DFW running club part 4!! ALL ARE WELCOME!!

becky_rtw

Okay sorry I'm with Rich on this one - what exactly do you do with all your medals/trinkets/tshirts..?

Oh yeah right you put them in a draw!!! Whats the point of that junk anyway - its only good when its a technical t shirt or a towel as Rich had once but otherwise its just pointless.

How does the memento make a race better value - sorry it DOESNT! Its just a cheap bit of tat. Races are good value when they are around £1-£2 a mile otherwise they are a rip off. And who cares about nice scenery - its a bonus not a race requirement...good course, fast times and nice marshalls are good race requirements!

/rant

redsquirrel80

It's nice to get a little memento of the race but not something that makes me decide whether to run it or not. I'd much rather have good organisaton and a good course.

Although, I do actually have all my running (and Moonwalk) medals out where I can see them - not like a big display though :rotfl: - just to remind me that sometimes I do achieve something!

redsquirrel80

Oh and I am going to run tonight - still got the cold, still refusing to let it get me down - and then long run on Sunday I think.

evab_2

I agree with squizz I like having the little momento but I wouldn't run just for that, I get annoyed with the charity runs that charge you £19.50 for entry and you get a t-shirt I'd much rather not have the t-shirt and pay less.

Idiophreak

becky_rtw wrote: »

Okay sorry I'm with Rich on this one - what exactly do you do with all your medals/trinkets/tshirts..?

Oh yeah right you put them in a draw!!! Whats the point of that junk anyway - its only good when its a technical t shirt or a towel as Rich had once but otherwise its just pointless.

I don't think "pointless" is the word at all...It's a keepsake. Sure, it'll get stuck in a drawer for the time being...but when I'm old, fat and have my young, fat, grandkid sat on my knee, I'll open that drawer and be able to say - "look, this was from a time when I wasn't old and fat!" Also, some of the trinkets, it's not just something you've bought - it's something you've worked damn hard to get - you look at it and you think "they don't just give these away...you have to be pretty fit to get this" - and that's a nice feeling. Sure, it may just be a 50p crappy medal, but the investment you've put in to getting it is a lot more than just the pennies spent.

becky_rtw wrote: »

How does the memento make a race better value - sorry it DOESNT!

Value, for most buyers, is inversely proportional to the profit made by the seller. If you're paying £10 for the race, or £10 for the same race and a medal - which is offering you better value?

Also, of course, it's psychological - generally speaking, people prefer to pay money for things that are tangible...things they can hold.

becky_rtw wrote: »

And who cares about nice scenery - its a bonus not a race requirement...good course, fast times and nice marshalls are good race requirements!

Depends on how you race, innit. I'd say "who cares about fast times" - it's in no way a requirement in a lot of the races I've done - it's about putting in a fast time *for the course*...Consequently my best finishing place to date wasn't my fastest time...and the most fun race I've done to date was also my slowest...and having fun's a good thing...

Sure, some people are just stat-monkeys that want a PB in every race, but quite a lot of people run races for the fun of it - and running through beautiful scenery certainly adds value for me - if I want a nice flat slog beside the dual carriageway I can do that any day of the week - don't need to pay for it at all...

Idiophreak

Oh...and forgot to mention...My missus will never need to buy a nightie again - I give her every XL race shirt I get to sleep in

RichOneday_2

Things have changed very quickly.

Road races were all, until recently, organised by clubs to raise a few quid for clubs funds (to pay for things like travel to events for those who wouldnt otherwise be able to afford to attend).

As such, race organisers are just a bunch of runners giving it their best shot. In fact its the odd bit of disorganisation which often gives the best memories (The Heaton Park parkrun springs to mind:p)

The concept of a 'good course' was always 'make it fast' if looking for times (hence running down an A road at Brampton is definitely classed as a good course which is why it used to be graced by the presence of Steve Cram, Steve Jones and Charlie Spedding). And the GNR is a straight run down an unremarkable A road so I'm confused as to why that is taken as a negative.

Otherwise a good course is anything you can race round - round and round a running track could hardly be described as scenic.

The idea that people are now thinking in terms of VFM in the same way that someone paying an entry fee to go into Alton Towers would shows how much the spirit of amateur road racing (which is a hobby at the end of the day) has been lost.

This is why there is a large group of people who want to pay through the nose for the 'bupa treatment' and another group who avoid such races unless they have absolutely no choice.

becky_rtw

Hmm well that was interesting!!! Had a rest day yesterday as I thought I was 'stiff' went out tonight and noticed that instead of getting better it was getting worse but I was running a tempo pace (around 9 mins/mile) so decided to leave it tonight and add the miles onto my slower run tomorrow...

(so its not stiffness - it appears to be a pulled muscle in my left buttock = ouch! I suspect I did it when falling over...)

RichOneday_2

Ouch indeed! It sounds similar to what I had earlier in the year when I was finding it hard to push off at the start of races because obviously the buttocks are where the thrust comes from (no need for smutty remarks, UK ).

Anyway, just spoken to the president of Border Harriers and he assures me that tomorrow's race is definitely going ahead although it may be a 'little windy'.

It would probably be more sensible to join KMS on Town Moor on Sunday as this is one 10 miler which could well feel like a marathon if the wind decides to be naughty.:p

bj-sailaway

Read that article - blimey, think the guy should just give up running! Obviously not for him!

Running has been raped by marketing and fund raisers. If my friends said 'I'm playing squash tonight, will you sponsor me' I'd think they'd gone bonkers. Some races are expensive, for what they are, but, if someone wants to lay on a 10K, charge £10, and that gives their club some funds - I'm happy.

I do rather like my Athens medal though - but it was by no means the decider.

I also think this marketing effect is making people run when not fit enough for distances. I know I couldn't do a marathon, but there's plenty at my level that would enter. Crazy. One of the personal trainers at my club refuses to train people for one off marathons. He'll only train 'beginners' up to run a 10K. He says he's about fitness and health - not long term health damage.