Friday Spotlight: Beardedtrogon
Happy Friday! Today's featured runner has a great history with the subreddit and is one of the more memorable characters I've seen. His completion of Boston under unusual circumstances and his interest in ultras has had me curious about him for quite some time. A man of many facets, hopefully you'll find something interesting about him too. Ladies and gentlemen... u/beardedtrogon!
Let's do this...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Aadu
Age?
24
Where are you from?
Seattle, WA
Occupation?
Penguin Researcher/Engineer
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
Uhh I don't keep track of these very well.
1 Mile - 4:47
5K - 16:45
Marathon - 2:50:51
50K - 5:29
What is your distance PR?
Probably the 50K. I have a "long" 50K coming up in August which should be closer to 34 miles
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
Low 60s
What’s your comfy pace?
Around 7:15-7:30
How long have you been running?
Started in 3rd grade P.E.
Tell us why you began running?
Hah. In 2nd grade P.E. I ran a 15 minute mile and felt really shitty about it. I was slightly overweight too. So I started running with my dad from time to time and then ran a 6:45 the next year.
Most memorable running moment?
I have so many. One would definitely be the extra mile I had to run in the Santa Rosa marathon. Still managed a 2:56 overall. The other would probably be running Boston in a sling and crossing at 2:58. That one was super painful. I wrote race reports for both of them.
I have a lot of great racing memories, but some of the best ones might also be from when I lived in Switzerland. Running through the Swiss Countryside outside of Lausanne at 5 AM was magical.
Do you have a running mantra?
When shit gets rough, I think of the characters of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. The guy wrote about addiction, withdrawal, depression, pain, loneliness, etc so well. Some chapters were brutal because you could almost feel the pain the characters were going through.
So when I'm hurting bad, I tell myself "Hey, at least you're not Poor Tony going through heroin withdrawal". I breath in through my nose, out through my mouth, and push on.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Early mornings are the best time to run. But, usually I end up having to run during lunch time.
Any big races coming up?
Volcanic 50K around Mt St Helens on August 5th.
What are your short-term running goals?
I want to get under 7:00 for the Volcanic 50K. That's what ultrasignup has me projected at... Ideally I'd like to get closer to 6:30 but I haven't been able to train super well these past couple of months.
What are your long-term running goals?
Just to name a few: Win a 50k, 2:40 in the marathon, sub 24 in Western States.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
"Slow down stupid" and "Run for yourself, not others"
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Devoting more time to the sport. My weekly mileages have gone down considerably and I can't put in the 50-60 mpw that I need to get to the next level. I want to figure out how to balance my work and running better so I can do so.
What is your current shoe choice?
Newton Kismet II
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
I love trails. I've been trying to make the transition from road to trail, but I still have a long way to go. I told myself that I would take the transition seriously after completing Boston.
What is your ideal running weather?
High 50s with a drizzle. Although I'm not a fan, I do tend to compete well in hotter weather.
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
This is my flickr account. I'll try to post some cool penguin photos when I'm down in Patagonia for 6 months
https://www.flickr.com/photos/145565183@N07/
No other accounts at the moment. I need to get on Strava eventually. I'm sure you can find me on FB though
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
The Resplendent Quetzal. I'm an amateur birder and I've traveled to many countries just to watch/photograph birds. I have a few birds that really stuck out to me, but I think the Quetzal was my favorite by far. I even got a tattoo of one on my body
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
As I mentioned before, birding. That's partly the reason why I'm working for the Penguin Sentinels lab at UW. I also dabble in nature photography and have slowly been working on that. I read a fair amount, which helps appease the introvert in me. And also wilderness backpacking. I'm heading out to Glacier NP for a week of solo trekking, that should be fun :)
Do you have any hidden talents?
I chug beer pretty damn well. Bird IDing probably goes in this category
Biggest pet peeve?
I don't have a ton, I'm pretty chill. But I can't deal with people who "don't care about politics". It impacts everyone and everything around them
Dream job! What would it be?
I was a computer engineer working for a product design firm when I started volunteering for the Penguin Lab. I really want to start an engineering NGO/non-profit where engineers can work for research institutions and charge them subsidized rates. That way, we'd be able to work toward issues we are passionate about and that can help others/the planet.
If I can't do that, I'd like to be a Nat Geo photographer specializing in birds
Favorite Quote or Poem?
“And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.” - East of Eden.
What is your favorite movie?
Cool Runnings or Rush Hour 1. Sue me
What is your biggest character flaw?
Communication with people I care about. It's something I'm trying to work on and get better at.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Lord Huron's Strange Trails Album
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
r/books, r/CampingandHiking, r/nfl, r/whatsthisbird, and I'll throw in r/Tinder and r/BlackPeopleTwitter for being hilarious
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
The trogon is a member of the same family as the quetzal. They're really beautiful birds that I try to find whenever I'm in Latin America. I've dubbed myself the "bearded" trogon
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles.
####Thanks for reading everyone!
#Please tag u/beardedtrogon 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 21, 2017, 11:40 AM UTC · edited