Maniac questionnaire Name: Steve Miller (not the band) Maniac # 1511 How many marathons / ultra marathons have you run? As of 13-Sept-2009, 14 / 0 What was the first race you ever ran? (Any distance) 7th grade track – 1600m, 800m, & 4x400m What was the first marathon you ever ran? What year did you run it? Did you have fun that day? The first marathon I *trained* for was the Mayor’s Midnight Sun in Anchorage, AK, through Team iN Training in 2003… Leading up to that, a friend & I decided to do “the first 16” of the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, since that’s how much we were supposed to run according to our training schedule. At the time, 16 would have been the furthest I’d ever run… but I ended up running the whole thing. (How could I walk off the course with all those people cheering me on???) How long have you been a runner and why did you start running? I started running again in 2008 to counteract the “sitting at a computer all day” weight gain that was slowly building up. Why did you decide to become a Maniac? Or what inspired you? I was running the 15th leg of the SinCity Hash House Harriers’ 26-person relay for the pig a week after my 4th marathon in 4 months and started talking to some of the runners around me. One of these runners mentioned the Maniacs & told me that I “probably already qualify,” so I decided to check out the site. Of all the races out there in this world, which one would you most like to run? Great Wall of China, but first I want to finish my 50 states. What was you most memorable marathon and why? “Top of Utah” in 2004 was memorable in how painful it was. I had started to develop some knee problems, and running a completely-downhill race only aggravated the situation. I ended up walking at least half of that one. If someone asked you to pick a race for him or her that they could run a PR at, which race would you suggest? Detroit and the Delaware Marathon in Wilmington are the two I PR’d at, aside from my first. The Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach is also flat and very scenic. What was the furthest you’ve ever traveled for a race? Anchorage, Alaska Do any of your non-running friends or family members think that you’re crazy for running as much as you do? What are some of their comments to you? I get the usual comments like “26 miles? That’s why we invented CARS.” or “The only way you’d get ME to run that far is if someone was trying to kill me.” If personal obligations or finances were not an issue, how many marathons would you run in one year? Right now, I like the idea of running one every 3 weeks… That way, the previous race is like the last long run before the taper leading up to the next one. From what race did you receive your favorite finisher’s medal? The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati has a pretty cool medal. Where do you keep your finisher medals? I’m still working on that. Right now, they’re in a pile on a shelf in the living room. Do you wear your race t-shirts? What do you do with the ones you don’t wear? I’m thinking of doing something with the first 50 once I’ve completed the 50 states… I’m not sure exactly what I’ll *do* with them yet, though. Maniac Yellow, or Maniac Black? I do like how the yellow stands out on the course. What is your favorite pre race meal? Post race meal? Pre-race breakfast: bowl of cereal, coffee, maybe a banana. Post race: Whatever you put in front of me. What is your energy gel of choice? Sport drink of choice? I’ve started using Chocolate9 for gel, and definitely NOT Cytomax for sport drink. My stomach cramps up every time I try to drink that stuff. Which race would you never run again and why? I enjoyed all the races I’ve run so far. (My knee pain in Utah wasn’t Utah’s fault!) Hopefully the trend continues. What was the most challenging race or combination of races you’ve ever done and why? I guess the most challenging combination I’ve done is 2 marathons within 48 hours. The second one was at a nice and easy pace, though, so it didn’t really feel that “challenging” especially by comparison since I was running with a first-time marathoner for that one. I do think it would be cool to be counted among the 10-star members here, so I might have to shoot for that once I’m done with this part-time MBA thing. What is a typical training week like for you? How many miles do you run? Any cross training? For cross training, I go to the gym sporadically. I typically run Tues, Thurs & Saturdays… 2 to 7 miles per run during the week, and 12 to 20 on Saturdays. Do you have a training partner? If so, who is it? Yes. My dog, Scotch, runs all of my training runs with me. What kind of shoes do you train in? Do you race in a different shoe? I race in the same shoes I use for training runs. Right now those are Sauconys. What are your short-term running goals? Get to that next marathon. What are your long-term running goals? 50 states, 10 stars, and I still have my eye on qualifying for Boston… As of right now, I’m 21 minutes and change away. Assuming you have time, what do you do for fun other than run marathons? Home-brewing beer, working towards part-time dual-degree masters program (MBA and MS in Quantitative Analysis) Who is your favorite Super Hero? Superman, Wonder Woman, Main Maniac (with cat on head), non Maniac Beauty? The entire X-Men series is cool. I was never into comic books, but these movies have made me want to read the whole back stories. I like how they try to show the villain’s point of view, too. |