My name is Jeff, and I'm addicted to running

[alistair]

I took May and half of June "off" in preparation for marathon training (half way through week 1 of my plan at this point). In my off time, I was between 10 and 15 per week (10 was due to a missed run because of life). My plan now has me at ~20 this week, going up from there. I believe my coach told me I'd be maxing around 30-35 per week. That's pretty low for marathon training, but when your only goal is to just finish, you can get away with 'lower' mileage.

What marathon are you training for?
For my first marathon I did not max out over 40 miles on any week. .... my goal was just to finish. Then I started to set goal times and I had to up the mileage.

[camper4lyfe]

What marathon are you training for?
For my first marathon I did not max out over 40 miles on any week. .... my goal was just to finish. Then I started to set goal times and I had to up the mileage.

I'm running Niagara Falls in October. And the same with your first, my goal is just to finish, though I'm eyeing around 4:30 as a finish time for training pace purposes.

[WARFAB]

I believe tomorrow is the big day when our very own camper4lyfe is going to run a stupid long distance and violate Canada's sovereignty in the process.

[WARFAB]

Big congrats to camper4lyfe on running a stupid long distance into another country today.

[usmcveteran]

How'd you do camper4lyfe ?

[camper4lyfe]

Notification failure (usmcveteran you should get on that), and never got an email about the comments. Sorry.

I survived. I finished just under 5 hours, which was between 15 and 30 minutes slower than I had hoped, but for a first, I'd call it a solid finish with definite room for improvement. I'm eyeing the Marine Corp Marathon in 2020 as my next.

[alistair]

..... I'm eyeing the Marine Corp Marathon in 2020 as my next.

Nothing in 2019?

[camper4lyfe]

Nothing in 2019?

Oh, I'm still running, just no fulls next year. I'm already registered for 4 halfs and a sprint triathlon, plus I'll be signing up for the Fly by Night duathlon at Watkins Glen again, and at least 2 more halfs.

[WARFAB]

What do you guys do for winter running footwear? I've found some cold weather running clothes for cheap at Sierra Trading Post. Now I'm wondering if I should use the same running shoes in snowy conditions, or see if they make some trail running shoes that work with my gait.

[camper4lyfe]

What do you guys do for winter running footwear? I've found some cold weather running clothes for cheap at Sierra Trading Post. Now I'm wondering if I should use the same running shoes in snowy conditions, or see if they make some trail running shoes that work with my gait.

It depends on the conditions. I try to stick to my regular running shoes as much as possible. If it's icy, I have a pair of yaktrax that work nicely on them, but as soon as I hit any slush with them, they slide around like crazy and just annoy me (there are better versions out there that I want to get). If the snow is deeper, or "mashed potatoes", I'll switch over to trail shoes. If there's a lot of hardpack, ice, slush, or a combination, I found a pair of studded trail shoes at STP that I like quite a bit. I've also seen people run sheet metal screws into the bottom of an older pair of shoes as "studs", but I've never tried it and don't really want to go messing with shoes that are still usable.

[Pissed Off Patriot]

I've also seen people run sheet metal screws into the bottom of an older pair of shoes as "studs", but I've never tried it and don't really want to go messing with shoes that are still usable.

I did that back about 1990. I was running a race with a friend who I knew could out kick me at the end because he had really long legs, so I decided to even the odds. It was snowing pretty good, so I took some wood screws and screwed them into the bottom of the soles. Running side by side the whole race, he never caught on, even when we would hit an occasional snowless patch of roadway, and they clicked on the pavement. At the end I outkicked him of course.

After the race, we went into the gym, where my shoes made an awful racket, so I took them off and showed him.

Everyone in our running group thought I was crazy when he told them about it at our next group run, but later on some of them tried it and admitted that it really works.

You want smaller screws short enough that they won't go all the way through the rubber. Turn the shoes upside down and screw them about halfway into the thickest parts of the tread. Yes, the screw heads will be sticking out. It works, and you won't have holes going all the way through your shoes.

[camper4lyfe]

I did that back about 1990. I was running a race with a friend who I knew could out kick me at the end because he had really long legs, so I decided to even the odds. It was snowing pretty good, so I took some wood screws and screwed them into the bottom of the soles. Running side by side the whole race, he never caught on, even when we would hit an occasional snowless patch of roadway, and they clicked on the pavement. At the end I outkicked him of course.

After the race, we went into the gym, where my shoes made an awful racket, so I took them off and showed him.

Everyone in our running group thought I was crazy when he told them about it at our next group run, but later on some of them tried it and admitted that it really works.

You want smaller screws short enough that they won't go all the way through the rubber. Turn the shoes upside down and screw them about halfway into the thickest parts of the tread. Yes, the screw heads will be sticking out. It works, and you won't have holes going all the way through your shoes.

The soles of my shoes are pretty thin, at least in the forefoot, so I don't know that they'd work, unless I only did them on the perimeter of the shoe. They'd work REALLY well on my trail shoes though, with the nice big lugs. But, that's why I have the studded shoes. I don't have to worry about it now, and they were a steal at $50.

[WARFAB]

I don't have to worry about it now, and they were a steal at $50.

I stopped into STP yesterday to look and they had some trail running shoes that looked nice, but they were all well above $50 still. Luckily the roads were nice and dry this morning so it wasn't an issue.

[camper4lyfe]

I stopped into STP yesterday to look and they had some trail running shoes that looked nice, but they were all well above $50 still. Luckily the roads were nice and dry this morning so it wasn't an issue.

That's the hard part with STP. You never know what they're going to have. I think it helps that my feet are on the big side, so they tend to get a bit of a deeper discount at times.

[alistair]

What do you guys do for winter running footwear? I've found some cold weather running clothes for cheap at Sierra Trading Post. Now I'm wondering if I should use the same running shoes in snowy conditions, or see if they make some trail running shoes that work with my gait.

Treadmill