u up? Because it's time for another interview! This week we're featuring the ever helpful /u/patrick_e

How/when did you start running?

I ran my first road race when I was 10, the Steamboat Classic 4 mile in Peoria, IL. My dad ran it when I was 4 and from then on road races had this mystic allure to me. It’s got a few thousand people in it, and always brings in elites. Khalid Kannouchi won it four years in a row when he was the marathon world record holder, Tim Broe (local guy) won it when he was the steeplechase American record holder, etc.

So that got me into running from an early age. From there I was good at running in middle school (we had a grueling two-meet season, ha), and joined the XC team in high school since my brother (two years older) ran. I planned to do XC and baseball, but then I ended up being good at running, and at an inner-city school you’re going to win a lot more track meets than baseball games. So I became a runner.

What are you PRs? * 400m – :50.00 (2007) * 800m – 1:55 (2005) * 1500m – 4:13 (2006) * 3 mi – 15:52 (2001), 5k equivalent roughly 16:30 * 4 mi – high 22:XX? (2006-07?) I can’t remember exactly, but it’s somewhere in that range. * 8k (5 mi) – 27:16 (2005) * Marathon – 3:35 (2013)

I’ve never raced anything between an 8k and a marathon, but I’m planning to change that this winter/spring.

Favorite shoes to train or race in?

I like trying new things, so I’ve run in about all of the classic brands (including Avia during Avia’s early 2000s attempt to get back into the running game), but I’ve spent more time in Asics than anything else. I’m running in Asics GT 1000 and Asics DynaFlyte 1 right now (with a few runs in a pair of Mizuno Precision 12s that are like…5 years old but I never really wore).

What's your next race?

My next big race will also be my half marathon debut, running the Indianapolis Mini Marathon on May 5th. Hooray automatic PR! I’ll be running a monthly (or so) 5k between now and then just keep a gauge on my fitness and progression.

What are your goals this year?

My biggest goal for 2018 is to set a new PR in the 5k. It’s certainly a stretch goal (my first 5k back was a 23:18, now sitting on a 21:56 “rPR.”) but I think I can do it. But more on that in the next question…

As far as other 2018 goals go, of course I’ll set a PR in the half marathon just by running it, and more than anything else I just want to stay consistent. If I can spend the year up in the 60-70 mpw range, I think I’ll have a really good chance to set PRs in any event 5k through marathon between 2018-19.

Proudest running accomplishment?

Honestly I think my proudest accomplishment is the last 4-1/2 months of training I’ve done. I’m not at my fastest ever, but I’m at my smartest ever.

In high school, college, and after, I always approached running seasonally. By that I mean I ran very hard in season, rested very hard in the off-season, and generally only ran when something was making me run—either a coach or an imminent race where I didn’t want to embarrass myself. That’s why I ran my fastest high school time as a sophomore, and then plateaued.

Further, if you look at race comps, my 5k and my 8k are basically equivalent races, despite me being older, and in a college program with much better coaching and more opportunities. Why? Because I was a lazy POS, mostly. I sort of believed that I could make up for the off-seasons with a certain amount of natural talent and willingness to destroy my body to get back in shape, but the reality is I just spent 8 years of competitive running on a razor-thin edge between performance and injury. I had no base to fall back on, no aerobic conditioning. If I look at my base foot speed for the 400/800, I should have been faster at the 5k/8k. But I wasn’t, because I didn’t put in the work.

In 2013, I ran a decent marathon. But it could have been much better. I went into it with almost no base, ran hard for 18 weeks, got hurt in the middle and changed my goals, then jumped into the race too aggressive. And then when the race was over, I mostly stopped running for the next four year.

This July, after gaining 30-ish pounds (which I've now lost!) and starting to just feel really shitty about my physical self, I decided to start running again. And to do it right this time, so I can live this healthy, sustainable lifestyle that my kids can look up to, and to have some adult accomplishments that I’m proud of. Maybe it’s a weird mid-life crisis, trying to prove I can still be better than I was. Maybe it’s just growing up.

In July, I started running again and my first week was 6.5 miles. My second week was 5 miles. My latest week running was 42.7 miles. I feel really strong, I’m dropping time like crazy (pace within appropriate heart rate zones) while adding miles, I’m addressing injuries as they start to crop up (‘sup MYRTL), and I have a plan to slowly bring myself to 60 mpw and finally give myself that aerobic base I’ve never had, and see where that can get me.

I had a competitor I used to beat early in high school who got really serious one summer, started running really legit mileage, and I never touched him again. He ended up running for University of Illinois and ran some blistering times. I putzed around at an NAIA school and never really improved. I stole that opportunity from myself by having different priorities or wrong beliefs on what it took to be successful. Now I’m giving myself a chance to see what I’m really capable of, and I’m really damn proud of every single time I get up at 5 am and run a smart run with a long-term goal in mind.

What do you do outside of running?

I’ve got three kids under 5, so mostly that. That’s why I mostly run in the morning, so I get time with them and my wife in the evening. Plus then I don’t have to worry about what I eat during the day. I get awful heartburn half the time when I’m running in the evening. I don't know how you evening runners do it, I'm miserable when I don't run in the morning.

On the social side of running, I just joined our local running club, and that’s been fun. Glad to get to know some folks and invest in the social side of the hobby. Plus I won a free race entry for a half in the late spring (new member drawing), so that’s neat.

What other hobbies/interests do you have?

I’m such a serial hobbyist. And right now I’m kind of between “other” hobbies, so running is dominating my interest. A list of hobbies I’ve picked up over the last decade: drawing, cycling (road), mountain biking, weightlifting (Stronglifts, for a while), fish tanks (both fresh and salt, including coral), disc golf, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, wood-working, fishing, video gaming, homebrewing, coding, and playing guitar. I’m sure there’s others I’m forgetting. And when I say “picked up” I mean probably invested serious time and money into—bought a book, did extensive research, got the right gear, etc. My garage is basically a graveyard of hobby gear.

Stuff I’ve gotten into that’s stuck are reading, writing (though I’m on a long fallow stretch of writing), food/cooking (good food, coffee, beer, and bourbon), and fashion (I love shoes).

My most recent hobby is bird feeding, which the four year old is way into. It’s pretty neat how many different species are just out there in the back yard, and I never would have known if I hadn’t hung up a feeder and taken the time to watch.

Favorite subreddits?

Mostly here and r/running. I browse through r/news and r/politics most days to keep current, and I’ll pull up r/hiphopheads every once in a while to see what I should be listening to. And r/books or r/fantasy when I’m ready for a new recommendation.

I’ve cut way back on my reddit use in the last few months, so I’m not subscribed to very many subs right now.

Origin of your username?

It’s my name. I used to be u/vonbonbon, but I dropped that because I wanted to cut back on my posting, and anonymity is for suckers.

Strava link if you use it?

I’m pretty new to Strava, so please follow me and I’ll follow you back! I’m generous with kudos.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/23733937

I prefer the way Smashrun puts data together, but their social aspect is just worthless.

http://smashrun.com/patrick.eckhardt .

1 - Are you getting into the holiday spirit? What types of items would you put in a running advent calendar?

2 - What first brought you out of lurking and into posting on ARTC?

3 - What types of community events would you like to see in the future? Let your imagination run free.

4 - If you could track any sort of day to day data about yourself, your environment, etc., what would it be?

5 - Anything else you'd like to add?