Beginners and Beyond

What major running goals have you reached (and what is still out there)? (Read 188 times)

Hipfan


Proud Calgarian

    That's yet another reason that I like GMM: in a marathon that caps at 750 runners, a sub-3 marathon could put me in the top 10 and in the top 3 of my AG! Cool

     

    500 is what our smaller 5K gets....

     

    2015 Goals and PRs:

    5k - 17:59 (18:05);  10k - 35:59 (36:42);   HM - 1:19:19 (1:19:59);   FM - 2:49:59 (3:05:46)

    Crazy Q


    Net Neaderthal & Escapee

      Finished a few marathons, half marathons, 15Ks 10Ks and 5Ks even placed first in my age group once and took 3rd against some stronger competitors a few times. but my most elusive goal is; Not spewing like a fountain during an Eggnog Mile......

      Wot? Run? I thought they said Rum!

      Love the Half


        500 is what our smaller 5K gets....

         

         

        I have easily located numerous 5K's in the Miami area with less than 250 runners.  Probably not downtown and probably not chip timed and most certainly not USATF certified but all within a 45 minute drive of downtown.

        Short term goal: 17:59 5K

        Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

        Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

        Hipfan


        Proud Calgarian

          Pfft, if it's not chip-timed or a certified course (too short or too long), then what's the use? Even if you win a race, it would suck to say you kicked butt in a 4.72km race....

           

           

          I have easily located numerous 5K's in the Miami area with less than 250 runners.  Probably not downtown and probably not chip timed and most certainly not USATF certified but all within a 45 minute drive of downtown.

          2015 Goals and PRs:

          5k - 17:59 (18:05);  10k - 35:59 (36:42);   HM - 1:19:19 (1:19:59);   FM - 2:49:59 (3:05:46)

          MJ5


          Chief Unicorn Officer

            Pfft, if it's not chip-timed or a certified course (too short or too long), then what's the use? Even if you win a race, it would suck to say you kicked butt in a 4.72km race....

             

            Disagree, many of my races are not chip timed and not certified and I have no reason to believe they are less than a 5K. I tend to repeat the same races that I like and if my watch has never been short, time been something suspect, or others haven't complained, I believe they are accurate. If I only ran chip timed, certified courses, I'd have approximately 4 to choose from all year.

            Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54

            Luke79


              I got my sub 2 half, so now I want a sub 25 5k, which I will get next time I run one.

               

               

               

               

               

               

              DanFuller


              5K Specialist

                My local running club does not use chip timing or certified courses, but I trust their measurements more than the certified courses. There would be a lot of gnashing of teeth of the measurements got messed up.

                Personal Bests:

                800M - 2:38 (5/28/13) | 1 Mile -5:54 (5/28/13) | 3K - 11:55 (12/29/12) | 2M - 13:00 (12/1/12) | 5K - 20:00 (4/12/13) | 13.1M - 1:37:24 (2/3/13)

                wcrunner2


                Are we there, yet?

                  Pfft, if it's not chip-timed or a certified course (too short or too long), then what's the use? Even if you win a race, it would suck to say you kicked butt in a 4.72km race....

                   

                  A race is a contest to see who gets from point A to point B first and fastest. It doesn't matter whether it is 2.9 miles or 3.2 miles or 4.7 miles. Precisely measured, standardized courses are fine if you want to compare times, but that's not the essence of racing. Having a goal to run a certain time is not the same as having a goal to beat a specific individual or win a race. They each require some common attributes, but there is only a certain amount of overlap; there are distinct differences in approach and what it takes to meet each goal. Too often we lose sight of that because we're lost in the crowds and/or see our competition only as those in our AG.

                   2024 Races:

                        03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                        05/11 - D3 50K
                        05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                        06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                   

                   

                       

                    Pfft, if it's not chip-timed or a certified course (too short or too long), then what's the use? Even if you win a race, it would suck to say you kicked butt in a 4.72km race....

                     

                     

                    You've apparently never heard of Mt. Marathon. Yes, (s)he who wins Mt. Marathon can say that he/she won Mt. Marathon - who the heck cares what some bicycle-wheel-measured distance is (it's a long 5k with about 3000ft up in 1 mi, then back down again, a slightly open course since there's a couple routes that can be used). It's easily the most prestigious foot race in Alaska, parts of which are covered live on tv some years. (gotta give the camera men credit for hauling those TV cameras partway up a mountain)

                     

                    It's about the course and the competition.

                     

                    I've never run a certified course (and doubt I ever would - not many of them around) and only two chip-timed races.

                     

                    Our largest race series is "position and name on slips of paper" to line up with the timer. Approximate distance and course is announced at start line. You learn how to run / race by effort in those races.

                    "So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog
                    Hipfan


                    Proud Calgarian

                      Definitely true that a race is about who is the fastest and wins, but the majority of us do have PR's (or PB's or goals) listed in our taglines. Even one of us competitive recreational runners gets really pissed off when we find out that a race isn't quite the distance we expected due to poor course marking. Even the serious competitive people were cheezed here in Calgary when they found out that the Forzani Mother's Day 5k was actually 5.5k....

                       

                      A race is a contest to see who gets from point A to point B first and fastest. It doesn't matter whether it is 2.9 miles or 3.2 miles or 4.7 miles. Precisely measured, standardized courses are fine if you want to compare times, but that's not the essence of racing. Having a goal to run a certain time is not the same as having a goal to beat a specific individual or win a race. They each require some common attributes, but there is only a certain amount of overlap; there are distinct differences in approach and what it takes to meet each goal. Too often we lose sight of that because we're lost in the crowds and/or see our competition only as those in our AG.

                      2015 Goals and PRs:

                      5k - 17:59 (18:05);  10k - 35:59 (36:42);   HM - 1:19:19 (1:19:59);   FM - 2:49:59 (3:05:46)

                      Hipfan


                      Proud Calgarian

                        I had that 8k last year where as we crossed the finish line they tore the bottoms off the bib to mark position for medals and prizes. I miss that the official times weren't chip-timed and recorded on Athlinks, it was a nice win but it did feel hollow without the time there for me. Good on others if it meets their expectations and fulfills their racing needs.

                         

                         

                        You've apparently never heard of Mt. Marathon. Yes, (s)he who wins Mt. Marathon can say that he/she won Mt. Marathon - who the heck cares what some bicycle-wheel-measured distance is (it's a long 5k with about 3000ft up in 1 mi, then back down again, a slightly open course since there's a couple routes that can be used). It's easily the most prestigious foot race in Alaska, parts of which are covered live on tv some years. (gotta give the camera men credit for hauling those TV cameras partway up a mountain)

                         

                        It's about the course and the competition.

                         

                        I've never run a certified course (and doubt I ever would - not many of them around) and only two chip-timed races.

                         

                        Our largest race series is "position and name on slips of paper" to line up with the timer. Approximate distance and course is announced at start line. You learn how to run / race by effort in those races.

                        2015 Goals and PRs:

                        5k - 17:59 (18:05);  10k - 35:59 (36:42);   HM - 1:19:19 (1:19:59);   FM - 2:49:59 (3:05:46)

                        wcrunner2


                        Are we there, yet?

                          Definitely true that a race is about who is the fastest and wins, but the majority of us do have PR's (or PB's or goals) listed in our taglines. Even one of us competitive recreational runners gets really pissed off when we find out that a race isn't quite the distance we expected due to poor course marking. Even the serious competitive people were cheezed here in Calgary when they found out that the Forzani Mother's Day 5k was actually 5.5k....

                           

                          That's a different issue. A course should be the distance advertised. I'd be annoyed if a race was advertised as 8.4 miles but turned out to be 8.6. Distance and accuracy of the measurement should be known factors. That doesn't mean they have to be standard distances. In the case of non-standard distances the chances are that race is the only time you'll race that distance anyway so as long as the same course is used every year, it's not that important where it's certified or was measured by odometer or GPS.

                           2024 Races:

                                03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                                05/11 - D3 50K
                                05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                                06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                           

                           

                               

                          Love the Half


                            Pfft, if it's not chip-timed or a certified course (too short or too long), then what's the use? Even if you win a race, it would suck to say you kicked butt in a 4.72km race....

                             

                             

                            If you lived in my area, you'd either race very infrequently or drive 3-4 hours frequently if those were your standards.  I also find it fairly offensive that you would dismiss the race set up efforts of folks who have been setting up races for as long as you have been alive and I'm not exaggerating about how long these folks have been organizing races.  But, why don't you tell them something like, "I've been running for 3 years and you should listen to me about how to conduct a race."

                            Short term goal: 17:59 5K

                            Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

                            Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

                              I had that 8k last year where as we crossed the finish line they tore the bottoms off the bib to mark position for medals and prizes. I miss that the official times weren't chip-timed and recorded on Athlinks, it was a nice win but it did feel hollow without the time there for me. Good on others if it meets their expectations and fulfills their racing needs.

                               

                              Does winning a 26.2mi race mean the same thing to you as winning Boston or NYCM?

                              (sorry, couldn't think of any famous named 8k courses off the top of my head, so changed the distance to something with a famous course)

                               

                              Hmm, not sure what listing on Athlinks is supposed to represent, but most of my races aren't there, and some of the ones that are were not chip timed and not on a certified course. Neither of my two chip-timed races are there.

                              "So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog
                              MJ5


                              Chief Unicorn Officer

                                It can be a nice luxury and all to have chip timing, but I agree with George's assessment of this situation. And also the fact that a race appears in Athlinks, well, like chip timing, that happens in about 2% of my total races.

                                 

                                Last year one of our oldest and biggest local races changed from tear off, handwritten tags to chip timing. There was a power outage during the race and the people who placed from about 10 - 75 weren't recorded. Yeah, I'll stick with the old school stuff and not get too wrapped up in the frivolities.

                                Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54