Bouncing to and fro with a few short announcements today…things I would cover quickly if we were only in person instead of observing day \infty  + 1 of our shelter-in-place…I miss you guys!
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Des!

Everyone who joined the weekly Distance and Track call on Friday April 17, were able to meet running star Desiree Linden.  Having Des on the Zoom call with us was memorable…she is so thoughtful and present about her running, and willing to share both her successes and her challenges.  I feel like we all got a lot out of this call…and I am willing to guess a few of us ran a mile further or a few seconds/mile faster after being inspired by Des.
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Crystal Springs

A lot of people were made frantic by the rumor that Crystal Springs Cross Country course was going to be shut down…there is some basis to the rumor, but this is not the end of the story.  The College of San Mateo is going to step away from management of the course at the end of 2020.  Based upon this letter, MVXC will be racing on Crystal in 2020.  In addition, I was on a call over the weekend with local coaches and there are many options for organizations to step in and take over management of Crystal–including different leagues and school and private organizations.  I think you have all heard me say how precious Crystal is, and how mindful and appreciative we should be when we get to race there–this is a reminder!  There are many, many people who feel the same way we do and I feel that there are many people working to keep Crystal functioning as well and even better than ever.
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Boston

For the past 13 years, I’ve run the Boston Marathon…but not tomorrow.  It’s such a bummer.  This guy does a nice job writing about Boston–and I agree, that bus ride to the start is pretty great.  
And here is another article on what missing the Boston Marathon feels like…this is a great article, it made me cry a tiny bit.  The discussion about the marathon as an annual reset rings true for me.
This is a great race to experience and I hope many of you run Boston someday.
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Learning about and Managing Stress

The Stanford University psychology department has a tool kit to assess your attitude towards stress, and guide you through some training modules.  You can do this a few minutes at a time, or binge…I think it’s a pretty good set of tools.  Take the assessment quiz first (most of you will do well after our discussions!).

Plays to Act Out At Home (or on Zoom)

Now this has nothing to do with negative splits or your illiotibial band, but the Berkeley Rep has partnered with other independent regional theater companies across the country to fund Play at Home.  Play at Home has dozens of short plays that people can download and act out at home or over zoom with friends.  I looked at a couple and they are really fun!  These plays have all been written in the last month by some up and coming playwrights, all funded by micro-commissions from the theater companies to support these young writers.  All the micro-plays can be downloaded for free.  I think this is such a cool idea on many levels…the fun factor, the creativity, the new experience, a creative way to support young artists.  Check it out!