Does anyone else name their training runs?
This is something me and my mates used to do so we could plan over the phone (pre-email days) which run we would do that evening.
My favourite was the "fatman 7" named after a heated dispute with a rather large gentleman and his very unfriendly dog occured on a certain route we used to do. Although I no longer live in the area my Dad still does. The fatman 7 is still one of my favourite runs and I do it every time I go to visit my Dad.
Absolutely,
I have 'the bends' which is a lap i use on tempo runs owing to a part of the course thats bendy but it always because i've exhasuted myself on that course so often that i get 'the bends'.
I also have a run i call the 'shithouse' coz its bring me past the sewage works.
I also have bitch if a hill that i run reps on that i call 'Calgary'.
Didnt Cerutty name his dune hills after runners who excelled on them? Think he had an 'Elliot' hill. Also Coghlan had a 1k loop in Dublin on which he ran reps through the winter of 79/80. He simply called it 'Moscow'.
lactic valley
the chippie run
the mad animals route
Lollypop loop
Cow loop
Frog bridge loop
Circle drive (500m interval cul-de-sac)
If I run it regularly it gets a name, sometimes as simple as the name of the street (Circle Drive) or something describing where it goes (Cow loop, past a cow pasture).
My favorite is Possum Stomp run, where my team was running and a buddy of mine stepped all over a smushed dead possum carcass, thus "Possum Stomp".
Well, there's a 3-mile loop in my neighborhood where my mother used to walk every day, so now it's called "Mom's Walk" by many.
Then there's a friend of mine named Maughon who came up with some difficult, hilly courses at Reflection Riding at the base of Lookout Mountain. We've got the Maughon Challenge, Maughon Classic, and Maughon Invitational so far. More may come...
Jake
Frank
Bob
We also had a 3 mile loop we used as a time trial called the 180 loop. It was named after the Nike Air 180 shoes that we all had at the time and we all happened to be wearing them the first day we did it. Pretty sad really when I think about it but in our defence we were young.
They were a great shoe by the way and were discontinued far too quickly for my liking.
Some of my personal favorites:
Cow Patties (Boulder, CO)
BumUnderOverPass (Davis, CA)
Sheep Barnes (Davis, CA)
Flex Loop (Boulder, CO)
We have a flat loop really close to our track that is a mile long. We do almost all of our tempo running on it.
Her name is Francine. She gets around.
Then there is another 2 mile loop that our GA measured while he was with his young daughter Autumn.
Thus, Autumn's loop.
I have one called "Vomit Hill" ;-)
Sunday morning group run (meets at local McDonald's) - "Hammerfest" - so named because the original intent was a long, steady distance run. About 9 miles into the run we enter a hilly area off of Bayou Texar...where some of the 'boys' would decide to pick up the pace.
Other than that, "Airport loop," "Seville," and a few other descriptive names (area where the route is located).
There was a XC coach at the HS where I student taught that had all their loops named after types of sharks...which just so happened to be their mascot.
- The Outback
- Washington Loop
- "Crazy Eights"
- The Forest
Swamp-thing
...and since I am at it....I name my deer stands too.
- Showtime
- The Condo
- The Threeway Freeway
- The Slider
etc........ha
Poppasquash (you won't guess why)
Resevoir (you will guess why)
Arco (even though the gas station closed over 10 years ago and is a Dunkin Donuts now)
Mystery Run (My team only does it every 4 years so noone knows where they are going)
Most are dull - being named after either a road or landmark - but they all have names.
Lets see we have black dog, named after a black dog we always see on the run, diamond because thats the shape the roads of the route form, 10k loop, because its longer than six miles but shorter than 6.5, y9-6, i don't know why its called that but its approx, 9.6 miles, canton tech because we run through canton tech, town loop which goes through the town our college is in. At home I have the state hospital loop, ten miles through the old new york state psychiatric hospital in ogdensburg, ny.
When I ran for Haverford College back in the 80's we had "The Loop of Pain." Very large hills in Manayunk area of Philly.
My High School XC team has been running the same courses for over 30 years. They're all named primarly for the roads or the places you pass
Woodhaven
Claredon
Knights
Byberry ( for the old mental hospital)
Holy Family
There's one called the Morning Course, but in my 4 years the only time I ever ran that course in the morning was on my own duing the summer.
Land's End
Strawberry Hill
CP
Big Square
Sheep Barns
South Levees
Airport
Cactus Corner
North Horses
Sutters Landing
Watt Loop
Milfside Run
Neptune
The Ranch
I have always named my training runs for several reasons. 1) It makes it easier to track in my training diary. 2) We usually run as a group. If we leave "on time" and someone shows up late a note saying that we are on substandard housing makes it easier to find us than saying left at "3pm going right on central, left on miller, left on madison, etc. If someone shows up late they know where to cut across and find us. 3) I coached at a college and leaving a note on my door that says "SEVEN GUYS ON DORY AT 3PM BACK IN AN HOUR" get lots of notice.