2019 EN Holiday Run Challenge
2019 Holiday Run Challenge
8 Days, Wednesday to Wednesday, 12/25 to 1/1 inclusive
Okay folks, it's that time of year again. That’s right. The pools are closed. Your trainer didn’t fit in the minivan so you couldn’t bring it to Aunt Merna’s house. All you have is your running shoes and a burning desire to get outside. I am talkin’ ‘bout...drumroll please…
The Annual Holiday Run Challenge
Stay fit and have fun this holiday season by joining your crazy EN teammates for an 8-Day Run Challenge!!!
This is a solo challenge to keep our minds off the sugar cookies and mulled cider and on coming out ahead of the game on New Years, perhaps a few pounds lighter and, of course, feeling superior over our friends who will all be complaining about the 5lbs they gained over the holidays!
If you do not think you can do it alone and the accountability to the Team is not enough, you can "align" yourself with a Team just by putting a team name in the tracking spreadsheet.
So lace up your shoes, fire up your Internet connection and start planning those runs!
How to Score Points (Use the Calculator here):
- 1 point per mile run.
- 1 additional point for each hour run (whole numbers only 1, 2, etc.)
- 1 additional point for a run in sub-32 degrees weather.
- 1 additional point for each mile run at (or above) Threshold Pace (10k pace).
- 5 bonus points for running all 8 days of challenge.
- Note: This runs on the honor system, please only post your actual run results.
Rewards:
- Fitness is it's own reward...really!
- Bragging rights
Points Examples:
- If it takes me one hour to run 8 miles in 40-degree weather with 2 miles
- at threshold... I get 8 x 1 point for distance (8), 1 point for 1 hour
- of running (1), 0 points for sub-32 degree running, and 2x1 point for
- the threshold miles (2)...I will have earned 11 points for my run.
- If you run less than an hour, like 45 minutes, you don’t get the “hour” points!
Instructions:
- Join the 2018 Holiday Run Forum Thread (YOU ARE HERE!)
- Invite teammates to participate; consider forming a Team!
- Enter your name in the Spreadsheet (be careful to use the 2018 tab and to not to fudge anyone else's info!).
- Calculate and update your Holiday Runs daily, starting on 12/25, using the Point Calculator tab in the same Spreadsheet (it’s the first one, bottom left).
- Log daily workouts in Spreadsheet. Talk smack + post pics in this forum.
- Earn points and get fit!
FAQs:
Where is the spreadsheet?
It's online as a shared Google document here.
Do I need a Google account?
You shouldn't need one, but you _do_ need to be careful when entering your data that you only touch your space in the spreadsheet and not anyone else's!
How do I create a Team?
Just write in a team name and the sheet will start calculating your team data.
Comments
Will there be points associated with elevation gain? In past years I know there are bonus points associated with running some time (a mile at least) at threshold, and bonus points for running in cold weather. Last year I suggested that there are bonus points for running in hilly places (like maybe 1 extra point for every 500 feet of gain?). I know that makes things complicated, but I think it is definitely appropriate given the points for threshold time and cold weather.
I agree with points for gain.
differently. IOW we can't say your 500ft gain is the same as Timmy's 500ft
gain.
This is why we have done points for Temperature in the past (universally
verifiable); maybe we could score Indoors vs Outdoor runs differently?
Any thoughts?
~ Coach P
I'll 3rd the points for gain, especially since I am normally running in the mountains, above Colorado Springs while visiting family (and there is no way I will hit my threshold pace at 9k plus). Its all the honor system anyway.
Maybe do the challenge as normal to start collecting elevation gain/loss and see if there is value but this year just give kudos to the person with most elevation gain over the week, in addition to normal people with highest points?
I agree that people’s various devices differ in the elevation gain they report. And in some cases they are wildly inaccurate in what report. It is on the honor system and if someone has a device that is known to be highly inaccurate, then they shouldn’t be eligible for gain points, unless they can calculate the gain through another means.
Also, i am wondering If we use a broad target: 500 feet = 1 point, then it wouldn’t matter too much if my device reports 650 feet gain and your device reports 500 feet gain. We would both get a point. Granted, if someone’s device reports 950 feet & another device reports 1000, then, yes, that is an inaccuracy in the point accumulation.
I guess I don’t know how much variation there is in what people’s devices report....
i like @patrick Hayden’s idea as a way to see how it would might play out if it was included....and of course, we all love kudos. 😉🎉🙏
Ok, I am for @Patrick Hayden Goal of tracking gain as a vanity metric for 2019. Here is the text from the calculation section of the sheet:
I italicized the Threshold Pace one. I think maybe adding elevation gain would be a nice change because there's plenty of people who perhaps consistently run at that effort but you can run up in A hill instead.
And those of us who are flatlanders can compensate by simply running faster. I would say that maybe there's a consideration that you can't handle? Obviously it's easy to run at threshold pace down A hill Than up a hill.
So maybe people would choose I'm ready for Gain versus running for speed?
Not to complicate things as I'm for adding in elevation gain but sitting here thinking are we going to include incline on the treadmill as some people do their hill work there? If it's device measure then that will have to be outside which is fine. For me I find it easier to run inside on the treadmill @2% compared to running hills outside.
Finally I can get a number of additional points for my runs in sub 32 degree weather maybe there's some additional point(s) for those running at or above say mile high 5280.
I know we don't want to make this too complicated so I'll just shut up now.
Ok, I'll pile on...additional points for runs in sub 32 is penalizing folks for where they live. Should there also be additional points for running in temps above 90? I'm sure people in Northern regions are used to running in sub 32 degrees temps and therefore should not get bonus points for just another outdoors run. Similarly, people in southern regions are used to running in warm temps. Maybe there should not be extra points based on temps.
Likewise I don't think there should be extra points for elevation based on the inability to accurately measure elevation, especially if running on a treadmill (as stated above).
I say keep the 1 point for each mile at TP.
I know this is all for fun and to encourage running during the holidays, so I'll do what @Gordon Cherwoniak did and shut up. ☺️
Lucky that @Coach Patrick has experience as an elected official; I just put the popcorn in the microwave. Personally, I like to get credit for a bump in miles and a little streak... hoping that Team Texas can win this year!
Grrrr. I need to remember this thread every time I say I love working with triathletes 😭
so, I appreciate the input...how about the following changes. What I’m trying to do below is in the middle of the cold weather by us, ignore the fact that we are biased towards the imperial system, and create a structure that encourages people to run on consecutive days:
1 additional point for a run in sub-32 degrees weather.1 additional point for each mile run at (or above) Threshold Pace (10k pace).from the bonus point perspective it looks like someone that ran all straight eight days in a row would earn one +2+4+8+16+32+64+128 points. That certainly shows the value of running consistency, but perhaps could really skew the results? Thoughts?
Shoot! I’m sorry! I didn’t want to create a source of tension or stress. Honestly, I am totally fine with whatever rules we end up with. I just wanted to discuss it. I appreciate you considering it @Coach Patrick snd I appreciate everyone else contributing.
@Coach Patrick I'm good with the changes to give more points for keeping the streak going.
As far as skewing the results I think the adding & consent double is a bit too much, since if I just take the final double number and ran 1 mile a day all 8 days I would have 136 points (8+128) vs 40 miles with 2 hour+ runs and 5 day streak being 58 points (40+2+16). Numbers get even more skewed if you add them in addition to doubling (255 vs 73)
Perhaps you get a bonus of 1 point for day one, 2 for day two, 3 for day three, etc. and you add them all together for the longest # of days in the streak? That would provide a min of 1 and a max of 36, which would encourage a run streak every day while not being such a huge number.
So same example, I run 1 mile every day for 8 days I would get 44 points (8+36). A person who runs 40 miles, with 2 runs being over 1 hour and a 5 day streak would get 57 points (40+2+15).
Well, I'm running every day even if it requires <32, at altitude, for an hour, at threshold.
LOL...sorry @Coach Patrick
I second @Patrick Hayden suggestion.
Thanks.
What a group of SUPER competitive people. 🤣🤣🤣
Just go out and run. Its never going to be below 32 degrees in AZ, I'm slow, I have short legs, I'm sure I'll miss a few days, but I'm up for coming in last. Who's with me?
@Gary Lewis I'm with yah.
@Gary Lewis I'll do my best to stay with you at the bottom😁
@Gary Lewis I'm with you...Northern California is chilly in the AM, we were close to 32 today.
I think the goal here is to get people running consistently. If I do 1 mile on my normal "non-run" days, it's a bonus!! Lets have some fun!!
you all are confusing me on the points... If it doesn't happen automatically at the end, well what the heck, I'm not going to be able to figure it out...
the extra 5 points for running all days should be adequate.
BTW, Team Texas, get off yur duff! It's 71 degrees out there!
Keeping it simple here... #miles + a point for over an hour. The spreadsheet used to add the 5 bonus points to the total after 8 straight days (seems about right to me), but @Coach Patrick was suggesting some serious bling points for an 8-day streak. I’m just happy to be running well and must avoid doing stupid triathlete tricks 🤕
@Patricia Rosen We need to cut KMF man a break @Shaughn Simmons has been running marathons all month 👍
I am joining team Gary Lewis. I love this challenge every year. Don’t take the fun out of it please.
@John Culberson Ah hah! Team Texas has been busy!
I added the extra points for the over one hour runs... My favorite thing about this challenge is it helps me make my goal for the weight challenge 😊
@Virginia Edmonds my team has been slacking, as I haven't run at all. CHALLENGE FAILED!!
Well I did not even get my name on the spreadsheet but I did get in two runs one on the 27th and 28th for minimal points but I'm okay with that as I just wanted to get out and run.
@John Culberson and @Patricia Rosen - I'm on your team even though I'm in North Carolina now! I was in San Antonio from 2009 to 2017 and dream of being still there this time of year running in shorts!😎
All done! Ran every day, if only a little bit on some of those days.... Time to chill a bit!
Congratulations to all whom completed everyday in the Holiday run challenge. No easy feat considering the responsibilities and distractions that go with the season!
Congratulations to all that completed the run challenge. The results are in.
1st with 86.2 points is David Mehl
2nd with 58.6 points is Bill Begin
3rd with 47.7 points is Bob Sherwood
Winning Team is Team Texas with a combined score of 155.
Woohooo! Thanks, Brenda!
Thanks Brenda! I had fun with this challenge - good motivator for the past 8 days. I woke up this morning kinda lost. It was definitely tricky to get the miles in some days, especially with the kids off school, different schedules, etc. I'm glad I stayed with it, though - plus I had to burn off a few of the way-too-many Christmas cookies I ate! Happy New Year!