Who all is here and what are you doing? (Read 16874 times)

Aaron Heath


    Hi everyone! I'm Aaron. I started running about 3 years ago, and began logging my miles on Running Ahead around the same time. I'm currently living in White Plains, NY. Since starting my running program, I have run 1 marathon, 4 1/2 marathons, and a few other races at different distances. I started running to get back in shape after taking an office job. I'm currently getting ready to run the Buffalo marathon at the end of May. Cheers!
    Seanv2


      I'm Sean and I live in Washington, DC. I have been an on again off again runner for a number of years, but I'm just starting to take it seriously now. Looking forward to getting tips and trading training stories with people here.

      Have you qualified for Boston? I want to interview you!

      Message me!

       

      www.miloandthecalf.com

       

        Hi all! I'm Lisa and I live in suburban Chicago. I've been running since 2003 (to get in shape for my wedding which began my addiction) and more seriously since the birth of my first son in 2006. I am just getting back into the swing of things after my second baby was born 6 weeks ago. I've run a few 5Ks, 1 8K and 2 half marathons. I'm eager to begin racing again...though I haven't decided which distance to tackle next. I've lost some speed and endurance of course and I'm anxious to get it back! Looking forward to getting some motivation here!
          Hi!

           

          I am a soon to be 45 year old male from Sarnia, Ontario (one hour north of Detroit, MI). I re-started running not quite two years ago because my weight was getting out of control but I think I got addicted to running more than losing weight ;-)

           

          Winter of 2008 I had a friend challenge me to run a marathon. Until that time the most I had ever run would be about 7 or 8 km's. Well, the more I thought about doing a marathon, the more I started to think that maybe I could so I started training. I was scared of the 'long' 'boring' runs at first but quickly found out I enjoyed them and woke up early on Saturdays without the alarm because I wanted to go running.

           

          I did my first marathon last October in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was painful but I finished in around 5:30.

           

          Over the winter I read the Run Less, Run Faster book and it seemed to make a lot of sense. So while my goals are still to some year run Boston, for this year anyway, I am not running more than a half to give my body more time to get used to the pounding.

           

          I absolutely love the RunningAHEAD web site. Tracking everything and being able to produce graphs so I can see improvements. This site has been very beneficial for my running.

           

          Terry

            Hello there.  I'm Mike, I live on the south side of Chicago.

             

            I started running last July to shed some pounds.  To date I've dropped about 40 and I'm pretty close to what I weighed in high school when I was a competitive swimmer.  I swam from age 7 up through college.  Once I stopped doing that I picked up some bad habits and a tendency (to put it mildly) to be lazy.  Also, I found out I had rheumatoid arthritis and it has only gotten worse over time.  I got a great doc about 3 years ago and through the magic of Enbrel I am back among the active.

             

            I was a treadmill-only runner, and only was able to really run for more than half an hour at a time by November.  I'd run about 15 to 20 miles a week until January when I picked it up to about 25 consistently.  My first foray into the outdoors was in April, I decided to not be self-conscious and just get out and run some.  Only then did I start logging my miles here.  Now that I'm doing that my mileage has crept up to 30 miles per week because I enjoy being outside and I like looking at taller bars on graphs and stuff Smile

             

            Sometime in the winter I was wondering what the end goal was - just to lose weight, or should I compete?  That became an itch that I scratched for the first time just this past Monday at a 5k.  I blew my own expectations away, what a thrill!

             

            I have an 18 month old daughter and we're going to be trying to give her a sib very soon.  I don't know what will happen to my "training" then, I don't know how people can log even more miles (more than twice!) and be a parent, my hat is off to you!  I hope to be able to continue.  I don't know how my wife puts up with my absences for an hour at a time (more on Saturdays lately) and it will get interesting if we're lucky enough to have another child.

             

            Next up I am going to give a15k in Muskegon in June a try, and aiming to run the half-marathon in Grand Rapids in October.

             

            Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the interesting topics I've read over the couple of months I've been lurking.


            under a rock

              Hi, I'm Ashley. I'm from the Charlotte, NC area. I'm a stay at home mom to a 16 month old boy who keeps me really busy. I started running when I was 29, while I was taking a break from horse ownership, and fell in love with it. I'm now getting back into running after a long hiatus. I had an IT band injury back in 2002 that derailed me for awhile. After the injury healed I never managed to get back into running because by then I was back to being a horse owner and horses have always come first in my life. Now that I have my son I'm getting out of horses and into something much safer and cheaper!

               

              I ran my first race since 2003 a few weeks ago and I'm pumped and ready to go now!  I hope to do a half Marathon in early fall. My mileage is still low right now but I'm slowly working it up so I don't injure myself again. I'm hoping to do a few 5k's and at least  one 10k before hitting the half. It would be nice if I could recover some of the speed I used to have as well.

              altmizzle


                Hey everybody,

                 

                New to the site, been a runner for about 14 years.  Just now getting over some plantars, but going to try to get my mileage back up for a winter (feb.) marathon.

                 

                Cool site, cool training log!

                "If within us, we find nothing above us, we succumb to whatever is around us."



                Mat Lock


                  Hello, I am Mat


                  I am from the UK but currently living and working in New Zealand. I have been running on and off for a few years. I participated in the 2007 British 10k Run in London and then the Asics Brighton 10k Run in the same year. My PB for 10k is 54:32 which is pretty crap really but then I am about 90kg


                  While I am here working in Wellington NZ I want to lose the weight I have gained over the last 9 months of travelling around the world.


                  So was looking for a site that monitored my runs, drew out route maps and had tips and tricks.


                  Thanks and happy running Smile


                  ReaDaddy

                    Hi everyone!  My name is Andy Rea and I am 29YO.  I started running for the simple reason of trying to fix my body.  I have been to more specialists and doctors in the past year than most people would want to see in their lifetime.  The final straw for me was when I was referred to a cardiologist and I had to have some stress tests and heart imagery completed.  I really did not like the idea of being 29YO and be a patient of a cardiologist..  I knew I needed to make a change but a dramatic one that would change my life forever.  I must explain to everyone that I never considered being a runner and hated running any more than what was required of me at school which was a mile.  I used to run for short distances to warm up for strength training but that would be the most I would ever do.  I went through about 6-7 years of living a lazy and inactive lifestyle where I slowly started adding a lot of weight.  At one point I was over 60 pounds over weight.  Medical professionals call that obese...I saw it as soft and cuddly!  Then a good friend of mine was talking to me about how he decided to run a half marathon because he had never tried something like that and wanted to prove to himself that he could.  I honestly couldn't believe that he was doing it!  After several conversations and feeling more inspired each time we spoke, I decided that I would commit to running a half-marathon as well.  On November 15, 2009 I will be running the Big Sur 1/2 in California.  Just from walking at lunch times now and the short 2 weeks of run training so far I have already lost a bunch of weight and I completely LOVE feeling the air hitting my face like that.  It was a drastic lifestyle change that I will be enjoying for MANY years.  Right now I am maxing out at about 3 miles but I know that soon I will be ready for more.  I am enjoying the challenge of training and I love that I have motivated my wife to do her own training.  She is also going to join me on race day!!!  I have also recruited about 6 more people to run with us on race day to support me and to also try and change their lives too!  That is my story and why I am running.  I am not running because I have to, I am running because I get to!  Thanks for listening and the opportunity to share with you this moment in my life.

                     

                    Big Blessings,

                    Andy Rea 

                    Peace Out! Big Sur 1/2, CA - Nov. 15, 2009!!!


                    Amok in Sacramento

                      Ola. I'm Scott, 47m, divorced, I live in Sacramento, CA. I've dabbled in running on and off over the years, I'm coming back from a self-inflicted (i.e. riding a single gear too much) injury to my left leg that has kept me from running for over  a year.

                       

                      I'm really not a racer at heart although in the last few years I've done a lot of run races (mostly 5Ks, with some halfs and my first marathon thrown in), a triathlon or two, and a cycling omnium. I don't race so much to beat people - I have enough athletic ability to fill a very small thimble - but to stay motivated to keep in shape. My father died recently at 75 from a stroke that was preceded by 30+ years of heart disease and 20+ years of being disabled. I am enjoying good health and with two small children (9 and 7) that I very much want to see grown, and I want that to continue.

                       

                      What I've found is that while cycling is my first love in terms of exercise, I'm not very good at it and the arrogance of much of the cycling community (aside from recreational riders) is a huge turnoff. Plus so much of bike racing seems to involve trashed bikes and broken collarbones so you can beat your chest about how much of a great (and mediocre) middle-aged cyclist you are   I don't like pain or broken bones and I've only got one nice bike... so... I just ride for fun and fitness.

                       

                      I've also dabbled in multi-sport, finishing one triathlon and anchoring the bike and run legs of a sprint triathlon. Unfortunately, the same arrogance and anal retentiveness that I've seen in cycling also permeates the tri world; in fact, I think its worse than cycling in many aspects... and I hate swimming anyway. You can only get 'better' with so much technique, and its abysmally stupid to try and compete against people who have been swimming since they were small children and were good at it then...

                       

                      I love the simplicity of running. I don't have to pump up tires, dodge traffic on the way to and from the bike trail (or throw the bike in the car and drive 20 miles to an uncongested area, which seems to defeat the purpose of riding the bike in the first place),  Running can be done anywhere, anytime, and its a much better workout for the time invested vs. cycling.

                       

                      Moreover - and admittedly perhaps biased because I've done far more run events than anything else - I have found the running community much friendlier and more open to everyone than the two mentioned above. People talk, they smile - they do that while rec cycling too - if the Lance wannabees aren't trying to run your ass off the trail proving their manliness - and during the early stages of my marathon, people were chatting about all sorts of stuff and striking up conversations as we plodded along. That's nice.

                       

                      But what I've also found is, while a lousy athlete in general, I'm actually a decent runner from the perspective that I see *improvement* when I put in the time running and when I'm in shape I sniff the MOP in most races (not in my AG though, I'm still near the bottom, but that's unimportant).

                       

                      My 9 year old son isn't much of an athlete and prefers, oddly, to swim, but my 7 year old daughter can RUN. She's consistently been one of the faster girls in her grade.

                       

                      Aside from that intro, obviously, I love to write, read and I'm a decent fusion guitarist.

                       

                      Scott

                       


                      Amok in Sacramento

                        Ola. I'm Scott, 47m, divorced, I live in Sacramento, CA. I've dabbled in running on and off over the years, I'm coming back from a self-inflicted (i.e. riding a single gear too much) injury to my left leg that has kept me from running for over  a year.

                         

                        I'm really not a racer at heart although in the last few years I've done a lot of run races (mostly 5Ks, with some halfs and my first marathon thrown in), a triathlon or two, and a cycling omnium. I don't race so much to beat people - I have enough athletic ability to fill a very small thimble - but to stay motivated to keep in shape. My father died recently at 75 from a stroke that was preceded by 30+ years of heart disease and 20+ years of being disabled. I am enjoying good health and with two small children (9 and 7) that I very much want to see grown I want to maintain good health.

                         

                        What I've found is that while cycling is my first love in terms of exercise, I'm not very good at it and the arrogance of much of the cycling community (aside from recreational riders) is a huge turnoff. Plus so much of bike racing seems to involve trashed bikes and broken collarbones so you can beat your chest about how much of a great (and mediocre) middle-aged cyclist you are   I don't like pain or broken bones and I've only got one nice bike... so... I just ride for fun and fitness.

                         

                        I've also dabbled in multi-sport, finishing one triathlon and anchoring the bike and run legs of a sprint triathlon. Unfortunately, the same arrogance and anal retentiveness that I've seen in cycling also permeates the tri world; in fact, I think its worse than cycling in many aspects... and I hate swimming anyway. You can only get 'better' with so much technique, and its abysmally stupid to try and compete against people who have been swimming since they were small children and were good at it then...

                         

                        I love the simplicity of running. I don't have to pump up tires, dodge traffic on the way to and from the bike trail (or throw the bike in the car and drive 20 miles to an uncongested area, which seems to defeat the purpose of riding the bike in the first place),  Running can be done anywhere, anytime, and its a much better workout for the time invested vs. cycling.

                         

                        Moreover - and admittedly perhaps biased because I've done far more run events than anything else - I have found the running community much friendlier and more open to everyone than the two mentioned above. People talk, they smile - they do that while rec cycling too - if the Lance wannabees aren't trying to run your ass off the trail proving their manliness - and during the early stages of my marathon, people were chatting about all sorts of stuff and striking up conversations as we plodded along. That's nice.

                         

                        But what I've also found is, while a lousy athlete in general, I'm actually a decent runner from the perspective that I see *improvement* when I put in the time running and when I'm in shape I sniff the MOP in most races (not in my AG though, I'm still near the bottom, but that's unimportant).

                         

                        My 9 year old son isn't much of an athlete and prefers, oddly, to swim, but my 7 year old daughter can RUN. She's consistently been one of the faster girls in her grade.

                         

                        Aside from that intro, obviously, I love to write, read and I'm a decent fusion guitarist.

                         

                        Scott

                         

                          Hi all.  My name is Steve and I'm from Sacramento, CA.  I've been a lurker on this site since I started running outside last August.  I've learned quite a bit from some of you experienced runners on here.  Some background on me:  I was 210 lbs. 3 years ago and decided to make cardio a more important part of my workouts (not just lifting heavy weights).  I was a treadmill runner 5 days a week and did mostly interval training.  After several months of hard work at the gym and at home with my nutrition, I was able to drop to 165 which I've maintained for two years. 

                           

                          I came to a point where running on a treadmill was becoming too boring.  Last August, I decided to make a goal for myself to run in Sacramento's annual Run to Feed The Hungry on Thanksgiving.  I've tried running outside in the past and had terrible problems with shin splints and the knees.  A friend referred me to a good shoe store in the area that actually analyzed my running to get me in the proper shoes.  That worked wonders.  I started out slow with low mileage and built my way up to 7 mile runs a few weeks prior to the Thanksgiving run.  I decided to run the 10K instead of the 5K.  I ended up running the race in 50.25 which I guess is decent for a first time.  But this race made me fall in love with running and racing.

                           

                          Since then, I've only run in two 5K's (both a little over 22 minutes).  I'm now training and focusing on the annual Cowtown Half Mary here in Sac in October.  I've built up my weekly mileage to 30-35 with a 10-miler once or twice a week.  I'm feeling good and very excited for the October race. I'm hoping to run a marathon sometime.  I'd like to run in more races, but with the economy and having a 2.5 year old daughter and a 2 month old son my money is somewhat limited. 


                          Intentionally Blank

                            I am Sharon . I live in Nashville, and I am a recreational runner.  Ran my first marathon in April -- Country Music.  I'm trying to redeem myself with a better time at Chickamauga in November.

                             

                            I am 35 and have two kids, 5 and 2.

                              I’m a CAD drafter that happens to work in a metal fab shop.

                              I’ve come up with a pretty cool running medal hanger as well.

                               

                              www.alliedsteelfab.com

                               

                               

                               

                              This is my story………

                               

                               

                              I feel as though the last 3 years I’ve morphed myself into what I want to be, strong, confident, and healthy. I had a few ups and downs, but running has kept me focused and given me the confidence I needed to stay the course and believe in ME. Especially when I lost my job in 2007.

                              My journey towards running a marathon started Dec. 23rd 2005 losing the 40 pounds in the 4 months. It was triggered by having a girlfriend of 6 years walk out on me and our house. I hit the gym for a solid 4 months, every single day riding the bike and eating better. In April of 2006 I found myself in California with no way to workout for a week, so I thought since my legs were in good shape from riding the bike at the gym, I could start running for the first time in 21 years? Yeah, good luck idiot…... So I ran 1.25 miles and thought I was going to DIE and my back and torso said HELL no. By June (2-1/2 months), I had already worked myself up to running 13.1 miles 2 times. So I signed up for the earliest race I could find. The Seafair Bellevue 1/2 Marathon. It was so much fun. I know that sounds odd, but compared to just running 13.1 miles, this was so cool with people cheering you on the WHOLE way. I even saw people on their lawns in their PJ's clapping as they drank their coffee. It was damn near spiritual for me, running while thinking of all the hard work I put in and the emotional pain I went through to come out ahead and then to lose the weight and get back to the shape I was in 21 years ago.

                              Next up, can I double that mileage?

                              My lifelong friend and next-door neighbor Craig had a brother always run the Seattle Marathon. Me and Craig got into running when we were 14-15. We did pretty good actually, I ran a 4:50 mile that year and Craig went onto place in the top 25 two years in a row in high school state cross country in Washington and post a 3:48 1500 in college. Since those days I always wished I could run like him, or run a marathon like Chuck. By the time I was 37 and weighing in at 220, the thought never crossed my mind ever again, until that day in December. Something just told me, why the hell not? I have seen people do far greater. I know people who have had illnesses and been through far worse than what it was going to take me.
                              As stated, in July I ran my first organized race, a 1/2 marathon and kinda impressed myself. At this point I was down to 165 pounds from my chubby 220. I came across with a 1:43:37. (7:55 pace). Then in September I ran a 1:40:50 (7:40 pace) in a very warm summer race that left me spent and almost walking across the line. At this point I wondered if I could really run a full 26.2 miles. Maybe if I just slowed down? So I trained another 3 months and increased my miles and fought many days of hip pain. I had worked up to great shape, yet my body kept warning me, YOU ARE 38!!!So I'm one week away from my race and I pull my hamstring. Nice, I worry more than most people do about nothing, and this had me worked up so tight I thought I might break. I had to STOP running the week of the race. Then on Friday I couldn't stand it and went for a 6 mile run. I was a wreck, checking weather forecasts every day, buying new running clothes, trying them out..... Then it was the night before, and I couldn’t sleep for the life of me. Me and Karla woke up to SNOW!!! By the time I got to Seattle it was light rain/slush but 36 degrees. Tons of roads were blocked and we arrived about 1/2 an hour before the race started. And in normal Bradley fashion, I hopped out of the car 2 blocks before the start line and parking so I ASSURED I would not be stuck in traffic while I needed to use the restroom before the race. It turned out just fine and I had just enough time to stretch, go for a jog. It snuck up on me like you wouldn't believe. There I was, in what seamed like days, when it was really EXACTLY 11 months as the race was on the 26th, same day of the month I started working out after the breakup. Plus, the race was 26.2 miles. It wouldn't have surprised me to see #26 pop up in my race time. Well the race didn't start well for me because I am so Virgo, I forgot to hit the start button on my watch (I hit the stop button) until 4:00 into the race so now I'd have to think more, and add 4:00 every time I look at my watch. Sounds like no big deal, but when you have been running for almost 4 hours..... The weather was actually no big deal. Miles 15 - 23 it stopped raining for me. :-) It was kinda crazy running nearly the whole length of downtown Seattle on 5th with NO cars and the streets to yourself, no waiting for lights and dodging cars. One full mile was in the I-90 tunnel so I removed my cap to cool off as there was no rain and no cross wind. The views were great, but yah know, I really had no time to take it all in, I just kept chasing down that 3:45:00 pace group every time I took a pee break or walked through water stations to make damn sure I got enough water and got gel in my mouth not on my gloves or face. I hate running with sticky face :-)
                              I did also get to see many parts of the city I never see, like Seward Park. Speaking of, why do people try and talk to you? I know it's a social event of sorts, but I got my ipod on and you can plainly see that I am in a zone. In Seward park, (miles 12-14) I was bugged by this lady. I was nice and talked for a second, but when she asked what I did for a living I drew the line and put my headphones back in and took off. In the park I hit my split time of 1:51. That reminds me of another complaint, sorry..... Why are the chips these harsh material that they have you put on your leg??? I'm running for 4 hours here people, have you heard of chaffing? I velcro’d mine to my gloves and reached down and put my hand on the ground to hit the timing mat. But that backfired on me at mile 24 when I realized I didn't want do that at the finish, so I had to fiddle with it sticking to my gloves while putting it BACK on my leg. And wouldn't you know it, it made my leg sore in just the last mile!!! So I felt great the whole race, 5 hours of sleep and all.... I for some reason lost the 3:45:00 pace group every potty break, and at mile 15 I was about 2 blocks behind her, which was fine with me. Now the hard part came, at mile 20 (20 was my longest training run ever and the longest of my life). Mile 20-21 was straight up hill, and I mean 7% grade!!! I felt like I was walking. This is also when my legs said goodbye. No carbs or electrolites could save me or be consumed fast enough, nothing I could consume would make that pain go away, it's just a fact of running for 3 hours when you’ve only been running 7 months.This in when doubt sets in, believe me, I had ALL the confidence in the world, there is now way in hell I am not finishing this thing. But the problem is I WOULD NOT walk, no way, not me (It's called “RUNNING” a marathon). It just got worse and worse. I had my inspiring music, I had all my new running friends, my family, co-workers, my thoughts of my recently passed away father helping me, everything I could think of to channel some energy. Problem was I didn't need energy, I didn't need inspiration, inspiration got me to where I was that very day, what I needed was this pain to go away and it wasn't going to go away with inspiring thoughts. I just had to keep my legs moving, I have NO clue how that happened. All I know is I would have felt like a failure to walk. It's the most emotionally draining thing I have ever done combined with the most physically draining thing I could possibly think of. My friend Craig was gonna try and run the 1/2 marathon and then bike to E Madison to cheer me on along with my family. Well I never saw them cause Craig was wet and cold and went straight home, and I don't blame him, I did the same thing when I was done. You get instantly cold when you stop heating your body by running. My family had decided to meet me at the finish but got stuck in traffic. I didn't know of course and I was actually kinda upset at the time, maybe that gave me a push. Mile 25 was a tiny downhill, but stopping yourself from going to fast or falling on the wet pavement just increased the pain in my quads to the point I wasn't sure I'd make it one more mile. Then to my right I see a co-worker yell my name, OMG I thought, that's Alex, how cool was that, never even told me he was gonna come see the race. Really helped me out. Me and him aren’t the best of friends at work, but just seeing anyone helped. Mile 26 I saw a lady on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance. Turns out this was a car accident, cause she was gawking at runners and not DRIVING. Also turned out to be the reason my family was stuck on I-5 and late for my finish. BUT, they did actually see me (my bright orange gloves) from the freeway when we ran down by REI, I just couldn't see THEM. That was mile 24 and it took me about 18 minutes to finish, and it took them 25 minutes to get through traffic and get onto the football field for the finish. It was surreal running into the stadium, I felt like I was in some odd dream, the guy that my friend USED to always poke in the fat tummy, running a marathon!!!!??? I was in a slight daze as I panned the people for anyone I knew and hopefully Karla. I saw nobody, there were just way to many people. I kinda roamed around until she tracked me down. My brother called just after that and they were making their way down to the finish. I "darted" into the recovery area and filled my bag with food and drinks and "rushed" back out to see my mom. Well of course my "speedy" trip just made my leg cramp up RIGHT as my mom walked up, while trying to put on my dry pants without unzipping the pants first made my calf cramp and I tumbled to the ground. As I looked up to laugh at myself I see some guy taking pictures of what agony must be like, I found it rude at first, then laughed as it was my brothers partner Darian. To funny, can't wait to see THAT pic. Of course as I leaned up to help Karla push out my cramp, my abs cramped up as well. Time to get this kid home. That we did, just in time, as driving home on I-5 it was then POURING rain.This was the greatest year I can recall in my life, and I plan on making the rest of them just as memorable. I just can't believe I waited 37 years to finally understand what my mom told me when I was a kid....."Can't died in a cornfield"

                              Marathon PR 3:25:23 http://26point2medals.com/metals.html
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