Friday Spotlight: Philpips
Hey everybody! Pretty excited about today's Spotlight athlete. It's another name from a non-US place so since his day has already been going for a while now, let's get started. Let's learn a little bit more about Mr.Philpips!
The Runner:
First Name?
Phil
Age?
36
Where are you from?
London, England
Occupation?
Software developer
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5k: 26:38
10k: 58:51
HM: 2:08:xx
How long have you been running?
I guess coming up on a year of consistent running? I have started running and given up several times over the years, but finally after doing a little research (and finding r/running!) I think this time it's going to stick.
Briefly explain why you began running?
I started running in an effort to boost my endurance for taekwondo. I found my fitness improved so much that I've always wanted to get into it more seriously. Then last year a friend tried to convince me to do a marathon with him but neither of us had any running experience at all. As a (less terrifying) compromise I suggested we do a half instead.
Most memorable running moment?
Finishing my first HM in 2015. It was a beautiful sunny day in East London and lots of people came out to cheer.
Do you have a running mantra?
"Head up, stand tall, fast steps". I have to keep reminding myself how to run otherwise I, like an idiot, forget mid-stride.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
32 miles I think, but I should be beating that soon if all goes well.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
After work and just before dinner! Then I come in and stuff my face. It's hard to stretch on a full stomach though.
Any big races coming up?
Two spring HM races - North London and Hackney. I'm also doing the Royal Parks half in October but it was stupidly expensive (£58!) so I probably won't do it again.
What are your short-term running goals?
Sub 55 10k, Sub 2hr HM. Maybe sub 25 5k? I don't know how feasible that is.
What are your long-term running goals?
Sub 4 marathon. I'm sure that's at least a couple of years away. Also catching up with u/pinkpiggie - there's some running stats I would do well to emulate, but she just keeps making them better before I can. I need her to get injured or something! ^^^Notreally!
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Run further you idiot. Also drink less. There was a period where I'd buy a bottle of whiskey on my way home, midweek, and be buying another a couple days later.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Getting the cadence up and staying consistent with the training. Attending u/incster's Saturday morning hill sessions would probably help too.
What is your current shoe choice?
Brooks ghost. I'm probably going to try something else this year because I'm starting to find them a little snug.
What’s your comfy pace?
Good question! 09:30 at the moment, but it's fluctuated a lot over the last 6 months. I guess I'm still finding my level.
Trail? Road? Or Treadmill?
Road >> Trail >> Treadmill
What is your ideal running weather?
Cloudy and cool.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Bill Burr. The cranky, embittered old man is something I channel increasingly well as time goes by. What animal is gormless and stupid? That would be me.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Video games! I usually go for the turn based strategy, but I'm also enjoying the SC2 co-op with a buddy. Like u/brwalkernc I enjoy fantasy novels and I'm looking forward to starting Brandon Sanderson's 2nd Stormlight book.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can speak Chinese (kind of) and I can spend the whole damn day singing a song that got stuck in my head and drive my wife crazy. Actually it's Mrs Philpips who has hidden talents - she has won competitions as a classical pianist (careful how you say that one), she paints, and she makes and sells sugar flowers online.
Biggest pet peeve?
My left calf. Tautology, similarly to u/Despoena in fact but not limited to acronyms. My crappy Luxeed keyboard - if you're thinking about it don't get one because it really is a POS.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
The Wheels on the Bus. Baby-Philpips loves singing and music and I'm really enjoying singing nursery songs with her.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
Philpips is what my wife calls me. She also calls me Philpott but I didn't like that one so much.
That's it my friends! I hope you guys and gals enjoyed getting to know a bit more about Philpips as much as I did. As usual, please tag u/philpip's username when personally asking him a question. All responses come to my inbox and if you've not tagged him personally, he has to search each comment one by one (which I'm sure he'll do anyways) which can be a daunting task at times when there's a lot of traffic. Please don't forget that Philpips might be busy envisioning himself turning into Bill Burr so be patient in allowing him time to respond.
####Thanks for reading!!!!
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
ATTENTION READERS!
I've been getting messages weekly from a lot of people asking to be featured in the Friday Spotlight Thread. My response to them is the same every time. I do not get to personally choose who is chosen for each thread. With exception to Palindrome27 (which I randomly chose to get this started), every runner thus far has been selected by the person before them. It's one of the perks of getting nominated. There is no list of names. No spreadsheet with columns and columns of usernames. Nothing. So for those confused, Philpips was chosen by Despoena. Despoena was chosen by Craigster38. So on and so on. You get the idea. Doing it this way eliminates the hassle of having to personally pick someone every week. This keeps me neutral. Some of you have expressed your opinion (via PM) on who's been featured this far claiming that I have only chosen runners who are fast, have been running for a while, or compete in longer distance races. This is simply luck of the draw. There is zero favoritism here. Each featured runner gets to personally pick someone they find interesting. I apply no pressure to the runners to pick a particular skill level of runner. This is the beauty of the process. If you want to be featured, you can up your chances of being chosen by being an active member of the subreddit. Comment as much as possible. Submit quality content. Provide as much as you can as a runner to help keep this community growing and I'm certain your efforts will not go unnoticed. Just keep tuning in and making friends and eventually it'll pay off if you want to be featured. Thank you.
Posted Feb 26, 2016, 1:07 PM UTC