Friday Spotlight: Karmicbias
Time for the Friday Spotlight! Let's get down to bid'nus. Show some love to this week's highlighted athlete as I introduce... u/karmicbias!
Let's roll...
###The Runner:
First Name?
Jillian
Age?
33
Where are you from?
Originally, West Virginia; currently, Pittsburgh, PA
Occupation?
Sales Enablement Manager (I do the work that helps our salespeople do their jobs)
###Running Q&A's:
What are your PR’s?
5K - 29:55,
10K - 1:08:23 (I've only ever done one, somehow - had one planned this summer but it got rescheduled and I couldn't make the new date),
10 mile - 1:50:57,
Half marathon - 2:19:02
What is your distance PR?
13.1 miles
What’s your highest recorded weekly mileage?
23 miles, in the depths of training for my 10 miler and my half
What’s your comfy pace?
Currently somewhere around 11:30-12:00.
How long have you been running?
I started running in May of 2014 when I finally got brave enough to try c25k in addition to some fairly successful and much-needed weight loss.
Tell us why you began running?
I'd lost about 75 pounds by the time I started (down just about 150 now!) and had added long walks into my routine, but they were pretty easy. So I talked myself into giving it a try. The program was a great way to ease into things, and pretty soon I was hooked. I bought my first real pair of running shoes after completing week 5 (W5D3 being the notorious 20 minute long run - that was super intimidating at the time!). I figured if I was able to do that, I could finish the program, and if I was going to finish the program and progress after that, I wanted to make sure I had good shoes.
Most memorable running moment?
Unquestionably, my first half, here in Pittsburgh, this past May. There was a moment going over the West End bridge where I could hear one of the course bands playing - it was a few kids with a saxophone, trumpet, trombone, nothing fancy - but I'm a huge band geek from way back and I felt myself tearing up a little bit, then reminded myself to use that energy to run instead. I had variations of that conversation with myself throughout the day. It felt great!
Do you have a running mantra?
Slow miles > no miles & Embrace your pace. I'm slow but I'm determined and these keep me from getting wrapped up in frustration when it starts to get me down.
What time of day do you prefer to run?
I'm an early bird by nature, and I love the quiet stillness of morning runs. I count bunnies to help pass the time! My record is 24 in 4 miles.
Any big races coming up?
Yes! I picked the Amish Country Half in Berlin, OH for my second half. It's the weekend after Thanksgiving and I've just started a 16-week training plan - so far so good! I'm also signed up for the 10th anniversary Pittsburgh Half next spring, and I hear there's this little race in Canal Fulton with a lot of strange people running... I also really want to do Ragnar eventually - road for sure and maybe a trail one, too.
What are your short-term running goals?
Run smart, and stay healthy, try to PR in November (it's a hilly course so this is probably going to be quite the challenge). Last training cycle I got injured because I was trying to do too much at once. This time I'm trying to keep myself in check and not get hurt.
What are your long-term running goals?
I've got about 15 pounds I want to (re)lose, which I'm hoping will translate to better paces overall. I've only run one sub-30 5K and I know I can bring that down considering how close I've gotten this summer even with the extra weight and the humidity. No desire (or time) to train for a full, but I've got a lot of room to grow at shorter distances.
What’s one piece of running advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself?
Start sooner, and don't be afraid to try things even if they're intimidating and seem impossible! I was 30 when I started and it's been so good for me both mentally and physically. I wish I had been confident enough to do cross country in high school, but even just losing the weight sooner would have put me in a better place to get into running earlier than I did.
What is something you need to work on to become a better runner?
Running slow enough to properly build a base. My current plan is HR based, provided by Garmin. I have to run depressingly slowly to keep that little watch happy sometimes...
What is your current shoe choice?
I'm still running in Saucony Ride 7s - it was the first shoe I was fitted with back in 2014 and I've acquired several lightly-worn pairs from eBay for $30 in the intervening years because I'm afraid new models just won't be as good for me. I keep about four pairs in rotation right now. I'm intrigued by the Ride 10s, though, and have to admit I did splurge on a pair of Brooks Launch 4s when the price dropped recently. I've had my eye on them for ages for purely aesthetic reasons, and the 2 runs I've done with them so far have been pretty good!
Trail? Road? Track? Or Treadmill?
Road and non-technical trails are love, and there's so much cool stuff to see - we have so many great ones here in Pittsburgh! I've only run on a track once, ever, so I don't really have any strong feelings about that. The treadmill is murder on my knees for some reason, and I prefer to lift when I'm at the gym, so none of that for me.
What is your ideal running weather?
50 degrees, overcast, low humidity
Do you have any social media accounts you’d like to share? [Facebook, Strava, Twitter]
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/11213487 / Blog: https://past-patiently-waiting.blogspot.com/
###Just For Fun:
What’s your spirit animal?
Kind of cliche, but it's definitely a cat.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides running?
My biggest hobby right now is probably a local showtunes karaoke group that gets together about once a month to drink and sing. It's a wonderfully encouraging group and while it's awesome if you're talented, it's even more important that you're having fun, and I appreciate that. I also like to lift, though that tends to take a lower priority when I'm training for a race. I play D&D, every other week-ish, but mostly running keeps me busy.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Not particularly!
Biggest pet peeve?
People who lack situational awareness - standing in the middle of a grocery aisle blocking everything while they have a conversation on their cell phone, that sort of thing.
Dream job! What would it be?
Conducting a symphony pops orchestra.
Favorite Quote or Poem?
Nothing coming to mind on this one.
What is your favorite movie?
I'm really bad at picking a favorite -anything-... but I will always watch The Fifth Element or Selena if I see they're on TV. I loved the movie Her, and am generally a fan of Marvel movies, Star Wars, and other nerdy miscellany.
What is your biggest character flaw?
What is this, a job interview? I really do have a tendency to be a perfectionist - if I didn't do it -exactly right- then it might as well be completely wrong. I can get fixated on that a little too easily and it doesn't always end well.
What songs have you been listening to recently?
Just got back from a big roadtrip to see the eclipse, and spent it listening to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age, some Mary Prankster, and the audiobook of The Gunslinger.
What are some of your favorite non-running subreddits?
/r/bakeoff, r/pittsburgh, r/qotsa, r/thesilphroad, r/xxfitness - and of course a shoutout to r/loseit and r/progresspics
###One Last Question:
What is the origin of your username?
I used to go by the alias Mira online - one day I wanted to log into a community's IRC channel without immediately giving myself away. I'd been away a while, and I'm a nerd, so I dropped 'Mira's back' into an anagram generator, and the rest was history!
That's it folks! Have a great weekend and enjoy the miles.
####Thanks for reading everyone!
#Please tag u/Karmicbias 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 25, 2017, 11:39 AM UTC