#RunEveryDay
Your admin team has been noticing a definite shift in the game this year. There is less posting in the game forum and I'm hearing it is similar in team forums. IR requests are slower to come and often after we've asked as if runners on teams aren't worried about getting injuries noted. I know COVID is still a real problem in a lot of places. Maybe people are just preoccupied with other stuff and that is okay.
So tell us, runners, is the game helping you with your running goals? Or is it just a source of additional stress?
Do you feel connected with the game? Is it giving you motivation?
Talk to us whether you are on a team or individual runner.
(Alternately, you can request to be removed from your team - no explanation required. Tell your captains or let the admins know and we can notify your captains. We'd hate to lose you but if we are going to discuss everything, then we need to mention this option as well. And no, we are not shutting the game down right now; that is not where this discussion is going. We committed to 2021 like everyone else.)
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
My team's been great with communication. Definitely more chatty than the team I was on, last year. Though nothing about last year was remotely normal.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Waltons ThreadLord
My team has been pretty quiet and we have a mixed bag of particiation. Some try to post regularly. Some periodically. One member hasn't checked into the team forum in over 3 months. For me the team game is less about helping me meet my goals than about hearing from other runners, so the quiet is a bit of a downer for me, but I don't hold it against anyone.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Spring Distance Classic 5k, 4/28
For me the game is successful in keeping my running consistent and even running more miles than I have in a year before I started playing the game. So that's what I focus on when it seems like maybe the team isn't communicating as much or there doesn't seem to be as much camaraderie. Everyone goes into the game with different goals. Over the past 4 , i've been on teams that communicated a ton and teams that haven't communicated much at all. I would say this year is kind of a mix of both - some weeks we get more participation in chatting and other weeks not so much.
Tammy
I’m on Fred’s team, and I’d say he’s being generous calling it a mixed bag. It’s pretty dead. We had a weekly thread, but discontinued it because so few people were posting in it. For me, the opposite experience of zoomy; I’ve been in this game every year it’s been on RA, and my teams have always been more chatty than this year’s. I don’t lose sleep over it, but it’s a bit disappointing because I’m only in it for the social aspect. The game does not really influence my running one way or another. But the lack of team interaction makes me less engaged in the game—I’ve been forgetting to even check the weekly results (till Fred posts about it ).I can’t speak for all the other teams, but the lack of posting in Meg’s weekly results thread is certainly glaring. IDK why that’s declined so much. The COVID situation is no worse now than all last year, other than the length of time it’s dragging on is getting more and more demoralizing. But running is always there for us!
Dave
She laughs at me......
Will it help to bring some chat to this forum? At least you can talk to each other. I miss the chatter even if I'm not running.
I used to post questions to try and get something started but I stopped when nothing ever happened.
This is my third year on an RA game, I think. I join the game for the social aspect of it. It’s my FB since I don’t do that IRL. Each year I find there’s a core group who post regularly with others popping in once in a while and there’s always a few who join then disappear. Is this year worse? IDK. Maybe it’s just more apparent since the teams are smaller? I really like the smaller teams though. And thank you so very much Meg and Stealth for continuing to moderate the game. I’ll be very sad if it goes away.
Something I've noticed in the half-dozen years I've done the game is that the chattier the team, the better we fall in the standings. The most social team I was ever on was the first year I did it (2016). That year I think we were pretty undefeated in the weekly standings and we won the whole thing. I'm still in close contact with most of that group on FB.
Participation has dropped off and if it continues for next year, we may need to cut the # of teams way down. The game only takes multiple of 4.
I'm really hesitant about racing right now, so over the last 18 months or so, the game has been a huge help in keeping me consistent.
I agree with Christrickery and zoom-zoom. I'm thinking the more social/active teams do gain a bit of an advantage in that folks are comfortable saying life is getting in the way of running.
Instead of the usual signup push for new members, for next year we could go with a core group that really wants to be in the game. That would be a lot easier on the admins.
Something I've noticed in the half-dozen years I've done the game is that the chattier the team, the better we fall in the standings.
I agree there’s a general correlation, but the r-squared seems pretty low. And you could argue which is the cause and which is the effect.
Zoom, I don't disagree. I think that when a team is chatty, you get to know your teammates more and feel more of an obligation to hit your miles for your teammates.
Plus when we're having a week where we can't hit green, it gives incentive for teammates to rally a few extra miles to help hit the team goal for the week. When no one is posting, the team can't plan for shortages.
Can’t agree more. It’s all about feeling like you really are on a team. When you keep in touch you know when to step up. The 2016 team was amazing in keeping in touch.