For Nebraska Runners Only

TNB vs. Ndorfnz - Ndorfnz had the two fastest marathoners in 2009. I don't think TNB had anybody under 2:40 in 2009. Ndorfnz definately has the better female marathoners.

The gripe I have about the weather is the ice and the wind in the winter. Running in the last two weeks has pain in the ass. The summers aren't bad and the spring and fall and quite nice for running. It is sometimes a little windy in the spring.

If you can squeeze in a run before work during summer you'll find it's actually very nice around 6 - 7 in the morning. Doesn't get too hot until 9 or 10 maybe. I don't live in the Omaha area but I know in Lincoln there are some trails that are great for running, Mopac for instance. Kind of nice to stay off of sidewalks for once.

During winter its a lot harder to run, even if you don't mind the cold. Ice and snow really make it hard. Good thing about trails is they don't freeze over, but getting to them might be a problem. Past few years I've just had to resort to alternating running on a treadmill and running as long as I can bare on a 150m indoor track.

Good thing about moving to Nebraska, especially with a 2:30 marathon, is you'll easily be one of the top dogs. Not that much competition in the state.

I don't know much about Team Nebraska or ndorfnz. TNB has some solid runners and they seem to be good guys for the most part. Again, though, I don't really have much experience with either of them.

As has been mentioned, the summers are hot and humid but if you don't mind getting up early it's not too bad most days around 6-7am. Personally I've always liked running late at night in the summer, though depending on where you'll be living that may not be the best option.

Yes, the winters do suck. It is very windy throughout the winter and spring and obviously the ice and snow make life difficult as well. There are definitely occasional days when the treadmill may be necessary, but I've been able to run outside through the vast majority of each winter. It's tough but very manageable.

It can be difficult to get away from the concrete, the Wabash trail across the river in Iowa is solid though, it's maybe a 10-15 minute drive from downtown. The Mopac has already been mentioned, that is a decent option as well.

The training in Omaha is doable, but not ideal. This November was ideal for running with temps in the 40s in the morning to the 60s in the afternoons. The last 2 weeks have sucked. I don't run marathons, but think if a person were to train for a November or December marathon, Omaha would be a pretty decent place to do it. Omaha has:

Lots of hills. It is not flat.

Lots of concrete as opposed to asphalt.

Like somebody else said, we don't have anybody who ran a 2:30 from Nebraska last year. I think a couple guys broke 2:30 a few years ago but have been recovering from injury. What can you do for a 10K or a half? It will be good to have you around man.

Pros:

Lots of hills

The summers aren't unbearable

There are some great places to run, but you have to look for them. (Wabash, Zorinsky, Mo Pac)

I don't post there, but ndorfnz is a fun site

March, April, and May (if it's not too windy)

September, October, and November

Cons:

There are really any great races

There aren't many good races

There aren't any great runners

There aren't many good runners (38 minutes will win a lot of 10Ks)

The winters suck

You can only fly direct to Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Dallas

If you don't live by one of the good places to run, training can get boring fast

Way too much concrete

Des Moines is an easy two hour drive. They have 4 or 5 excellent races each year. Lincoln has a few good races too.

I moved from Nebraska 7 years ago. Best thing I ever did for my running. Summers are worse than Dallas because of the humidity. Winters don't even go there. November to April are miserable.

I live in Council Bluffs and winter running here is no worse than anywhere in the midwest. The Wabash Trace is a great resource for long runs.

Share where you are coming from and we can compare and contrast a little better.

Creighton XC wrote:

What can you do for a 10K or a half? It will be good to have you around man.

My 10K and half times are better than my marathon times. I broke 31 minutes for the 10K twice last year - once on a hilly, certified course (30:51) and once on a track (30:21). I did once half last year on a flat, fast course (1:09:02). Those were all pretty good races for me.

Stan Croft wrote:

Share where you are coming from and we can compare and contrast a little better.

Sunny southern California.

I would stay clear of Team Nebraska. Don't know much about the other group.

Where is your girlfriend going to graduate school? I've been running in the area for 8 of the last nine years year-round. Our PRs are similar (you got me by a bit :)) and I still get out quite a bit. Drop me an e-mail and I can give you more info.

The best part of Nebraska: rural Nebraska. Infinite amounts of soft dirt roads with varying terrain, is a runners paradise. But I do agree, Nebraska winters can be pretty harsh sometimes.

It's better than North Dakota

I'd suggest you go the source, you can contact Will Lindgren at runguru@cox.net. Not sure about the other contacts. You'll likely get no good direction from a message board though.

cornfed wrote:

I'd suggest you go the source, you can contact Will Lindgren at

runguru@cox.net

. Not sure about the other contacts. You'll likely get no good direction from a message board though.

I would think twice about contacting him. He has supporters in the community but also has a fair number of people who don't have a favorable impression of him.

And you can find the bulk of his distractors at www.ndorfnz.com. Take a look at that site, then compare it to the Team Nebraska site. You can kind of see where the differences lie. Not taking sides here as they both serve their purpose, just have seen so much of this baiting play out previously. Stay out of it Will.

I have never lived in SoCal but I have visited. Running from hotels always sucked for me and I had no idea where trails were. On trips to Irvine we would sometimes run around the nature preserve that is close by.

The main issue will be weather. We will be hotter in the summer and way colder in the winter. Temps can be dealt with however. The hardest part is after a big snow and you lose space on the roads and sidewalks. Definitly think about planning events around the winter.

You need to go run the ‘Bash with chas and the Creighton kids. You’ll find good info and some pretty girls.

Like anywhere, there are the goods and the bads. Many folks have already commented on that. There was an editorial in Running Times about how your training is determined by the land you have around you. Same thing in Nebraska. You get tougher by training here. SoCal is obviously a better place to run weather wise (more consistent and pleasant), but it is what you make of it.

As for competition, it is not that deep here. For some reason times are just not that fast. This is from high school level to our competitive level. This is something that I have been trying to figure out for awhile. I have some ideas though. Just the way it is. Most of our really good runners move away for most of the reasons that are mentioned as bad ones.

As far as the supposed TNB v Ndorfnz issue, well people make more of that than is actually there. There is no "versus".

From a purely factual standpoint TNB is designed as a post-collegiate opportunity to stay competitive. There are funding opportunities available for travel, lodging, etc at major race events. Ndorfnz is a team also, but not in the same sense as TNB. Ndorfnz was started an online log, but has grown into something much more. There are some great athletes on there. The issue of who runs for whom and what time they have run is irrelevant.

Hope that helps. My handle on ndorfnz is bwandzi and I also run for TNB. Hit me up if you are in Lincoln. Welcome to Nebraska