Friday Spotlight: Freedomweasel
Hey all! Trying to get this posted before the site goes into Fool's-mode. Today we get to hear a bit on one of the more well known runners of the sub. Generally pretty mysterious, our highlighted athlete this week has allowed us inside with a chance to get to know him a bit better. This is yet another user that I've always been curious about. So let's get rolling and take a moment with u/Freedomweasel!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Freedom Weasel, or Mr Weasel to my friends.
Age?
29
Location?
Currently living in the mountains of Western North Carolina
Occupation?
IT related stuff in the outdoor industry
The Running Q&A's:
What are your PRs?
All on trails of some sort or another:
5k - 20:56
25k - 2:26:xx
10k - 50:xx
Half - 2:00:xx
How long have you been running?
A little bit here and there, but I've only really been running since 2013.
Briefly Explain why you began running?
I used to guide and instruct wilderness trips/activities. After getting a more regular job and settling down a bit, I didn't have as much time to do long trips, so I figured I should pick up running and work toward being able to do similar length trips, but in a day. Most other activities I'm involved in are also gear and prep heavy, so the appeal of shorts, shoes and no planning is nice.
Most memorable running moment?
The first time I ran some of my favorite hiking trails in the Shining Rock Wilderness. Up above tree line, technical trails, and really feeling like I was on the kind run I had in mind when I started running. Out in the woods, moving quickly and efficiently.
Do you have a running mantra?
Don't really have a mantra, but if I had to pick one, I'm a fan of Jens Voigt's "Shut up legs".
What's your highest recorded weekly mileage?
30 miles
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Most often at lunch or after work, but I prefer morning runs, around 9 or 10AM.
Any big races coming up?
I'd like to give the Shut In Trail Race a go this year if I can get in.
What are your short-term running goals?
Get the weekly mileage up and don't injure myself doing something dumb. Lots and lots of local summits and ridge traverses I'd like to set new PRs for.
What are your long-term running goals?
Pitchell 100k run, and it'd be nice to go sub 20 in the 5k.
What's one piece of running advice you'd give to the younger version of yourself?
Don't race your training runs, and just because you can run that far doesn't mean you can recover from it.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
The theme is definitely "don't hurt myself". I always train myself into a pretty good place, and then hurt myself by doubling my weekly mileage on some stupid route I planned out. I've gotten a little better, but could still use some work. Running since 2013, I'd probably be going a little farther or faster if I had been smarter.
What is your current shoe choice?
Currently a fan of the Pearl Izumi N1s, and Nike Terra Kiger. Whatever I get, it's in the brightest, most obnoxious color offered.
What's your comfy pace?
Depending on the road or trail, somewhere between 9 and 10 min/mi average pace is usually comfy.
Trail? Road? Or Treadmill?
Trail.
What is your ideal running weather?
I'm going to go with 60 degrees, breezy, and with storm clouds forming, making you race the weather back to the trailhead. Also hard to beat a clear summer day though. Really, any weather other than 33F and raining.
Do you have any social media accounts you'd like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
The Weasel is off the grid, man.
###Just For Fun:
What's your spirit animal?
Turtle. Little guys just kinda hang out in the woods or a river, do their own thing, sleep on logs in the sun, and don't like to be bothered.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Biking, hiking, climbing, boating, anything outside really. Craft beer, fancy booze and cocktails. Cars, motorcycles, and other fast things on wheels.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Nothing particularly noteworthy.
Biggest pet peeve?
Inconsiderate people.
Do you have a favorite quote or poem?
"Surely a better time must be drawing nigh when godlike human beings will become truly humane, and learn to put their animal fellow mortals in their hearts instead of on their backs or in their dinners." John Muir
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Della Mae, Lindi Ortega, Jane Kramer, Jason Isbell, and for something totally different, I just got Kendrick Lamar's last two releases.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
Mostly the outdoor related ones, r/campingandhiking, r/bicycling, r/climbing, r/trailrunning, etc. Also r/beer, r/bourbon, r/tequila, and other places that are bad for me.
###One Final Question:
What is the origin of your username?
One of the programs I guided with had walkie-talkies we'd use to communicate between vehicles while driving. At some point I decided that freedomweasel would be an awesome callsign.
There you have it folks! This is our second 'weasel' to be featured in the Friday Spotlight and hopefully we all enjoyed learning a bit about Mr.Weasel. As usual, please tag u/freedomweasel's username when personally asking him a question in this thread! Also, if I see that you've failed to tag him after asking him a question, I'll try my best to respond to your question by tagging him myself. So be aware. Tagging Freedomweasel's username alerts him that his attention is needed. This way, he doesn't have to sift through all of the comments one by one, which can be a daunting task when there is a lot of traffic to the thread. Pleas don't forget that all of our Friday Spotlight athletes may need time to respond to your comments and questions so give them some time to reply. I had fun getting to know a bit more about one of our resident weasels and I hope everyone else did too.
####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 Apr 1, 2016, 11:52 AM UTC · edited