shape for the first time in decades. I'd love to be able to run a marathon but I also can't even do one unassisted pull up. That would be nice too.  Or to get below 200 lbs. Or to not have an overweight BMI. Or to get reasonably priced life insurance. I've got a zillion goals that I could pursue and a marathon is vaguely one of them but not a huge priority. That might change. 

For now I want to get to the point where I can run a long time and not get hurt, have a healthy blood pressure and lose weight, get my core and legs and glutes in better shape and keep up with my kid.  Maybe get the moms at the swimming pool to look twice instead of looking away. But also get to the point where I can do a few hours of yard work without being laid up for a week. Losing a bunch of weight has helped a ton with that, and now I'm adding to it. 

I am enjoying running without audio and getting an hour alone with my thoughts helps. But an hour of "reading" audio books or listening to xm radio would be nice too.  I'm more interested in that than perfect running statistics or making phone calls but I'd really like to not carry a phone. It seems like the technology is almost where I want it to be so maybe I should get a discounted watch that does most of what I want and then get the one I really want when it finally comes out.