Wautoma sounded interesting but it is in less than a month!! Had a job interview up there on time. HOLY COW! talk about middle of nowhere!

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

"Wautoma" just demonstrates how easy it is to make up names of Wisconsin cities and fool anyone. Is "Tishkanaw" a place? I dunno, probably, I'll take my word for it.

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I haven't done the marathon but I have biked the course in the summer (the road markings remain). Definitely a rural and somewhat hilly course. I don't imagine the crowd support would be quite what you get at Chicago. The Amish and Mennonites have better things to do

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

when i started running it back in 2008 i think it was $125. it is ridiculous how much it costs but i don't regret the 3 times i ran it. the flat terrain makes it very comfortable for a marathon too.

the Quad Cities Marathon is $75, and is run in late September. granted that isn't exactly in the neighborhood for Chicago folks, but it isn't that far and from what i have read it is a pretty nice race as far as course and amenities. this will be my first marathon, and the price is definitely attractive compared to some others.

ive been sick the last couple weeks, finally getting back out there and getting miles in again. i had a chest cold that was killing my breathing so i had to take 4 or 5 days off. i have run the last 4 days for a total of about 25 miles. going to try to get in a long run this weekend and then really start building up the mileage for a late spring HM.

got sick again towards the end of last week and missed runs on thursday and friday, but i got back out there this weekend. the weather is too nice not to run. got in 10 on saturday and 7 last night. last night was a nice drizzle. running in a light drizzle may be the best kind of running, it felt great.

Kept waiting for the rain to stop yesterday but it never did. I didn't really feel like dealing with wet feet, etc.

Friday went 6 miles about 8:30 pace, gave it all I had.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

worked on my cadence yesterday, aiming for 180 steps/minute. which is definitely more than I had been doing. more, but shorter strides to decrease risk of injury.

my old ankle nemesis has reared its ugly head a bit lately. I believe what I have is called "ankle impingement" which essentially means you are fucked if you want to continue running. I'd much rather deal with knee problems.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Who makes good running shoes and how much should I expect to pay for them?

When I was running 30-40 miles/week before my first kid was born 5 years ago, I used to wear a $150-170 New Balance model that had great arch support and fit my exceptionally wide feet quite well. Unfortunately, their product seems to have diminished in quality. I currently have a pair of ASICS, but they haven't been very good (poor arch support and shock absorption), and I'd like to replace them so I can resume a serious running regimen.

Any suggestions?

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Asics ruined my feet. I went back to my pair of beaten-up New Balances shortly after. My latest pair only lasted three months before I got holes over my big toes, so I'm right with you on New Balance going to shit.

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there are so many shoes to choose from and so many models the market is completely flooded. opinions on different shoes differ wildly as well, i got almost no help from reading online shoe reviews. I eventually went to the Naperville Running Company and tried on a bunch for myself. i ended up buying a pair of Hoka Cliftons and loved the cushy ride and the light weight. i paid about $130 for them at the time (over a year ago) and still am putting lots of miles on them (over 500 so far). i now have 3 pairs of Hokas and love them. The Cliftons are my favorite though. very soft ride, good support. i also have a pair of Conquests that have even more support and are very comfortable but they are quite heavy, i could never race in them. good for training runs though. both pairs have been very durable, and i run exclusively on roads.

i recommend going to a running store and trying some out to see what feels best for you. i had a great experience at NRC, they were very helpful. My personal brand of choice is Hoka, but it really is up to the user.

btw - once you go to a brick-and-mortar store and find what you like, there are some great online sites to purchase shoes on, and a lot of times on deep discount. i have saved a lot of money buying subsequent pairs on runningwarehouse.com. they have an amazing 90-day return policy too. it is smart to get that first pair sized and fitted properly at a running store though.

+1 to the process. Get fitted at a real running store (not foot locker or dicks) and then make subsequent purchases on line (http://www.runningwarehouse.com/ is one). Repeat the process every few years as both shoes and feet can change.

I will also opine that at 500 miles it is probably time for new shoes.

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

The reason I went with New Balance for a long time was that the company still manufactured some of its shoes in the U.S. Apparently they stopped doing so in 2010, about the same time I had stopped running. In my opinion, the New Balance shoes made in the U.S. were vastly superior to those made in Asia.

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Thanks for the advice regarding the Hokas. I will check them out.

I try to buy locally whenever possible, but I agree that the online discounts are incredibly attractive, especially if you need to replace your shoes frequently.

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I can’t think of any of them that are made in the US. I know many always like New Balance and I believe once upon a time they were a good shoe, but they weren’t a good match for me.

I started running in 2005 and from the advice of a friend who was an experienced runner, she forced me to go to Runner’s Edge and invest in a real running shoe. The difference was unbelievable. At that time, the best shoe for me was Adidas Supernova Cushion. I went through 4 pairs over a few years but noticed a big drop in quality. I went back to Runner’s Edge and they had stopped carrying them. I converted to Brooks Ghost….i’ve been using those for 3 years and they’re perfect. BUT….like all, made in China.

Go to a real running store…it’s worth the money and they know what they’re doing. The shape of your feet, running style…it all matters. Once you get the right show, there are websites like Holabird that sell past years models for much less. I’ve been able to limit cost to $70 a pair that way.

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I really like the Brooks GTS 14...

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An unjust law is no law at all--St. Augustine of Hippo

Cause tried and true
I see the light in you
Oh, can you dig in my soul?
Could you smell my whole...
life?--Gener and Deaner

ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in Chicago this past weekend. i didnt really race it, i was pacing my sister and just enjoying the day. that is a really good event, well-organized, great route downtown, good crowd support and lots of amenities. it was a little chilly but once the sun came out it wasnt bad. i really recommend this race, i think we need to have a board running event down there next year.

as we were down there waiting for the race i was mentally taking a poll of what shoes people were wearing - it really wasnt even close. Asics were all over the place, by far the most. Nike would be next. i also saw a lot of Saucony. Adidas had a decent showing as well. I saw a few Brooks wearers, only a handful of Hokas. then there was a mish-mash of all the other alternative brands. it really made me realize what a massive business running shoes are and how many options there are.

24 minute 5K which was about 40% percentile for my age group. first time I ever ran "competitively" though. The first half mile is kind of a clusterfuck with everyone jockeying for position.

Goal is to get down to 21:40 in six months. Don't know if that is possible or not. would like not to be below average.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

21:40 is the amount of time I pictured myself running last year.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

sucks how fast you can lose what you had. I have been super busy the last 3 months and not got much running in at all. Went out this evening and could not even finish a mile without feeling like I was going to die.

Ugh.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

it comes back a lot faster than before.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Unfortunately so too does the stultifying boredom. I'm going back to a bicycle as soon as we can put together two or three 60 degree days.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

damn hatchet, that is solid! if you can get from a 24 to a 21:40 in 6 months you need to share the secret. that would be a remarkable improvement! i got under 24 last year and i am still struggling to get under 23, and i have been training my ass off trying to accomplish it.

if you are running a 24 minute 5k you already are not below average.

well, maybe I won't! I have no idea what is possible. I didn't really have a plan before. was just running 4-6 miles maybe 4x week not really pushing it too hard. I'm going to follow this basic plan, maybe kick it up slightly:

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50934 ... ng-Program

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I did 4X400. could not do another one. 2-3 minutes WALKING between. then mile run at 7:30. holy crap I would rather 6 miles at an easy pace any day.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

for me an easy pace seems just as hard as pushing it for a little less time. i think its because i have pretty long lanky body with heavy feet when i run.

my comfortable pace is just under 10min miles... i usually do 2 miles, about 3 times a week. ive never tried a timed 5k... i will do that soon. i dont know if i could do a 24min one... probably could on a saturday afternoon. my biggest problem is i work on my feet 10 hours a day and then i try running... its pretty brutal... but i like the way it makes me feel

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

youre bored and a bicycle fixes that? yikes...

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

i'm in too much pain to worry about boredom.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

^^yup

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Six miles in 80 is like 10 miles in 40 degrees for me. BRUTAL!

I get goose bumps, chills, the DTs....well maybe that's not from running. I dunno.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest