LOLZLetter 321 | A Hodgepodge of Thoughts
Welcome,
Each year since I’ve started the newsletter...six (!!) years ago...there is one newsletter that stands out as being the lowest read of the year...and that’s Boston Marathon Monday. If you’re running/ran Boston, I hope it went well for you. I also hope you had a wonderful Easter if you celebrate.
I’m keeping this one short as I know people are busy and preoccupied with other things. So if you open it, you’ve made it a step further than many. Anyway, my husband and I are on a 12-day vacation road trip across the Southwest U.S. We originally thought we would spend more time in New Mexico, but we haven’t and ended up spending a lot of time in Arizona as well as Colorado. I saw snow for the first time this season (LOL), in Flagstaff. (to be fair, we had cold days in the desert and I live an hour from snow…but I never saw this winter any until now)
We’ve done some fun runs, and him mountain biking as he prepares for his next 50-mile race next weekend. It’s been fun and relaxing. Plus, I finally had some time to update the blog, and I updated the shoe and gear reviews page to make it current. If you’re looking for a review, I’ve probably reviewed it there... I always recommend people control-search because there are so many.
Some random thoughts from the week:
I barely look at newsletter stats but I recently learned the FueledbyLOLZ newsletter is read by people in 49 out of 50 states. The state missing? Vermont. Shocking, as I spent a lot of time in VT when I went to college at SUNY Potsdam.
Debating going to the Save the 10,000 on May 3rd. I don’t know how exhausted I’ll be after this trip and that work week (since I know it will be rough). I don't know someone make up my mind for me. (it's in Walnut so about 2 hours away)
People mad about others running Boston. I’ve seen a few people (mostly on threads) complaining that “only those who got a BQ should be able to run Boston” or mad that someone who ran a downhill race (something that drops 5,000 feet) shouldn’t be able to qualify. Not that anyone asked me, but it’s two different arguments. Also, not that anyone asked me but I think people get too worked up over running and what random strangers are doing.
Charity runners raised $71.9 million dollars for charity. It’s not easy to meet those minimums, and some runners are never going to be able to BQ. There should be no question if charity runners should run Boston. They should and they are making a huge difference.
Downhill races: Running a marathon is hard, but gravity does help you with these huge drop races (I’m talking races that drop down the side of a mountain). When I ran the Revel Big Bear Half, I ran 10 minutes faster than my last half marathon. But we can’t get mad at runners who have chosen to use these races, because Boston allows it. If you want to be “mad” at someone, it should be the B.A.A. for allowing people to BQ with these races. But honestly, at the end of the day, it’s running.
Puma debuts the Fast R Nitro Elite 3: They've done an incredible job with marketing and this just skyrocketed as a top shoe I want to try. I've seen them marketing that you could drop X amount of time from your marathon by using it.
The amount of activations/shakeouts at Boston. My last World Major was in 2019 (NYCM) and there were a lot, but not an overwhelming amount of shakeouts/influencer activation before the race. It sounds exhausting to try and do it all before race day. I’m curious from someone who has run a world major since then.
Anyway, I’m always interested in hearing your thoughts so feel free to comment.
What is keeping me entertained?
Mountains 2 Beach Half Marathon (1:29.40)
Wildgrain Gluten-Free Box Review