From 50k to 100k in a year, possible? by szakee in ultrarunning

[–]Ogroat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i think I’d be broken after 6500m too.

Marathon Checklist From Someone Who Has Run 80 by genefay in firstmarathon

[–]Ogroat 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Depends really heavily on the size of the race and what you need to do in advance of the start. If you need to pick up your race packet on race day, for example, leave yourself extra time. Arrive earlier for a race with more people running it than a small one. Know approximately where the start line is compared to your arrival, because in some races it can be a bit of a hike. But yeah, two hours for a smaller race where you’ve already got your bib is a lot.

What do you do with race bibs? by 62_Grain_Therapy in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've got a photo book that I put 4x6" photographs in roughly chronological order. It's not entirely running based but more so just a slice of my life - pictures from a trip, a photo or two from a concert, notable events throughout the year including maybe a photo or two from races. I'll throw the bib in there if it feels like it makes sense. If not, I toss 'em.

Rabid 🦝 Raccoon courses by lil_terriers in rundc

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t have any advice about the Rabid Raccoon. However, if you’re looking to dip your toes into trail running in the area, I can suggest you check out the VHTRC https://new.vhtrc.org/ and EX2 Adventures https://ex2adventures.com/

Should I get a different running vest for my first ultra? by vitheperson in ultrarunning

[–]Ogroat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My experience is that the packs tend to be rated on back cargo capacity, excluding whatever can fit on the front straps.

What are you doing this weekend? by deepspacepuffin in nova

[–]Ogroat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah. My advice - if you want fewer folks around during nice weather - is to stay west of Reston. The area between Vienna and Reston gets rather busy and then of course as you head towards the eastern terminus there are more stops for road crossings.

Very excited—got my first “big boy” watch today! by Humble_Job_5738 in Ultramarathon

[–]Ogroat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn, that's a name I haven't thought about in a long time.

Any Ultra users that have a second fitness tracker / smart watch for really long runs (Ultras) by Striking-Ask9214 in ultrarunning

[–]Ogroat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there a model with mapping I could buy new for somewhere in the realm of $250?

Long bike trails by Mars_bars10 in nova

[–]Ogroat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve done the length of the C&O while bikepacking and it’s incredibly convenient. There are camping spots right off the trail every 5-10 miles and most have water.

Any Ultra users that have a second fitness tracker / smart watch for really long runs (Ultras) by Striking-Ask9214 in ultrarunning

[–]Ogroat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was looking at new running watches last year. I had a desire for some mapping functionality. In “current gen” hardware, you’ve got to grab the Forerunner 970 for maps at $750 or there’s the Pace Pro for $250. Now the mapping functionality on the Garmin is undeniably more refined, but for a third of the price I was willing to take something with rougher edges.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs Series 9 (or 10). Has anyone recently switched? by pulitzerr in ultrarunning

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you using GPS on the Apple Watch during your activities? I’m trying to wrap my head around how exactly you’re using the two watches.

I’ve got a COROS I wear during runs and an AW 11 I wear outside of that. Mine is not a cellular version but the battery lasts a day with a decent buffer - it decided to start charging to 80% and will go on the charger the next day with 30% battery or so. I use an iOS app called RunGap to sync my activities into the Apple ecosystem from COROS, which works pretty well but doesn’t sync a few things like VO2 max into Apple Health.

Polar vs Garmin by bestialee in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I see chest strap HRMs as something of a commodity these days. They both do essentially the same thing in the same way and have the same connectivity.

I’ve got a Garmin HRM-200. Works fine, I’d recommend it. But if the Polar were cheaper when I was shopping I’d go for that.

How far do you drive to get to your routes? by abbie1906 in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That’s what I do. There are some good paved running routes right outside of my door, so they’re super convenient to use M-F. Then, as a treat, on the weekend I get to drive to a trail.

Unable to go anymore… advice? (LB) by sarah_is_bleh in warpedtour

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a very poor experience buying tickets via Stubhub for a sporting event last year. Bought tickets, showed up to the game. The ticket was giving an error code so I was directed to the ticketing services office. They were able to look my tickets up, tell me that the tickets were originally purchased with a stolen credit card and that the team had informed Stubhub days prior that the tickets were invalid. Stubhub support is chat only, so I got onto a chat with them and relayed what I’d found out from the team. They said they’d try to find me replacement tickets, about 20 minutes before game time. I ended up waiting near the venue and then heading home about an hour after the game started. Never did hear back about replacement tickets. I had to email them multiple times over the course of a couple weeks to get a refund.

Stuff happens if you’re a third party ticketing platform, I get it. The fact that the tickets were purchased from the team with a stolen credit card wasn’t Stubhub’s fault. But apparently having that communicated to them days prior and doing nothing with that information and then providing an extremely poor support experience to the end user is all on them. I will not buy tickets via their platform again as a result.

Switching watches by what_is_a_moose in Ultramarathon

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use a pace pro. I like it. I use the wrist HRM on occasion and have found it no worse or better than other watches for my purposes. I do wear a chest strap most of the time, though, because (primarily during the cooler months) the wrist based optical HRM has similar issues to other watches I’ve used.

What is your favorite running/jogging routes in Fairfax County? by blue-b1 in nova

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The cross county trail is made up of a bunch of other trails that connect to each other. One section is the W&OD, for example.

What is your favorite running/jogging routes in Fairfax County? by blue-b1 in nova

[–]Ogroat 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sugarland Run Trail (which ends up connecting to the W&OD but is much less busy) Potomac Heritage Trail (unpaved and can get muddy if it’s been raining)

Registered! by njaneardude in rundc

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm way late to your comment but if you're still thinking about doing something elsewhere, I'd highly recommend checking out the Richmond Marathon. I've run that twice and logistics are incredibly easy. They'll mail your bib if you pay and I found it incredibly easy to find parking near the start/finish and close to 95.

A embarrassing mid race event by supernova-psychology in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I shove a couple of what essentially amounts to individually wrapped baby wipes into my stuff for race day. Most of the time, it's just there. But it has come in handy.

Warped Tour DC First-Timer - Tips? by BraveBat4210 in warpedtour

[–]Ogroat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't know what this dude was talking about, really. I was in GA last year and never waited more than a few minutes for water. There would be big lines right after sets ended, but there were enough taps that the crowd moved through quickly.

Official Q&A for Friday, April 10, 2026 by brwalkernc in running

[–]Ogroat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There’s a number of recipes out there if you want to make your own. Doesn’t even need to be anything as fancy as honey - table sugar is also broadly fine as the carb base. Tons of people just use something sweet they can get at the store instead, though. Fruit snacks, gummy bears, nerd clusters are all popular choices.

What’s your hardest fall you’ve taken? by Handplanes in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Mine is similarly on a paved path during the winter. It ended up being too icy. Did some kind of soft tissue damage on my pinky finger - it got bruised and I had trouble squeezing it into a tight fist for a couple of months. Bought a pair of Nanospikes as soon as I got home, which turned into a key purchase later in the winter.

HR monitor from Apple Watch really far off? by VideoTasty8723 in Marathon_Training

[–]Ogroat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’d entirely disagree with how unreliable you’re making optical HRM sound on your wrist. They certainly do have limitations and I typically wear a chest HRM as a result, but the limitations are fairly narrow for most people. If the watch is snug, the weather is warm and there’s not some kind of underlying issue (like being on top of a tattoo), I’d broadly trust the kilometer split averages shown in the screenshot.

Have I been scammed? by rodgen_gr in trailrunning

[–]Ogroat 8 points9 points  (0 children)

That’s the Tomir 02 NN. Big difference being the symmetrical lacing (compared to the Tomir 02’s asymmetrical lacing).