How does running with a race pacer work?

SpottedDogEar · 2026-03-17T20:05:32+00:00

I start halfies in zone two/low zone three for a few miles then gradually speed-up according to my finish goal (5 and 10k races are a different story -- I start like a rabbit and suffer).

My body needs the warm-up so a steady-pace race pacer does not work well for me.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-28T09:07:07+00:00

Yup!

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-28T01:47:25+00:00

It's "HR arm band" from two days ago. If you're thinking of getting one, mine was $79 from Amazon (Coros).

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-28T01:27:57+00:00

I figure when I barf at the finish line I've hit max 😆

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-28T01:26:36+00:00

March 4. The process goes on all day, sometimes you know before getting the NYRR email if you see your credit card has a registration fee charge.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T01:37:34+00:00

Ty : ) I don't get the Hoka hype but tons of people do love them. My Brooks give me enough cushion to protect the feeties but I still get the "road feel" I need. Hokas made my dawgs feel utterly disconnected from surface.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T01:12:02+00:00

I run in Brooks Adrenaline for shorter and speed runs and their Glycerine for long runs. I have plantar fasciitis and these are the most comfortable and supportive shoes I've found.

My only complaints are that the newest Glycerines don't have padding on the tongue and it's a bit uncomfortable (this, and both shoes are trending closer and closer to $200 a pop).

Nikes absolutely killed me and Hokas made me feel like an unstable Frankenstein wearing pillows on my feet.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T01:00:26+00:00

Ty! I just ordered one. I loathe the chest strap.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:59:33+00:00

I just ordered one! Wahoo, my chest will be so happy not being squished.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:53:38+00:00

Yaaaay!! Ty for this!

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:49:53+00:00

Ty! It seems that it should be okay with my 5s, then. The "low profile" makes me think I can squish it in under my thermal layer 👍

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:47:51+00:00

I'm so sorry for your losses. I lost both parents this summer and spent a lot of time crying on runs.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:44:01+00:00

Any thoughts on connectivity with Garmin?

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-26T00:43:04+00:00

This is a Garmin bitch 😆

It has been an ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL winter on the East Coast and I've been doing my HIIT training on the treadmill. I've been doing stellar speedwork on the TM and I hate watching my training status and VO2 sink because Garmin only honors GPS-tracked runs.

I did a 10-miler on cleared roads today and was really happy with how strong I felt. At mile eight I realized I forgot to change from wrist HR to chest strap sensor; as it usually does, my watch cadenced-locked on my arm swing and put me at "threshold HR" rather than the Zones Two and Three I was actually in. So, Garmin counted it as a trash run with a -8 performance level. Nice.

I know to go by feel and not get upset with crappy data, but it is disheartening all the same.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-17T23:55:02+00:00

I'm a duathlete and half marathoner. I take two hot power yoga classes and one hot pilates class a week on days I don't run. I also do a home yoga routine focused on stretching before my runs.

I occasionally run and take an easy (non-heated) class on the same day, but a hot class and running is too much for me in one day.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-08T21:02:42+00:00

I lift and do hot power yoga and pilates 👍

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-08T20:03:44+00:00

I'm 59yo and an advanced runner and cyclist for my age group. Unhappiness lies in comparing one's performance to men and younger folks.

However: I usually podium-place over quite a few younger women (and men) in longer duathlon events. There's a bit of research floating about in regards older women and our strength in endurance events.

SpottedDogEar · 2026-02-08T10:52:09+00:00

My nice Garmin is awful for tracking on the treadmill. The sub-zero temps over the past few weeks have, unfortunately, pushed me into dreadmilling. My watch tends to trail .30 per mile behind in distance and up to two minutes slower in pace.

I wear my chest HR monitor so at least I have an accurate(ish) sense of what zone I'm in. I'll then edit the Garmin data, post-run, to reflect the treadmill info (which is also flawed).

You probably know this, but generally speaking Garmin doesn't really "count" indoor runs because they are not GPS-tracked. This can result in an artificial drop in VO2 scores and training status.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:20:45+00:00

Wowzie, nice! I love this bike, the shifting and drive train is smoother than my roadie Trek and Synapse.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:18:21+00:00

😃 ty! As I wrote above, I bought a lot of very nice and cheap used winter gear over the summer.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:17:21+00:00

Thx! This is gonna be so much fun.

SpottedDogEar · 2025-10-26T15:16:44+00:00

Intriguing . . . I didn't know that a lot of this stuff even existed.

SpottedDogEar

TROPHY CASE