Friday Spotlight: TheRedInTheSky
##[Note: Today's Spotlight runner is currently on a plane at the time of this thread being posted. I'd like to apologize in advance as he may not be able to respond to your questions immediately. He's informed me that he will do what he can to get to your comments in a timely manner. Thanks!]
Howdy ya'll! We've got ourselves a real treat today. After interviewing today's featured athlete, I couldn't help but relate to him on many different levels because him and I share a lot of interests and similarities, and I'm hoping his interesting Spotlight can resonate with many of you readers as well. He's got some quirks about him that I know you'll enjoy. Yet another popular name around here, he's always around to drop into the conversation. Lads and lasses I present to you.../u/theredinthesky!
Let's roll...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Derek
Age?
38
Where are you from?
Born in Peru, spent most of my life in Miami and Philly, and now I live in Austin, TX.
Occupation?
I’m a lead architect for a large software collaboration company.
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5k: 25:51
10k: 51:56
Half-Marathon: 2:00:32
Marathon: 4:31:00ish (over 20 years ago so no Garmin)
What is your distance PR?
27.1 miles. A 20 mile run went longer than expected due to
23 wrong turns.
How long have you been running?
On and off (more off) since high school, way back in the 90’s. I moved to Austin a little over 4 years ago and got back into running it was inspiring to see so many runners in my city.
Tell us why you began running?
It was either take up a new hobby or continue to rot my brain with video games (kidding…but kind of serious). I was diagnosed with ADHD in my teens and took up XC in high school. It became a healthy outlet for me to focus on my thoughts and not let my brain become so occluded with nonsense. I came back to running in 2013 as I work a sedentary job and needed get my ass in shape.
Most memorable running moment?
The last marathon I ran. I was under trained and got injured at mile 18. My mom showed up out of nowhere and gave me a banana and a hug. At that point I was wondering why the course was so dusty…or if someone was cutting onions around me.
Do you have a running mantra?
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” - Confucius
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
50.3 miles. It was the week of the BMM Ultra and a few of us decided to run a combined 100 miles+ as a tribute to the runners.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Definitely mornings. It’s getting brutally hot here in Texas and a good run in the morning is ALMOST as good as a cup of coffee.
Any big races coming up?
- Blackspur Ultra with u/DirtyBritch if my conference schedule permits.
- Big Cedar 50k on 11/5/2016.
What are your short-term running goals?
- Continue to build up my base. I’m at a 30 MPW average right now and have been working on heat training, which is free down here in Texas!
- Stick to a training plan :/
- Not get injured
What are your long-term running goals?
- Running in the Squamish 50 miler next year and convincing as many people to run it with me :)
- Running the Inca Trail Marathon
- Finishing a 100 miler before I turn 40.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Never be afraid of failure. Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding on the 20th.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Actually sticking to a plan as opposed to just going out to run. Speed work, hill repeats, tempo runs….yeah…actually having a decent plan will work wonders on me.
What is your current shoe choice?
I’m a converted Altra whore. Torino, Instincts, and Lone Peaks are my current ones….even if they do resemble clown shoes...ahem.../u/RedKryptonite
What’s your comfy pace?
Comfy pace of the road is 9:30 per mile Comfy pace on the trail is around 11:30 per mile
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Give me ANY trail and I’ll be happy. I run on roads during the week as time is limited but the weekends are dedicated to trails.
What is your ideal running weather?
45°F (between 7 and 8°C). I grew up in the north east so the cold is welcoming to me!
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Wow. This is honestly the first time I’ve ever been asked this. I had to take a quiz because I honestly had no idea:
Hawk Characters: Galen, Thera, Zilus in Eyes of Crow
Powers: Communicate with the divine, discern powers in others, photographic memory
Hawks are the messengers of the Spirits. Adept with language, you might be a writer or a teacher. Your ability to assess situations impartially means that people often seek your guidance before making decisions. A brilliant visionary, you sometimes forget the mundane details of life like eating, sleeping, or paying bills. <— That’s me!
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
I’m an uber nerd who codes automation projects in my spare time. I home brew beer with my neighbor (working on a session IPA right now) and love to cook. When I was younger I collected yo-yos and still have a few boxes of them.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Hmmm…..I can make the traditional French mother sauces off the top of my head. I had two roommates in Philly that were sous chefs at some high end joints.
Biggest pet peeve?
Ignorance…especially as it applies to running. Always be aware of your surroundings as you’d expect the same from the people around you. Also, people are really friendly here in Texas and are always waving to runners and saying ‘hi’ or howdy’. It bugs me when people don’t at least nod their head.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
'I am hurt but I am not slain.
I'll lay me down and bleed awhile,
Then I'll rise and fight again.'
~ Sir Andrew Barton
What is your biggest character flaw?
I’ve been told I’m too stoic. I have a hard time showing empathy at times and it can come off as being uncaring, which isn’t something that I ever want people to think of me as.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I tend to listen to an amalgamation of EDM and insane metal:
[Hardwell - Run Wild] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwcsIPdc8w)
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
r/python, r/docker, r/wicked_edge (traditional shaving), r/blackpeopletwitter (for the lulz!), and r/trailrunning (Thanks Jen!)
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
First, let me state that I’m colorblind. With that being said, I used to tour with bands when I was younger (cue young me). I was in Bergen, Norway when I saw the northern lights for the first time. After staring in awe for what seemed like forever I called over to some friends to look at all of the ‘red in the sky’. It turns out it was way more green then red but the name has stuck with me ever since.
I enjoyed doing this Spotlight a little more than I care to admit. u/theredinthesky seems like he'd be one cool cat (hawk?) to run with because we have a lot in common. Minus the EDM, his music flavor is right up my alley and his drive for ultra distances seems like a good one. Definitely the kind of guy I can see myself going on long runs with. Maybe one day!
#As usual please tag u/theredinthesky's username when asking him a question in this thread!
If you don't the running Gods will give you incurable shin splints for the rest of your life and you'll die a sad lonely wanna-be hobbyjogger.
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:
Posted Jul 8, 2016, 11:31 AM UTC