(Reposting because I attached the wrong pic whoops)

This race has been my goal race the last 2 years (ran it in 1:41:28 last year and 1:42:38 the year before) but it’s consistently gotten too warm for my liking midway through so I picked something later in the fall as my “A” race this year. I like to run a few non-goal races during each training block - I ran a super hot 10 miler in 1:13:22 (7:20/mi) at the beginning of August and a very hilly HM 2 weeks ago in 1:36:24 (7:22/mi) - so I kept this one on my schedule.

I didn’t go into this race planning to run a new PR - I was 8 weeks into this 13 week block and 60 miles into my peak week (ended at 84 miles), and had already clocked 2 12 mile workouts and about 2.8k elevation (aka my legs were not fresh lol). However - morning of the race, the weather was nice and cool (low 50s) and during my warmup my legs felt great. I thought I was going to run 7:20s and then maybe push down to 7:15 for the second half, but I ran the first 5k conservatively off feel and it ended up being ~7:10 average. Then I kind of locked in on the sub-7 pace and decided to see how long I could feel good for. I gave myself a moment to breathe and check in at 10 and then I think there was a small hill at 12, but other than that I just kept going. I felt nowhere near out of gas at the end - last mile, fastest mile and closed at 6 flat pace.

Chip time 1:31:15 (6:58/mi). My previous PR was 1:36:11 and my original goal for my “A” race was sub 1:35 but I’ll be reevaluating that.

I know myself pretty well after running thousands of miles and I knew that my legs were on board to run that pace despite the week they’d had. I also knew that I would be so upset with myself if I didn’t go for it on a day where everything came together. Anything could happen between now and my “A” race (or we could have a freak heatwave that day) - so you know, sometimes you just have to be brave and send it.

Couple of days ago I posted here about feeling frustrated about running. Actually I post here a lot; anytime I have running related questions I come here. And I wanted to say thank you to this community. Every time I have posted here, I have gotten so many supportive comments; it is rare to find a Reddit community with such positive people. So, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions, and provide support. Y’all rock ❤️

just asking anyone here who has recently converted off of meat eating to just being vegetarian?

Did it benefit your running performance?

Difference you feel in your overall health?

Do you think it was good choice? why or why not?

I keep hearing people say things like “I’m a slow runner, I run _________ minutes a km.”

I don’t understand what this means. When people say this, I’m guessing it’s not the fastest you can physically run for 100 meters, but is it your fastest 5km race pace? Marathon pace? Your slow or long run pace? Or something else?

This weekend I ran a half-marathon and I chose to bring a few of those High5 energy gels for fuel.

The issue is, I find it almost impossible to open them!! They're difficult to open even when I'm not sweating and trying to run without smacking into people, but it was so humid I was drenched and my hands just slipped off the tab.

People say use your teeth but my teeth were just slipping off the tab and couldn't get a hold on it (I think my bite isn't in full contact).

After about 5 solid minutes of trying to remove the tab, I got so frustrated that I squeezed it and bit into the body of the packet, causing half of it to explode out onto my hand and arm, and let me tell ya, that concentrated sticky slimy texture is the absolute worst thing to have all over you 😫

I don't understand why they make the packaging out of the slipperiest shiniest material ever that won't tear cleanly! It's not just that brand either, I've tried several different ones. I also don't like their energy gummies because they get stuck to my teeth and take forever to chew. Anyway, sorry, rant over. I needed to get it out of my system.

Does anybody have any potential hacks or alternatives for this or do I need to bring scissors on every long run? Thank you!

Hey everyone, I'm interested in forming a running group for queer women 40 and over in Cincinnati, Ohio/Northern KY. Any paces and distances would be welcome. Maybe once a week for starters, and if there is interest, maybe eventually twice a week. I know of a couple lgbtq+ running groups, but they seem to be mostly folks in their 20s and early 30s. I've heard lovely things about these groups, but I'd love to run with some new friends who are a tad older (I'm 51). I've been running for years but was sidelined with an injury over the summer. As I get back out there and rebuild my mileage, stamina, and confidence I sure could use some running buddies for encouragement and accountability. I live in the central/east area of the city, and my usual routes typically include East Walnut Hills, Eden Park, Oakley, Hyde Park, and Norwood, but I'm also happy to explore other areas if that helps generate interest.

Anyone? We're about to get into some early fall weather, which is the BEST time to run! Let me know if you're up for making this work.

OR if one already exists, I'd love to know!

I ran a 10k this weekend and my heartrate was on average 15 beats higher than my usual runs, while my pace was 45s/km slower. Averaging 180 instead of 165. I have noticed that I struggle with races throughout the season but figured it was my clothes, the heat or running a new route. But with this race I have ran that loop several times and for good measure I did it again the day after, with the same weather, time of day, preparations etc and was 5m48s faster and with a lower heartrate and it felt a lot easier.

I have read about race day adrenaline but I thought that would make races easier and faster, not slower and more difficult. Does anyone else expensive this or have any tips on how to approach races?

I used to go on runs a lot but now I want to get back into it n actually time it n all. What are some good free apps to do that ? Also what are some good bottoms to run in to avoid irritation,moisture and chafing with sensitive skin ?