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What running shoes are you using?
I'm generally a Brooks loyalist but am not really a fan of their most recent updates. Looking for alternatives. I usually keep two pairs of shoes in my rotation at any given time: one lighter pair for tempo and speedwork and one very heavier cushioned pair for easy & long runs. Support-wise I'm on the borderline between…
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Sustainable maintenance effort vs. original goal weight?
I've been in maintenance for about a year and am just now really starting to learn what kind of effort I can realistically sustain towards the management of my weight. An injury forced me to take some time off exercise for two months and prompted an experiment to see what would happen to my weight if I limited my exercise…
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Running glove suggestions
I wouldn't think it would be this difficult but I'm having a hell of a time finding gloves to run in that are warm and that have touchscreen capability. It seems that all manufacturers think that runners only want lightweight gloves but my hands get cold really quickly and I'd rather have my hands warmer than colder. I'm…
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How long for shin splints to go away
Gotta love the reminders that you're not as young as you used to be... I pushed myself way too hard the past 6 weeks (5K PR attempt on the heels of the last high volume week of HM training, followed by a HM PR attempt less than two weeks later), and gave myself a nice case of shin splints. I waited about 4 days after the…
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Tips for Large Races
I'm running the Rock 'n Roll Philly half marathon this weekend. It'll be my first really large scale race (>10,000 participants). I usually run in much smaller events (my last half had well less than 1000 people). Any general tips for taking part in a large scale race like this or in Rock 'n' Roll events overall?
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Running injury caused by braking force
There doesn't seem to be much controversy on this site about the benefits of a faster running cadence but I saw this article on Reddit and thought it was interesting. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-how-running-gait-increases-injury-risk/
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Lets see your maintenance results!
I entered maintenance in November of last year. Here is my 6-month weight chart since then. The black line on the chart is my goal weight - 171lbs for a 6'2" 40-something YO male. My reflections: December - new to maintenance, daily fluctuations probably reflective of a binge/restrict holiday mentality January - Average…
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Booo...back on the bus
I went into maintenance mode in October and have been rock solid for the past 5 months despite quitting smoking and greeting a new baby over past few months. Unfortunately, I've seen a uptick in my trending weight for the past few weeks. It's definitely not a surprise as I've felt myself drift back into some old habits…
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Seattle running - Lake Union Loop?
I'll be in Seattle on business next week and was looking up running routes close by my hotel. Looks like there's a pretty popular 10K route called the "Lake Union Loop"? Anybody know it? Is it worth running, or are there better alternatives in the area? I'll be staying in the area by Lake Union Park (looks to be the bottom…
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For what are you tapering?
Given that spring race season is underway, I know that I'm not the only person on a taper today. I'm tapering for a half marathon in Atlantic City on Sunday (my first!). The weather forecast is odd, it's either going to be below 50F or 70F+ depending on the travel of a weather front from New England. Those temps make…
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How often do you feel beat up by your workouts?
A thread about 'energy boosts' from exercise got me thinking the other day. I actually feel pretty beat up by my exercise routine on a daily basis. I've been running about 20-25 miles per week on average for the past 8 months or so and am currently running about 30 miles per week as training for a half marathon in a few…
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Self-driving cars...former skeptic now a believer
I'm somewhat of a car nut. I love driving and I love cars. Until recently I was firmly in the 'autonomous cars and driving aids are for lazy or careless people who don't deserve to be behind the wheel' camp. I recently got a car with a traffic assist function. It can drive autonomously with minimal driver input up to…
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Beef Jerky - what you got?
I recently rediscovered beef jerky as a delicious snack. I used to have a source for the really good home made stuff but can no longer get my hands on it. Nor do I have the desire to drag out my dehydrator to make my own. What's your favorite readily available store brand/flavor? Wild Bills has long been a favorite of mine…
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Half marathon with no training plan
I'm running a HM in April but finding time to train will be tough since the first quarter is my busy time at work and we have a brand new baby at home. It's been tough to get out of the house for more than an hour. Given those time constraints, I've had to limit my runs to 6 or 7 miles max with even that distance something…
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Quitting Smoking - A Diary
After being a smoker for close to 25 years, I'm finally getting around to kicking the habit. This will serve as a diary of the early days of my effort for accountability purposes and maybe provide some motivation/advice to others. I've tried to quit before but never had a good reason to stay quit. As backwards as it…
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Why does this food even exist?
The holidays are here and I'm getting my fair share of impersonal corporate gifts. I can't tell you how many liquor filled chocolates I've received. I can't imagine who actually likes these things and for the life of me have no idea how they've become such a standard holiday item. I know we all have foods that we just…
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Treadmill vs. Rower for Outdoor Runner?
Hi, all. While I should still have another 2 months of running before icy roads or regularly bitter weather becomes an issue in my area, I was debating getting another machine for indoor cardio work during the winter and to serve as a 'backup' source of cardio during the year. I currently have a Nordictrack Freestrider…
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What 'healthy' foods did you ultimately give up on?
Do you have any foods that you started eating when you started your weight loss efforts because you thought that they were 'healthy' or helpful but then ultimately abandoned once you realized that you didn't really have to eat any specific kinds of food to lose weight? For me: Carrot sticks (I struggled with raw carrots…
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Today I said "Screw Exercise"!
I normally do some light cross training on my rest days from running but this morning I said screw it. I slept an extra hour and didn't even bother putting on my fitness tracker to count steps. You know what? I feel great! It's so nice just to relax and I never realized how anxious I really get about hitting my totally…
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Darn Garmin Training Status
Just annoyed because my Garmin is calling my training status 'unproductive' since we've had a stretch of oddly hot and humid weather right after a stretch of really nice and cool fall weather. Since all of my runs are outside, my Garmin reads changes in temperature and humidity as changes to my estimated VO2Max since they…
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Not sure how to feel about this...
I've been struggling with getting all of my calories in since shifting to maintenance. One of the big reasons is that we finally got a snap of good fall weather and I've been running more than normal. Anyway, last night I was about 800 calories short of target after dinner. The wife is expecting and had a milkshake craving…
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Running stroller recommendations?
As per title. No budget limit. What features/characteristics are important? I'm a recreational runner so don't need anything built for elite training or anything. Just something safe and easy to use for easy runs and general stroller use.
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BT Headphone Killer - Warning!
I just learned the hard way that it's very easy to overcharge bluetooth headphones since they do not contain the circuitry to avoid this circumstance like our phones & tablets do. Overcharging will kill your headphones very quickly. I bought a pair of Jaybird X3 headphones two months ago and treated them like I do my…
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5K Power Playlist
Related to the weightlifting music thread, I'm running a 5K on Labor Day and am in the process of building a playlist that will keep me going strong. It's my first ever race but based on discussion with some other runners I've set a goal that should push me to my limit. Music could be the key to help me to dig deep and…
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Oh...THAT'S what you mean by 'easy' miles.
I created a post last week about creating a running training plan and a lot of the advice provided on the board was super-helpful. It got me thinking and I started to do a bit more research about how to properly train as a runner. Anyway, I found a website that provides recommendations for training paces based on your…
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Thoughts on targets and activity trackers
Hi, all - I just picked up a Garmin activity tracker late last week (Fenix 5). I know that automatic adjustments to calorie targets based on activity tracker seems to be a regular topic on the board and thought it might help to add some of my initial thoughts. I only have experience with this Garmin thus far...other…
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Dagnabbit! My target just moved!
I've been cruising towards my target weight for the past couple of months and thought I was about 10 pounds away from maintenance. I recently went to a kid's science museum that had a machine that measured body height with lasers. It informed me that I'm actually one inch shorter than I thought I was. Since my target…
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Business attire while in loss mode?
I've lost a good amount of weight since beginning my weight loss efforts and I'm to the point where it's impossible to miss the results from my physical appearance (yay!) and where it's getting tough to get by with the clothes I used to wear. I literally look like a little kid wearing his dad's clothes. That said, I still…
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Running training plan...
I've been back into running for the past 8 weeks or so. Thus far I'm progressing OK. I'm back to being able to run 4 miles or so at a steady pace with no walking breaks. Yesterday was my fastest run thus far...3.6 miles at a 9'37" pace. I've decided that I'd like to be able to complete a 5K at a pace of 8 minutes/mile (I…
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It's the little wins that keep me motivated
Some things that made me feel really happy about my progress the past couple of week: 1.) I grabbed a t-shirt I had forgotten I have from my dresser. Wore it all day and didn't think anything of it (and actually thought it looked pretty good when I caught glimpses of myself in the mirror). When I was taking it off at the…
