u/Ok_Armadillo9193

It’s addicting!

I built a big base (for me) of mileage per week at a very slow pace (recovery/zone 1) for a while now. Probably around a year or so. I then started dabbling into fine tuning my speed and I was surprised at what my body could do. It was incredible.

I think I shaved off about 40 minutes off of half marathon time in a matter of weeks. I couldn’t believe that I could hold a conversation and run at a pace I once thought was impossible to hold.

That feeling is so addictive. Just wanted to share. Building a big base then fine tuning really did work for me.

I am currently overseas in New Zealand. Car rental companies here don’t allow renters to decline their basic insurance policy (which costs $0). However, one of the VentureX’s requirements to receive CDW/theft benefits is to decline the car rental company’s insurance.

I did research on other cards, including AMEX, which has a policy explicitly excluding coverage of rental cars from New Zealand—presumably for the above-mentioned reason.

Has anyone had any experience with this as it relates to Capitol One’s VentureX card?

I just really wanted to share this (I did once in the past a long time ago), but ultras really are special in ways that other distance events can’t capture.

I’m a relatively newer ultra runner, but there’s just something about the adventure of it all that’s just so alluring. And… I’ve encountered so many incredible stories of the human spirit:

A guy who was obese, lost 50KG and fell in love with ultra running. A woman who was spiraling at one point in her life and realized that running makes her feel alive. A father who wants to show his son the value of tenacity and will. An older woman who stumbled into the ultra world later on in life and smashed a 200K+ run.

Or even reflecting on my own story: someone who grew up with insecurities… who was too afraid to set goals and fail… who wanted to live life on the “safe” side… who spent most of his time playing video games as a kid and young adult… and who once had too close of a relationship with alcohol. Ultra has given me a newfound purpose in life. It’s built the mindset I need to be a better person… and helped me find my partner (who was impressed by my longest run 😆)

Preface: I don’t expect my first miler to be completely comfortable. I’ve done 100+ KM before and know that it is brutal. That being said, I’ve had some 100 KM runs that felt comfortable and I’ve had 60 KM runs that felt like an absolute nightmare.

My goal is to feel like a human at the end of the miler.

In terms of training, how would you get your body conditioned for an 100 miler in the months leading up to it? Do you throw in 100KM long runs at all? I’ve heard some people swear by no runs longer than around 50 KM to complete a miler. My goal isn’t to just complete it, but to complete it in good spirits.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hey guys - I’d love your take on this (and ideally with specific examples—even if it’s personal anecdotes).

I’m curious to know if it’s possible to reach a 2:49 full marathon time if you start training at 30 and had no background in running.

I do personally know people who go faster - who say they started running at 30… but when I ask further, they reveal they ran cross country in school… or used to run recreationally as a kid (etc.). For the purposes of this question, I mean people who have never run a day in their life and decide to start at 30.

Super curious if anyone has any insights! I understand that reaching a 2:49 is a monumental task, but I want to set my sights high. My goals are in the half marathon (but I understand this is a group about marathons, so I offered what I thought would be the equivalent of my half marathon time goal.

Current half is 1:35 on a hilly course with normal training shoes. Could likely do 1:29 on a flat course with race shoes. Improvement from 2:07 last year and 2:30 the year before). Two years of running experience so far.

I just downloaded this app today and I noticed that you can’t go past a certain weekly mileage without updating your running level.

I am an intermediate runner and I run 100-120 KM a week. In order to select an average of 100KM+ I need to change my running level to “elite.” I am not an elite runner; I am not even an advanced runner. I started running about a year and a half ago with no prior experience, just a slightly obsessive personality.

The issue with setting my level to elite is that the program will spit out some hard workouts, which I’m not interested in. I don’t want to get injured and I’d like to maintain my high mileage. It’s done wonders, like getting my HM from 2:07 to 1:35 in less than a year.

Is there any way to change the app so that lets me update my weekly mileage without changing my running level?

I went to a hospital to do a comprehensive test - it took all day. We did everything from tests on treadmills, to stomach ultrasounds, to blood tests, etc…

Most things were in a normal range, but my test level was around 1,100 and written in red. The doctor was a bit concerned and recommended I do some sort of estrogen (I don’t recall the name of the medication) to reduce my testosterone. I was confused because I thought having high testosterone was a good thing.

Is it bad to have this high testosterone? I’m in my 30s. I do exercise quite a bit, but I’ve never used any sort of drug. I’ve used protein and creatine in the past.

I am from the United States. How difficult is it to get a MEXT scholarship for a graduate school program?

I graduated from a US Ivy League master’s program, but I am looking for a career change. I also hold JLPT N1 and worked a coveted job in the US. The only thing is that I’m looking to completely change careers, which I know isn’t exactly the norm for Japanese folks.