2019 3:20, And Beyond (Read 444 times)

CommanderKeen


Cobra Commander Keen

    DWave - Yeah, it's the same group. It would be their first race in OKC. I remembered reading that RR, but enjoyed the reread.

    There aren't a ton of details up yet (course still needs to be certified, etc.), which would usually be a red flag for me were I putting money down for a race. Then again, there has never been a 15k downtown before, so they'd get something of a pass (for now, at least) given that they'd have to have a brand-new course created. I don't imagine that there are a ton of people in the area who'd be in on the loop to possibly pace this, so I'd be counting on getting one of the "fast" slots (7 min/mi) and could use it as something of a roughly M-effort workout a couple weeks before a goal HM.


    OMR - Thank you. It does look like you've been making good progress yourself. I looked up the Fall50 - I've never seen a race with a PG-13 rating (or any rating) from the organizers before! It looks like it'd be a good race - it's kind of a bummer that there really aren't many road ultras any longer. There's a similar race in OK, the Okie Relays, except that the weather usually sucks due to the time of year (mid-May). That's another one that is on my radar, but I just haven't been able to make it happen yet.

     

    Brew - It seems that it's unanimous in that you should write up a pacing report!

    5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

     

    Upcoming Races:

     

     

    Running Problem


    Problem Child

      PJ - I'd vote for a spectator/crew report!


      After just one extra day off it was nice to put in a harder effort this morning - a fartlek with some threshold, M-effort, and a long (~1.4mi), almost maximal effort up a hill as a fitness tester. Was pleasantly surprised to tie my all-time fastest time up that hill (I set a 1 mi Strava segment to help track this) despite the extra effort before that segment began. I'm looking forward to trying to beat my goal time on that segment (sub 6 minutes) later on this year - currently I'm 15 seconds from that goal.

      This morning I had an email waiting for me about the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k coming to OKC this October, and soon after a request for pacers for said race. That doesn't seem to interfere with anything I have planned right now, and pacing sounds fun so I put my hat in the ring for it.

       

      I just got the email and I was thinking about you. I did Las Vegas. They let the 5K go before the 10K. It's super casual. From a pacing perspective it was fine. The course was a little off. It's like every other color run type event. People will have trained for the 15K because it's the farthest they can think of running, others will do the 5K. The race DOES focus on the swag and chocolate. You'll receive EXACTLY what is in the photo (blue cup, banana, liquid chocolate) which I REALLY didn't care for in 75 degree heat. The expo in Las Vegas was small and kind of a PITA to get to (parking there already sucks) and I mostly just checked in with the head BEAST pacing person at the start of the race. I think RAM RACING figured some SHEET out since 2011. If there was another opportunity to pace for them closer than an 8 hour drive I'd do it. Interstingly it's one of the times I was told by a runner my pace was too fast, but I was under the 9:09 (or whatever it was) total time by probably 30 second to a minute.

       

      good luck on getting picked for the race. From my perspective it's a casual race so you might not have too many people around you trying to run an 8:00 (guessing) pace for 9-10 miles. If parking sucks you could probably warm up by parking a mile away and running to the start for extra mileage.

       

      EDIT: Oh yeah...I think my favorite part for the Hot Chocolate 15K in Las Vegas was standing around waiting for the 15K to start, watching my wife run the 5K and the line of cars trying to leave their hotel to get to the airport being held by police officers so runners could pass. People weren't exactly happy the hotel said nothing about the race in the morning, police wouldn't let them leave, and while they left their hotel 2 hours before their plane leaves they weren't getting any closer to the hotel. The amount of IDGAF on the race director for THAT lack of sharing information was epic. Sunday. Vegas. 8am. trying to get to the airport while people are literally walking with their young children and police are not letting you go inbetween walkers so you can leave was excellent.

       

       

       

       

       

       

      race report...aight I'll have to work on it. I kinda of came up with a title (I'll forget it soon enough) and if I don't do it soon I'll forget the little things like what weary means or just how much pain I was in before I saw pj around pointed rocks. I think his PBR/PG report should totally include meeting me. I have no idea what THAT is like, or how he knew it was me since I wasn't wearing pink Oakley sunglasses.

      Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

      VDOT 53.37 

      5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

      CommanderKeen


      Cobra Commander Keen

        Brew - That's exactly what I figured it would be like - mostly a "fun run" type of thing. This could be a solid little gig if it works out. A workout with race-like support would be great, even if I did have to hold a little sign.
        I'm hoping to get the 7 min/mi slot. Checking the results for the only other 15k in the state that I know of (which is actually a big deal in the local running community) showed one runner finishing at 6:58 pace and another at 7 flat. The next were 7:09 pace and 7:21 pace. From there people were either way faster or way slower, so that'll likely be quite a small pace group.

        5k: 17:58 11/22 │ 10k: 37:55 9/21 │ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 │ M: 2:56:05 12/22

         

        Upcoming Races:

         

         

        Running Problem


        Problem Child

          Brew - That's exactly what I figured it would be like - mostly a "fun run" type of thing. This could be a solid little gig if it works out. A workout with race-like support would be great, even if I did have to hold a little sign.
          I'm hoping to get the 7 min/mi slot. Checking the results for the only other 15k in the state that I know of (which is actually a big deal in the local running community) showed one runner finishing at 6:58 pace and another at 7 flat. The next were 7:09 pace and 7:21 pace. From there people were either way faster or way slower, so that'll likely be quite a small pace group.

           

          Who wants to run 7:00/mi pace for a 15k? SCREW THAT! I'm sure there are only a few people who get to do that fast of a pace. I would almost be surprised if you DON'T get picked just because there might not be many people who want to do the inaugural event for a "fun run" 15K with a chocolate theme. I volunteered/got in because my wife heard about it, trained for the 5K through the winter, and my dad lived in town. Maybe you could get DD1 interested in doing the 5K and do some easy weekend miles with her. I'm pretty sure everyone gets the same finish swag but you could also trade your jacket or whatever it is for HER size at the expo if it's different.

           

          Pace Report (PR?) started. This might take a while.

          Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

          VDOT 53.37 

          5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

          Running Problem


          Problem Child

            Part one.

             

            I decided to break it into multiple parts because I'm not sure if Strava has a character limit and it was already 4 pages to this point in Microsoft word. I'm not sure how many parts there will be but this won't be short.

            Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

            VDOT 53.37 

            5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

            Running Problem


            Problem Child

              Part Two.

               

              This is taking longer than expected.

              Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

              VDOT 53.37 

              5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

              Katia77


                Hi all! I promise to be a better and more regular appearance.  It's been a weird 6 weeks since I managed to get fired (yes, on maternity leave - also, I technically have a confidentiality clause in my severance agreement that prevents me from saying that but if they ever read this - you can have your severance back since you need it more than I do.. ) and find a new job in the last month.  I started Monday.

                 

                The nice part was that I had an extended leave and since I still had my nanny it wasn't really hard to find time to run.  But, I'm obviously happy to have a (much better) job now.  I'm up to running just over 20 mpw.  Still training for Chicago, and oddly this time returning to running postpartum has been easier on my body.  I think I was in better shape since I was spinning and could "work out" for 45 minutes with this one, since even though I ran when pregnant with my son, I could certainly not run for 45 minutes.

                 

                I'll post weeklies soon - just updated my run calendar.  Up to 12 miles this weekend, which I'll try to do on Friday since I have the day off.

                PRs: HM: 1:32:59 (2015); FM: 3:18:36 (2017)

                  Welcome back Katia77!

                   

                  Nice "PR" Brew... I read the whole thing, and feel like I lived it.  Waiting for pt 3...

                   

                  Happy 4th to everyone!

                  AceHarris


                    Brew: I've enjoyed the first two parts of the pace recap...looking forward to the third installment

                    Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)

                      oooof.  Are you following the grim story of Frank Mezza - a serial race cheat who was exposed and then apparently committed suicide today?

                       

                      Very sad.

                       

                      Although I check out the marathon cheats web site, I have wondered in some cases if the public humiliation is too severe to fit the crime.   I remember a few years back a woman from a small outdoorsy town in Montana who cheated at triathlons and was ostracized.

                      rlk_117


                      Resident Millennial

                        wow that Frank Meza news is really sad. I agree, rovatti. On the one hand, cheating in races is definitely very bad and nobody in their right mind should do it. On the other hand, it is rather likely that Frank was not in his right mind and had bigger issues going on. The cyber-bullying around him was out of control. I wonder if this will give Marathon Investigation guy / Letsrun some reason to think more deeply about how they frame and cultivate these stories.

                        _________________________________________________
                        mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58

                        darkwave


                        Mother of Cats

                          wow that Frank Meza news is really sad. I agree, rovatti. On the one hand, cheating in races is definitely very bad and nobody in their right mind should do it. On the other hand, it is rather likely that Frank was not in his right mind and had bigger issues going on. The cyber-bullying around him was out of control. I wonder if this will give Marathon Investigation guy / Letsrun some reason to think more deeply about how they frame and cultivate these stories.

                           

                          Where was the "cyber-bullying" though?

                           

                          I've read a lot of the Letsrun thread (though not all of it) and also the Marathon Investigations page (I did NOT participate in the original letsrun thread).  I see a large volume of discussion trying to unwind his course cutting; I see very little that I would consider cyber-bullying.  No highlighting his home address and telling people to harass him there, etc.  The only thing that really approaches cyberbullying is an image comparing a race photo of FM to photos of very fast 70+ runners like Gene Dykes and Ed Whitlock.

                           

                          Volume of discussion, by itself, of someone whose actions (in this case, claiming age group records) have made them a public figure is not cyber-bullying.

                           

                          It's also worth noting that FM's suicide is not temporally associated with the Letsrun thread or the Marathon Investigations posts, but rather with the DQ by the LA Marathon and subsequent mainstream media coverage.   And yes, I get that the argument is that the DQ and MSM coverage would not have happened without Letsrun and Marathon Investigations discussions, but that's an argument for not identifying cheaters, not an argument against cyber-bullying.

                           

                          My personal preference is that investigations always be handled confidentially - in cases of suspected doping, I very much believe that the proper course of action is to send a tip to USADA, not to make accusations on a message board.

                           

                          But...course cutting has no similar mechanism.  There's no independent group assigned the duty to police course cutting, and many races do not have the resources to police it themselves.   I really see Marathon Investigations as serving a similar purpose to a class action attorney - filling a gap in the process.

                           

                          ***

                           

                          The Letsrun thread on FM's passing (distinct from the original thread) has some interesting posts from two others who have been through a similar experience to FM - one was exposed for sexually harrassment, the other for doping.  Both went through the ringer of mass attention on Letsrun and some attention on MSM.    Both support exposure of cheaters via means of sites like Letsrun and Marathon Investigations, noting that the focus should remain on the facts themselves, and not the subject's external personal life.

                          Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

                           

                          And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

                          kcam


                            I followed that thread on LR and there was most certainly bullying as well as doxxing.  They posted his employers name, his job title, his friends, went after the athletes he had helped coach over the years and more.  Cyber bullying.

                            He should have just admitted it and taken his lumps.  He didn't and kept denying.  The LR crowd can't handle that and they went over the top to bring him down.

                             

                            I feel badly for him and his family.  RIP.

                            Running Problem


                            Problem Child

                              Don’t cheat and you don’t have to worry about the humiliation. Serial race cheat...sounds like Lance Armstrong  who has been practically banned from ANY type of competition. I’m sure people would be upset if he got into the New York Marathon on a qualifying time because he ‘cheated’ at some bike race.

                               

                               

                              What was that track race where the canadian was found ‘doping’ and now blood results say EVERYONE was? Carl Lewis what?

                               

                               

                              oh and let’s not forget Richard Jewell.

                              Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                              VDOT 53.37 

                              5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                              Running Problem


                              Problem Child

                                Seven days ago I was walking into Auburn Lake Trails aid station with max and today I’m drinking coffee with my new coffee cup. Time flys.

                                Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                                VDOT 53.37 

                                5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22