Friday Spotlight: Vermilionwerido
##Happy Holidays everyone!
It's finally Friday and I'm really glad because that means it's time for the Friday Spotlight. Today's featured athlete is a newer member of our r/running family but no stranger to the game. A person I've been interested in learning more about, he's always popping in and out and active within our community. So let's get to it and find out a bit more about... u/Vermilionweirdo!
Let's Do this...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Chris
Age?
55
Where are you from?
Born in St. Petersburg, FL. Dad was a 20-year Air Force man so we moved around a lot until I was 10. Raised in NE Ohio. Now I live in Vermilion, Ohio
Occupation?
I have been a busboy, US Marine, a clerk, a machinist, worked in a soap factory, framed houses, owned my own business hanging vinyl siding and have been a bartender. It took me 30 years after High School to get my Engineering degree and now I have a cushy job as a Methods/Manufacturing Engineer.
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5K: 24:53 10K: 1:04:32 HM: 2:14:02
What is your distance PR?
14 miles
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
31 miles
What’s your comfy pace?
9:30/mile
How long have you been running?
3 years
Tell us why you began running?
Because I wanted to see my son grow up and I was fat and becoming pre-diabetic. My doctor said I had to lose at least 40 lbs. I saw a flyer at the Y for a local 5K and I decided I would try to run that 5K. I used to run quite a bit while in the service, but that was a quarter century before. I trained for three months and on race day, I managed to finish with a time of 34:27, which put me right in the middle of the pack of around 150 people. I was surprised I did that well. From that first 5K, I was hooked. To date, I have run about 30 5K’s, one 10K, one HM and I have lost almost 45 lbs.
Most memorable running moment?
When I won a pair of socks for coming in 3rd (in my age group) at the 28th Annual Cleveland Run/ Walk for Hunger.
Do you have a running mantra?
“If you think it hurts now, just wait till race day.”
What time of day do you prefer to run?
I prefer to run in the morning, but my schedule only allows me to run in the afternoon…on week days.
Any big races coming up?
I am planning on the a Resolution Run (Crocker Park) on Jan 7, but my big run is the 2017 Yuengling Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach on March 19.
What are your short-term running goals?
To get my 5k time to below 22:00
What are your long-term running goals?
To run one of the big marathons like Chicago or New York. I am positive I will never BQ…well maybe when I am 80+.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Put down the fucking cigarette! I smoked for almost 35 years.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Probably speed work/intervals. I hate them.
What is your current shoe choice?
I like the Nike FS Lite Run 2. Very lightweight, but the laces suck ass.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road, track, treadmill, trail. I don’t like trail running, I am a big clumsy dork and I am approaching the days of hip breakage.
What is your ideal running weather?
45° F, overcast with no freaking wind.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
The chickenhawk from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
I also swim and bike. I am training for my first triathlon this summer. I am an amateur photog (camera of choice is my Canon Rebel T2i). I also throw darts every Wednesday night.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can juggle and I kick ass at Jeopardy.
Biggest pet peeve?
Generally, people that are oblivious to what is physically happening around them…specifically, people that walk through the front door of a store and stop right in front of the door blocking everybody behind them.
Dream job! What would it be?
Puppy wrangler.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
“Retreat? Hell, we just got here” -Marine Capt. Lloyd Williams Lucy-le-Bocage 1918
“My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.” -Pablo Picasso
“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live” -MLK
“Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds”
- Julius Robert Oppenheimer
What is your favorite movie?
I do not have a “favorite”, but if one of these movies pops up while I am watching TV, I will watch to the conclusion. The Natural Breaking Away Shawshank The Sound of Music Casablanca Field Of Dreams Hoosiers Stalag 17 Paths of Glory Fargo True Grit (the original) Dr. Strangelove Reservoir Dogs …and anything with Steve McQueen
What is your biggest character flaw?
Wow, that’s a hard one because I have so many. I have an additive personality, I am sarcastic and at times condescending, I can be extremely lazy, but if I had to choose it would be that I have no patience for those I consider idiots.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
It is probably because I have been losing my hearing but I have been listening to a lot of stuff from the Dropkick Murphys and Rage Against The Machine. Very loud.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
/r/politics, r/bicycling, r/campinggear
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
My son was born with bi-lateral cleft lip/palate and subsequently had to have a total of (so far) 6 surgeries (three before his first birthday) to repair/reconstruct his face. The plastic surgeon has done a wonderful job on my son, but there are some scars that are still noticeable. Well some kids at his school thought it would be funny to call him a “weirdo” which upset him greatly which in turn broke our (Mrs. Weirdo and myself) hearts. Well, we decided that it would be best if we all became weirdos in our house in a show of solidarity. So in our house EVERYONE is now a weirdo…even the dog. That word (and others he has endured) lost the impact that it originally had on him. So when I had to pick a name, I just chose my hometown and what we are around my house.
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and Merry Freakin' Christmas!
####Thanks for reading everyone!!!
#Please tag u/vermilionweirdo when asking a question in this thread!
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
Posted Dec 23, 2016, 12:45 PM UTC