2022 Advanced Racing Thread (Read 497 times)

CommanderKeen


Cobra Commander Keen

     

    I joined my gym over 10 years ago when they first opened as they were doing a special offer of £14.99 per month which will stay the same price for life (very odd I know)…but I’m still paying £14.99 and plan to use it more often this winter. The more time I spend in the gym the less electricity I use to heat my house. You have to be smart during this energy crisis. 

     

    Not to poke the bear, but I'd debate that there would be an energy crisis if people were truly smart about energy.

     

    Flavio - You got me with the cartoon thing. I do some modeling in my spare time.


    RP - Time's short for CIM anyway, but you'll have plenty of lead-up for Botswana to get the next big qualifier.
    After we qualify for NYC, what will we aim for next? Tokyo?

    5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

     

    Upcoming Races:

     

     

       

      My pet peeve is 4 people walking abreast and taking up the entire path. 

       

      This seems most common in a race when you’re running a 10k that’s two loops of a 5k—on your second loop you get all the 5k walkers. Who are 4 abreast, chatting, having a grand old time. Usually as I approach from behind I yell something like “Excuse me!” (often a struggle to find the breath to do so at that point in the race). They typically turn around, appearing surprised (someone’s running, in a race!) and someone moves out of the way.

      Dave

      Running Problem


      Problem Child

        RP - Time's short for CIM anyway, but you'll have plenty of lead-up for Botswana to get the next big qualifier.
        After we qualify for NYC, what will we aim for next? Tokyo?

        London. I was thinking about this on my run today. The party I didn't know is when the races are, and since London is East the time difference would be more of a problem than traveling West to gain a day. Get the hard part out of the way then go eat Sushi and hot dogs in Toyko. I'll make sure to go with you so I don't lose you. One of my groomsmen went to Japan in high school and he was tall. Apparently they said "If your looking for John just look up." he was the de-facto rendezvous point.

        Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

        VDOT 53.37 

        5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

        JMac11


        RIP Milkman

           RP - Time's short for CIM anyway, but you'll have plenty of lead-up for Botswana to get the next big qualifier.
          After we qualify for NYC, what will we aim for next? Tokyo?

           

          Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. I'm so sad I can't get in via this method. How exactly does one get into the Tokyo marathon otherwise? It seems like London, i.e. impossible for foreigners.

           

          Keen - explain more on this energy point. You're so mild-mannered, we need some hot takes out of you! Otherwise you're banished back to the Waltons.

           

          Dave - I've only run one race like that and I almost killed someone coming down the final chute running around 5:15 pace. It's not safe for anyone involved. I know why race directors have to do it but there's gotta be a better solution.

           

          Track etiquette - I feel like anything 800 meters or longer can be done on the road fairly accurately. Are you guys running intervals longer than that on the track?

          5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

           

           

          SteveChCh


          Hot Weather Complainer

            Keen - I agree, if by people you mean idiot politicians, especially from Germany, who take advice from a teenager...(I know you didn't ask me JMac but that's my hot take )

             

            People walking 4 abreast on a path, grrr.  One of my pet peeves.  It's bad enough when they're walking away from you and can't see you (they know it's a place where people run) but when they clearly see you and don't move it really grinds my gears.  Add in a dog on a long leash that makes it harder to go round, and the dog also chases me and you (literally) have all my pet peeves in one go.

             

            darkwave - That's a fair point.  No excuse for using lane 1 though.

            5km: 18:34 11/23 │ 10km: 39:10 8/23 │ HM: 1:26:48 9/23 │ M: 3:34:49 6/23

             

            2024 Races:

            Motorway Half Marathon February 25, 2024 1:29:55

            Christchurch Half-Marathon April 21, 2024

            Selwyn Marathon June 2, 2024

            Dunedin Half Marathon September 15, 2024

               Track etiquette - I feel like anything 800 meters or longer can be done on the road fairly accurately. Are you guys running intervals longer than that on the track?

               

              I typically do intervals 1200m and under on the track, 1 mile & up on the road, but often as much of it as I can get on a nearby asphalt trail. It’s not about accuracy for me, it’s about being able to focus only on the running. You avoid stopping at intersections, car traffic, and trip hazards like uneven sidewalks. Also I like to be able to count laps rather than needing to program my watch.

              Dave

                 

                Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. I'm so sad I can't get in via this method. How exactly does one get into the Tokyo marathon otherwise? It seems like London, i.e. impossible for foreigners.

                 

                 

                Unscientifically, based on people I know, Tokyo is easier to get into than London. 

                Personally I am not a big fan of Japan in general, but would LOVE to run London. I think that would be so cool. I am not really in the market for international marathons though, because it’s hard to justify those kind of trips to my non-running wife.

                Dave

                mmerkle


                  JMac: Just did a 6 X 1 mile on the track, so yes. I'm trying to use roads more but I don't like the ambiguity that comes from hills if you know what I mean. I want to know my split, not think about oh well, the 4th one had that down hill but the 5th had that uphill so I GUESS my pacing was consistent. Fuck that. Unless I find a flat road loop or something, track it is.

                   

                  DW: That track sounds absolutely miserable. I think if I tried it once I'd end up getting arrested. I'm almost not even kidding.

                   

                  Dave: "someone's running, in a race!" LOL that is a definite downside to trail races. This is actually my main issue with trail races vs road races. But in the same way I argue it's stupid that people act surprised getting passed on a trail or sidewalk in general, like REALLY, you've NEVER seen a runner before in your entire life?

                   

                  I get that I'm not an angel at all, but my point is that I do at least make a conscious effort to stay out of people's way and avoid pissing them off. I just wish more people had that feature.

                  CommanderKeen


                  Cobra Commander Keen

                    London vs Tokyo - Tokyo. All day, every day. And not just because that's how long it would take me to finish the marathon.

                     

                    Hot Take


                    Energy (very simplified)

                     

                    NUCLEAR. Zero emissions, current-gen reactors can use spent fuel from older-gen reactors, or even the "byproducts" of the mining for metals used in batteries (thorium), stuff that's currently just sitting around. Perhaps most importantly, it's STABLE and CONSISTENT.

                    The biggest problem here with even older reactors is keeping spent fuel rods in water until they can be put in casks, but pretty much anything that could cause such interruptions are civilization-ending events themselves so that shouldn't be a terrible concern.


                    Solar? Doesn't work at night, when it's cloudy, covered in dust/snow, etc. Panels can't really be recycled when they're spent/damaged and just getting the base materials is terrible for the environment. And has anyone else ever seen the heat radiating off a massive field of these things?


                    Wind? Don't get me started on this. Not enough wind? Doesn't work. Too much wind? Doesn't work. Icy? Doesn't work. All the taxpayer money that went into subsidies to get turbines up didn't include anything for upkeep, so when they break they're either 1) just left standing, or 2) buried. Literally. These can't be recycled either.
                    I could provide (personally filmed) video of dozens of these within miles of me just sitting there doing nothing but being an eyesore while the wind blows. Oh, and these things kill innumerable birds every year, primarily raptors or migratory ones.


                    Hydro? Needs a big river. Not many of those around.


                    Coal? Dirty, but consistent. Cheap.


                    Natural gas? Better. Cleaner, very consistent, rather cheap.

                     

                    Plans for much of Europe this winter? Wood. Does anyone else remember in the 90s when wood wasn't considered a renewable resource for this type of thing? Pepperidge Farm Remembers.
                    And where is this wood coming from, you ask? The good ol' US of A. Grow, harvest, and shred it here, pack it in (petroleum fueled) ships and moved across the ocean. Yeah, really sustainable, that one.

                    5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                     

                    Upcoming Races:

                     

                     

                    darkwave


                    Mother of Cats

                       

                       

                      Track etiquette - I feel like anything 800 meters or longer can be done on the road fairly accurately. Are you guys running intervals longer than that on the track?

                       

                      Generally, yes.  For me, the track is the closest good place to run workouts.   The streets immediately around me are too busy to safely run workouts on, and the multi-use trails in my area are often too congested as well (lots of bike commuters and pedestrians with dogs on long leashes sharing a 10-12 wide trail).   I can drive to non-track locations for workouts (like Hains Point) and sometimes I do because I prefer running there.  But for time reasons it's often easiest to use the track.  So yes, I do up to 4 and 5 mile tempos on the track.

                       

                      Also, I'm assuming that by "road" in NYC you mean Central Park and similar - not that you are doing workouts on 6th Avenue and dodging cabs.

                       

                      MMerkle- I normally use Washington-Liberty track in Arlington.  Since it's right by a metro stop, it's the track of choice for a lot of training groups, hence the congestion (since there are several training groups that all meet on Tuesday morning).   I'll sometimes use Yorktown/Greenbrier, which is less busy.

                       

                      Re: the congestion, you get used to it after a while - it's like driving on a busy highway.  Starting a rep means that you have to merge into the traffic on lane 1 (that's why my recovery times will often vary by 20 seconds or so - some of that is waiting for a gap in traffic or cutting rest a bit short to get back into lane 1 ahead of a slower group).   And when finishing a rep, I'll usually swing out into lane 3 (first checking that nobody is passing me in that lane) on the final straightaway - like moving onto the exit ramp before deaccelerating.

                       

                      The nice thing is that a lot of us from various groups are friends with each other, and so there's a lot of cheering each other on during the workouts, as well as chit chat during the warm-up and cool-down.

                      Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

                       

                      And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

                      CalBears


                        Plans for much of Europe this winter? Wood. Does anyone else remember in the 90s when wood wasn't considered a renewable resource for this type of thing? Pepperidge Farm Remembers.
                        And where is this wood coming from, you ask? The good ol' US of A. Grow, harvest, and shred it here, pack it in (petroleum fueled) ships and moved across the ocean. Yeah, really sustainable, that one.

                         

                        Bwah-ha-ha!!! Can you name the price for the KWh for this sustainable supply? Starting from the paying to the workers here to prepare wood in transportable form, transporting and loading to the coast (remember - there are no tubes to transport wood), transporting through the ocean, unloading and transporting to all the right places? Does Europe has plants to burn wood and produce electricity? OMG!!!

                         

                        I would say it will be easier to go to Kremlin and apologize there and get that gas they are not (and will not) getting now...

                        paces PRs - 5K - 5:48  /  10K - 6:05  /  HM - 6:14  /  FM - 6:26 per mile

                        Ian5


                           

                          Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. I'm so sad I can't get in via this method. How exactly does one get into the Tokyo marathon otherwise? 

                          Jmac-I paid the charity money,it cost me about $500,if people really want to do it,it shouldn't be hard to raise that money,considering how much flights etc would be.

                          5k 17:35,10k 36:43,10m 61:55,HM 1:24:03,Full 3:07:39

                          Mikkey


                          Mmmm Bop

                            I grabbed a couple of pallets from a building site skip last week and will saw them up to use as fire wood during the colder winter months.

                             

                            Our former PM Boris said that we all have to make sacrifices and expect higher energy bills because of the Ukraine war. 😂

                            5k - 17:53 (4/19)   10k - 37:53 (11/18)   Half - 1:23:18 (4/19)   Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)


                            Resident Historian

                              I grabbed a couple of pallets from a building site skip last week and will saw them up to use as fire wood during the colder winter months.

                               

                              Our former PM Boris said that we all have to make sacrifices...  😂

                              Yeah,  "we all", except for the wanker himself. The only thing he's ever sacrificed is his cabinet ministers by blaming them when he's f'ed up.

                              On getting into London, if one has a GFA time and a cooperative friend or relative in Britain with a mailing address (probably best if you share the same last name) it's not too hard... just sayin'

                               

                              RP -- Traveling a few time zones west is definitely easier than the same going east. But fore Tokyo, did you mean "...going west to gain lose a day..."? (crossing the International Date Line)


                              A friend (pro runner long ago) claims a snot rocket just before the pass moves people off the path pretty well. Gonzo running! 
                              I'm a big enough guy (6'2", 180#) that if I yell "Coming through!" they'll move. Nowadays I'm so slow I rarely pass anyone.

                              Neil

                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              “Some people will tell you that slow is good – but I'm here to tell you that fast is better. I've always believed this, in spite of the trouble it's caused me. - Hunter S. Thompson

                              flavio80


                              Intl. correspondent

                                Mmerkle - Just let go LOL. There are plenty of other stuff to occupy your mind.

                                I know you like to be very precise, but it’s just not feasible in the real world, and any effort + or - 5% of your target effort is fine, or even better just use the gps watch, I know at least mine is very precise on the track.

                                 

                                Jmac - More like 1 minute lost in that mile, running up in 8 minute mile already has me gasping a little.

                                 

                                Mikkey - You don’t even need heating in winter, I’ve just checked the temperatures. Just wear a hoodie indoors, don't be a millennial 😂

                                 

                                Longboat - LOL yeah people just get out of the way if I shout from behind, I suppose a deeper voice in a growling tone helps, but I have no problems crossing/x-raying in the middle of a pack. I'm not very polite when running 🤦‍♂️

                                This reminds me of when I was trying to get into the metro back when I lived in São Paulo. Being slightly taller I can just keep my elbows pointing out and that ensures proper personal space and a safe entry and exit.

                                PRs: 1500 4:54.1 2019 - 5K 17:53 2023 - 10K 37:55 2023 - HM 1:21:59 2021

                                Up next: no idea

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