Q: I heard you made a mistake in your last journal entry! Are you telling me there s a way for us to keep score during the club competition this year? That would be great……
A: Yes, I did make a mistake, but no, there still is no good way to keep score mid-season.
Q: So what was your mistake then?
A: It turns out that it is not a forgone conclusion that we ll be dropping the March 8K.
Q: Why not?
A: Well, a few items came to my attention that I was not aware of. First, certain teams entered in NYRR races do not count for team scoring. For example, if the Syracuse Chargers enter a team, they won t count in the club standings. So the team score we receive might be different than the team score on the results page.
Q: This is confusing. But did the Syracuse Chargers ever beat us before?
A: Yes, they did in the March 8K, as seen here.
Q: Okay, but there s more, isn t there.
A: Yes. The Brooklyn Half Marathon this year conflicts with the Boston Marathon. As no one knows which teams will send which runners to Brooklyn, the race is a crap-shoot, and every team needs to be prepared. And the easiest way to be prepared is to race well at all the events preceding Brooklyn, including the March 8K.
Q: So if so many good runners are opting out of Brooklyn to run Boston, why is the Brooklyn Half part of the club series?
A: Hey, don t mess with Brooklyn!
Q: Fair enough. Anything else?
A: Yes, it seems as though a few people at the club are afraid of a repeat of the 2006 Shea Stadium Massacre.
Q: What does Carlos Beltran striking out against the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals have anything to do with running?
A: No, you re confusing the Shea Stadium Triumph with the Shea Stadium Massacre, which happened here. We need to run every race well in case another event like this occurs.
Q: Gotcha. So wait, since the point of this is that every race counts , should I run New Bedford or stay in the city? I don t want to let the club down!!!
A: To be honest, going to either race will be good for the team. You can race New Bedford, and extend our presence out of state. Or you can continue to race in Central Park. Whatever works for you works for the team. There is no wrong choice. The key is to just make sure to represent our team somewhere!
Q: Sounds good. Man, with all of these nuances to keep track of, it must be tough being a running reporter….
A: It s tougher than you ever imagined. No wonder sportswriters avoid covering our sport like the plague!!!