The medals are getting bigger and bigger. But they are not aimed at the people populating this board. They are aimed at the general public that will likely run at most 1 full or half marathon in their lives. RDs discovered years ago that if you offer up bigger fancier medals more people will sign up. Easy to understand. If you own exactly one medal you want it to stand out when you hang it in your house somewhere. The bonuses that yield 3 medals for running say a 5k one day and a HM the next work along the same principle. In this case the incentive is to sign up and thus pay for an extra race while you are there. Those of us here on RA have nearly the opposite problem. So many finisher medals that most end up hidden or given away. If I were a RD an wanted to bring in runners you would see medals so large you might need a truck to bring them home, plus bonus medals for anything else I could come up with.
This article about Alzheimer's disease is a drag: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2017/12/19/Study-No-method-proven-to-prevent-Alzheimers-disease/6731513689482/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=6. It seems that what little evidence there is says that if you want to reduce the odds of getting it exercise and eat right. I think that is pretty good news for those of us here in the RA master's forum!
Tough week for me to figure out a running plan. It is going to rain here Friday and Saturday. Maybe Sunday too. Tomorrow should be nice. so my plan is to run 13 or 14 tomorrow morning. Then elliptical Friday. Treadmill short Saturday and run long Sunday. We will see what mother nature brings and adjust accordingly.
No run today for me. Just an hour on the elliptical.
Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.
Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way --> http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/
Tammy--yeah for David!
Tramps, thanks for the sobering article on Social Security and Medicare. To call these "entitlement" programs, when people pay into them their entire lives, is just revolting.
In this context, "entitlement" means simply a program (and benefit) to which you are entitled; something to which you have a right.
I'm with others on medal inflation. Bleh. I like races that give you the option to opt out of shirt, etc, for a lower fee. I'm sure it complicates logistics but I always appreciate it.
Carolyn, inspiring Sprinter van DIY video made me think of you.
ETA: oh you know that 1-vote victory in Virginia I mentioned? No more. One ballot that had been disqualified got accepted before final certification and now it's a tie. Apparently, they're going to flip a coin or something... Jeesh.
Be safe. Be kind.
I have a fun story about trophies for races:
The first and only 5K I ran was in 2005, the "DeLIGHTful 5K" held in December. The $10 entry fee covered the race and this party afterwards too. Everyone was encouraged to bring old trophies to donate as prizes. I didn’t have any to bring, but there was certainly quite an assortment. When the awards were read for every category, everyone was allowed to pick a trophy. In fact everyone received a trophy. I chose a small one that said 1st– for my first race. When I got home I took my son’s cross country trophy apart and exchanged the victory wreath on mine with his little runner guy. Kinda cute, it's in a box around here somewhere..... we've moved twice since then so who knows.
I do like my half marathon medals. I even order my Christmas present today! It's a metal hanger to go on the wall. I love it!
“Courage is not defined by those who fought and did not fall, but by those who fought, fell, and rose again.” — Adrienne Rich
I've only been running since 2015 but I already have a substantial collection of medals displayed on my office wall at work - makes a talking point with clients. Being Louisiana, a couple of the medals double as bottle openers!
The local running club awards very few medals - they have one for completing their 'Triple Crown'. The last 2 years they have had Finisher's Jackets instead of medals for their annual HM. Age group awards at the 4th July race are fireworks, at Mardi Gras 5K are portions of King Cake. They also have a special registration for runners over 65 not wanting a race shirt - free entry for some of the races, much reduced for the others - something to look forward to in a couple of years.
I know that my 'back of the pack' running friends look to the medals and after parties in choosing their races. I'm much more interested in the race distance being accurate, the course well managed and properly timed.
Started running at age 60.
AG 60-64 PR - 5K 25:45, 10K 53:28, HM 1:57:39, Marathon 4:32:09
AG 65-69 PR - 5K 26:11, HM 2:02:39, Marathon 5:04:47
4 miles in the park again this morning. 42° and cloudy.
A few weeks ago I was pumped about finishing the programming on a major project. After a few weeks of testing over thousands of records we went live in production this morning. It took only 2 hours for someone to catch a problem. This is why I have so much anxiety at work. No matter how hard you try, something is always missed. Makes me wonder how we ever landed someone on the moon without first missing a few times. It took a few minutes to fix the problem, but it'll take all day tomorrow to fix the errors that already occurred. At least it was caught before anything was sent out.
When it comes to social security and Medicare, I agree with my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut who said, “It’s the grandparents stealing from the grandchildren.” The money we are putting is not there for us so we will be taking it from our children and grandchildren.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/grandparents-raiding-grandchildren/548117/
5 easy miles
My tired old quote about runners gleaned from somewhere:
there are 3 kinds
Joggers: primarily run for fitness
Racers: primarily run to increase performance
Runners: primarily run because they enjoy the activity
All 3 overlap, and a "Jogger" could also be a sub 2:30 marathoner just as a "Racer" could also be 5 hour marathoner and last in their age group, but both are primarily interested in fitness or performance, respectively. PRs have nothing to do with the descriptions, just the intent of the participant.
Participant medals and trophies: I understand why they do it, even if I don't like it. I was an early combatant of the "everyone gets a trophy" movement in kid's sports back in the 80's. In general, people only value things that they had to invest effort in achieving. Just showing up is not investing effort, in my opinion. The only medals I have saved are from State High School championships, all the other ribbons and medals and plaques and trophies are long gone. And yes, it IS a waste of resources, and a better quality t-shirt or hat would be resources put to better use (not to mention more advertising for their event...). It might be nice if the registration application had a few boxes to check asking if you WANT a medal, shirt, bumpersticker, etc. and your fee would be more or less depending on what you want. Or maybe you get to choose 2 out of 5-6 different things (does anyone actually USE those handmade coffee mugs given at some races?!). Medals, trophies, coffee mugs fit EVERYONE, and there's no need to worry about running out of a size.
Social Security: The first mistake a lot of people make is thinking it's a "retirement plan". It's actually supposed to be a form of specialized welfare for people who are too old to work anymore and have no savings. If you want to live comfortably after retirement, you need to save, or get a job that offers a pension, and make long term investments. SS alone will not support you. Same with Medicare, it alone will not cover your medical needs without bleeding all your savings (and home) away toward medical costs not covered; you need to have some supplemental health insurance to pick up what Medicare doesn't. These are not partisan or even political statements, they are just the facts. We could vote to improve our social safety net, but it would cost us with either increased taxes or reduction in spending in other areas. people don't want to do either, they want their cake AND to eat it, too.
I'm just FULL of deep thoughts this evening!
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Carolyn
No medals needed. But I do want one of those belt buckles for a 50 miler. That's a 2018 goal.
Norm, most ultra runners think belt buckles should be reserved for 100 mile races. Buckles for a 50 miler would be kind of like medals for 5ks that everyone's been talking about today!
It was gorgeous here today, warm (50s) and sunny. I met a friend for 10 trail miles before battling the crowds at the grocery store to stock up for the holiday. We're supposed to get a big winter storm tomorrow!
I hammered down the trail, passing rocks and trees like they were standing still.
MM #5615
Hello everybody!
I'm just popping in to post my run of 10 miles. I did 8 at as good of a tempo pace as could in the unplowed streets and sidewalks. Then I had to rush off to our great-granddaughter's Christmas dance program.
Okay--that's it. See ya!
MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
I'm with SB on opting out of whatever would make races cheaper.
However, no buckles for 50-milers around here in the PNW either.
Let's 100!
The Centuries are very special though and I hope Carolyn and Leslie
get theirs while the getting's good as there does come a time when it's too late.
Quite frankly, with generous cutoff times allowing even for paces of 20+m/m,
anyone who can run 26.2 miles without stopping (walk breaks okay),
can walk, and occasionally run a little too, 100 miles within the time limits,
ps - holly too. .
.
We old timers are generally quite opposed to medals for 5Ks, wearing the race shirt in the race, color runs, etc. . . . just because I grew up as a runner in a competitive crowd where we sulked for 3 days if we missed a PR by 5 seconds, doesn't mean I need to waste my energy worrying about 7 hour marathoners.
We old timers are generally quite opposed to medals for 5Ks, wearing the race shirt in the race, color runs, etc.
. . . just because I grew up as a runner in a competitive crowd where we sulked for 3 days if we missed a PR by 5 seconds, doesn't mean I need to waste my energy worrying about 7 hour marathoners.
KSA – very thoughtful ideas and, now that I'm a seven hour marathon walker, you're much more generous to less competitive runners than I was at your stage, e.g. still vowing to quit running if it ever took more than the five hours it was taking some of the older and the less-seasoned runners to run 26.2 miles.
I hope it’s a long time from now before it happens to you too but runners change and even Bart Yasso notes in his retirement piece in Runner’s World for December 2017 I was perusing at the dentist office today that he’s “now happy to let the race clock tick away while I meet new people and look at the scenery.” Nevertheless, even though his Lyme’s Disease's slowed him down, he still advocates “toeing a starting line” and racing not just for PR’s and trophies anymore but for benefits that all of can relate to in one-way-or-the other:
He sounds like a neat guy maybe some of us might get to meet
on his retirement book tour around the country next year. I hope so.
pps tammy - Willamette has excellent regard in the PNW if David's thinking about staying in Oregon but OSU degree has more national and international recognition if he might be inclined to move on in the future (which I suspect is, or will be, the case).
jay - having enjoyed the bounties of the North Atlantic
during a sojourn in Woods Hole, I am very envious. Enjoy
In northern Japan, there's grilled scallops offered
all over the place by outdoor vendors. sooooo goooooood.
pps jay - today's bing.com image is of the milky way from Bar Harbor
"Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)
Very good point. I arranged our club Christmas light run tonight and we usually head to a local brewery for some post run talk and this topic was on the list. The three utlra guys in the group were of that opinion. Frankly I'm not ready for a 100 miler but I sure understood their point. My counter point was I would not wear the buckle for a 50 mile or 100k but just put it in the display area. For a 100 miler I would wear it proudly like my Boston gear. Basic take away - we runners are a strange lot but in a good way.
6.7 miles of Christmas lights and hills with the club in just under an hour in a comfortable low 30 degrees.
Good night everyone.
"He conquers who endures" - Persius "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel
http://ncstake.blogspot.com/
1.2 early morning miles before work
Missed the Christmas Light run last night because my friend who was going to relieve me an hour early at work came down with the stomach bug - feel worse for her than me!! Tonight missed caroling an draft beer at a local brewery with friends because of work -- it really gets in the way!! Actually, my mood isn't quite up there for caroling anyway. I went to visit Justin instead -- tough week!! ;(
denise
Tomorrow night we go to Beer and Hymns at a local micro-brewery. There’s a baked potato dinner and then you drink beer and sing hymns. It’s really fun. My office party is before that and our office is beautifully decorated and Santa is there for the kids and the Grinch for the adults. There are some adult beverages there, too.
Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth
RunnerKSA, I meant to congratulate you on your 900 day streak! Amazing that you've been injury-free that long!
Tramps, nice Sprinter video! We started with an empty cargo van, too, and ours is quite comfortable now.
Starr, I like your Christmas present - nice medal hanger! I should make one of those some day.
Mike - you have a great granddaughter??? Dang. You're younger than me, and I don't even have grand kids yet! I loved your Christmas letter!
Tet, nice reasons for running from Bart Yasso. I'm kind of on the fence about running a 100 miler - I know I could do it, and I also know time is running out if I'm gonna do it. But my DH is totally opposed to the idea - he doesn't even like me running 50 milers, although if he accepted those, I guess he'd come around to a 100. I feel like I'd really need his support, or at least acceptance, for something that big. Plus, I really like being able to go to sleep at night after a 50 miler, instead of running all night and into the next day...
Carolyn - don't tell DH it's a 100-mile "race"
but, instead, a fully supported 100 mile walk/hike
that you'd like to do while it's still fun.
In fact, most good hikers can do it too.
twocat - if the empty shoe box trick doesn't work,
the same December 2017 RW recommended
some neat running charms, jewelry,
and other gift ideas that might work.
I hope it’s a long time from now before it happens to you too but runners change and even Bart Yasso notes in his retirement piece in Runner’s World for December 2017 I was perusing at the dentist office today that he’s “now happy to let the race clock tick away while I meet new people and look at the scenery.” Nevertheless, even though his Lyme’s Disease's slowed him down, he still advocates “toeing a starting line” and racing not just for PR’s and trophies anymore but for benefits that all of can relate to in one-way-or-the other: Accountability Test of Fitness Change of scenery Camaraderie Inspiration from the Elites Inspiration from everyone else Fun He sounds like a neat guy maybe some of us might get to meet on his retirement book tour around the country next year. I hope so. .
About 10 years ago we went on a running cruise (along with ileneforward) which was led by Bart. He is a really neat guy and very friendly. spent a lot of time showing pictures from his marathons and talking about his 800's. I didn't know about the Lyme disease - that's too bad.
marj