Friday Spotlight: Judyblumereference
Tell the rest of the world you've got things to do right now and can't be bothered because it's Spotlight time! Today's featured athlete is one of those users who you are always seeing throughout the day in all of the happenin' threads! Always asking questions, adding to the conversations, and providing people with the things she's learned over her time spent running. Let's get right to it because I'm happy to bring you our highlight this week.../u/judyblumereference!
Let's roll!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Margaret
Age?
25
Where are you from?
Currently outside of Toledo, OH, but I am finally moving back to the Detroit area in a couple of weeks!
Occupation?
Materials Engineer.
###The Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5K: Adult: 24:50, High School: 22:44
10K: 58:57 (although Strava gives me a a 57:45 effort in my half marathon -- this PR is pretty soft!)
Half Marathon: 2:06:14
What is your distance PR?
Half Marathon
How long have you been running?
I ran cross country in middle and high school. I didn't run very consistently since then, though, so I would say November 2015 is when I started running "again".
Tell us why you began running?
As I mentioned up there, I ran XC and track in high school. After graduating, I made half assed attempts at staying in shape, I would sign up for a couple races and trained for a sprint triathlon, but never really had a routine. This past fall I started running again, because I wanted to get in shape and stop the gradual weight gain of post grad life, and because my sister wanted me to run a half with her this spring. It has stuck so far!
Most memorable running moment?
I really enjoyed finishing my half. I was hoping for 2:10-2:15, ended up far exceeding my expectations. Maybe I set the bar pretty low, but I was proud of myself for getting there!
Do you have a running mantra?
Excuses won't get you anywhere. Mainly because I am still adjusting to waking up and running before work, and sleeping in is often pretty tempting.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
30 mpw, a few weeks ago! That should hopefully be broken pretty soon.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Morning, definitely. For one, the weather is much better in the summer. Also, it keeps me from having to overthink nutrition in the afternoon at work and feel tired. Plus it means I don't feel guilty leaving my dog after getting home from work.
Any big races coming up?
I am signed up for the Detroit International Half in October. I also have a local 5K I want to do well in.
What are your short-term running goals?
Break 2:00 in the half, which might be a little bit of a stretch this fall but I don't think it's totally unreasonable if I get the miles in. I want to race a 10K since it should be an easy PR, and it seems like a distance I would like racing. Finally, I want to run a 5K with even or negative splits, instead of a super positive one!
What are your long-term running goals?
I'd like to do a marathon but I'm definitely not in any rush. I want a year or so of very steady, injury free mileage before I take on that training. I'd also like to break my HS 5K PR.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Stick with it. Suck it up and figure out a way to run in college. You aren't getting any sleep anyways so you might as well be productive.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
I think my form could use some work and my diet swings from "eat pretty healthy" to "eat all the things".
What is your current shoe choice?
I just have two pairs: the Saucony Omni and the Mizuno Wave Paradox. I don't really favor one over the other, I try to switch it up a bit.
What’s your comfy pace?
Probably about 10:30 - 10:40.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road for sure.
What is your ideal running weather?
Probably somewhere around 50F, a little breezy. Feels chilly to be in shorts just standing around but feels good once you get going.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Probably the hardest question for me here because I'm not a very creative person. I am a huge dog person though and I think I have a lot of characteristics a dog has. I'm loyal, require positive or negative feedback, and eat things I know are bad for me. (My dog ate 2 and a half bags of WRAPPED truffles I got for valentines day).
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Right now not a lot. I could see myself getting into rec sports again -- I'm a competitive person and also I'm bad at trying to meet people otherwise. I follow college football and basketball (Go Blue!).
Do you have any hidden talents?
My elbows are double jointed and freak people out a bit.
Biggest pet peeve?
Loud chewers.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." -- pretty sure this was in my high school literature classroom and it always stuck with me. Alternative: "There has never been a sadness that can't be cured by breakfast food." - Ron Swanson.
What is your biggest character flaw?
I'm a planner to a fault. I get ahead of myself really easy because of that and I'm pretty anxious when something is unknown. I also am very data driven and hate making decisions at work without it.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I don't listen to music that much, but as of this past week it would probably be Kanye West - Famous -- because I was curious about all that Taylor Swift drama and I truly enjoy the song. Usually I listen to NPR to and from work, or sometimes the top 40 radio station if I'm sick of hearing about Donald Trump.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
I'm kind of addicted to r/relationships. Oops. I don't really follow any others.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
I have always had log ins somewhere along the lines of "Its me, Margaret", such as "Are you there God, It's me, Margaret?". This is along those lines but a little more vague, ha.
Judyblumereference is one of those users that I'm constantly chatting with here in the sub but I've failed to get to know her more as a person and I'm so happy that she got nominated this week. I've always been curious about who she was and now I know. Her quote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit" really strikes me as something that I won't forget after hearing it. There's power in it. So thank you for the quote. I'm really looking forward to her progress as a runner and hearing her reach her PR goals as well. Just remember JBR, excuses won't get you anywhere! Best of luck at the Detroit International. You're going to do great!
#Please tag u/judyblumereference's username when asking her 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 her after asking her a question, I'll try my best to respond to your question by tagging her myself. So be aware. Tagging her username alerts her that her attention is needed. This way, she 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 22, 2016, 12:08 PM UTC · edited