I just finished writing out my race report for myself, so I figured I would do one here with some of my dumb mistakes mixed in for raffs. And the internet is forever, so I will be able to find this 20 years from now.
Swim - The swim at Chattanooga is easily as hilarious as NC. Beyond the fact that it is point to point, it seems the current is almost always there. Seems like we had a decent current. I am not a strong swimmer compared to bike and run. I stayed mostly within the buoys and pooped out a 34 at an RPE of almost -5. My strategy for this portion of the race is always to use the least amount of energy possible - as I progress here, I am starting to revisit this.
T1 - This is where the LOLs start. I was so focused on not being stressed out in the morning, I forgot to memorize the bike rack situation. Or bike in or run out, and any of that. I could not find my bike. So that took me like 3 minutes. Hilarious mental error there. Noting of course I have my number on my wrist. But the racks were long AF. Anyhow, two engineering degrees and a law degree later I found my whip. Tits jacked.
Bike - As others have posted, this was some thunder dome level shit. I knew going in it was going to be wild, but man it was more than I expected. Took some measured risks as the source of revenue for my family, passed a few cars, did not kill self, and hit my numbers right in the middle. Also took in all my nutrition and fluids. Tits firmly jacked and at attention now. Was seriously concerned for the people that went down, but I couldn't do anything about that at this point.
T2 - Lost again somehow. Seriously, WTF? ROFLCOPTERING my way through that I finally find my bike rack spot. Transition slow AF again, and I leave with what I expected is a huge MASSIVE cushion of time to go under 5.
Run - This is where I start completely shitting the bed. Like some trainspotting stuff here for those my age. I came into this race with a little bit of a run injury, so my form was also not perfect, but that wasn't all of it. I hit the first porta potty on the run up over the hill near-ish the aid station for mile 1, which I needed. Like garden hose level stuff - time well spent, and normal for me at this distance.
I just managed the whole run so poorly - all of it. And the whole time I was convincing myself I had so much head room. I also convinced myself I needed to hit that porta potty again on lap two, so I didn't have a pissing distraction, which turned out to be fake news costing me probably 40-50 seconds. I also did not take in anywhere near enough fluid from the aid stations on the run. Overall heat management would have been better with more water on board. I totally failed my level of fitness overall here.
At some point I realized I was not going to go under 5, but instead was going to miss it by like 1-3 minutes. By then, there were not enough Hondas to sell to make my numbers and I was totally fooked, and I then started cracking. Walked a lot more than I should have.
100% missed sub 5 by exactly 1-3 minutes and was not at all toasted. Hilarious. Walked back to the hotel, took a shower. Did not take a dump, so I managed that morning of pretty well. So at least I had that.
Post Race: I am originally from Florida, so wife and I went to Publix and I tried to get a chicken finger sub. Even that didn't work out, and I ended up tossing the second half. It was just not my day. Then got my shit and drove wife to a Dollywood resort hotel, which turned out to be kinda rad (true story). Wife went to Dollywood for 2 hours. I then proceeded to drink some high test Tennessee Cider and shitty wine I found at a liquor store near the hotel without my ID because my wife had my wallet. Realized after I should have gotten some shine - those that know, know. Drove back to DC today.
Conclusion: They really do need to cut the number of bibs down by probably 1000, and close the bike course to car traffic if the community is willing do that. I would come back with fewer bibs out there and no closing of the bike course to car traffic, but I am also willing to accept a lot more risk than most. The bike course was not safe yesterday IMHO as somebody that has a motorsport background. I am surprised we did not have more serious incidents.

Hi! I'm a moderately capable DIY homeowner, but I'm just getting started in doing some plumbing improvements and need some guidance. Task at hand is rebuilding the input section to replace some PVC, get better valves in place, add a water softener and whole house filters, and an auto-shutoff. To do so, I'm building a plumbing panel in the garage near the softener location with valves, filters, etc. I want it to look decent, last forever, and be usable for the next owner as well. I'm planning to use copper piping and propress fittings.

• For a normal ball valve, which I'll have a few of, I was looking at a Viega model. The listing at HD says it's for potable applications, but Viego says its for non-potable. So...what should I be getting here? Are there other brands or styles I should look at instead? Also, these feel a little expensive. I'm okay with it, but I'll have several of these to provide bypasses and such, so is there something better? BTW, only reason I'm looking at HD is because I can return things easily.
  
• For connections to a water softener, is the normal thing to just provide threaded fittings that are then attached to the water softener with flexible appliance hoses, like a washing machine? That allows some movement for the softener and also compatibility with future softener variations. Internet seems to suggest this is maybe a DIY-oriented solution. Or should I hard plumb everything in? What would a pro do?
  
• It's been suggested to me to put a pressure gauge before and after the filter stages so I'll have some insight into how clean the filters are and when to replace. Does this advice check out? Any guidance on what to get for a pressure gauge?
  
• I see ball valves with drain openings. Do these just allow air in behind the water to fully drain it? Any increased risk to having these? I'm thinking that would be a good idea for the shutoff to my exterior bibs so I can drain that whole section for winter.
  
• City water seems to come into the crawlspace on PVC, then runs across the ground, in all sorts of inconvenient places, switches to Pex, then through the wall to the garage, etc. I want to just replace that with copper attached to the floor joists where it should be, but I don't expect to dig up the yard. So, can I just have the PVC come through the foundation wall, maybe a put a shutoff valve there (as a backup, mostly) and switch to copper to run across the house and into the garage? If so, what do I need to make the PVC-copper transition.? I know sharkbites will do this, but what would a pro use here?
  
• I'm putting up a plywood sheet on the wall to mount everything to. What do I use to hold pipe sections and/or valves to the wall? It's like I need a standoff of some sort, but I can't quite find what I think should exist to do this.
  
• Other general advice on my task here would be appreciated as well.
  

Race Information

• Name: Cleveland Marathon
• Date: May 19, 2024
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Website: https://www.clevelandmarathon.com/
• Time: 3:39:xx

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	3:05:00	No
B	3:10:00	No
C	3:30:00	No

Splits (roughly)

Mile	Time
1	7:02
2	7:01
3	7:09
4	7:10
5	7:04
6	7:10
7	7:48
8	7:35
9	7:22
10	7:30
11	7:17
12	7:22
13	7:47
14	7:56
15	8:17
16	8:15
17	9:09
18	8:39
19	8:49
20	9:47
21	10:09
22	9:46
23	10:05
24	10:11
25	11:23
26	9:46

Training

29 M Pfitz 18/55 This was my first road marathon and my first planned training block I have ever done. My ultimate goal this year is to qualify for Boston so I can cross it off my bucket list and go back to trail running. I finally got a spot in the Chicago marathon this fall so I was planning on using this block/race as a stepping stone to get me ready for a 2:55 or below in Chicago. I had figured I could get into 3:10 shape for Cleveland, so that’s the goal time I set back in Jan of this year. I used that goal time for my pfitz training paces for the entire block. The training went well, and I adjusted the plan slightly to meet my needs. I work from home and can get most of my runs in during my lunch hour. With small kids at home, I did everything I could to not take away any family weekend fun. My schedule roughly turned into:
Monday – Workout
Tuesday - General aerobic
Wednesday – Med Long Run
Thursday – Recovery/Easy
Friday – Long run (don’t tell my boss)
We are usually very active on the weekends, but I would try to get an extra run on the treadmill for 30 minutes every Sunday as a “shake-out” for my Monday workout and a way to get a couple extra miles in. I was able to get into a groove and hit almost every workout on mileage and pace. I ran a half marathon week 12 at 1:31. A 10k time trial week 14 – 41m and then another 10k time trail week 16 where I managed a 39:45. My 18 mile LR with 14 mile MP was smashed. Really just felt like I nailed everything. Loved the plan, 10/10 would recommend. The book has so much great info in it as well.

Pre-race

My taper went well, Pfitz has a 3 week taper and based on some research (reading reddit threads, letsrun pages, talked to my crazy uncles, etc.) I decided to keep that 16th week at 50 miles instead of the 44 he recommends. Based on my races/time trials I was hoping I could manage a 3:05 but would still be happy with a 3:10. It being my first race, I knew that I could blow up and figured a 3:30 would be a “everything went horribly wrong” scenario. lol
So I live in Cleveland and as you might assume, our weather is total garbage from October til March. I had been watching the weather like a hawk, and saw it was going to be in the 60s w/90% humidity at the start line and would rise in the the 70s. I have run outside in 60+ degree weather maybe 5 times since Thanksgiving. At this point, I should have adjusted my target to a 3:15/3:20. I also tried to carb load. 750g of carbs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Featherstone nutrition has a great and easy guide on it. However, it sucked. Not sure if it helped at all, will probably just eat more but not kill myself trying to get to the carb levels. Went to the convention center Friday afternoon to pick up my bib.

Race

Morning of, woke up at 330. Coffee, bagel, Maurten 320. Gear check and packed my bags. Popped an Imodium on my way out the door as I typically do with my trail races. I got a parking spot in a garage 2 minutes from the start line. Got downtown around 530. Dropped off my bag at gear check and I found a nice place to sit and warm up. Got to meet Harvey Lewis and Sage Canaday, both really nice so that’s cool. I put 3:10 estimated finish time on the registration page, that’s good enough for Corral A at the CLE marathon so Corral A it is.
0-12
Went out with the 3:10 pace group and my plan was to stick with them until mile 18-20 then assess how I felt. The first three miles were about 10-15 seconds too quick. I knew in my head that it was not a great idea and that I should slow down, but I felt fine. I felt good. I felt strong. Everyone was chatting that it was probably a little too fast but the pacers didn’t yield. There is a pretty big hill at mile 7/8ish and I crushed it. Around mile 10 I started to feel a little warm, so I pulled off to the side, removed my bib from my tank top, put it on my tights, and took off my tank top. Every aid station I took a sip of water and dumped a cup on my head. I was running with a group of 5-10 people who really turned it on from miles 10-12. I loved their energy, so I stuck with them. We came to a split where half marathon runners went right, and marathon runners went left. They all went right. I went left. Uh-oh.
12-20
As I peel off left, I start to realize my mistake. These people I had been running with were kicking to their finish line. “Its okay, you are almost halfway and you are feeling strong. A little warm, but its flat from here until mile 20. Get to 20” Not 10 seconds later and I make a left turn onto a “flat bridge” that might as well have been Mt Denali. I laughed out loud, I knew I was screwed, and a wave of regrets flooded over me. I crossed 13.1 at ABOUT 1:31. I told myself that 3:20 was my new goal and I allowed myself to slow down and wanted to maintain about an 8min/mile the rest of the way. At mile 4,8, 12 I took a gel. I was planning on taking more at 15, 18, and 21. My gel at mile 15 didn’t go down well, and I developed an insane cramp below my rib cage. I had never dealt with that before so I was unsure if I was about to have a heart attack or if it was just GI distress. (That would be my last gel of the day.) I then passed a strong looking runner (he had a tracksmith tank and new alphaflys on) who had passed out on the ground and the crowd ran over to make sure he was ok. “oh shit, that would be me if I push it too much” As you could imagine, my mental strength was chipping away rapidly. I knew my family was at mile 17 so I held it together. Made it to them, dropped off my tank top, gave all the kids a kiss and high fived a couple dogs. I completed my trip thru Clevelands cute western neighborhoods and headed to the Shoreway.
20-finish
As I ran down the highway ramp to the Shoreway, this is where the wheels started to really fall off. It was hot. It was humid. I knew there was a huge hill ahead of me without an ounce of shade and the breeze was no where to be found. I said goodbye to 3:20 and just wanted to finish in one piece. This was an out and back portion of the race so I could see the strong runners at mile 24 coming back and they looked like they were melting. I took the shoreway out to lakewood, ran/walked between all the aid stations, had people doing yard work spray me with their hose, and focused on keeping my HR down so I could finish and not be one of the many people passed out on the Shoreway awaiting to be rescued by the EMS crew. It was only 70-75 degrees during the last 6 miles but I know everyone struggled immensely, it was really a suffer fest out there. Leg cramps, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis accompanied me for the last couple miles back into town but the crowd support was amazing and kept me going. Was ready to bust ass thru the finish line when I had to pull over to make way for an ambulance, how poetic. I hustled over the finish line with a smile on my face because you know what Andy glaze says. Smile or you are doing it wrong.

Post-race

Grabbed my medal, grabbed my checked bag, and found a shady bit of grass behind a tent and crashed. After a few minutes I was able to get up, find my family, and head home. Lessons learned.

1. Should have adjusted my goal time. I knew it was going to be hot. I was literally complaining to my wife every day for 10 days about how hot it was going to be. I let the EGO win. Went out too fast for what it was and blew up. How many times have I read this exact scenario online and vowed it would never happen to me?
   
2. I think I ate too much food in the morning which led to GI distress. The stomach cramp was debilitating.
   
3. Road marathons are a totally different beast, and I need more practice with all the nuances.
   

Next steps:

1. As upset as I am about the results, I am extremely fired up to get back to training. I am taking 3 weeks “off” and then going to start Pfitz 18/70. I will start the plan with workout paces around a 2:55 marathon pace but assess the training more closely as I go thru. I believe I am in 3:05-3:10 shape right now but need to be realistic on what I can accomplish in 20 weeks. A 2:50 is probably a safe BQ time but I would need a miracle.
   
2. I have thought about getting a coach, but I am not sold on the idea yet. I think my key is bumping up mileage, which I feel ready for.
   
3. Hoping to run a handful of races (10k-halfs) this summer to practice my Racing mindset. I am signed up for the River Run half in September, shooting for a 1:22. Cleveland has a ton of great stuff going on running wise.
   
4. Plan on incorporating more weightlifting for my lower body and core. Currently at around 200 lbs. Would love to run Chicago at 195 or lower but not trying to crash diet.
   

Geatraining tool notes:

• I am a sneakerhead. I ran in Asics metaspeed Edge Paris and generally liked them. My main training shoes were Boston 12s, superblasts, peg 39s, and some older race shoes (vaporflys, endorphin pro 2, etc). Will be looking for something new for this fall.
  
• Used a google sheet from Floberg Runs that I tweaked, really nice to have a clear calendar with my personal schedule laid out.
  

There are not a lot of race reports for the Cleveland Marathon, it is a great race and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a spring marathon. I am happy to answer anyone’s questions about the race.
"Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight, For the greatest tragedy of them all, Is never to feel the burning light."
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

Hello all!
I'm currently setting up some DIY irrigation for my lawn and garden. I am pretty new to this, but I'm having so much fun learning!
Here's my question:
I'm setting up several timers from a 4-way splitter connected to a hose bib. And from every YouTube video I've watched, every website I've looked at, it seems like it's pretty common to simply have your timers hanging off of their connectors at, oh, you know, like, any angle at all. 80°, 73°, 12°, whatever. Even using 45° bends, it still sets things at a weird angle.
Is this just how things are, or is there a method to have things look aesthetically pleasing when doing it this way? I know it doesn't really matter as far as how everything functions, but gosh would I love to have it look pretty.
Thank you for any advice and suggestions!

So, my Haslab pack for a while now has been pretty temperamental with whether it'll actually start up or not. I had figured out a while ago that it wasn't the connection to the pack, it was actually the connection at the wand side for me.
I had looked at doing an upgrade to it... but the one I saw floating around the etsy shop a bit ago is almost $300 Canadian (plus shipping which tacks on another like $50). And on top of that it harvests the wire from the Haslab loom itself to boot which, in my opinion, wrecks it and makes it a bit harder to go back to stock (plus I wasn't even sure if it'd work for me to start with). So I figured there had to be a better way.
And there is.
It took a bit of doing but here's how I made a whole new hose in case anyone else wants to make one for themselves.
From Amazon I purchased:

• Cnlinko LP-16 ($27CAD without realising that I actually needed the LP-20. The LP-16 is a bit smaller and doesn't fit that well normally. Of course I didn't realise this until I had everything else almost done.)
• Low voltage solderless quick connectors in a 12 pack ($16 CAD)
• 8.2ft of 20 awg wire. ($9 CAD)
• 6ft of 3/4th inch split tubing ($15 CAD)

You don't have to use Amazon if you don't want to. I just did because it was easier for me to order everything all at once and have it arrive in one shipment.
Unfortunately it's not that simple to complete the swap... I also scoured high and low to find the 3D printer files I needed. (I'm not that good at designing 3D models to print. I probably could have done it eventually but it'd have slowed me down a lot.)
From Thingiverse I used "Mod endcaps for Spengler Neutrona Wand" for 04_SpenglerCap_Stub-.75inch to screw right into the back of my Spengler wand and allow the wires to pass through. Though I did have to design and add a small cylinder with a small hole in it to allow the wires through but let the sled slip back. (I printed the end cap without adding the cylinder into it so I had to print it separate and glue it in.)
From Cults I used the "Ghost fighting Wand power sled" to recreate the internal sled.
I printed them on my 3D printer in PETG (no particular reason other than it was what I had loaded already). The prints came out pretty good but they do need some extra modifications that I wasn't really interested in trying to make in the slicer. If you don't have a 3D printer yourself, there may be places that you can order 3D prints from online. Plus I've heard some libraries have 3D printers for use for a fee.
I took the powersled and drilled a hole in each spot where the battery terminals would be that was just wide enough for the wire I would use. I took a volt meter and checked my actual pack/sled to see which was the positive and negative terminal. Then using that info I ran the wires through the holes, stripped the ends, coiled them up and hit them with some solder to keep them in place. Taking care not to melt the petg too much as I was adding solder. I threaded the wire through the end cap here too.
I removed the pack side connector to try to clip the wire and add a quick connector there but, for me at least, found that the wire was too short to really get in clip it there. So I had to take the pack apart to actually get in and do anything.
This was the most destructive step of the whole thing. And, not going to lie, it made me super nervous doing it. (I'm not the strongest at electrical stuff like wiring or soldering.)
Once I had clipped the wire I added a small chunk of wire using some of the quick connects to make it easier to access if I want to revert to stock later. (I added a quick connect to the stock connecter too just so I could revert it. I might never do it... but I could if I wanted to.) I did a quick test just to see if power was flowing by using an elastic to secure the cyclotron lid in place.
This was where I realised something... the quick connects I used have a small snap on them. I had to use plyers to press down until it snapped in place and actually connected. I didn't realise it at first and was wondering why my the voltage was reading 0. With that solved though and power reading at 4.33 volts steady I moved on.
This was also when I realised that the Cnlinko part I'd bought was the wrong one. So I whipped up a small adapter with holes for screws/bolts (including 2 that I added a small wider section to allow for the cnlinko's nuts to sit in) and the Cnlinko adapter. It's not perfect but it'll work for now. I need to paint it and I'll probably touch up the holes so the nuts sit better inside. But that's for another day. Save yourself some headache, just get the right adapter and don't make my mistake.
But from here I added a connector to the end of the wire. If I wanted to I could have stopped here and essentially hardwired the want to my pack. But I do like the flexibility of a removable hose (especially for transport). Though I cut the wire and soldered it to the back of the pack side Cnlinko. Then I put the hose side Cnlinko's back parts on the wire, stripped the wire and soldered the wires into the proper spots. Then slid everything back together and reassembled it. I again tested voltage and sure enough full power. I connected everything to the wand and tried it out. No issues there at all.
So from here I used the adapter to install the Cnlinko into place, put the split loom over the wire and used electrical tape to wrap the ends onto the Cnlinko and the wand side end I'd made. Gave it another test to ensure everything worked perfectly and called it good.
At the end of the day, buying all the supplies to make this cost me about $75 taxes in and took about 4 hours for me to put it all together. And my haslab hose is basically untouched (aside from the quick wire connect I added).

Fairly new homeowner here. Just went through our second winter and have noticed a few issues with my outdoor spigots.

1. There is a continuous drip from the front spigot. This is consistent during the winter when I have the shutoff valve off and now when it is on. Even with these leaks, through two winters I have not had any pipe bursts as there is no staining on my walls and the pressure is solid.
   
2. The rear spigot has no water coming out of it at all with the water on from the inside. If I remember correctly, it was working before I winterized our first winter in this home. But ever since, it has not worked (bone dry). I can say that water is actually getting to the rear spigot bleeder cap. Also I have not noticed any leaks in my walls so I am thinking water is not getting past the shutoff valve and it may just be sealed shut at this point.
   
3. When I go to winterize the spigots for winter, there is a continuous drip out of the bleeder caps after shutting the water off. The only way to stop the water from leaking into my utility closet is to close the bleeder caps completely.
   

Would love any advice or suggestions on how to fix these issues. Worst case scenario I will call a plumber. I have been considering changing out my spigots to frost proof ones also once I am able to get these issues resolved.
I have been looking online for shutoff valve repair videos but all I’ve found so far is on the shutoff valves found below a sink. Mine are similar to the ones in the following link: https://www.mynvhome.com/pdfs/homecare/hose-bib-nv.pdf
Thank You!!

So this is an odd problem - the water main is on one side of the house and the grass is on the other access to it is blocked in one direction by the driveway, and the other by the pool. The only pipe I have access to is 1/2, but all irrigation parts seem to be 3/4. I have decent pressure (75) and flow (19) - can I just remove the bib and convert it to 3/4 or do I have to keep watering the grass with a hose like some sort of caveman? :)

House in Dallas. Built in 1985. Probably not the original hose bib, but at least 22 years old. I’ve removed the stem on a few occasions and replaced the rubber seal at the end. But it leaks, unless I crank down on it with a wrench. Which I shouldn’t have to do. Kind of a pain.
Does it likely thread into a fitting up in the wall? Is there some way to tell? The other end of it would be in my kitchen wall behind a cabinet, as I considered cutting a small hole in the wall to see if it is threaded in or soldered in. But that would be last resort.
Anyway, thanks for any input/advice.

Hello, this isn't like household plumbing but I was hoping someone who know pipe fittings/valves could point me in the right direction. I am attempting to attach a peristaltic pump to some Torani flavor syrups and I haven't sorted out the logistics yet. The bottles are glass and cannot be deformed by a vacuum. I am already needing some custom CAD work to design a piece that can screw to the top and adapt to a fluid line hose. Before I pay someone to design a glass bottle imploder, I would like to sort out how to prevent this from happening.
I want to extract the liquid and allow atmospheric air to take its volume within the bottle. Do we know of anything like this that exists? Not talking hand pumps either, but motorized pumps that can be further down the line.

I just moved into a new house and had the water softer loop roughed in.
Picture: https://imgur.com/a/a6JffYh
This is the loop they showed me. Water comes in from the bottom right (red) and secondary water to the hose bibs are on the right side (green). The house water is connected to the left side of the loop (blue).
Am I correct that I need to cut and connect the softener in on the loop and that’s it?

Not sure how to go about this. My water pressure is low at my house. About 42lbs when I test at the outdoor spigots. But my hot water pressure in the house is even less. Is there a reason for this?
Things I know:
House was repiped before we moved in with pexA
HWH is 2years old we replaced it when we moved in.
Outside of the house, the previous owner put a hose bib in line of the main waterline. When you test the pressure on that hose bib before it enters the house you get 70 pounds of pressure and enough volume to run the pressure washer without it bogging down.
I'm not sure what other information you guys might need to throw out some ideas, but I'll be happy to provide anything that might help

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