Goose Egg Image contest

[Sasha Pachev]

I need a nice compact image of a goose egg that can be used on the blog. Being artistically challenged I decided to announce a contest for the best goose egg image, you can either find a free one on the net or draw one yourself. If you have not guessed already what it is for, this if for a new blog feature. It will appear on all of the blog entries later than your first and earlier than the current date that have not been specifically flagged as a planned day of rest. Feel free to put some creative text on it or make an animation.

[Jon Allen]

Do we choose to put this on or is it automatic?  How do we "flag a planned day of rest?"

[adam]

what about time off for unexpected injury? that's not necessarily a pre-planned rest day as well...

[Adam R Wende]

I'm curious that you'll be so strict with people missing days but you won't be strict about what mileage people count. One way around the goose egg is to just count the distance I walk from my car everyday... 

[Paul Petersen]

Great...negative reinforcement. That's how to get people to do stuff. 

Not everyone joins the blog to run every day. Another way around the goose egg is just to quit blogging.

[Josse]

I have to agree Sasha thit  idea is a huge turn off!  Quite discouraging for most.  I would highly recommend not doing this.

[Sasha Pachev]

Jon:

There will be a check-box that will say - day off due to injury/planned day of rest. Feel free to suggested a better wording. An runner will check it if the cause of the zero miles for the day is legitimate in his opinion.  It is not there yet.

Adam:

Low mileage is more often than not a consequence of skipping planned workouts for reasons of laziness or poor planning. That is why the blog has been so amazingly effective in helping people shave a good chunk of their PR. True, for some it has helped with better training as in not speeding on their easy runs, not overdoing on speed work, etc. But more often than not it is do your best training 6 days a week instead of 4, and do it throughout the year vs just when the roads are dry.

Also, the mileage alone is not as good of a predictor of what is going to happen with your endurance as the mileage + how many runs you do it in.

Regarding how it will affect the popularity of the blog. Those who will not mind the feature on average will be beating those who do. The ones getting beat will eventually be asking why.

I want the blog to produce fast runners. There is a reason we call it Fast Running Blog vs Finish a Marathon Blog or Average Runner Blog. We help the ones who could barely finish a marathon run a BQ, those who were running BQ run OTQ, those who run OTQ run OQ(not yet, but we hope), we help the average become exceptional. This will not happen unless they get out of their comfort zone. The value of the blog is in providing a framework that encourages the runner to leave the comfort zone of the  less disciplined training.  Discipline is not a very popular world in today's culture, and the statistical distribution of the results of any marathon speaks volumes about it. We could be popular by trying to blend with the average runner's comfort zone, but I find little satisfaction in it. It produces no growth. There is a better way, harder, but better.

[Dave Holt]

Sasha, I have to agree with everyone else.  It is understandable that YOU want to push yourself.  Great do it.  And those that really want to will also push themselves.  But some people just run for fun, weight, or a another reason than hitting some sweat marathon time.  Let them do it and do it without the negative stigma of the goose egg being attached.

[Jon Allen]

I have enough of a rebel in me that I would actually display my goose eggs with pride! 

[Paul Petersen]

I don't believe that your plans for world domination and labeling people as losers via goose-eggs can co-exist. Very few people actually want to the run fast. Hopefully the ones that do will find their way to this site. If you want to make this site exclusive, challenging, and not bend to the norms of the world, that's cool, but you will never make a living off of it. If you actually want to get more ad revenue (or sponsor revenue), you'll need to not isolate the other 99% of the running community.

Even as a faster runner (when not crippled), I would take umbrage to a goose-egg next to my name. I don't need big brother watching over me and scolding me when I don't or can't run.

[Jon Allen]

Many elite/Olympic class runners run 7 days per week.  I know even Paul would often take only 1 day off every 21 days last summer.  Therefore, why should we negatively judge people if they don't meet the too-common FRB criteria of "run 6 days per week"?  Why not tell everyone to run 7 days per week?  [This is rhetorical, don't answer it, Sasha].

By the same thinking, running 4 or 5 days per week rather than 6 or 7 may satisfy the goals of many runners.  Just like I don't want to be criticized for running 6 days per week by a 7-day-a-week guy, I don't think a 4-day-a-week guy wants to be criticized by me.  At the most, I could point out to him that running 6 days a week could help him improve.  But if he chooses not to run that often, I will still positively support him rather than use guilt to try to make him run my "6-days-a-week" preconceived plan.

[Sasha Pachev]

If you want to run 4 days a week, mark the days you do not run as the planned days of rest/non-aerobic training/no goose egg please, I had a good reason not to run in my own honest opinion. What's the problem?
Goose eggs next to an entry when in your own opinion you chose not to run when you believe you should have is not any more of a big brother than having a blog at all. They just make it easier for you and others to see the truth about your training.  You are given a tool to honestly account for what you do. This is an important concept regardless of what your goals are, if you want win the Olympics or if you just want to finish a 5 K.

[Jon Allen]

Would the egg appear as a graphic in the text area of the days (that otherwise do not appear)?

I would still display my eggs with pride!

[Sasha Pachev]

Jon:

I am thinking of displaying the graphic in the calendar when you log in and on the blog as well for all qualifying days after the latest of the date the feature has been implemented and the day somebody joined the blog. Maybe even add a born-again date for the Lost Sheep that come back. Then we do not display the goose eggs before the born-again date. Maybe a pop-up balloon on mouse over that will have the instructions on how to get rid of it. We will give Cody a special shirt to wear when he passed you at mile 23 that will have a picture of a goose egg with you sitting on it :-)

The nice thing about goose eggs is that when somebody joins the blog and does not post any workouts, you would still be able to comment.

We might even have a goose egg board which could display people with the most and the least goose engs.

[Jon Allen]

When did Cody pass me at mile 23?  I don't ever recall that occuring.  In fact, I don't think he has ever passed me in a race!

Least goose eggs board- good idea.  Most goose eggs?  Not sure it is a good idea.  Like Paul said, it may be too much negative reinforcement.  The whole goose egg idea might work better if people can opt-in, kind of like the sleep tracker.  I would have it goose egg me, but it would be good for anyone who wants to not have them to opt out.

Also, how would you determine when someone has become a lost sheep vs. born-again date?  Would they accrue goose eggs for a month and then stop?  Would you retroactively erase eggs once they come back?