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Friday Spotlight: Cromagnonized

##[Note: Due to today's Spotlight runner being located outside the US, there may be a slight delay on getting immediate responses back to you. Please keep the questions coming and he'll get to them as soon as he can. He's informed me that he will do what he can to get to your comments in a timely manner. Thanks!]

For our 52nd Spotlight we're going international! Tis' the season for turkey here in the US so buckle your seat belts because we're also going there too. Today's featured athlete is one of those recognizable names you scroll by when browsing through Strava. A frequenter of our community, today's highlighted runner is yet another person we've all seen around our running lounge, commenting and helping others. Getting started, I introduce to you... u/cromagnonized!

Let's roll!

###The Runner:

First Name?

Barış. It literally means 'peace' in Turkish. The first person ever to have this name is said to be the singer Barış Manço. He was a very loved figure by young generation at the time. He has an entire album written in English, too.

Age?

25

Where are you from?

Ankara, Turkey

Occupation?

I'm a Chemical Engineering undergraduate student at Middle East Technical University. Unemployed otherwise.

###Running Q&A's:

What are your PR’s?

1:39 for Half Marathon (mid-2016)
3:39 for Marathon (last week)
I ran a 15K in 2015 around 1:19 I suppose.

What is your distance PR?

Marathon. I just ran my first marathon last sunday, before that it was 32 kilometers.

What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?

A little over 62 miles(100 kilometers).

What’s your comfy pace?

Between 8:30-9:00 min/miles.

How long have you been running?

I ran a couple of times in 2013 but I got into it more seriously in 2014.

Tell us why you began running?

I was pretty unhappy about my lifestyle. I was drinking a little too much and was a 2 packs/day smoker with non-existent sports routine. So one day I decided to go out and run and sticked with it. I don't know the exact time when I decided to stick with it but it has to do with the mild shock I had when I figured it did not suck at all, on the contrary it felt pretty good. I think I needed that in my life, and I still do.

Most memorable running moment?

I'm a night runner, so I get to enjoy some moments I long for during the daytime. We have a small lake nearby and it has some cafes, small diners, etc. around. The structures around are pretty crappy actually, but at night time it's quite calm and deserted and I love running around when it's like that, especially in winter. No single human around, only some hedgehogs crossing the road(why?) and some geese which are pretty angry with me all the time for no reason. And while running I glance upon the moon for a moment and it somehow manages to fascinate me just by being there up in the sky. It has to do with my state of mind, nothing special about the place or the moment.

Do you have a running mantra?

I don't.

What time of day do you prefer to run?

After 10 pm.

Any big races coming up?

I have a marathon on 5th or March, 2017.

What are your short-term running goals?

sub20 5K, I guess. currently I have a 20:57 5K according to my GPS watch.

What are your long-term running goals?

Sub3-marathon looks like a nice goal. But just being able to keep running is enough for me, really(this is a lie).

What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?

It's not wise to run through an injury. You don't have to do every mistake yourself to learn from it.

What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?

I certainly need to work on my flexibility(or should I say mobility?). Also, my diet is pretty unhealthy.

What is your current shoe choice?

I currently rotate Mizuno Wave Sayanora 3's(2 pair), Nike Free 5.0's, New Balance Minimus 10's, Nike Flyknit Lunar 3's and some other worn out shoes which I wear occasionally.(And a pair of Salomon Sense Mantra 2's but I rarely do trail).

Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?

Road. Occasionally trail.

What is your ideal running weather?

0°C to 7 °C (32°F to 45°F)

Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]

My Strava account. Feel free to interact in any way you like.

###Just For Fun:

What’s your spirit animal?

Dog.

What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?

I enjoy and regularly go swimming although I really suck at it. By regularly I mean once a week on average.

I like watching movies.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I'm a master procrastinator but I guess it doesn't count.

Biggest pet peeve?

Possibly people disturbing my sleep by speaking out loud in the house.

Dream job! What would it be?

Maybe something that involves animals. Or requires constantly traveling by ground.

Favorite Quote or Poem?

Let's see.

"I bear all the wounds of all the battles I avoided" - Fernando Pessoa.

"Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest" -Maya Angelou

"Their hearts, lost in thought, slowly tick away time. When we pass each other on the road, we listen to the rhythm of each other's breathing, and sense the way the other person is ticking away the moments." -Haruki Murakami.

What is your favorite movie?

Tough question. I like In Bruges. I like Wes Anderson movies. I like Youth (Paolo Sorrentino). I like Groundhog Day. I can't put an end to this. I love all Nuri Bilge Ceylan movies, especially Winter Sleep.

What is your biggest character flaw?

I'm a master procrastinator. Not goal oriented.

What songs have you been listening to recently?

Let's see. Some of the songs I enjoy listening to nowadays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWpX4We62dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwDZjmjf2F4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq4tyDRhU_4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygdVEIrVnIk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zx4Zatiowk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bdOTUocn5w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4RMh7NLHPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbL1lgmgUsQ

What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?

/r/Askscience
r/Depthhub
r/HoldMyRedBull
r/MildlyInteresting
r/NotTheOnion
r/ShittyAskScience
r/WTF
r/AWW

###One Last Question:

What is the origin of your username?

My username was originally cro magnon which I used to use on some other platforms, but it was taken, so I went with a non-sense derivation of it. Cro Magnon is the name of some ancient humans which I believed is named after a town in Europe. I was interested in these topics and studied Molecular Biology & Genetics for some time before I dropped out.

That's it folks! Time to wrap up the reading and get back to work...or whatever else you were doing prior to reading this. I want to give a special thanks to Cromagnonized for getting these questions answered on such short notice this week. From what I understand English isn't his first language so I was shocked when I got his answers back and they were perfect. Even better than my own English and I speak it full-time! You did good Cro, you did good! Have a great weekend ya'll.

####Thanks for reading everyone!!!

#As usual please tag u/cromagnonized'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.

Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:

Palindrome27A-german-muffinxfkirstenPepperoniFirerennuR_liarT
Santa ClausBrwalkerncPinkpiggieFobo911Kinsibit
Jaime_mangerCraigster38DespoenaPhilpipsBrunchweasel
ChickensedanSkragenIncsterFreedomweaselJennifer1911
RedKryptoniteZebanoKevin402canPunkrock_runnerProudPatriot07
Once_a_hobby_joggerLoratliff57001BorichuDenovosibi
CausticwonderDirtybritchTheRedInTheSkyAewilliaJudyblumereference
FlocculusEl_day2YourShoesUntiedJeade-enKyle-Kranz
ItsReallyReallyTrueJangle_Bo_JinglesRichieClaresloworfastRobotPettingZoo
RunwichiSmruttkaySacamatoKibitzorEdge767
BrianOgilviecromagnonized????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Posted Nov 18, 2016, 1:19 PM UTC · edited

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