It’s Seven O’clock and I want to Rock

Jeeze, sounds like I have a case of the Muundays.

I’m really hoping for calm and cool weather on June 27th at 7pm for the National 10 000m race.  I wouldn’t have to pray so much if the race would start a couple hours later once the sun goes down.  It can be very hot in Toronto at the end of June and with the sun it can be pretty uncomfortable running 25 laps around a track.  As both the race distance and temperatures rise there is a negative and exponential relation to performance times.  I really don’t mind running a mile when it’s hot… even a 3000m isn’t so bad.  But once you get up to 5km it really negatively effects your time and I don’t care to know what running a marathon in 28C would feel like…

With the 10 000m it’s not like we get the chance to run them every week.  Two to four 10 000m races a season is what most 10km runners will do, which is likely the ideal amount.  So with very few opportunities why do we have to have the one mandatory 10 000m (for carding, making national teams etc) run at a time when it’s likely to be hot.  If the 10 000m was scheduled for 9pm when the sun sets it would help the times and maybe make the difference for someone making a national team, someone getting carded or even a PB.

I know the answer probably lies in having to have officials stay late and the desire to have a continuous schedule.  I also should have said something to AC when the schedule came out if I really wanted something done about it and not just complaining here and now.  I also know that some championship races will be run when it’s hot so this is good practice, blah blah blah.  It still seems stupid to me.

My second rant is about the possibility of  the Pan Am Games coming to Toronto/Hamilton in 2015.  I really hope that we get the games as the facilities that come with the winning bid would be great for the area.  I’m not sure we deserve the games though.  Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong by the turnout at Nationals this year but the area doesn’t support Track and field enough, one of the main Pan Am sports.  It could be argued that if we host the games that people will start caring because track will have more exposure.   

I’m sure the Pan Am games will have a decent marketing campaign judging by the airplane banner that flew over the Festival of Excellence.  If the attendance at Varsity stadium during nationals is dismal it may, in part, be due to very little marketing of the event by Athletics Canada and the host.  Heck, the whole country was focused on Usain Bolt last week at Varsity stadium, is there a better opportunity to get the word out???  Fail.  Oh, and Usain may still be running in 2015, so maybe Toronto should host the games after all since we know people will care then.

Proposed PAN AM Games stadium in the Hammer. So sweet.