Friday Thread - June 8 2012

[Michael Enright]

Not sure if anyone is planning a Friday Thread for today, but thought I'd jump in with some totally random thoughts:

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other



2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?



3. Best race ever?



4. Worst race ever?



5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?



6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?



7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought



8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought



9. Goal for next race



10. Loop course or point to point?

[Nick Morris]

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

Lemon-Lime GU Brew

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

Training - GU Strawberry Banana
Racing - GU Roctane Blueberry Pomegranite

3. Best race ever?

Boston 2010...That was a blistering pace!!!
If you are talking about my racing, then the best HM that I have ran is 2011 Fox Cities and Marathon would be 2009 Chicago.

4. Worst race ever?

2010 Chicago - Totally blew out my gluteus medius and minimus halfway through while on pace for a BQ

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

Yes, average

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

Nope

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

Pre - "A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts"

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

"Never eat yellow snow"

9. Goal for next race

Sub 3:05 and a BQ

10. Loop course or point to point?

point to point

[carleenp]

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other
Orange Gu Brew

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?
Orange Vanilla Gu Rotane (caffeine)
Strawberry Gu (no caffeine)
I eat the Strawberry early and the Roctane late in the race

3. Best race ever?
Bayshore marathon 2 weeks ago. Beautiful course, I felt great, and got a big PR

4. Worst race ever?
I don't recall the year, but I did a 25k in the heat and bonked early, it was miserable.

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?
I can't whistle!

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?
I did not run in high school

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought
A friend once told me to think of a balloon above your head holding it up when you get tired, so that you keep your head up and have better form. So I do that when I get tired. It works!

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought
Mmmm beer!

9. Goal for next race
Undecided! If it isn't hot I might try for a 5k PR in a couple of weeks, but it will probably be too hot.

10. Loop course or point to point?
[b]Point to point

[Admin]

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

- any ol' sports drink will do... except that Nuun crap. Lemon-lime Gatorade is my general preference...



2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

- Gu - Espresso Love is what I think it's called...


3. Best race ever?

- Chicago '10


4. Worst race ever?

- Performance-wise Flying Monkey or Grandfather Mountain. For general 'suckiness' factor I'd have to say Carlsbad... I blew up HARD on that one...


5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

- Decent whistler



6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

- Didn't go to high school...


7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

- RUN MORE!


8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

- No expectation; Just appreciation


9. Goal for next race

- Finish strong!


10. Loop course or point to point?

- Loop... easier logistics and no chance of continuous headwind.

[Chris M]

Not sure if anyone is planning a Friday Thread for today, but thought I'd jump in with some totally random thoughts:

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

I'm really into flavored coconut water now. I don't drink it during exercise but right after. Love that stuff.



2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

I settled on GU Roctane Blueberry Pomagrante a few years back and take nothing (gel-wise) else during races. In training, I'll use random ones I get in race bags.


3. Best race ever?

Pittsburgh Half in May. I trained hard for Boston but ended up just jogging it because of the heat. So that left me well positioned to really crush a half and I did. But it hurt. I'm still not close to back.


4. Worst race ever?

Geesh, so many to choose from! I guess dropping out of Chicago 2010. I was on sub3 pace when I dropped out but really didn't think I could run another step forward after seizing up with cramps. Riding that "loser bus" with all of the other DNFs really sucked.

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

I can whistle but can't carry a tune so I'm a bad whistler.

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

Ha ha, no. I was only vaguely aware that such things exsisted as an activity, let alone a sport. I was all soccer, all the time.

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

I have a Bill Rogers poster in my basement which shows him winning Boston and his quote is "To be considering a winner means preparing not just one day, or even one year - but for a lifetime"

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

9. Goal for next race

Sub3 this Fall.

10. Loop course or point to point?

I like point to points but the logistics are always tricky.

[ounce]

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other Gatorade

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything? Fig Newtons

3. Best race ever? 2012 Houston

4. Worst race ever? 2008 Chicago

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler? Yes, weak.

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not? No

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought
Race your training

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought
I'm just as happy, as if I had good sense.

9. Goal for next race Faster by 30 minutes.

10. Loop course or point to point? Loop

[Mark B]

1. Preferred sports drink: nuun, citrus fruit flavor

2. Preferred gel: Gu, vanilla bean and jet blackberry

3. Best race ever? 2009 California International Marathon

4. Worst race ever? 2011 Eugene Marathon

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler? I can whistle a tune, though there is some debate in my family about just how *in tune* that tune might be.

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not? Nope. I was a late bloomer.

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought: “Take a primitive organism, say a freshman. Make it lift, or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That’s all training is. Stress. Recover. Improve. You’d think any damn fool could do it. But you don’t. You work too hard and rest too little and get hurt.” Bill Bowerman (Bowerman by Kenny Moore, Rodale, 2006)

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." - Hunter S. Thompson.

9. Goal for next race: No "next race" on the horizon. I'm just running.

10. Loop course or point to point? Loops (or out and backs) are easier for training; point-to-point is more interesting for racing.

[Mike MacLellan]

It's been me for the past few months, so feel free!

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

Water.

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

ClifShot Vanilla - other flavors acceptable, as well.

3. Best race ever?

OC Marathon 2011. BQ and just an awesome race.

4. Worst race ever?

Boston Marathon 2012. Ugh.

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

Yep. Decent.

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

No, but an ex of mine did. I thought running was stupid.

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

More cycling than running, but "meglio un giorno da leone che cento da pecora."

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

Let it be - or - What are we doing here that has to do with love?

9. Goal for next race

Sub-3 at CIM. A few benchmark tests along the way.

10. Loop course or point to point?

Loop. Or out and back. Then I get the psychological kick in the 2nd half.

[Michael Enright]

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

Orange gatorade, my fave.

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

That vanilla/orange roctane, although I'll take down just about any damn thing, no problem.

3. Best race ever?

Iron Horse Half, 2009. PR'd in the half on a day when I had no expectations whatsoever.

4. Worst race ever?

Hard to choose between Chicago '08 and Hartford '09. In Chicago, I wilted in the heat and walked in the last few miles, a complete bucket of cramps. In Hartford the next fall, I DNF'd. It's a wonder I kept at it. I guess, on balance, Chicago was more painful, and I put more into it and had higher expectations, so would qualify as the worst.

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

I'm a really good whistler.

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

No. Looking back on it, I would have been a natural for our XC team, which was very popular. But I didn't really know what XC was!

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

Long may you run...

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

9. Goal for next race
Go for it and just enjoy it, come what may.

10. Loop course or point to point?

Point to point, though I manage to run very few of them.

[Michele "1L" Keane]

Not sure if anyone is planning a Friday Thread for today, but thought I'd jump in with some totally random thoughts:

1. Preferred sports drink – brand, flavor, other

Cytomax - fruit punch or lemon lime

2. Preferred gel – brand, flavor, other; if you don’t eat gels, what else do you eat in a race, if anything?

Gu Roctane - Blueberry Pomegranite; Accelerade - Vanilla

3. Best race ever?

Asbury Park 10K, 1992; Flying Pig Marathon 2004 or St. George 2008


4. Worst race ever?

Boston, 2003

5. Can you whistle a tune? Would other people say you are a good whistler or a bad whistler?

Nope, very, very, very, very bad

6. Did you run track or XC in high school? If so, were you any good? If not, why not?

Both (XC unofficially because "girls can't run that far"). Actually, I was actually better than I realized.

7. Favorite running quote, mantra or random thought

"God Determines how fast you're going to run. I can only help with the mechanics." -- Bill Bowerman

8. Favorite non-running quote, mantra or random thought

Can't be repeated here, but it is what I tell myself at mile 23.

9. Goal for next race

Beat last year's NY time.

10. Loop course or point to point?

Point to point.

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