This or That: Running Survey

Happy Sunday, everyone! I took a break from my regular Survey Sunday post last weekend, but I'm back in survey action this week. It was another L-O-N-G work week, but it was also so good. I'm reminded over and over again how lucky I am to get to do what I love every single day. It's Sunday, and I'm not dreading Monday, and that's not something everyone can say.

It helps, though, when you have sunshine-filled spring weather in the middle of February, and you get to spend a beautiful afternoon with your pup by your side.

But now, I've got a few things to cross off my list. Namely, a loooong run! So here's a short but sweet running survey for your Sunday enjoyment.

1. 5k or a marathon?
Marathon. 5k’s are pretty difficult for me because I’m not great at getting my speed up that quickly. Once I hit my stride, longer distances are my jam.

2. Flat race in the heat or hilly race in the cold?
After having firsthand experience with a flat race in the heat, I’m going with a hilly race in the cold.

3. New running shoes or a new running outfit?

New running shoes. Always.

4. Run a marathon without headphones or Garmin?
Run a marathon without my Garmin. While that would make my running coach shake his head at me, I don’t think I could survive 26.2 miles without something to listen to. While I obviously wouldn’t know my pace without the Garmin, I could probably pick someone to keep up with throughout the race.

Always with headphones

5. Race because of the convenience (location, price, travel) or the swag?
I really love to travel for races, so I’ll take that over the race swag. I’m not sure that was an option, but I’ll take the race experience over any of the t-shirts I may acquire.

 

DC

6. PR but result in an injury or finish strong and missing a PR?
I’ll definitely take the strong finish over a PR and an injury. Not being able to run is the worst.

7. 100 squats or 100 push ups?
100 push-ups because my upperbody is extremely weak. My legs don’t need any additional love.

8. Run alone or run with a group for every run of an entire training cycle?
Run alone. I love the camaraderie that races bring, but I am very much a solo-runner. I've always preferred getting lost in my own thoughts and finding my own pace rather than using that as time to chat with my friends. I've shared before that running is my "me" time - it keeps me sane after a day of nonstop interaction with other people.

9. Treadmill for an hour or run around the same street block for an hour?
I could probably suck it up and run on the treadmill for an hour, despite the fact that I don’t love the treadmill. Unless I was doing some sort of speed work, there is no way I could maintain my sanity while running around the same street block for an hour.  

10. Ragnar Relay or Marathon Relay team?
I’ve never done a Ragnar Relay, and I think I would really enjoy something like that in a crazy, twisted sort of way. Sign me up!

11. Run with a blister the whole time or a side cramp the whole time?

Blister. Side cramps are the worst, and I would guess that at some point the blister would probably burst and I wouldn’t feel it any longer.

12. Come in 4th in the Olympics or 1st in NYC marathon?
This is definitely dreamland, isn’t it? You guys know that I am obsessed with all things Olympics, so I’ll go with just missing a medal at the Olympic Games. I would love the opportunity to represent my country, and I wouldn’t hate meeting some of the other Olympians.

13. Give up running for a 3 years to get a BQ or never BQ but run as much as you want?
Oh man. What a QUESTION. Obviously, getting a BQ is the ultimate goal right now. That would make all of this training more than worth it. And I think if I got a BQ, I could occupy my time with other workouts that I had neglected in order to get that BQ. Though, that is definitely easier said than done. Not being able to run for THREE years would present a whole new set of challenges.

And with that, I'm off to do something productive. Catch y'all one night this week - hopefully!