Friday Spotlight: Marximumrunner
Friday Spotlight time! Before we dig in, happy anniversary to all you dedicated PoGo runners! I've actually got some work to do today I'll be in and out but that doesn't mean you can't show today's featured runner some love. He's got a familiar username that most of you should recognize. So let's get to it and read a bit more about this week's highlighted community member. Ladies and gentlemen... u/Marximumrunner!
Let's do this...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Craig
Age?
36
Where are you from?
Fairfax, Virginia
Occupation?
High School Social Studies Teacher (specifically Economics and Personal Finance)
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
800 - 2:38
5K - 22:32
8K - 40:31
10K - 49:26
10 Mile - 1:26:48
Half - 1:58:11
What is your distance PR?
18 Miles (but soon it will be 20 and then by October 26.2)
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
59.3 (last week bookended by 2 14 milers)
Usually, I’m around 30-40 MPW though
What’s your comfy pace?
9:45-10:00/mi
How long have you been running?
All my life; just with more gusto in the last 6 years
Tell us why you began running?
Mental health, I was in a dark place a couple years ago and running is one of many tools that I’ve used since then to deal with life's stressors. I’ve never been a speed demon but tried really hard. In high school, I learned to hate running because they don’t make it very fun in gym class. In college, I did gymnastics and we ran during conditioning but not much else. After I started teaching, I started exercising more (specifically running) and fell in love with it.
Most memorable running moment?
Back in May, I ran a 5K and finished 3rd for my age group. Happened to be my 5K PR too. I had never placed in a race before so it was a pretty epic moment. I can still feel my finishing kick and nearly collapsing after crossing the finish line, it was great. At the same race, my 7-year-old finished her first 5K in 43 minutes. Proud dad moment.
Do you have a running mantra?
Easy-light-smooth-free
1-2-3-4; 1-2-3-4
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Spring/Summer - Mornings (5AM-6AM)
Fall/Winter - Early afternoon (3PM-4PM)
Any big races coming up?
Capital Classic 20-Miler in September (tune-up for Marine Corps Marathon)
Marine Corps Marathon in October (my first marathon!)
What are your short-term running goals?
Stay as injury-free as possible between now and the marathon
Marathon goals
a. Finish b. Sub 5 hours c. Beat Oprah d. Sub 4 hours
What are your long-term running goals?
Continue to run slower
Break 6-minutes in the mile
Break 13-minutes in the two mile/3K
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Don’t measure yourself against everyone else; go out there and keep working and trying your best. Improvement comes over time not overnight.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Running slower; running by feel instead of by numbers and beeps
What is your current shoe choice?
Brooks Launch 3/Ghost 8
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road because that’s mostly what I have to run on where I live. Shaded trails are nice though.
What is your ideal running weather?
65-70 degrees; slight breeze; small amount of cloud cover; minimum almost no humidity, early in the morning with the sun coming up on the horizon
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Dragon...they are ancient, old, wise, breathtaking. I love a dragon, I’ve got a tattoo of a three-headed dragon on my bicep.
Also, Land Dolphins
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Reading, walking my dogs, sidewalk chalk art, sketching
Do you have any hidden talents?
Sidewalk chalk art; I take a lot of pride in my pieces. I haven’t done anything in awhile and I usually sketch/draw things I find on the internet but I get a lot of great responses. Most people are drawing squares, triangles, circles and here I am drawing Mickey Mouse Ironman or Elsa from Frozen.
Biggest pet peeve?
People who create problems or issues where there were none before.
Dream job! What would it be?
I’m trying to move into school-based technology specialist. The job is to support teachers in using technology effectively for instruction in the classroom. Also, helping teachers navigate all the newly available technology and helping them not get overwhelmed.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
“You don't become a runner by winning a morning workout. The only true way is to marshal the ferocity of your ambition over the course of many days, weeks, months, and (if you could finally come to accept it) years. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.” - Once A Runner
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda
What is your favorite movie?
The Matrix - Yea the first time it was all bullet-time coolness, but all the times that I’ve watched it after and Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions were all about appreciating the philosophical and historical tones.
What is your biggest character flaw?
I can get to dialed into things (running, reading a series, watching a series, playing a video game, learning as much as possible about something, etc.) It can be good at times because I have a deep understanding of whatever it is but bad because I can lose sight on the end goal or drive people crazy by telling them all about it.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Lots of music from Anjunabeats (Jason Ross, Ilan Bluestone, Fatum/Judah, Jaytech, Andrew Bayer, Genix, Above and Beyond) have all become strong staples in my running playlist. However, I’ve been going musicless except on long runs to try and hone in better on my “run slower pace.”
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
/r/AdvancedRunning /r/Showerthoughts /r/NUFC /r/MCPE /r/Webcomics
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
MarximumRunner...well in college, I thought I was this super huge Marxist and I took a class on Marxist-Leninist Theory in History. So I just started using Marx in my gamertag/AIM name. During college, I also loved taking Ancient, Classical, Byzantine, and Islamic to Fall of Ottoman Empire History. I thought the -imum names from Classical History sounded fun so Marximum was born. Then throw runner on the end because it’s what I do in my spare time. As an aside, I am as it turns out not a full on Marxist/Socialist but you know college leads you down different paths.
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles.
####Thanks for reading everyone!
#Please tag u/Marximumrunner 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 Jul 7, 2017, 11:49 AM UTC