Greater freedom to choose has been chipping away at the field sizes of large, established events for years, but Fauci et al. added a kick in the balls for good measure
This was great. Excellent prose,as always.Kevin.Stings are brutal,and you way with words on that topic had me rolling with laughter.And then there was the part about Cigna. Only a fellow New Hampshirite could relate.I didn't know they changed the course.I liked the old one better,as you describe--that hill at about 3 miles.It used to be called Health Source.I ran the very first one,which I think was like 1993,but maybe 1992.Maybe 17:10 and I believe 25th. ? I think I only broke 17 mins there once.Seems the heat and sardine start made it tough to get a decent time.You're spot on about the running numbers. This is across the board.It is indeed fear that is keeping folks away.That should never happen.Here in the Philippines I wanted t run a weekly track meet.but 3 things made me sour on it,and i let them know.First,a photocopy of my original birth certificate(" I'm 1959 vintage,by the way);then proof of Covid vaccination;and alas you have to bring your own antigen testing kit--to test right there--which is not cheap.It also killed the fun.We did none of this at my sizzler races.Show up on the night of our races and pay 3.00. I modeled it on old school race which I learned from the pioneers of the sport back in the early 1970's. Like you,I am anti-woke and loathe the modernism,doping and lazy approach to training.In 1979,I did a 2:58:12 at Boston(only 5.00 to run ,Kevin) and was midpack. About 52% of all finishers broke 3 hours.Everyone who raced was in shape because they put in the time.We're old school,man,in a new school world.Press on,brother.We need our in our beloved sport now more than ever. You are running's top scribe in my book,by a long shot.Best wishes!
"But if you’re a kid who loves running despite being a soft-spoken late bloomer but isn’t naturally gifted, you’re mostly on your own, other than the Internet and, if you’re lucky, a burned-out uncle living in the faraway mountains and whispering private encouragement between public rants that flirt with laptop-battering meltdowns."
I was a soft-spoken late bloomer who isn't naturally gifted. That was well before the internet and I didn't have a burned-out uncle anywhere. I've never had a coach. Even though I ran two meets for my high school in my last month before graduating, I did that based on running on my own for 15-20 minutes most days, without ever training with the track team.
This was great. Excellent prose,as always.Kevin.Stings are brutal,and you way with words on that topic had me rolling with laughter.And then there was the part about Cigna. Only a fellow New Hampshirite could relate.I didn't know they changed the course.I liked the old one better,as you describe--that hill at about 3 miles.It used to be called Health Source.I ran the very first one,which I think was like 1993,but maybe 1992.Maybe 17:10 and I believe 25th. ? I think I only broke 17 mins there once.Seems the heat and sardine start made it tough to get a decent time.You're spot on about the running numbers. This is across the board.It is indeed fear that is keeping folks away.That should never happen.Here in the Philippines I wanted t run a weekly track meet.but 3 things made me sour on it,and i let them know.First,a photocopy of my original birth certificate(" I'm 1959 vintage,by the way);then proof of Covid vaccination;and alas you have to bring your own antigen testing kit--to test right there--which is not cheap.It also killed the fun.We did none of this at my sizzler races.Show up on the night of our races and pay 3.00. I modeled it on old school race which I learned from the pioneers of the sport back in the early 1970's. Like you,I am anti-woke and loathe the modernism,doping and lazy approach to training.In 1979,I did a 2:58:12 at Boston(only 5.00 to run ,Kevin) and was midpack. About 52% of all finishers broke 3 hours.Everyone who raced was in shape because they put in the time.We're old school,man,in a new school world.Press on,brother.We need our in our beloved sport now more than ever. You are running's top scribe in my book,by a long shot.Best wishes!
"But if you’re a kid who loves running despite being a soft-spoken late bloomer but isn’t naturally gifted, you’re mostly on your own, other than the Internet and, if you’re lucky, a burned-out uncle living in the faraway mountains and whispering private encouragement between public rants that flirt with laptop-battering meltdowns."
I was a soft-spoken late bloomer who isn't naturally gifted. That was well before the internet and I didn't have a burned-out uncle anywhere. I've never had a coach. Even though I ran two meets for my high school in my last month before graduating, I did that based on running on my own for 15-20 minutes most days, without ever training with the track team.
Thanks. Good and interesting reading. Janine