Coronavirus

[teamsaint]

One of the things that has been positive about this whole lockdown thing
is the absence of large groups of runners and cyclusts rampaging around the place
By all means run, cycle, skateboard, walk your pet hamster etc
BUT the huge groups thing ?....... No thanks

How often do you get huge groups of runners “ rampaging “ around the place ? Once a week, 9.00 till 10.00 on a Saturday is my guess, for Parkrun. People participating at parkrun are always reminded to share the space courteously with other users.

[MrGongGong]

Apologies if this has already been discussed on the thread. It worried me. For a start there seems to be no citing of sources for "the study" or whether it qualifies as a rigorous scientific investigation. The comments of Temple University's Music Librarian on the likelihood of "confirmation bias" seem well-judged...

https://www.thestrad.com/news/study-.../10687.article

My conclusion, (based on being an external examiner several times) would be
No sources cited = discount everything based on the "study"

I met a chap in a pub once who told me..........

[MrGongGong]

How often do you get huge groups of runners “ rampaging “ around the place ? Once a week, 9.00 till 10.00 on a Saturday is my guess, for Parkrun. People participating at parkrun are always reminded to share the space courteously with other users.

"Parkrun" aaaargh hideous

yeah yeah yeah I know lots of people like it and so on
and there is NOTHING wrong with running

but 100 people running around a park aren't going to "share the space courteously"

baaah humbug

[teamsaint]

"Parkrun" aaaargh hideous

yeah yeah yeah I know lots of people like it and so on
and there is NOTHING wrong with running

but 100 people running around a park aren't going to "share the space courteously"

baaah humbug

They do in Salisbury and Andover.
Plus there are very few other people around at that time. And parkrun participants pay their rates etc too.
It is a non- issue at the ones I have been to, as is the whole “rampaging “thing .

Seems to me that parkrun does a great job for the physical and mental wellbeing of many people. The very slight occasional inconvenience of a few other park users seems to me to be a reasonable pay off.

https://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2018/10/10/research-reveals-benefit-of-parkrun-on-mental-health/

[Bryn]

They do in Salisbury and Andover.
Plus there are very few other people around at that time. And parkrun participants pay their rates etc too.
It is a non- issue at the ones I have been to, as is the whole “rampaging “thing .

Seems to me that parkrun does a great job for the physical and mental wellbeing of many people. The very slight occasional inconvenience of a few other park users seems to me to be a reasonable pay off.

https://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2018/10/...mental-health/

Citing a 2018 article promoting park runs is of no relevance whatecer to the current situation.

[teamsaint]

Citing a 2018 article promoting park runs is of no relevance whatecer to the current situation.

I was linking re the benefits or otherwise of parkrun in general, in reposnse to GGs negative comments about “ rampaging “ runners and cyclists.

Actually,the mental wellbeing aspects do have some relevance in the continuing absence of parkrun and other social activities, and the negative mental wellbeing effects of lockdown.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

How often do you get huge groups of runners “ rampaging “ around the place ? Once a week, 9.00 till 10.00 on a Saturday is my guess, for Parkrun...

Yes, and it's friendly and brilliantly organised. And by 9.30, most people have completed the run (BaL being an incentive to get a move on), so the crowding has dispersed by then.

I must say I'm missing Parkruns.

[Bryn]

I was linking re the benefits or otherwise of parkrun in general, in reposnse to GGs negative comments about “ rampaging “ runners and cyclists.

Actually,the mental wellbeing aspects do have some relevance in the continuing absence of parkrun and other social activities, and the negative mental wellbeing effects of lockdown.

My own recent experience of both runners and bylaw breaking cyclists in local parks and Crown woodland supports Mr GG's negative view of their behaviour. Walkers are expected to make way for them and are often subjected to verbal abuse if they fail to give priority to them. There are honourable exceptions, of course.

[teamsaint]

Yes, and it's friendly and brilliantly organised. And by 9.30, most people have completed the run (BaL being an incentive to get a move on), so the crowding has dispersed by then.

I must say I'm missing Parkruns.

I’m hoping to be done by 9.25 when I do my own virtual parkrun tomorrow morning. Of course, you would be home enjoying the new release by then.

I had no idea that parkrun even existed a year ago. Its mental wellbeing impacts ( as well as physical benefits) are very significant.
Like so many other shared activites at the moment, they are greatly missed, by most people.

[teamsaint]

My own recent experience of both runners and bylaw breaking cyclists in local parks and Crown woodland supports Mr GG's negative view of their behaviour. Walkers are expected to make way for them and are often subjected to verbal abuse if they fail to give priority to them. There are honourable exceptions, of course.

GG was specifically referring to large groups. Most runners run on their own or in small groups. parkrun is the one regular large scale exception to this, I think.There is no excuse for bad behaviour by runners, cyclists, or anybody else.

[MrGongGong]

Nothing wrong with running
Nothing wrong with running with your mates
But some of the over hyped stuff around some mass participation events is nonsense

[Dave2002]

What surprises me in all of this is that despite their being some incredible science out there ( replicating the genome (? ) of the virus) some things that you might expect to be relatively easy to have researched exhaustively, such as how far droplets can carry under different circumstance , seem to be only partially understood.

I think that some aspects have been researched well, but communication about the implications have been done poorly. Remember also that from a public health point of view, the advisers don't care whether you or I die (that's not strictly true - I do believe that some of them do have a very good degree of humanity ...) but they're concerned about keeping total illness and deaths down, which is what they are paid to do. They don't have time to concern themselves with individual family issues, but "simply" want to ensure that fewer than X,000 people die or become seriously ill. The rest of us are really worried about whether we, or our friends and relatives will be affected.

I was surprised at the quote about the significant difference between 1 metre and 2 metre social distancing - a factor of 10-30.
A square law (area) would give a factor of 4, a cube law (volume) would give a factor of 8 - so other aspects are at play, besides the most obvious dispersion factors. Size of droplet, and the number of pathogens in each droplet, as well as wind are also factors. I think that some dispersion can certainly go 8 metres, particularly if ventilation is involved, but as stated in the recent press conference, in an out of doors environment, the risks do go down.

[teamsaint]

Nothing wrong with running
Nothing wrong with running with your mates
But some of the over hyped stuff around some mass participation events is nonsense

Parkrun is a world away from the big marathons etc which are not to my taste, and which cost a fortune to enter, and are rather over hyped.
Parkrun is genuinely inclusive and welcoming. It is free, welcomes all abilities , and is an important part of the life of many who have physical and mental issues. As with anything of that size and success, there are some problems but the people who run it work very hard to eliminate them.

[Andrew]

The BBC Website says (quote) "people from two households may meet in Wales". Right then...... my wife & I (constituting ONE family, living in Hertfordshire) and my daughter, her husband and their son (constituting ANOTHER family, also living in Hertfordshire) can travel to Wales and meet up, so we're all off to Tenby for the weekend.........

Oh no, wait a minute..... The WELSH Administration say groups shouldn't travel more than 5 miles ("keep it local") so I reckon we'll get as far as the first services on the M4 before our 5 mile limit is reached....

Am I missing something or is this "advice" REALLY confusing.....?

[Count Boso]

Am I missing something or is this "advice" REALLY confusing.....?

It may be confusing, but as far as I can see the Welsh government hasn't yet lifted its ban on people travelling from England into Wales (except in some very limited cases involving getting to work). And as has been said, in Wales it's the Welsh law that counts.