Friday Spotlight: El_day2
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#Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What's that? You've not read the Spotlight yet?!?! No? Well looky what I got!
I'm really excited to highlight today's athlete. Not only does she seem like one of those runners you'd like to tag along with on the streets, she seems like she'd be one of those people you could also sit down with and chat for hours over a couple of beers. She's no stranger to the subreddit and always seems willing to help. Without further ado I bring to you.../u/el_day2!
Let's roll...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Emily
Age?
23
Where are you from?
A magical place with good crabs, missing vowels, and terrible drivers (otherwise known as Maryland)
Occupation?
Government
###The Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
Despite what Strava tells me, 1 mile=8:55, 5K=28:36 (I don't believe it was a certified course though and my watch put me 0.5 short, so I just count it as 29:00), half marathon=2:23
What is your distance PR?
13.1 miles (my watch puts it as 13.25)
How long have you been running?
Almost a year and a half! I began Couch to 5k in March 2015 and was finally able to run 3 miles without stopping in October.
Tell us why you began running?
In February last year, my long term boyfriend and I broke up and I was really depressed about it. I also happened to weigh wayyy too much and couldn't even run for a few seconds without being out of breath and feeling like my lungs were going to explode. At the same time I kept having all of these running dreams, one of which involved me running our town's local turkey trot (it was a really strange dream). In March, I stumbled upon the Couch to 5k app and just decided to go for it with zero expectations (since I literally never finish anything I start). I found running really helped me to deal with all of the yucky feelings I was having and gave me something to focus on and work toward. Fast forward to November, and I was fifty pounds lighter and crossing the finish line to my town's local Turkey Trot. A week later, I was training for my first half marathon :)
Most memorable running moment?
This is a hard one. I would have to say it was when I ran the 5k distance for the first time. I had been attempting to complete C25k for about four months and was struggling through a lot of those runs. For some odd reason, this run felt completely effortless and I felt like I could go on forever. This, in turn, gave me an insane runner's high that felt so incredibly amazing. To this day, I’ve only gotten a runner’s high like that twice.
Do you have a running mantra?
"GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!" I have no clue why but it always pops into my head during hard runs and gets me really pumped.
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
32 miles. It was two weeks before my first half.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Hmmm I would probably have to say morning. Early morning for long runs, late morning (almost lunch time) for shorter runs. I find it easier to complete my run with the promise of a good breakfast/lunch at the end. I do love sunset runs too though depending on the time of the year.
Any big races coming up?
I've got a 5k this Friday (it will be today by the time you're reading this) and the Baltimore Half in October! I may do a few fun 5k's this fall/winter and I'm eyeing the DC Rock and Roll Half as my big spring race (yes, I plan this far ahead).
What are your short-term running goals?
Well, I’ve already hit my original running goals for the year (run a half marathon, sub 30:00 5k), so I guess my new goals are to maintain my current level of fitness and to establish a regular strength training/yoga routine. I would also kind of like to break 2:15 during my fall half.
What are your long-term running goals?
I want to run a race in every US state and I would like to attempt a full marathon at one point. I also want to make sure I keep up with the running through the major life changes hopefully coming up soon (moving out on my own, going to grad school).
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
That I could be a runner with enough effort. I was a fat kid and terribly out of shape and I never even tried to run because I truly believed I just wasn't cut out for it.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Definitely establishing a routine of regular strength training and yoga.
What is your current shoe choice?
I love my Brooks Glycerin's :)
What’s your comfy pace?
Anywhere from 10:30-11:00/mile.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Probably road but I do enjoy running through the woods, so I may give trail running a try at some point.
What is your ideal running weather?
A partly cloudy, crisp late fall morning. Roughly 40 degrees. 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?
Definitely a honey badger. I’m very independent, I don't give a shit about anything, and I fucking hate snakes.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Playing my flute, traveling, cooking/baking, reading (I commute roughly four hours a day), and trying new beers. I have a degree in Geography, so I’m also really interested in weather, maps, and people watching.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Nah, I'm pretty straightforward regarding all of my talents. I would say that I have a special talent for tripping over my own feet and accidentally smacking myself in the face with random objects, but once again, there’s nothing hidden about those :)
Biggest pet peeve?
When people take their food out of the microwave with time left on the timer and they just leave the remaining time on the screen. Please keep in mind I have absolutely no clue why this bothers me so much.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
Favorite poem is definitely Invictus by William Ernest Henley. It's such a good poem to read when you feel like you have no control over anything in life. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/51642
What is your biggest character flaw?
Sometimes I have no patience for other people.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I've been alternating between Hamilton and the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack (because I'm sick of the summer and because Danny Elfman is the man). I’ve also been listening to a lot of Dropkick Murphy’s and Of Monster and Men to get myself ready for upcoming trips to Boston and Iceland, respectively. Biggie has a fairly large presence on my spotify playlist as well, because why the hell not?
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
r/books, r/harrypotter, r/geography, r/GIS, r/relationships, r/visitingiceland
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
It's so lame but it's simply a nickname from high school. I still don’t know why my friend called me, “El Day.” When I signed up for my reddit account, it was a hasty process and it was just the first thing I could think of.
What an interesting runner. From Goonies quotes to honey badgers (she don't care!), I really enjoyed reading up on el_day2. She's been one of the people that I've talked to for a while now but never really got the chance to know and now I feel like by just reading her answers here that I've known her for a long time. I hope you guys feel the same way. I would also like to point out that el_day2 gets the gold for having the fastest Q&A response time thus far. It's almost like she had my questions already answered! Always awesome to get feedback so quickly. Huge thanks.
#Please tag u/el_day2'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 Aug 5, 2016, 11:57 AM UTC