Friday Spotlight: JonnyHydra
Hey-hey peeps! It's Friday and it's Spotlight time. Let's get rolling and find out who we're dealing with and what makes them so unique. As usual today's athlete seems like a pretty cool cat, is rather creative and definitely someone I could see sharing a few runs with. So getting right to it, let me introduce... u/JonnyHydra!
Let do this!
###The Runner:
First Name?
Jonny.
Age?
45
Where are you from?
Southern Ontario, Canada.
Occupation?
The Beerstore.
###The Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
1k - 3:58
1 mile - 7:09
5k - 24:55
10k - 51:14
Half-Marathon - 1:51:06
What is your distance PR?
23k
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
100k
What’s your comfy pace?
I love to settle into 5:30km
How long have you been running?
Since March 2016.
Tell us why you began running?
I quit drinking, lost 50 (pounds calorie counting), and I had developed what was becoming an unmanageable amount of excess energy. No amount of sit ups, push ups or mountain biking was doing it for me. One day I just started running with my dog Dude when I’d throw his ball in the park beside my house; which just so happened to be 1k round. It just started as simple as that. 1k at a time with my dog, running everyday till Dude couldn't keep up. (Hes 8, so he gets tired after 5k.) Then I started going to the park without Dude. Id set personal goals and take them very seriously. Running alone in the early mornings and after work, until I hit a comfortable 100k a week. But after months of running in the same park I felt like I was running in a cage. So now I run around this tiny, 2 streetlight town that I’m living happily ever after in.
Most memorable running moment?
Running in Venice, at sunrise. The streets are empty except for a handful of locals opening shops & a few runners. Besides that it’s just the soft echo of your feet and the odd clang of a church bell. Running through alleys, over tiny bridges that lead into long narrow corridors that open into wide empty courtyards of full of churches back into another ally. It was like running in a dream, even my memories of it don't feel real. Luckily, I took a few videos on my phone.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLUaatQD5G3/?taken-by=jonnyhydra
Do you have a running mantra?
“I can do this all day.”
It’s a line from the Captain America films. He always says it when he’s on the ropes to embolden himself and intimidate his opponents.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Early morning before sunrise. I love watching the moon go down and the sun come up. We live in the country. I love the silence, and watching all the wildlife wake up.
Any big races coming up?
Dunnville Mudcat Marathon. It'll be my first race. It’s a new race in a small town close to where I live, and it’s on the weekend on my birthday. (also..Bonus: the town has a giant statue of a Catfish!) I really wanted to do the full but I’m gonna step back and do the half to be safe while I’m still technically recovering from my Hernia surgeries.
What are your short-term running goals?
There are now two annual marathons that are BQèrs very close to my home. So I am going to spend the next few years training for and running in these races until I get a time I'm comfortable with.
What are your long-term running goals?
To run in a few of the major races, and I would love to run in Central Park again. To BQ before I’m 50. But mostly just to run everyday, pain free till Im 80.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Run everyday, but you do not need to give your 100% every time you run. Slow down your pace by 1 minute and you won’t hurt yourself so damn much. Recovery is just as important as running. So take it just as seriously.
(Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing, you marry a smoking hot Redhead!)
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Speed work. I dread it, but my future is going to depend on it if I want to keep moving forward as a runner. There is one hill in my town and so far I have avoided it like the plague.
What is your current shoe choice?
Hoka Challengers. I feel goofy wearing them but damn are they comfortable.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
My daily run is a combination of roads and trails along a river.
What is your ideal running weather?
10 °C . Cloudy, bit of sun. Shoes, shorts and a shirt. I could run forever at that temp.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share?
I have an Instagram, but its mostly just strava screenshots, photos of my dog and food.
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
A Boston Terrier.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
My wife and I have ongoing art project we started 10 years ago.
While on our honeymoon, there was a toy show going on at a nearby hotel. So for fun bought a stormtrooper helmet, and just started taking photos of ourselves with it to make each other laugh. Documenting our marriage as two stormtroopers in love. My favourite has been sneaking it into art galleries, like the Louvre, LACMA,MOCA... We've taken it with us everywhere we've gone for over 10 years now.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I make furry monster heads. and I like to repair broken singing fish like (Big mouth Billy bass) that I find in thrift shops. I fix them and give them away to friends who like to fish.
Biggest pet peeve?
My neighbor has a 2 car garage, a driveway that can hold 4 cars, but he still parks his car in front of my house. I mean like WFT Bob?
Dream job! What would it be?
Intergalactic bounty hunter or a Space Pirate.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
It's kinda embarrassing, but I memorized that Rocky 5 speech so I could practice running at a conversational pace while alone:
Lemme tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you can hit, it's about how much you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.
What is your favorite movie?
Harold and Maude.
What is your biggest character flaw?
I've been told I can be a bit obsessive.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I listen to Tool to get me out of the house https://youtu.be/CKux8kG6qBo
But I prefer soft acoustic music when I run.
My go to running playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/redandjonny/playlist/6ZSYVnUIZ3QxWSUNw2rPCG
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
r/foodporn Ever since I lost weight, I have loved looking at food. I sometimes just dreamily stare at real cakes in the bakery dept at the grocery store.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
Since I was 20, my actual nickname has been Jonny. The only person who calls me by my real name is my mother. My wife didn't even know my real name until after we were engaged. Though TBH, I didn't know her real name either, she’s a redhead who everyone calls Red. And... I have a HYDRA symbol (the badguys from captain america films) tattooed on the back of my neck.
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles!
####Thanks for reading everyone!!!
#Please tag u/JonnyHydra when asking a question in this thread!
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
Posted Jan 6, 2017, 12:52 PM UTC