Sub 1:30 Half Marathon in 2020 (Read 618 times)

 

 

Brew - exactly, for some reason the decree stated that it was possible to run. I was talking to our consultant yesterday and he told me it’s possible

They did that cause it could be challenged in the Supreme Court or something like that.

Considering they have the army on the streets telling runners to go home….

 

me - I think I'll go back to having language lessons via Skype to kill the boredom. Maybe it's time to learn Mandarin, given they might be our overlords in the future (this is half joke half serious). I might also buy a 5kg pack of rice and count the grains. Hell I might weigh each grain and sum them to see if it's really 5kg.

I'm about 51% convinced it is political. Nevada has now ordered casinos to close. A PRIVATE BUSINESS must close yet McDonalds, Burger King, Chevron, Walmart, and other large businesses who contribute towards political affiliations don't have to? Great way to stop the spread of a virus that isn't killing people in the numbers I'd expect to shut down an industry and lock everyone up at home. Oh and the allowances to go outside also convince me it isn't a big deal.  Know why McDonald's doesn't have to shut down? They have better representatives in power. Too bad those Casinos (who pay so much in taxes Nevada doesn't have a State Income Tax) have to close their doors to save us from ourselves. They spread germs to more people than food servers.  The governor closed restaurants "who do not provide a take out and delivery services." I saw plenty of people packed into McDonalds and every small restaurant and coffee shop has started offering take out or curbside services.

three months from now we're going to be looking back thinking how stupid it was to cancel everything.

I should also mention, having done some legal work for Vegas casinos in the past (albeit 15 years ago)….I find it very hard to believe that McDonalds has more clout with the Nevada government than the casinos do.

I thought for a second that I read it here in this thread, but I'm not sure anymore, and I'm too lazy to look it up. But if we overreact to the virus we will never know whether it was an overreaction or if the measures put in place just worked as intended. But we will sure know if we don't do enough.

Similar to a lot of other things - network security, for example.

I also think it's similar to a marathon, and the importance of starting conservatively.  And how many people run a good marathon after a conservative start, only to think "I could have run even faster if I had gone out faster" when the truth is....probably not....

This whole situation really reminds me of a marathon in so many ways.  "If you think you're overreacting, you're doing it just right" is not that different from "if you don't think you're starting too slow, you're starting too fast."

And I think the people who are absolutely panicking about the end of all races for the year probably overlap with the people who look at their watch at mile 3 of a marathon, see that they are behind pace, and freak out.

We are still very early in this thing.  Best thing to do is just like a marathon - stay relaxed and make good decisions.

197 confirmed cases in Georgia (up by ~50 from yesterday) and still none in our metro area, which has about 3% of the state's population.  I hope that's not just a result of lack of testing. On the other hand, I almost hope that we get one or two confirmed cases soon, because if not, I'm afraid that people will think the measures we're taking are an overreaction and will abandon them just as the virus gets here, aggravating the spread.  I've seen grumbling online about the NBA players being tested, but Kevin Durant saying he has it is likely to get the attention of a lot of people who might not care what their mayor or governor says.

I'm treasurer of a local environmental group that will have to postpone or cancel our annual April fundraising party.  This will be an issue, since the proceeds provide a big percentage of our budget.  Meeting (in a small group) tomorrow to figure out next steps.  Don't think we're at the point yet of needing to furlough any of our 3 part-time staffers.  This will also affect an awards ceremony for area 8th graders that I run for our Kiwanis club - gatherings as large as the ceremony aren't allowed now, and we can't be sure yet that schools will even reopen this year.

Yeah, there are a whole lot of clubs, charities, and to a lesser extent schools which rely on annual events.

I would way risk a takeaway rather than go to a casino.  Cards, seats, tables etc. get touched by so many in a casino.

 

 Steve/Mark - If you have community spread it’s a matter of days now.

Yep, it's obvious where this is going.  And the lax response and slow decision making is going to seem catastrophic in 2 weeks.  It will take some amazing luck for us not to be in lock down very soon.  You'd think with the other examples we'd be in a good position to make good decisions.

DPS - aren't you tall? I think I'll just run behind you the whole time instead 

I think I may have found a certified course that works for Sunday for my time trial, so no need to think about what GPS I should use. I searched through at least 30 on the USATF website and found 2 that could work, i.e. not really on the roadways. One is along the waterway here in Brooklyn, and the other is about a 1.5 hour drive north. They each have their downside. The one in the city is along the water, which is notoriously super windy. Sunday afternoon does show 10 mph winds in Central Park, which means 15-20 along the water. I'd rather avoid that. This one north of the city has a couple of downsides: one, it's a bit hilly, as it does have a bridge that crosses the Hudson River. Two, I have no idea how crowded this path usually is. I could get up there and it could be nuts, especially with covid getting everyone out of there house for fresh air. Luckily. the weather Sunday looks like the coldest day in a while, so hopefully will keep folks indoors.

I think I'm going with the one north of the city though. The main reason: the USATF marking is so much easier to understand. The Start/Finish line is obvious (they picked the only manhole cover in a parking lot), and the only two other turnarounds are very clear: one is in the middle of a small bridge over a roadway, and the other I think I understand, but will scout out before starting the run. Plus, I found the Strava links for the people who ran the race last year, so it confirms where I think everything is. Finally, the USATF website says they painted the turnaround points, so if I scout them beforehand and I see what it looks like, I'll easy know where they are.

Only two things that are adding doubt in my mind: 1) the aspect of a time trial and not a race, where you can just say "screw it" after 8 hard miles and 2) my lungs are still bothering me from the flu I had. There's absolutely no way I would have ran a good NYC this past weekend. I tried running marathon pace work and after 6 miles, I felt like I was racing a half, was completely gassed even though my legs felt fine. Hopefully my lungs feel better by the weekend, we shall see.