Friday Spotlight: Once_a_hobby_jogger
[Note: I will be unavailable for this thread due to heading out of state to race the Black Mountain Monster with other redditors. I will do my best to get checked in but messages probably won't get seen until late Monday if I survive. Enjoy the read and have a good weekend everyone.]
Hey readers! We've got ourselves a familiar name this week. You'll see this user popping in and out from time to time in our daily threads throughout the sub. Keeping it short because I've got to get going, let's get it together as I introduce this week's featured athlete. Ladies and Gentlemen I give present to you u/once_a_hobby_jogger!
Let's roll!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Richard
Age?
35
Where are you from?
Oakley, California
Occupation?
Risk Management
###The Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
I'll go with my recent adult-life PRS.
half marathon: 1:37:21
10k: 46:27
What is your distance PR?
The half marathon is the farthest I've run so far.
How long have you been running?
I've been running on and off for about 22 years. I ran cross country in high school, and kept up running consistently through the Marine Corps. After giving it up for a while due to other commitments I've been running regularly again for the past 2 years.
Briefly explain why you began running?
I joined the track team in middle school because I had a crush on a girl on the team. I was a little chubby then, so I was put with the throwers doing the shot put. But that's when I started running, lost some weight, and the next year I joined the cross country team.
In my current life I talked my wife into running a half marathon with me about two years ago for my birthday. It was my first timed run since my Marine Corps PFTs, and I absolutely loved it. I've been training ever since.
Most memorable running moment?
I think my most memorable moment was winning a mile race in high school. I was/am a slow runner, and that was the only time I won. And to top it off it was at home so I remember everyone cheering for me.
Do you have a running mantra?
I'll steal a quote from Bruce Lee that I love, hopefully that counts:
"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
My biggest week so far has been 52 miles.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
I'm definitely a morning runner, usually about 30-45 minutes after breakfast.
Any big races coming up?
Nope. I did a half back on May 1st (can I plug my race report!?). My next half isn't until October, and my current training cycle is building to a marathon in early December.
What are your short-term running goals?
Over the next few months I want to build up to about 60-65 miles per week before I start marathon training. I'd also like to break 1:35 in the half marathon, which has eluded me the past two races.
What are your long-term running goals?
I'd love to get into Boston. It seems like a difficult but also attainable goal.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
I wish I could tell young me to eat more vegetables. Oh and put on sunscreen.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Eating better. I eat fairly healthy, but I definitely have room for improvement.
What is your current shoe choice?
I just started running in the Altra Torins and so far I really like them.
What’s your comfy pace?
I feel pretty solid in the 8:30-9:00 minute/mile range.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
I'm 100% road, rain or shine. I'd love to get more trail running in, but I rarely have the time or motivation to drive anywhere.
What is your ideal running weather?
Sunny, low-mid 50s, no wind
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Hmm, never really thought about this. I have a dragon tattoo on my back (it seemed like a good idea at the time, there's not a lot to do in Yuma Arizona), so I'll go with the dragon. Can my spirit animal be a mythical creature of awesomeness?
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
I do a lot of DIY/home improvement stuff. I'm interested in woodworking, but I don't really have the time or money to do anything complex. I'm basically the stereotypical dad you see putzing around the house fixing stuff or working in the garden.
Biggest pet peeve?
Man I've got so many it's hard to choose just one. I'll go with tailgating and people who don't use their turn signal.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
Definitely that Bruce Lee quote from above.
"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
I browse r/woodworking a lot, wishing I could do the stuff they do. As a guilty pleasure I read r/relationships fairly often.
One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
I browse the letsrun forums fairly regularly, and I find their use of hobby jogger as an insult hilarious. I also enjoyed the book "Once a Runner", but in the opening chapter Quinton Cassidy himself derides runners doing their 90 second 400s, which is just about my 400 repetition pace. So I've just accepted the fact that I'm a hobby jogger and roll with it.
I really appreciate u/once_a_hobby_jogger taking the time to let us know a bit more about him. Seems like my kinda dude. As usual, please tag u/once_a_hobby_jogger'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 his 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 rather daunting task when there is a lot of traffic to the thread. Please 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.
####Thanks for reading everyone!!!
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 May 20, 2016, 10:43 AM UTC