Comrades 2020

marty74

debra / lowrez - i know they are not running together, but for me if people do not participate or are interested in the sport see this, i am sure they would complain. It is looks like it has been a pre-organised gathering which is obviously not allowed, and shows a disregard to the EA guidelines set out. Unfortunately, for me anyway, it is these sort of things that will contribute to a complete lockdown and runners being given a bad name and accused of spreading the disease. In any case, i don't see the point. You are not running with anyone so just do it on your own for the next few weeks and see this thing through. We will all come out stronger the other side. Of course we all miss doing the things we love.

Rant over. At least we at the moment we can enjoy these lovely crisp mornings with absolutely no one around. Stay safe everyone.

1owrez

I think the 2m rule ain't too bad, there is a practicality aspect that has to be considered irrespective of the actual facts - if it was more you would have to go one at a time into supermarkets etc. I suspect the actual distance to guarantee you absolutely won't get infected is way higher. I'm basing that on being able to detect cigarette smoke probably 100m or more off from a walker in front of me out on a run. I'm assuming the air I am breathing has been in their lungs rather than the smoke ebbing out the end of his stick. Whether covid can survive that journey or not it's a bit scary to realise the basic fact that you are re-breathing their air, same must be going on for every pair of lungs out there. So that canal run I think is a bit daft; one carrier and all go down potentially, plus someone comes the other way and I don't think you can be 2m apart without vaulting the hedge or jumping in the canal. Plus I didn't see how they organised, gathered and executed the formation prior to the stunt, maybe they were good and managed a 2m separation

Out doing a 13 miler yesterday I saw a bus driver and clapped him and waved as he passed - saw him 3 times more on the run - one where he was going to cross my path and he actually stopped the bus to let me go first - we were falling over laughing each time - so whilst it's dodgy going out you can still have a heap of fun - in normal times we would just have ignored each other, and he probably would have blared his horn at me for attempting to cross his path

Southern Snail

Whilst out running this morning I saw a few runners and cyclists who were clearly out together and yet not "together". We will look back on this time in our lives at some point and realise its just a small blip in time. I agree that we should just get out there and enjoy it. We don't always have to be with someone. As Marty says, if we don't adhere to the rules this will just drag on longer.

This morning, while crossing the road to avoid someone, a cyclist went past and shouted out 'Comrades'! Obviously no idea who it was. I was wearing my 2018 Comrades top, so obviously someone who recognised it!!

1owrez

Love it when that happens - found some news - that we know already of course

1owrez

If I did this on the big day I'd end up DNFing I'm sure, both through wasted time and wasted effort

1owrez

Bruce on form

MARK A ALDERSON

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hiOYzmWN_Yk

Debra Bourne

I love those talks Bruce gives. He's the reason I first entered Comrades: when I interviewed him for my parkrun book and asked him to write the foreword, he said I had to run Comrades - and with Bruce Fordyce telling me to run Comrades, what else could I do? (And he wrote me a great foreword).

baldstan

lowrez, well done on the 13 miler. You must have been keeping up a good pace if you kept overtaking the bus. I used to be able to keep up with the buses occasionally, but now there's hardly any traffic around (and almost no on ewaiting at the bus stops) I don't have a chance!

I've been getting quite self conscious about setting a good example when I've been out running, so we don't lose the right to go out. Started wearing a buff around my neck which I pull up to cover my mouth and nose whenever I pass anyone. I know it won't protect me much, but if I were to be a carrier it might help a little. And also running in the road to give people plenty of room when I pass - though it doesn't help when sometimes they don't look round and step out to cross the road right in front of me.

Beautiful run in the sunshine through Debra's part of the country. Most surprising sight, turning a corner to see a field of horses, and two telescopes in one corner.

1owrez

Thanks Stan I run an out and back with a bit of a loop in it on the outskirts of a trading estate, remote from any homes, but there are a few factories working away and I guess the bus ferries people in and out, although it was completely empty each time I saw it. So it was criss-crossing the estate and I was running around the outside crossing its path, I wasn't keeping pace with it

Despite my griping about people's behaviour it has dawned on me too that unless I take the evasive action I'm going to end up with multiple shaves closer than I would like, so on this run I was going on the opposite sides of roads ages before the people approached me, in most cases those sides have no footpath so I am breaking the highway code and running directly into traffic, but, drivers seem to understand. This last run was a lot less traumatic because of that. Well done on adopting a similar approach

So, maybe you have rumbled the horse race; they are all secret astronomers! I wonder if they know the answer to life, the universe and everything?

1owrez

Right, I am calling the Mars run complete, with a bit of rounding up here and there:-

Momas didn't put any miles in this week and he is a bit too short of the final total to reasonably round up so MeterHDM easily smashed it to take first place Mmax finished brilliantly to take a Milver too MustAnothrRunner finished well to grab a Mill Rowan and I'm crying me eyes out missing a Mobert by a few seconds, but I should reflect this is my first Mronze so I should be dead pleased really. Well done everyone! This indicates we are all putting in plenty of training miles and keeping in good shape for whenever the race gets re-pitched. In particular Mubai should be very pleased with only a swimming pool to repetitively tour; a Mobert is an astounding achievement

Gotta dash and calculate Fruitland now! 

1owrez

In just one week we already have 3 Fruitland finishers:-

They might notice that their completion times are in excess of their Strava run rate; if competitors have not achieved an equivalent ascent to the Fomrades route then the minutes per mile are being increased proportionately due to the missing ascent! Even so it looks like Fark has an unassailable lead in the Fruit House and could be the only Fill Rowan awarded in this event. Exceptions to the run rate calculations are those under lock-in conditions so Fubai and Fike It will remain unfactored until their in-country regulations are lifted.

1owrez

Here we go:-

Impressive that despite lock-downs both Fike It and Fubai are well into the run. FAR continues the great recovery on his famstring. Fnail and Fac have made a fus together and on this event I better not mention the bloke between Fubai and Fnail, or the gal between FAR and Feter either will just about get away with mentioning Flow Duck by his first name too! Well done every one feep it fp!

1owrez

So! With people already finished and in the Fruit House, we need another event... Announcing Band World:-

PeterDHM

Haha, thanks for organising these virtual runs Lowrez/mowrez/fowrez, they are good fun.  I've done a few treadmill runs and if I'm doing hills on it I tend to state the incline, do you take that into account or is that too much of a headache? Eg. 4% X 8km = 320m ascent.  I went out for a run yesterday but it was so busy with walkers / cyclists I gave up and came home to the treadmill.

Southern Snail

Lowrez - well done on working all that out. Fruitworld is very slow for me as is mainly a long run done very slow (quite liked the time of my first one - although you pipped me by 2 mins!!) So I'm just off for a long run of which I only need about 6 miles to finish the fruit world run. Do the rest get carried over to Band World?

Debra Bourne

lowrez: amazing work on sorting this all out, and what an imagination! (Although I have no idea who half of those people/bands are on your latest offering).

Peter R

Great start to the week Lowrez, thanks for the entertainment.  Rest day today, I love rest day.

I tend to be taking the evasive action on runs, and agree that sometimes I end up facing the oncoming traffic.  I find runners to be quite considerate but walkers less so.  There are clearly a lot of new runners out there, so I was going to mention dress code but that would just start another debate.  lol

1owrez

Did someone say dress?

It would have been the London marathon this Sunday; we are all being asked to do 2.6 of something. Seeing as everyone is wearing masks I was thinking of cracking the above out of the closet and doing 26 half miles, could even pin last year's number on!

1owrez

Peter, not sure if treadmills get pulled through onto the Strava groups? They are absolutely valid as is their ascent so let me know any totals.

SS I have to admit to adding 2 extra of my slowest miles to get me over the line on Mars. Mars was not ascent adjusted though so you would have wiped the floor with me really

Debra I could look at making a playlist to musically bring you up to speed In order to get tenuous links to each point on the course I have covered a vast range of time.

1owrez

SS each run starts afresh on a Monday shadowing the Strava groups to make it easy for me to calculate, nothing gets carried over having closed Mars. This week's mileage will accumulate into Fruitland and it will start off Band World, but anything that wasn't used in getting the 3 finishers so far over the line last week on Fruitland won't be carried forward into Band World.

Debra Bourne

lowrez: don't worry. My husband will probably be able to inform me if I want to know! I do recognise one or two of them and I have no interest in learning about/listening to the others.

Peter R

That photo just made my day .. I was wondering what those drivers were thinking.   

Debra Bourne

Peter R: me too!

marty74

lowrez - love it. Top work. I had to read the sentence twice when you mentioned the guy between Fubai and Fnail. Luckily i wasn't eating my weetabix at the time because i think the ipad might have coped it

baldstan

I'm sure you'd have no problem with social distancing in that lowrez, and I assume there's the stormtrooper's helmet must include some kind of air filter, so you're ready for any change in the guidance too.

Love the idea of Band World so I've sent a request to join the Strava group. My elder son wants to try to run a half marathon in our back garden this week, but as each circuit is about 13 metres I'm not sure how well Strava will cope.

Slow Duck

Lowrez - thank you for tirelessly working to keep our group engaged - really appreciate it especially when we no longer have an actual date for Comrades.

Becca7

Similarly to Marty in Fruitworld I nearly spat my tea onto keyboard at the mention of the gal between FAR and Feter but I always did like Father Ted.  Thanks to lowrez for the entertainment.

Similar tactics for me in social distancing, crossing the road or running in the road where need be and even a tarmac fan like me will take to the grass in parks to avoid the crowds.  Normally if I was overtaking walkers taking up the whole path I would cough to alert them to my presence.  This tactic was proving particularly effective in recent weeks.

Lowrez isn't the only one with the fancy dress.  A local running group had a run in fancy dress task so I did 4 miles as Mr Rabbit.

Southern Snail

Cool picture Becca. Well done and yes a good cough usually gets people to move!!!

1owrez

That photo is brilliant Becca (I'm using your Band World name:)) - did the real Mr Rabbit take it? It is a superb perspective.