Post.

Ran a sluggish 5 miles this morning.

No issues from yesterday's cootie shot except the obligatory sore arm. I was going to get the flu shot as well but they'd run out of that.

Kat... Kettle sounds fun. Karen should go. Then we can call your team the Kat and Karen Konquer Kettle.

Kat can be persuasive, that's for sure. Just need to figure out our general travel plans for next year before registration on Jan. 1 to see if I can get there.

I ran 5 this morning, nice and slow. Keeping things short and slow for the rest of December. At least this last run my HR seemed a lot more normal. It has been high for the effort ever since I came back from being sick twice in three weeks.

Cold front coming through tonight should make for some nice running the next few days. I'm planning on taking the new bike to the actual trails one day next week - so far I've just goofed off riding around the hood.

HCK, although they are supposedly still checking into the tie breaker, I think it's for the best that you guys go to the finals. I'd like to know the criteria that put you guys there, but it's not like they will (or should) change that criteria now. Everyone seems to have different ideas about how to break the tie, but honestly, currently there's no incentive to do well throughout the year. Your team in first should have an advantage over my team that started the playoffs in fifth. And yes, my team beat themselves up to run what they did. More than one on the edge of injury, so for that it's probably best you guys keep going too. We are apparently too dumb to regulate ourselves in a game with no prize and that no one is paying attention to (because next week everyone will be talking to their new teammates and coming up with captains and names and such). I decided to go individual next year. Too many variables on my end that I don't want to stress over weekly. Plus I got pretty burned out the first 7-8 months this year dealing with one person on our team that never, ever, not even once ran her weekly goal of 4 miles. And then didn't lower her goal when it was suggested. Eventually she quit and that's when we started climbing out of the bottom. Will see if I have FOMO next year.....

AnonymousGuest, I was pretty burned out last year. I had a similar 5 mpw runner who went weeks not hitting goal and always had some reason and would promise to hit the goal next week. Luckily they got covid & posted 3 zeros, so removal was totally out of our control. I nearly quit after the fiasco getting a guy on IR that led to the admin changes. He was told multiple times to send the IR request, even before the 0 week happened. Nothing until 9pm Sunday after the 0, I forwarded it and the message wass misread. By the time I saw the next day, too late for changes. That kicked off addition of more admins. Nothing like seeing the comments about how shouldn't have waited til the last minute. Ugh and not the first time this runner did this, which probably made it even more annoying.

I'm assuming a tie break was written into the code and I swear it was discussed in a prior year.

BerthaSlayer, I agree. This year the results were crazy in that most teams at the top didn't advance. I also don't see the advantage to increaing goals mid year. Most of my team did and the one that decreased did it out of necessity. It seems like teams who have a lot of movement onto IR don't do well in the regular season, but if folks decrease their goal & then return to the orginal miles, it's a built in advantage. Yes, the team had to absorb the 0 weeks, but if a 2000 runner misses the time, changes the goal to 1500 but continues to run 38 mpw (which is what 2000/yr is), then that's an extra 10 miles every week. And what does it matter if all the teams make the playoffs, there is no advantage to be consistent the rest of the year. As the one new guy said, if you have a sizeable enough advantage to the 10 points, the advantage with green is meaningless.

First question - curious about the miles game and teams.  Since I am committed to Hennepin in October, I would like to know a bit more.  Are newbies allowed?  What kind of mileage is required.  Is it really all about the finals?  I might poop out later in the year.  

Lori, I like that, Konquering Kettle!  Though the miles might have been sluggish, they're in!

Kathi, sorry you weren't up for your run, but I get it.

Karen, persuasive?  MOI?  Whatever do you mean...  I'm not looking forward to the cold.  Need to break out some tights.  I am a cool weather wuss.

Damaris, nice you got some miles in with DH!  I bet you're loving your winter weather.

Work, ugh.  Just a pain.  We are SICK and TIRED of people showing ZERO respect for us in the veterinary community.  Three of the first four appointments were late this morning, and by late, I mean over half their appointment slot was over before they showed.  Then one called to say she was late - 25 minutes AFTER her appointment was scheduled for.  Then she had the audacity to bitch us out because we said no to seeing her.  It's a problem and I am not tolerating it well.  Just needed to vent, again.

Working the vaccine clinic tomorrow, hoping for three CHILLY miles after.

OK, happy Saturday night.  It's wine time here....

K

KatS, here are some of the rules for the mileage game. They don't have this on there, but runn/walk is ok, all walking is not. I feel like that has been the one thing they call people out on and when it's happened, it's felt unnecessary in that it could have been handled through private messages instead of publicly. I find i keeps me more consistent than if left on my own since I haven't raced in a while.

I ran 3. It was windy AF and cold and I couldn't breathe but it was nice to be outside in my kind of weather (feels like 24).