Friday Spotlight: PepperoniFire
Hey folks!
Today is our 4th Spotlight and they just keep getting better and better. Just in case you want to catch up, the three previous Spotlight Friday threads can be found [HERE], [HERE], and [HERE].
Let's get today rolling!
###Who's PepperoniFire?
First Name?
Liz.
Age?
29
Where are you from?
Upstate NY. I feel the need to specify since so many people think "NY" means the city :P
Occupation?
Attorney. You're officially on notice that I will be qualifying most of my responses.
###The Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
- 5K 22:34 (20:44 non-race)
- 10K 46:48 (non-race - I know, I know. I need to sign up for one of these.)
- Half-Marathon 1:47:05 (1:37:59 non-race)
- Smashrun tells me my "farthest run" is 21.6.
How long have you been running?
I used to play sports in HS, so I "ran" pretty early to warm-up. I didn't really consider myself much of an avid runner until law school, so probably about 5 years, with the last 2 becoming way more focused and deliberate.
Briefly explain why you began running?
I ran a bit in high school either to warm-up for practice, lifting, or general conditioning. I hated it. Running was always a means to an end, and none of my coaches approached running to improve running performance. I ran more diligently in law school as an outlet for stress and it got me off campus and away from my apartment. I was still paying more attention to my lifting. After law school, I kept working out in my schedule while I looked for work. I found myself getting faster and running longer, and then I began educating myself more on how to continue managed improvement. I've never considered myself a very strong "natural" (whatever that means) runner but I can definitely be a very technical runner. I read a lot about it and try to apply gleaned general principles to my running over time.
Most memorable running moment?
Finishing my first half marathon is a big one. It was my first race and it was in August with an elevation profile I wish I had paid more attention to before signing up. It was also hot. Just ... hot. I think this really hammered home the difference between racing as I always thought it would be and racing as it is. Previously, I figured no one could really run these distances very fast, and competitive racers simply had a faster leisurely pace than others. This was a turning point where I realized that was fundamentally incorrect - you are racing - but also that it's completely doable, even if you train at a much lower intensity. My trail half comes in second, if only because holy cow, trails are so different and a huge testament to athleticism in my opinion.
Do you have a running mantra?
Sort of. Will Durant wrote a nice summary about some of Aristotle's writings: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." I liked it better when I actually thought it was Aristotle who said that but apparently he's more verbose. This will do.
Of course, none of those words are what pop up in my head during my runs, but I'll try to keep this PG-13.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
I think it was 61 or 62 miles.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
This has been changing. During the work week, I have the option of running at night or before work. I'll take night. I used to really enjoy midday runs but these days they can only occur on my weekend, and I like having free time on my weekend too, so I've found more and more that late-morning runs are my prefence. I would start running some mornings but my boyfriend and I have a time zone difference so nights off are for him, and I'd have to go to bed way earlier.
Any big races coming up?
Not specifically. I'm grabbing a few marathon training books that I intend to read and either modify one of their plans or build my own. I haven't settled on what kind of marathon I'd like to run. Trails are tempting but I've noticed they're more ... isolated? They're almost like indie races. I'd like to do at least one 'notable' race that other people have heard of. I'll probably enter the MCM lottery. I'll take suggestions.
What are your short-term running goals?
Run consistently throughout the winter and sign up for more races. It's my first winter outside and I can definitely feel the seasonal effects on motivation. I will probably have to add crosstraining or begin snowboarding again to balance things. I also only just began racing this past summer (hence the distinction between PRs.) I'd like to race more in 2016. I am really bad about signing up for things because I like my schedule and resent the disruption :P I'm always glad I did it after the race, though.
What are your long-term running goals?
Run a marathon. I honestly gravitate more towards the idea of running an ultra, but I think the discipline behind training for a marathon is a good experience to have and it would be silly to foreclose racing that distance if I would ultimately end up running it anyway in my race preference.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Try running outside sooner. I don't abhor the treadmill because it's a useful tool, but I am way happier outdoors. It feels like playing outside again.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Probably focus on the pursuit-of-happiness side of things. I'm exponentially more productive the happier I am, and I really am in a good place if I step back and look at where I am. This applies to my running as much as everything else but, like everyone, I can occasionally burn out and focus on stuff I wish was different. I didn't notice this until I finished law school, which I never really liked, and suddenly saw a lot of improvement in my running. Today, I try to appreciate what I have, work on changing things I don't like and do have some control over, and rolling with things I don't like but can't control.
Also, I've tried to be more helpful and understanding. It's probably not as evident here because I started that before posting in r/running, but I can be extremely competitive and demanding - maybe even judgmental - and it's something I committed to working on about a year ago. Since I view running as much as a community as an activity, I've seen it pay off dividends here as well. This applies to how I treat myself as much as others, by which I mean I've found it much harder to improve on my running when I view it through a wholly critical lens; it masks the things I've done right to the detriment of long-term progress.
What is your current shoe choice?
I'm currently in love with my Salomon Sense Pros for my long runs, which are on trails but have a smattering of paved paths as well. Brooks is always going to be my go-to brand, though. I love the PureConnects.
What’s your comfy pace?
8:55-9:10 for long runs in normal weather. FFFFF when it's hot. 8:30-8:40 on mid-runs (same reponse about heat goes here too.) I've been slacking a bit because I've been focusing on just trying to make it outside, period.
Trail? Road? Or Treadmill?
Trail.
What is your ideal running weather?
April 25th, because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. (~60 degrees and sunny with a light breeze.)
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
I guess if I'm a lawyer it has to be either a shark or a weasel, huh? I never thought about it so I asked my boyfriend, and he said "A cute baby goat that is very competitive with other baby goats." Do you see now?
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Movies, lots and lots of movies. I'm a big film buff. That leads me into trivia. I love trivia. That part where I said I can be extremely competitive? Trivia. I didn't read much for fun during law school, but I've recently picked up that habit again - mostly non-fiction but lately I've been bridging out to fiction again. I play video games as often as I can, and in this really horrible way, I have gotten in the bad habit of analyzing the legal issues within all of the aforementioned media. Finally, basketball, golf and snowboarding.
Do you have any hidden talents?
No, I am actually very boring.
Biggest pet peeve?
People who aren't deadline sensitive. Court-specific typography requirements. "I could care less." Couldn't.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Punk Rock Christmas by The Ravers and Oi to the World the Vandals.
###One Final Question:
What is the origin of your username?
I like Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
>The Deliverator is a Type A driver with rabies. He is zeroing in on his home base, CosaNostra Pizza #3569, cranking up the left lane of CSV-5 at a hundred and twenty kilometers. His car is an invisible black lozenge, just a dark place that reflects the tunnel of franchise signs-the loglo. A row of orange lights burbles and chums across the front, where the grille would be if this were an air-breathing car. The orange light looks like a gasoline fire. It comes in through people's rear windows, bounces off their rearview mirrors, projects a fiery mask across their eyes, reaches into their subconscious, and unearths terrible fears of being pinned, fully conscious, under a detonating gas tank, makes them want to pull over and let the Deliverator overtake them in his black chariot of pepperoni fire.
I never intended to stick around on reddit because I had heard bad things so not a lot of deep thought went into this one.
Round of applause for u/pepperonifire and a big thanks for participating! Don't forget that when you respond to this post, be sure to tag pepperonifire in your comment so that she is notified properly when you ask her questions. Also be aware that not every featured runner has the ability to respond immediately so be patient in waiting for a response if they are busy doing what ever it is that they do.
####Thanks for reading!!!
Posted Dec 11, 2015, 12:44 PM UTC · edited