{"id":3503,"date":"2014-08-21T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/?p=3503"},"modified":"2014-08-21T15:19:02","modified_gmt":"2014-08-21T22:19:02","slug":"meet-andrew-onehub-designer-and-half-marathon-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/21\/meet-andrew-onehub-designer-and-half-marathon-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Andrew \u2014 Onehub Designer and Half Marathon Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this month’s team post, we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Juarez. Andrew is the newest member of the Onehub Design team and recently completed is first half marathon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"andrew_rnr_seattle\"<\/p>\n

Q \u2013 How did you get into long distance running?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA \u2013 About 9 years ago, a year after graduating high school, I started to develop a (somewhat) regular fitness routine. Lifting weights and strength training were my focus, but I would add in about 20 to 30 minutes of pavement or treadmill running a few times a week.<\/p>\n

For several years, I would run the same distance of about 3 to 4 miles each time. It wasn\u2019t until about the end of 2011 that I began to push my distance further. I started tracking my runs with a smart phone app that stores various bits of data such as distance, duration, mile times, altitude, calories, etc. I would use the data as motivation to push myself on subsequent runs.<\/p>\n

In the fall of 2012 when I moved to Seattle, I discovered some great areas for running. I spent a lot of time improving my distance by running around Green Lake as well as areas of the Burke Gilman Trail. I also did some research on midsole running techniques, proper footwear, and nutrition. By 2013, I was comfortable running 8 to 10 miles with an average mile time of about 8 minutes.<\/p>\n

Q \u2013 What is it that keeps you going during a long run (motivationally, for example, do you listen to music while you run or daydream to relieve stress)?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA \u2013 Definitely music! Some of my favorite tracks to listen to while running are Motley Crue\u2019s Kickstart My Heart, O Fortuna, the Mortal Kombat theme song, and I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock of Seagulls. A healthy dose of caffeine before I go for a run is also helpful!<\/p>\n

Q – What is the most rewarding thing about long distance running to you?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA \u2013 Finishing! But also just being outdoors and relaxing my brain for a bit is nice as well.<\/p>\n

Q \u2013 What is the longest distance you have ever run, and how do you train for something like that?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA – I recently ran my first half marathon (13.1 miles) at the Seattle Rock \u2018n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon Series<\/a> this year. That\u2019s the longest distance I\u2019ve run so far.<\/p>\n

As far as training for the half, I didn\u2019t have a strict running regimen. On a really good week, I would get in about 4 total runs. Three of those runs would be around 4 to 5 miles, and one of the runs would be a longer distance – about 8 to 10 miles. I\u2019d try and change up my route often as well, and make sure I was hitting some good hills and inclines and not just running on flat pavement. I also began wearing lightweight \u201cminimalist\u201d running shoes. But in doing so, I had to change my running technique in order to reap the benefits of \u201cminimalist\u201d or natural running – which essentially consists of running with a forefoot strike rather than a heal-strike to the ground.<\/p>\n

But if I was to give some basic advice to someone wanting to run a half marathon I would say first, do your research on form and technique, proper footwear, and good nutrition habits. Then just get out there and start running. Try to gradually increase your distances each week or two – even if it\u2019s only a quarter or half mile at a time. And last but not least, avoid wearing cotton, and buy some Lanacane<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Q \u2013 How does being a long distance runner help you in other areas of life (doing design at Onehub, for instance)?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA \u2013 It definitely helps me keep a healthy balance in regard to my activity level as a web designer. But it\u2019s also a great way for me to think of new design ideas or concepts. Long distance running is as much of a mental activity as it is physical. So when I\u2019m out running a relatively long distance, I\u2019m usually not focusing at all on the running part of it. I usually have some idea or thought circling my head that becomes my focus. You eventually get into this Zen-like meditative state of mind when you\u2019ve been out running for a while. When you get there it\u2019s much easier to focus on one single thought rather than being bombarded with lots of thoughts and distractions. It\u2019s quite relaxing really.<\/p>\n

Q \u2013 How can we keep up with your running accomplishments (ie. the upcoming half marathon)?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA \u2013 I\u2019m currently not training for any upcoming races at the moment. But if I do, maybe I\u2019ll tweet about it or post a photo. You can find me on twitter @drurez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We hope you have enjoyed getting to know our design team member, Andrew! Stay tuned for the next Onehub staff spotlight interview. You never know who you\u2019ll meet!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this month’s team post, we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Juarez. Andrew is the newest member of the Onehub Design team and recently completed is first half marathon. Q \u2013 How did you get into long distance running?\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3503"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onehub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}