Friday, June 6, 2014

How Much More Scorn Will an All-Encompassing Running (and Field!) Conversion Calculator Garner?

Imagine a conversion calculator for all distances, that even compares Men's with Women's marks and even includes field events!

 That's the Mercier Calculator, which Friend of the Group  (and amateur geologist!) George Brose pointed me to a few weeks ago.  You can argue about the results all you want, but you'll probably be arguing with someone smarter than you!  Physicists made this one up.  You can read about the rationale on the web site. Go argue with them and get back to me.

The last post about conversions and calculators filled the comments box with horrendous personal scorn and bad vibes.  (But it also helped be attain the honor of the Stalker Award at the last Reunion.) Herding cats was never meant to be free of scrutiny and the after-effects of those entreaties going terribly, terribly awry. So here's another calculator inviting more of the same...


Using the calculator, a men's 4:00.00 mile converts to a women's 4:36.25

My 10000M PR would convert to a 2:24:02 Marathon, which I woefully fell short pursuing.  But I've always blamed my shoes...


My pair has exactly 26.2 miles on them.  I never wore them before the race.  I didn't warm up before the race ("A marathon is a 20 mile race with a 3.1 mile warm up and a 3.1 mile cool down.").  The right insole also is covered with dried blood from the entire plantar-forefoot sloughing that occurred during the 3 loops of the Schuylkill River course.  I certainly had some good views of Tim Backenstose on the opposite shore 5 separate times during that one! 
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4 comments:

  1. Matthew GrovesJune 6, 2014 at 10:13 AM

    3.1 mile cooldown. That's rich.

    I prefer half marathons/20K's. More of a race against another as opposed to a race of attrition against your own body.

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  2. skwilliJune 6, 2014 at 11:23 AM

    I don't remember who opined about that view of the marathon distance. Could it have been Coach Groves himself?

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  3. TruthbetoldJune 7, 2014 at 10:39 PM

    The Mercier "comparison" is, luke most physics-based formulas highly flawed.
    First of all, far too many items excees 1000 based on the tables described purpose. Secondly, compare the times and scores differential between M and W...how can the Ms' significant difference by ratio to each event be lower than Ws'??? Thirdly, it's already 13+ years outdated but I am sure that is justified by the Big Bang, the speed of light, and the string theory somehow.
    KKOB80

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  4. skwilliJune 8, 2014 at 8:00 AM

    Besides, Sheldon Cooper only ran twice in his life! Once with Penny and another time chased by a dog because he had hot dogs in his pocket. If the Mercier tables were updated, I bet they would be pretty good. But remember, Decathlon table have to be updated to avoid too many scores above 1000 too!

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Thanks for commenting. Keep up the good work! (Try to mention others to encourage them to comment too!)