Further thoughts

Time to update the proceedings on this as it's been a week since the first post.

So far feedback has been positive, which is always reassuring when you are trying or wanting to start something. There is always the extreme thought in the back of your head that no one wants to get involved and that on the day, in a worse case scenario, I'm left standing in the middle of an empty park clutching an unused stopwatch waiting for no one to show up. Then I imagine some sombre music to play in the background as I slink off defeated, head drooping down, slumping off into the sunset, a lonely shadowy figure.

However, this isn't going to happen! Positive thinking kicks in and people have promised to be there. Hurray! A plan is coming together.

Before I start the main body of this post just a reminder that the registration page for the Marathon Talk Magic Mile Global Team Challenge can be found here alongside the entry list of names so far.

On with the update! This week my Garmin Forerunner has decided to die. It's served me well over the past 3 years. I'm not giving up on it just yet, I'm charging it again as I type, never losing hope that it's flatlining will turn into a regular beat. But soon someone will have to grab me by the shoulders and pull me away saying "It's over, she's gone". This means I will have to go out and buy a new Garmin, like a family buys a new puppy to replace the beloved old hound who just got put down after 15 years of love, slobber, poop and attention. It also means that my plotting out a suggested amendment to the course will have to be on hold for a few days.

Why a possible amendment? Well this is where you the reader come in, in regards your confirmation of participation.
I received a call from Tom Williams of Marathon Talk who asked if the route could encompass only one lap of the Fountain. The suggestion entailed that if everybody set off together on the proposed 2 lap course then people could be lapped, it could get confusing as to whom should turn off to the finish and overtaking could put people at risk if they are not aware that someone may come flying past them. All very valid points. However, this is dependent on how many runners want to take part.
For example: If we only have 10 runners all of whom run sub 6 minute miling then lapping won't be an issue. However, this is extremely unlikely. In fact I know this won't happen, but it's just a logistic.
If however we have 50 runners, some of whom can rub sub-4, and others a 10 minute mile then lapping does become an issue on a two lap course, especially on a road still open to cyclists.
Then of course 50 starters in a mile race also becomes too big a field. It is then wiser to divide the runs up into groups of runners with similar time goals if this action is called for. This is of course first-and-foremost a coming together at the same time and place of some runners to see how fast they can run a mile whilst having similar speed athletes there to push them harder than they would do if solo.

Personally I do prefer to have the two lap course, mostly because it makes the run compact and easily viewable at all times for anyone and everyone. But this will come down to the fact I need to know who is wanting to take part.

What this calls for is pre-entry notification. This will make my life easier if I know who to expect and roughly how many, rather than having to organise on the fly. This seems the most sensible decision to me.
So, if you are wanting to take part please e-mail me here - and I will put you on the 'entry' list. I simply need your name and estimated mile time. This list of course is not a binding contract to take part of course, and people can take part on the day, but I can make provisions for people based on how fast they expect to go and can then be grouped accordingly. I hope to hear from you soon.

P.S. If you are a Twitter user please use the hashtag #magicmile in relation to this Marathon Talk event.
Which reminds me, I need to make the now compulsory Facebook event and invite people.

Comments and suggestions welcome as always.