A Weather Update

Allow me to share an excerpt from an email I received from the Boston Athletic Association this afternoon (while I was already en route to Boston. Naturally.):

We are now making the recommendation that if you are not highly fit or if you have any underlying medical conditions (for example-cardiac disease, pulmonary disease or any of a number of medical problems), you should NOT run this race.

Inexperienced marathoners should not run.

Those who have only trained in a cooler climate and who may not be acclimated (for at least the last 10 days) to warm weather running conditions should also consider not running.

For those very fit athletes who decide to run, you should take significant precautions:

Run at a slower pace and maintain hydration.

You should frequently take breaks by walking instead of running.

This will not be a day to run a personal best. If you choose to run, run safely above all else. Speed can kill.

There are so many gems in this email. Those who haven't spent the last 10 days in warm weather shouldn't run? Well that knocks out everyone who's from Boston. And New York. And even DC. Haitians, though, are welcome to participate. Also, people in the southern hemisphere, since it's summer for you. Sorry, America. Your oldest marathon is not open to you.

"For those very fit athletes who decide to run..." Hey! Who are you calling a very fit athlete, huh?!

"This will not be a day to run a personal best." Is that a challenge?

"Speed can kill." That's probably not a challenge.

The BAA is even taking the step of offering deferred registration for the 2013 marathon for those 2012 participants who choose not to start on Monday due to weather concerns. How that impacts the available slots for next year's race notwithstanding, that's a pretty dramatic response.

What the BAA was saying with their email is, if you weren't shitting your Tempo shorts already, you should be. Duly noted.