Friday Spotlight: Docbad32
What's up peeps?! It's Friday and that means it's time for the Friday Spotlight. Today we've got a name that a lot of you will recognize. Some of you may remember his Cactus to Cloud 50k Race Report from a few weeks ago. Others might know him by the commenting he does in this subreddit. A pretty hilarious guy, I'm going to get a chance to run with him in just less than a month and I'm super excited that we'll be spending the day together cranking out the miles together. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you this week's featured runner, u/Docbad32!
Let's rock and roll...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Dustin
Age?
35
Where are you from?
Las Cruces, NM
Occupation?
Agricultural Finance
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5K – 22:15
10K – 49:52, from my HM PR
Half Marathon – 1;47:33
Marathon – 4:03:59
What is your distance PR?
32.5
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
61 miles, but I should be topping out at 70 in the next couple weeks.
What’s your comfy pace?
9:39 min/mi.
How long have you been running?
I started C25k on 6/1/2015. I had attempted it a few times in the years before, but never made it past week 4 or 5. I did run the 800m in sixth grade. I came in dead last and people were wondering around on the track before I was done because they thought, and rightly so, the race was over.
Tell us why you began running?
I kind of knew I would like running, if I could ever stick with it. So once I dropped the weight, I knew I needed something for exercise. I despise going to the gym so I gave running a real effort. Turns out it’s a lot more enjoyable at a more normal weight and a non-gasping speed.
Most memorable running moment?
Because I’m a relative noob, it seems like my most memorable running moment happens at the last race. I just completed a gnarly 50k, and that was awesome, but my first ultra DNF was probably the most memorable. That day, I learned exactly how weak my mind was and how a bad thought repeated can destroy you. It really sucked on that day, but in hindsight, it may have been for the best. Plus I have an excuse to go back and kill it this year.
Do you have a running mantra?
I like to say “keep running, asshole” in the voice of Dark Helmet. I also like “when it hurts to walk, run.”
What time of day do you prefer to run?
In a perfect world, it would be at 7am. Unfortunately, I start work at 6:30am, so it usually happens at about 4:30am. I’m in the process of moving some of my runs to lunch time and afternoons so I can get better at heat stuff, but afternoons are hard. My job sucks and after sitting there all day listening to turd after turd, I usually want to veg out at home.
Any big races coming up?
Eagle Up 24 hour! It’s going to be a lot of fun to meet up with some friends and torture ourselves for 24 hours. After that is redemption at the Mt. Taylor 50k and maybe the Franklin Mountains 50k in November.
What are your short-term running goals?
Basically to be injury free. I’ve been sort of lucky with injuries. I’ve never had anything take me out for more than a week, but I’ve also never been fully healthy. Always some nagging thing that isn’t bad enough to stop running. It would help if I did literally any kind of cross training or strength stuff. So yeah, my short-term running goal is to do other stuff besides running, to help with my running.
What are your long-term running goals?
All roads lead to the epic 100 milers. Hardrock, Leadville, Western States, UTMB, etc.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
It’s probably a tie between slow down and eat less.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Strength stuff. If I could put in just a little time doing strength stuff, it would make me a much better, and healthier runner. But my recliner is so comfy and these donuts are not going to eat themselves.
What is your current shoe choice?
Most of my shorter road miles are done in New Balance Zante v1, but they’re almost dead. Shorter trail stuff is done in Altra Lone Peak 3.0, New Balance Gobi, or Altra Olympus 2.0. Long stuff is mostly Altra Paradigm 2.0 and Altra Olympus 2.0. I also have like 4 other pair I sprinkle in there. I like shoes.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
I usually do weekdays on the roads and weekends on the trails. The next month will be almost all roads as I prepare for Eagle Up, but trails are preferred. No drivers! Birds and wild animals! The best. I don’t really do treadmills. I’m not a member of a gym and don’t have a lot of access to them. Last time I tried a treadmill, I lasted 5 minutes and felt like a baby deer just learning to walk.
What is your ideal running weather?
60F with a slight cross breeze and a cloud that comes and goes, giving shade when I want it and sunlight when I don’t. Ideal, right?
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Steve. He is the best old man boy in the world.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Before I started running I was pretty good at golf. I don’t play much anymore because it costs the same as a new pair of shoes and I like shoes. I also used to play in several bands around the area, but this town’s music scene has become god awful and it’s not worth the effort. Plus the rock life and 4:30am runs don’t mix well. So now it’s just private shows for my children. We sing a lot of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Disney songs.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can whistle while making a raspberry noise with my lips and it sounds pretty close to a cricket. It’s hidden because it’s dumb, but small children marvel at it.
Biggest pet peeve?
I’ll try to keep this short, as my complaining about assholes is never ending. Drivers stopping in crosswalks instead of at the line. Cars parked on the sidewalk. People who don’t take their carts to the corral at the store. People who use the fast checkout lane with more than 20 items. People who fly down the lane that is ending and merge at the last second. ETC.!!!
Dream job! What would it be?
I’ve never really had a dream job. I have never known what I want to be when I grow up. I guess if someone would pay me to run, travel, play guitar, play golf, and hangout with my family that would be cool. So lottery winner, I guess. Also being a “Trail Coordinator” for a musician, like the guy Ben Gibbard has, seems like a cool job.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
"In a way, all of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be the actual El Guapo!” – Lucky Day
What is your favorite movie?
It’s a tie between Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back. Empire is the superior film, but without Star Wars, there is no Empire. Plus, laser guns and light sabers!
What is your biggest character flaw?
I’m an asshole and sometimes I can say just the meanest shit. Running has really helped because now all my wrath is focused at drivers that do dumb shit. Hopefully they never hear some of the stuff I yell at them, but really it’s their own fault for being shitty drivers.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
I have a 6 hour playlist that I listen to. I add some stuff here and there, but it’s basically been the same for a while. Here are the first 5 songs on shuffle. “Alone” by Heart. “Seven Nights in Eire” by Reckless Kelly. “Hay Loft” by Mother Mother. “Thug Luv” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Tupac. “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meat Loaf. Also Hamilton. Lots of Hamilton.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
I don’t get out of the running subs much. r/trailrunning is basically the only one I’m kind of active in. I usually only Reddit at work, so I try to keep to the safe subs.
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
A buddy and I used to play the shit out of Deon Sanders Prime Time Football on Sega. You could create and play as your own player. My nickname has been Doc since I was born. (It’s short for Doctor Doo Doo, in case you were curious.) So when I created my player I named him Doc Bad, because he was a bad mothereffer, and his number was 32. Later that year I got my first internet account. It’s been docbad32 ever since.
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles.
####Thanks for reading everyone!
#Please tag u/Docbad32 when asking a question in this thread.
Previously Featured Spotlight Runners:
ATTENTION READERS!
I've been getting some more messages recently from a lot of people asking to be featured in the Friday Spotlight Thread. My response to them is the same every time. I do not get to personally choose who is chosen for each thread. With exception to Palindrome27 (which I randomly chose to get this started), every runner thus far has been selected by the person before them. It's one of the perks of getting nominated. There is no list of names. No spreadsheet with columns of people. Nothing. So for those confused, users like Philpips was chosen by Despoena. Despoena was chosen by Craigster38. So on and so on. You get the idea. Doing it this way eliminates the hassle of having to personally pick someone every week. This keeps me neutral. Some of you have expressed your opinion (via PM) on who's been featured this far claiming that I have only chosen runners who are fast, have been running for a while, or compete in longer distance races. Quite frankly, you're wrong. Just browse the table of previous athletes above and you'll see that a wide variety of runners have been on display. Being chosen is simply luck of the draw. There is zero favoritism here. Each featured runner gets to personally pick someone they find interesting. I apply no pressure to the runners to pick a particular skill level of runner. This is the beauty of the process. If you want to be featured, you can up your chances of being chosen by being an active member of the subreddit. Comment as much as possible. Submit quality content. Provide as much as you can as a runner to help keep this community growing and I'm certain your efforts will not go unnoticed. Just keep tuning in and making friends and eventually it'll pay off if you want to be featured. Thank you.
Posted May 26, 2017, 11:55 AM UTC · edited