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What is the single greatest factor on your running quality? (Read 1325 times)

    Definetly what I eat. I wouldn't say it's how much, but more WHAT I eat. Sleep is a close second.

    Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

      My biggest factor is having someone to run with! Of my 4 days a week schedule, only 1 is with my friends, and that one is hands down the best. Doesn't matter if it's the worst weather, or most boring route, or I feel like crap, it's just that much better. Running alone, although it gives me time to just let my mind wander, is just not the same.
      1000 mile club. "Pain is just the weakness leaking out."
        Sleep is huge but it is only part of what I would call--for lack of a better description--"amount of adaptive energy available." Whenever I'm wiped out, running is very difficult. And running any specific pace becomes impossible. It doesn't much matter whether the reason I'm wiped out is from getting 4 hours of broken sleep due to a crying baby, or that I was on my feet for two straight days at a tradeshow, or that I'm overtrained. Wiped out is wiped out.

        Runners run

          Gotta be what (and how much) I eat for me. Last spring, I was trying to lose some weight -- and train for a half marathon at the same time. When I cut calories, even just a little, it was like I'd run out of gas. Just couldn't go. I gave up the weight loss and started eating and eating a lot Big grin and the energy and motivation were back. Even now that I've lost the weight, being low on calories for the day when I go run makes a *huge* difference in, if not on my times, on how much I enjoy the workout. Teresa
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          rectumdamnnearkilledem

            When I cut calories, even just a little, it was like I'd run out of gas. Just couldn't go. I gave up the weight loss and started eating and eating a lot Big grin and the energy and motivation were back.
            I'm hoping to REALLY focus on losing my remaining weight this Winter. Next Spring I want to be able to eat for race training, but from Nov-Jan I won't be training hard for any major events (I'm looking at a 10k in early Feb. if they hold it again this year), so I can concentrate on exercise and diet to lose weight. It is hard to cut calories and run hard while training. Something has to give. k

            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                 ~ Sarah Kay

            JakeKnight


              Interesting question - and it would be nice to find an easy answer. I've had spectacular runs on no sleep, no food, an injured body, and 100 degree temperatures; and I've had horrible runs when I do everything right. Predicting my performances seems pretty hit or miss. (I did 16 miles yesterday with no water and nothing to eat all day, and had a great run. How does that make sense?) And the sleep thing - that's a problem, since a lot of people don't sleep much before races. If they wouldn't schedule the frickin' things for 7:00 a.m. .... and make you catch a bus at 5:00 a.m. .... sleep might be a little easier. All that said, if there is just one factor for me: it's got to be temperature. If the weather drops to between 30-45 degrees, I'll almost always run well. I loves me the cold.

              E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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              Dog-Love

                My best runs are those on trails with my favorite running gals. Just us and great conversation about fishing, boys, and figuring out which marathon we want to run next year. And then there is the gorgeous scenery along river trails. Icing on the cake is when the sun shines you turn the bend of a 9 mile out and back and this huge glacier looms ahead. Nothing is better!!!!
                Run like you are on fire! 5K goal 24:00 or less (PR 24:34) 10K goal 50:00 or less (PR 52:45) HM goal 1:55:00 or less (PR 2:03:02) Marathon Goal...Less than my PR (PR 4:33:23)
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                rectumdamnnearkilledem

                  And the sleep thing - that's a problem, since a lot of people don't sleep much before races. If they wouldn't schedule the frickin' things for 7:00 a.m. .... and make you catch a bus at 5:00 a.m. .... sleep might be a little easier.
                  No joke! I will be leaving home at 6am for my 8am race on Sunday (hour+ drive). Thank the deities for the time change the night before! When I rule the universe no races will start before 10am...or maybe even noon.

                  Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                  remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                       ~ Sarah Kay

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                  rectumdamnnearkilledem

                    My best runs are those on trails with my favorite running gals. Just us and great conversation about fishing, boys, and figuring out which marathon we want to run next year. And then there is the gorgeous scenery along river trails. Icing on the cake is when the sun shines you turn the bend of a 9 mile out and back and this huge glacier looms ahead. Nothing is better!!!!
                    Eryn and I had an amazingly great run last Saturday. We only went 8 miles and it was cold and drizzly, but we chatted the entire way (and alternated side-aches from the babble-induced weird breathing). We went pretty slow (even for us), but neither of us paid much attention to pace and just went slow enough to be able to talk and enjoy the 90 minutes out. k

                    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                         ~ Sarah Kay

                      On my Saturday or Sunday longer runs, it's sadly... How Much I Drank the Night Before (when you are 100 lbs, that one beer from happy hour is going to hit you in some way, nevermind two). Not going out or drinking anything the night before a race gives me a great boost! Talk about weird detrimental training strategies. Tongue In the summer in Arizona, the temperature is also a HUGE factor. The five degrees between 100 and 105 degrees makes a big difference for me. I will also definitely agree with food, and "adaptive energy" is also a great reason.
                      Mile Collector


                      Abs of Flabs

                        No joke! I will be leaving home at 6am for my 8am race on Sunday (hour+ drive). Thank the deities for the time change the night before! When I rule the universe no races will start before 10am...or maybe even noon.
                        I went to bed at 8:30 PM one Friday night because I was so tired from doing nothing during the week Big grin I ran 18 miles the next day and it was awesome! I was awake (for once) and everything felt good. I went to bed at 9:30 the next night, and woke up just before a local 5 miler that I had to go and ran my second best 5 miler ever, even though I ran 18 miles the day before. I signed up for the Disney Marathon in January. The race starts at 6 or 6:30, and they want us to be there by 4 AM. I think I'm in trouble...
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                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          I signed up for the Disney Marathon in January. The race starts at 6 or 6:30, and they want us to be there by 4 AM. I think I'm in trouble...
                          Holy crap! I think I'd be better off taking a long nap the day before and pulling an all-nighter. No way would I be able to get a good night's sleep if I had to be to a race by that early. Insane!

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                            definitely sleep. I need to be rested.

                            Jennifer mm#1231

                              What is the single greatest factor on your running quality?
                              Well, first I will have to decide what 'running quality means to me Wink. I'm a 44 y.o newbie runner (started 2 months ago), and hence I do not know well what has an influence on my running quality. I have the impression that time of the day makes a difference: It feels better in the morning and in the evening than in the afternoon. Running alone makes a difference too: alone I do 9:15 min mile at a lower HR than when running with a friend 9:50 min mile (and talking a lot).... but it is fun to run together. Food? Haven't noticed a difference yet during my (still short - 25 min) runs weather? I like running in a soft drizzle, but don't know if my running is of a better quality. No, at this moment I only have the impression that I seem to be faster when running alone... but have to experiment on that a little bit more.

                              Running in Belgium
                              Ann

                               

                               

                               

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                              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                                No, at this moment I only have the impression that I seem to be faster when running alone... but have to experiment on that a little bit more.
                                Heh, my run with backroadrunner this past Sat. was pretty pokey (by about a half minute added to my typical pace when running the same distance alone), but it was nice to have that time for girl talk. BTW, welcome and you're already pretty fast for a newbie! I dream of a 9:15 pace on a 25 minute run. Smile k

                                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                     ~ Sarah Kay

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