Friday Spotlight: Chweris
It's already Friday? Where did the week go? Today we are featuring a runner who, up until now, I've not had the pleasure of chatting with. I'm always happy to be highlighting someone that frequents the subreddit who I've not gotten to know better. What I love even more is sharing the experience with others. So, let's take some time and learn a bit more about this week's Spotlight athlete. Ladies and gentlemen... u/chweris!
Let's do this...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Weilong
Age?
23
Where are you from?
Born in China, raised in Maryland, currently in Chicago.
Occupation?
I'm a graduate student, currently studying genetic counseling.
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
1 Mile: 6:47
5K: 26:47
10K: 55:51 (my only official PR)
Half Marathon: 2:08:26
What is your distance PR?
13.1 miles
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
25 miles
What’s your comfy pace?
~9:30 min/mile
How long have you been running?
I started running 12 years ago, when I was in middle school, because my mom started running, but stopped around 8 years ago when I entered high school, because I wanted to focus more on other sports. Didn't do well on those other sports, but by that time I got busy with school, and I convinced myself it was too hard to start running again. It was only late last year that I started running again, but it was really only in April or May of this year, when I discovered Strava and Smashrun that I got serious about it. (It's being able to see all of that glorious data that really keeps me going!)
Tell us why you began running?
I realized that graduate school was slowly taking over every aspect of my life, and I didn't want that to be the case. Running became that outlet to the world outside of my graduate program.
Most memorable running moment?
There was a run not too long ago where I ran with a friend of mine, and we just talked about a lot of different things. I think that hitting PRs and finishing races are awesome, but I love the human aspect of running. Being able to run with someone and have that shared space to exist is something that is really magical.
Do you have a running mantra?
I really like "Run the mile you're in." The reason I enjoy running is how meditative it is: I'm not thinking about the patients I have to see tomorrow or my thesis research, just the run. So when I'm running, it's gotta be about taking in that mile and not worrying about mile 6 when I'm at mile 2.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
Dawn. I love watching the sun rise over Lake Michigan as I'm running.
Any big races coming up?
I have a 5K this weekend and a 10K in a few weeks, but the big race is the Chicago Half Marathon in late September. I’m planning on not looking for any more races until I finish my first half. Just trying to take it one step at a time.
What are your short-term running goals?
Run the half marathon in September, build up my weekly mileage a bit more by the end of the year.
What are your long-term running goals?
Hopefully run a marathon next year, and keep training and chugging along. I also got a couple of secret long-term goals, that I don't want to tell anyone about until I have some more miles in my legs.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Keep running. Even if it's just 1 mile. Just keep that connection to running. One thing that I used to tell myself was how busy I was, how I didn't have any time for anything. It's crazy to me now, I'm way busier than I was then, and still, there's always a way to find 10 or 20 minutes a day to just go out for a quick run.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Diet. I definitely have a little bit of the eat whatever I want mentality. I've been trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet through morning smoothies and just adding more veggies into my meals, but I'm not as consistent as I would like to be. I probably eat way too much sodium and don't get enough fiber.
What is your current shoe choice?
Saucony Freedom ISO. Light blue and lime green.
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road. Unless it's thunderstorming, then I'll begrudgingly use the treadmill.
What is your ideal running weather?
Fall morning weather. 40s-50s, no humidity, and sunny!
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share?
Here is my Strava.
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Sloths. Sloths are so great.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
Eating and Cooking, mainly. I try to go see theatre as much as I can as well.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can play the piano!
Biggest pet peeve?
Walking in super crowded spaces where everyone is super slow.
Dream job! What would it be?
If money was no object, I would totally be a playwright. I studied playwriting and theatre in college and I love being able to create worlds and tell stories.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order." - Samuel Beckett
What is your favorite movie?
Castaway on the Moon - it's such a fun movie!
What is your biggest character flaw?
Anxiety and self-consciousness. It gets better when I run.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
I can usually be found complaining about Maryland sports on r/cfb/ or r/collegebasketball
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
Back in high school, I needed to come up with a name for some game and everything I came up with was already in use. I ended up slamming my hand on the keyboard and out came "chweris!"
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles.
####Thanks for reading everyone!
#Please tag u/Chweris 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 Aug 18, 2017, 11:53 AM UTC