Friday Spotlight: Chickensedan
The British invasion is over and what better way to stop it then spotlight one of r/running's most well known American users. I've been dying to learn a bit more about him and I hope you have too. He keeps his answers short and sweet and so will I when it comes to this intro that nobody probably ever reads. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen..../u/Chickensedan!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Barry
Age?
32
Where are you from?
Originally, Toledo, OH. I currently call Alexandria, VA my home.
Occupation?
I am currently employed by the U.S. Government.
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5K: 19:41 (had a 19:05, but it was downhill)
9.39 miles: 1:09
Half: 1:39
Marathon: 3:43
How long have you been running?
Since May of 2013.
Briefly explain why you began running?
I just got a promotion at work and was about to turn 30. So I decided I should take up a new hobby.
Most memorable running moment?
Hmm...probably my first 14 mile run ever. It was two weeks before my first half marathon and I was working in Quebec City. The run was in the afternoon/evening and was up and down and all around the big hill that makes up the main part of the city. I'm pretty sure I made myself sick the rest of the night and came down with ITBS a couple days later. This morning's pre- and post-dawn 14 mile commute was pretty amazing too, as are all of my run commutes.
Do you have a running mantra?
Not really. I do a lot of mental math regarding time and distance and I break runs into segments.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
68.6 miles during marathon training when I ran the previous week's 20-miler on a Monday. (20, 0, 6, 14, 6, 6, 16)
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Morning. It's easier to not worry about eating beforehand.
Any big races coming up?
Cherry Blossom 10-Miler and Glass City Half Marathon
What are your short-term running goals?
Beat u/craigster38 in the half. 2,016 miles this year.
What are your long-term running goals?
Sub-40 10k, qualify for Boston, 100k lifetime miles.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
It's actually a lot of fun!
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Consistency. I tend to get lazy outside of a structured training plan.
What is your current shoe choice?
The New Balance Zante is starting to edge out the Saucony Kinvara. Blasphemy, I know.
What’s your comfy pace?
Around 8:30 min/mi, though I expect that will creep closer to 9:00 in the summer.
Trail? Road? Or Treadmill?
I pretty much only run on asphalt, concrete, or rubber. Though I would probably enjoy trail running. Never treadmills.
What is your ideal running weather?
For a race: 50°F, slight breeze, mostly cloudy. For a training run: mid-30s, calm, sunny.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
Smashrun, just search for my name.
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
My Italian Greyhound friend Luca. Like me, he is super lazy yet full of energy, has a very short attention span, loves to run, and is incredibly cute.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Tabletop games, video games, beer, Michigan football, Detroit Tigers baseball, new urbanism (mildly interested)
Do you have any hidden talents?
I have an uncanny ability to show up to the airport just in time for my flight. Also, I've gotten pretty good at estimating distances.
Biggest pet peeve?
Running-related: pedestrians crowding sidewalks. Professionally: my organization's reluctance to join the 20th century with its infuriating insistence on using two spaces after periods.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Just gonna list some bands here: Arcade Fire, Run the Jewels, Blind Pilot, The Head and the Heart, Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars, Flight of the Conchords
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
/r/RocketLeague, r/dndnext, r/washingtondc, r/cfb, r/seinfeldgifs, r/motorcitykitties
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
Found it on a Laffy Taffy wrapper: Why does a chicken coop have only two doors? If it had four, it'd be a chicken sedan.
Let's pack it up folks, that's it! I'm glad Chickensedan took time away from his high profile government job to teach us a bit about what it means to be awesome. As usual, please tag u/chickensedan's username when personally asking him a question in this thread. All responses come to my inbox and if you've not tagged him personally, he has to browse through all the comments one by one which can be a daunting task when there is a lot of visitors to the thread. Please don't forget that Chickensedan is a busy man working for the almighty American government so be patient in allowing him time to respond while he's visiting the hotdog vendors parked out side his office window or having meetings with high ranking officials about what team is going to win the NCAA tournament.
####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, users like 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 Mar 11, 2016, 12:56 PM UTC