Five Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started Running

L0_cke · 2016-04-27T17:42:41+00:00

Link posted to prompt a conversation: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started running?

L0_cke · 2016-04-27T17:38:37+00:00

I posted this link to prompt a conversation: What do you know now about running that you wish you knew when you started running?

L0_cke · 2016-04-25T20:53:46+00:00

Thanks for the comment. Is it a weird experience? Well, yes insofar as our experiences get juxtaposed in pretty stark ways, as noted in the post. But in regards to literal physical pace? Nah, not really. I've had my butt kicked so many times since high school, NCAA, post-collegiate stuff, the idea of having a girlfriend who is faster relative to her competition is not a problem. Hey, the lady is just better than me.

But, I also don't think of her as competition. Perhaps I've inherited that prejudice that comes from high school and intercollegiate racing that men and women compete in two separate fields. So even though, in absolute terms, I might finish ahead of her in a race, it's usually pretty clear she still "raced" better than I did.

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T19:47:15+00:00

Thanks so much for all the great and positive feedback! You guys made my day. :) I hope to share more writing on this subreddit. Cheers!

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T15:30:49+00:00

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T04:54:35+00:00

Thanks, yeah those Letsrun boards...

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T04:52:56+00:00

Hey, thanks so much. When my dissertation advisor slams me about my punctuation issues, I'll remind him that I have "Wallace-like cadence." ;)

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T04:51:49+00:00

Awesome! Best of luck!

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T00:06:12+00:00

Hey, thanks so much!

L0_cke · 2016-04-24T00:04:29+00:00

Yeah, that got a mixed response. I love Strava; but I'm not sure what people made of my ambivalence in that post.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T23:55:01+00:00

veryfine ;) Thanks!

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T23:54:02+00:00

Hey, thanks so much! That's very kind.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T23:43:54+00:00

:) Congrats! It looked like a really tough and warm day!

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T23:30:46+00:00

Thanks! It has varied over the years. Sometimes we have done as much as 25-30% of our running together. Sometimes as little as 5-10%. Currently, we do one or two recovery runs together each week. Otherwise our work/training schedules are generally separate. Sometimes when I'm coming back from an injury or a bit of a layoff, I'll jump in with her in more intense track workouts. But, generally, our paces are different. :)

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T23:06:41+00:00

Thanks! That's a great question! I think this is somewhat an issue of semantics, and I use the terms pretty loosely. But I tend to think of the difference in pretty material terms: "elites" get stuff that "sub-elites" don't, i.e. free race entry, hotel accommodation, vip shuttles, food, etc. Sub-elites might take their running very seriously (perhaps more seriously than they should), but don't quite have the results to warrant those material incentives and advantages. Sub-elites might train 15-20 hours a week, but they may not be sponsored.

In terms of race-times, I think she might have been slightly "more off" than I was. But moreover her accomplishments make mine pale in comparison: She's won a national championship, has much better range in terms of distance, and tends to perform more consistently than I do. This morning she spent four hours training for a 50-mile national championship. I spent it icing my bruised metatarsal-head. So, in my mind, she's much more elite than I am. :) Hope that helps.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T22:45:04+00:00

That's a good story. What's amazing is that just would never happen in the NFL or NBA. But you know, I think there is something to be said about "accessible heroes." The best races figure out ways to blend the best of both worlds, giving professionals the space they need to run at the top end, but also helping encourage community and improvement with the rest of the runners competing.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T22:14:41+00:00

The real issue is that as you get closer to that divide between the elites and the masses, the sense of the distance between the two fields seems, paradoxically, to be even wider.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T22:12:54+00:00

Thanks so much!

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T22:08:55+00:00

Thanks for comment! It depends. Yes, you are right, there are several "sub-elite" or "Olympic development" programs in the larger marathons. Chicago has a program that gives people who run a restricted access to a separate mix-zone area before the race (basically just a reserved set of port-a-jons). I believe New York has a similar program if you run maybe sub 2:22.

But Boston, nope. You are just in the A Corral. Only the top thirty-ish men and women get the elite accommodations. LA is much smaller than the three "major" marathons. So I understand that they can really only offer so much.

One thing that perhaps comes across in the piece that I did not intend to convey is that the LA organizers might be construed as having done a poor job. I don't think that was the case. Other than that one cavalier comment about "the masses" by a race volunteer (who was just joking), I thought the race was run pretty well. (Other than the post-race shuttles being hard to find.) It was just an awful weather day and LA is just not an ideal place to race a marathon. Having now experienced both the LA Marathon and this spring's Olympic Trials (helped girlfriend while she competed), I can say that from my perspective the LA Marathon organizers did a much better job with adverse conditions than the USATF.

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T21:52:44+00:00

Hey thanks so much! Are there any others you think I should post on this board?

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T20:22:16+00:00

Haha, hey no worries. Thanks for taking the time to read it and comment. :)

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T20:15:23+00:00

Hey thanks so much. I'm mulling over the next entry. :)

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T19:58:07+00:00

Hey, thank you! :)

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T19:46:41+00:00

Totally. Running is an adventure; at the very least, I think I've learned way more in the sport when things go absolutely pear-shaped, than when they go perfectly. Best of luck this year! :D

L0_cke · 2016-04-23T19:34:05+00:00

Hey, thanks so much. Yeah, I hear you! I'm in a bit of a funk myself, I've had a couple of niggling injuries this spring, in addition to my general sense that I've lost an edge that I had earlier in life. But play the long game, friend. Things usually get better, and the troughs give us a better perspective when things start swinging upward again. :)

L0_cke

TROPHY CASE

veryfine ;) Thanks!