The Running Thread - 2020

Conditions I like that others find terrible - the cold. If it is a crisp, clear day with no wind, it really doesn't matter the temperature to me. Though I usually call it at the single digits.

Conditions I find terrible - the wind. I hate the wind. I also dislike snow because I don't live somewhere with sidewalks, so the roads are bad, the trails are inches deep, and even sometimes the high school track isn't cleared, so there is nowhere outside for me to go.

I also have grown to hate the treadmill. I just cannot keep a decent pace on it anymore - I'm running 11-12 minute/miles on it when I'm easily running 9-10 minute/miles outside.
 
QOTD: what running condition do others find terrible that you are fine with?
ATTQOTD: Well, as others have done, I'll start with what I find terrible that others are fine with: The treadmill. You either love it or hate it. I don't understand why anyone would run on it unless you absolutely have to. So far this year I have only been on it twice. Which brings me to my second condition I find terrible that others are ok with: Running in snow and ice. I don't understand how folks slip on a pair of spikes and go out in icy conditions. That is where I draw the line and when I will run on a treadmill.

As for the other side of the coin - what am I fine with that others find terrible? Pretty much everything else. While wind and sub freezing temps/wind chill are low on my tolerance level, it won't stop me from bundling up and going outside. The same is true for going out in rain and/or extreme heat. I think I get the most raised eyebrows when I go out running at lunch time on a 95° humid day in the middle of the summer. I am fine with it. Others think i am crazy.
 


Jumping in with a QOTD: what running condition do others find terrible that you are fine with?

ATTQOTD: The cold. I have no problem running when it's well below freezing (as long as the wind isn't crazy - some wind is fine). Even if it's icy, as long as I know ahead of time, I have microspikes, so I can run on it.

I'm also good with rain, as long as it's above 50 F. The only time I will really wimp out on running is if it's raining hard and in between freezing and about 50 F. I don't mind getting soaked - if I plan for it - but at those temperatures, I would get almost dangerously cold.
 
Rain.

I reach what I call 'Misery Equilibrium'. This is where you can't get any more miserable, so you might as well keep running.

If it's relatively warm, I actually enjoy running in the rain. Cold or windy, not so much.

Note: Today, I wimped out on running in the rain!
I started about 6:10 according to accuweather was not going to rain immediately. I cut my 5 mile run short. Made it 4.4 miles as that is the soonest I could get back home, about 3.5 miles it it was a complete down pour. Cats and dogs, rivers of water in the streets. This would be about 6:40. I was soaked including shoes. the only good sides were no lightening at that point, and it was warmish, but the wind started picking up with the rain, plus i had less house cover.

I was running with some friends so it was fine, but definitely don't love that weather and would probably not have gone out if the temp was 40 and 63.
 
Attqotd: Aggressive cold, rain, snow I’m fine with, heat is okay since it’s dry up here and never reaches the temps that Salt Lake City does and since I ran trails all last summer I was really well shaded for the most part except on south facing aspects and noses of hills which tend to be super rocky.

wind is the worst. I hate the wind. Hate, hate, hate.
 


ATTQOTD: I'd like to hear everyone's opinions of cold lol. I'm fine with the cold (32 to about 20, I won't do teens for health's sake), rain, snow (not ice though), and heat (up to about 90, then it gets into the sub-20 territory of health risk). It's funny, when I first started running, anything outside of 60-85 degrees I considered bad. Now, I'm thankful for a 45 degree run!
 
ATTQOTD: The cold, and cold to this Alabama girl is anything below 35 degrees. :rotfl: My muscles just do not react well to the cold, I can never figure out how many layers to wear and I am normally just pretty miserable overall. I used to hate the treadmill, but due to stormy weather here in recent weeks I have done some longer runs (14 miles being the most) on the treadmill and have found as long as I have a good show to watch it isn't so horrible.
 
Jumping in with a QOTD: what running condition do others find terrible that you are fine with?

Answer: I was curious about this as I went out to run at lunch on Monday and my coworker was very articulate about how my choice did not make any sense. It was dry, slightly overcast, and 34 °F. I explained I thought it was fantastic as long as it wasn't icy, but he was not buying it. Today, I am debating with myself if I would rather run now when wet, sloppy snow is falling (I run on well salted asphalt, so no ice just puddles) or tomorrow when it will be single digits, but no puddles and generally my track will be ice free. I am still happier in 7 °F than 87 °F!

I’ll run in any temp from 10’-100’. I love running in rain. I have run in snow. I have run in the dark and in the dead sun. I have run in lightning storms. I stay away from icy roads only to avoid twisting and ankle or something. The important thing to me is to prepare properly for the conditions and to adjust expectations for those conditions. I run slower when it’s really cold or really hot. In the cold it takes forever to loosen up. In the heat you just need to slow down to be safe.
 
Jumping in with a QOTD: what running condition do others find terrible that you are fine with?
Heat. I'll run in the height of summer here and not mind at all--though to be fair this is Montana and it's a dry heat, so I might feel differently about it in a humid climate. It's funny, because if I'm just sitting around and it's hot I hate it, but when I'm running and you'd think I ought be more miserable, I actually kind of enjoy it as long as I'm kitted out to stay hydrated.
ATTQOTD: I'd like to hear everyone's opinions of cold lol. I'm fine with the cold (32 to about 20, I won't do teens for health's sake), rain, snow (not ice though), and heat (up to about 90, then it gets into the sub-20 territory of health risk). It's funny, when I first started running, anything outside of 60-85 degrees I considered bad. Now, I'm thankful for a 45 degree run!
Annnd while I prefer heat over cold, I will run in very cold weather and not mind too much, again as long as I'm prepared correctly for it. I'm afraid of running if it's icy, but the temperature itself isn't an issue. My coldest training run so far was -18* Fahrenheit, and last spring I ran a 3 mile race literally in a blizzard. It's not my favorite, but I'd still rather do that than run on a treadmill.

Note, though, that it's only long runs I'll do if it's that cold. Since I'm doing the Galloway method my weekday runs are only about half an hour, and that's not even enough time to get warmed up in winter weather--not worth it. When it's nasty on weekdays I use the rowing machine instead.
 
ATTQOTD:

90% of people do not get why running or why running outside, while I am comfortable with it!

I am not comfortable with thunderstorms, sub -30C (-20F), high speed wind or completely icy conditions... That is probably true for most runners.

I am generally ok with anything else. I am willing to adjust my pace, adapt my gear or postpone a training to make a run enjoyable.

I guess that running in a snowstorm is a situation that I like but that most would not.

Conversely, I am thread mill adverse. Mostly due to cost, overhead to get to a gym and lack of fresh air.
 
ATTQOTD: I actually don't mind running on the treadmill. I'm a night owl so waking up early is too much hassle and that means I have to run in the sun after work and don't want to go through the hassle of putting on sunscreen, et all.

Inside on the treadmill!
I really enjoy my treadmill- it allows me the opportunity to run anytime, in any weather, and with minimal preparation.
That also makes it easier to adapt my running schedule during certain times of year. Plus since I ran at my gym, that makes it easier to incorporate strength training into my routine.
 
So apparently last year when I was floundering, I went and built a habit of self-sabotage the night before a run. See, when I pushed back my goal it stopped mattering to me if I actually did my training every week, so if I woke up too late I'd just skip it. All three nights before runs or rowing sessions this week I've stayed up very late and slept in past when I intended to be out running (or in rowing) in the morning. Didn't stay up late any other nights, so the pattern's pretty clear.

February's goal has been to just get out there and do the runs and workouts I'd scheduled for myself. So far I've just been doing them later in the day to try to teach myself that just because I get up late doesn't mean I'm not going to run. I think March's goal will be about tackling the sleep issue head on, but I'm not sure how to approach it.
 

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