POTD !
POTD !
Too Fit wrote:
So my company started a wellness competition at the beginning of the year. They gave us all the cheap fitbits so we could count steps. At the end of the 3 month competition (there are also mini-competitions every month), the person with the most steps gets $200 in gift cards and some miscellaneous stuff from local businesses. 2nd and 3rd place are like $50 and $25 gift cards.
So I've been wearing this thing on all my runs as well as during the day. In January I ran 360 miles and it registered 800,000+ steps for all activities. Needless to say, after we logged in our stats for last month I was in first...by a lot. Second place was about 500,000.
So, on Wednesday, the person in charge of the program comes to me and says she needs to talk privately with me. She asks me about the number I logged and if the 800,000 was correct. After, I told her it was (and showed her my spreadsheet with daily numbers), she said that she doesn't think it was accurate since no one could actually do that many steps in a month....blah, blah, blah. After telling her that I run and ran in college, showed her my running log, etc, I still think she is skeptical but says she believes me. But then she says that I can't do the competition because I am "too fit" and that she really would like a "regular": person to win the contest so it shows anyone can get in shape. She already gave the January prize to the person who finished second.
Part of me just wants to say screw it, it's not worth it and stop since I really do't care about it. But another part of me (and it is growing) just wants to say screw it and lap the f***ing field, grab an American flag and do an victory lap around the office when it's over..
Mike Rossi is that you ;)
this is ridiculous! we had a similar 12-week "steps" challenge which allowed for running/hiking. i didn't wear the cheap pedometer while running but converted using an article w/ my gender, height, and running pace. i was training for a marathon at the time - so was another guy in our dept, we both did boston - and won most weeks (other dude runs really low mileage? anyway...). i only didn't win taper week and recovery week.
I'm a teacher and at my first job we thought it would be fun to do a bracket in march for a walkathon, who can log the most steps on a pedometer every two days would win and move on.
I was new and training for a marathon logging triple digit weekly mileage and figured I would participate because my department had the idea but didn't give it a second thought.
Well after the first round it was obvious my building was lazy and I tripled everyone steps so they introduced a new rule where I had to double my opponent which turned into triple it by the round after that which turned into me not being allowed to participate after multiple people came down and complained.
I learned quickly that my school was full of whiners and lazy people which was a mentality that held true while I was there.
We had one of these at my work (engineer) except it was logged by minutes of exercise instead of steps. I was running 60 mpw at the time plus bike commute so I was easily logging 2 hrs a day of real exercise as part of my normal routine. I'm the fittest person in my office by far but still didn't win. Apparently standing at your desk instead of sitting counted as 8 hours of exercise for some people.
Too Fit wrote:
So my company started a wellness competition at the beginning of the year. They gave us all the cheap fitbits so we could count steps. At the end of the 3 month competition (there are also mini-competitions every month), the person with the most steps gets $200 in gift cards and some miscellaneous stuff from local businesses. 2nd and 3rd place are like $50 and $25 gift cards.
So I've been wearing this thing on all my runs as well as during the day. In January I ran 360 miles and it registered 800,000+ steps for all activities. Needless to say, after we logged in our stats for last month I was in first...by a lot. Second place was about 500,000.
So, on Wednesday, the person in charge of the program comes to me and says she needs to talk privately with me. She asks me about the number I logged and if the 800,000 was correct. After, I told her it was (and showed her my spreadsheet with daily numbers), she said that she doesn't think it was accurate since no one could actually do that many steps in a month....blah, blah, blah. After telling her that I run and ran in college, showed her my running log, etc, I still think she is skeptical but says she believes me. But then she says that I can't do the competition because I am "too fit" and that she really would like a "regular": person to win the contest so it shows anyone can get in shape. She already gave the January prize to the person who finished second.
Part of me just wants to say screw it, it's not worth it and stop since I really do't care about it. But another part of me (and it is growing) just wants to say screw it and lap the f***ing field, grab an American flag and do an victory lap around the office when it's over..
So, you forgot to preface your fourth paragraph with so.
Why all of a sudden everyone needs to get a running start when speaking by saying so?
Gives whole new meaning to the phrase "I told you so".
I participated at my work during the first year it was offered (about 10 years ago). I was also training for a marathon and commuting by bike, putting in also about 2 hrs/day.
Also, I did not even place in the mini-competitions. I heard all kinds of stories about how people got their steps. Tapping the foot while sitting and even putting the device in the dryer (no heat).
Most of my office buddies ask why I don't participate, because of the "Free Money" that is given back. Really it amounts to about $25/month. I just say "I'm good" and don't get into the details of that first year. If pushed I mention all the cheating that was going on and it put a bad taste in my mouth regarding the whole deal.
I'm sorry, where did I state that I wanted to be the fastest runner at my company? Was just sharing a similar story with the OP.
It's Friday, bro. Chill.
give me a break.you have no idea what you are talking about.i know 3 guys who live within 5 miles of me with full-time jobs at real companies where they need to be actively engage in what they are doing daily. hell, i ran 2:26 this year and average like 50 hours a week at my job and was only running 65 miles a weekthese guys i run with occasionally ran 2:20-21 this year. usually run once a day. they ran like 80-90 miles a week and maaayyybe did one workout a week to get those times. nothing serious, just consistent miles. they will tell you their 2:20-21's aren't that special.talented people don't need to dedicate their lives to marathon training. and smart people don't need to dedicate their lives to corporate jobs to make lots of money. they can have good, flexible liveswake up kiddo
derp wrote:
Sesamoiditis wrote:If he runs 16:45 pace per 5k for his marathon that is a 2:21 marathon.
So 2:21 while working a corporate office job. And you still have time to argue with Janice from accounting.
Funny, if a Letsrunner wins, they get accused of cheating and is outraged.
If a Letsrunner doesn't win, others were cheating, and the Letsrunner is outraged.
Best runner at your company wrote:
Ask yourself, why do you care about being the fastest runner at your company?
This type of "too cool to care" mindset baffles me. Why do people care if they are the fastest runner at their company? Because they are competitive! I strive to be the best employee, the fastest runner, the best looking, the best Words with Friends player, the best eater, the funniest, etc. I take pride in everything that I do.
This is not something to be ashamed of. Hell, I don't even like being passed on the expressway while driving because it gets my competitive juices flowing. Most successful people are wired this way.
This is actually a good life lesson for people who deal with corporate America. There are no objective standards for success, only subjective judgments of people who are granted power based on the subjective judgments of their superiors. Effort often does not directly correlate to success.
The best hobby jogger wrote:
Would get crushed lifting.... wrote:Couple months ago I was running on the treadmill and a guy a few treadmills away was walking at 15% incline. In a few minutes I could hear him breathing pretty hard. Eventually he was gasping for breath and stumbled off the machine and collapsed on the floor for a few minutes to catch his breath. Thought that was pretty good because I don't see that many people push themselves that hard. Couple days later I happen to see on the chalkboard that the weekly contest is see how long you can go at 3.8 mph and 15% incline. Most contests are lifting related. That guy was probably the one who did 13 minutes and was in first place. Second was 8 minutes and 3rd was 6 minutes. I was actually going to just start doing a vertical K run once a week so I jumped on the treadmill and cranked it up to 15%. 3.8 mph was a little slow so I sped it up a little to actually be running. I pounded out an hour and won the contest pretty easily. Of course there were no prizes and my accomplishment was wiped off the board a couple days later but I keep looking for that next running contest so I can give it a go!!
Your the best of the hobby joggers at your gym.
Yep, I'm the best of the hobbyjoggers at my fitness center. Lot more hobbylifters and hobbygallonjugwater drinkers though.
The company I work for started requiring the whole wellness thing a while back also. The things that aggravated/confused me were awards that were advertised but no one could ever find out who won them, the odd results from near invalids in the competitions, and the fact that the company refused to let us have betting pools for football, but if a group of employees wanted to start a biggest loser competition for money, that was fine. Seemed a bit hypocritical.
To the OP, $200 is a nice bit of running around change, make them compensate you for not playing. Free lunch for every comp you have to sit out seems fair.
What if companies based salary raises partially on performance on a fitness test? The test would involve multiple components such as timed mile, number of push ups, pull ups, etc. I bet people would be a bit more willing to exercise with the incentive, and cheating would be minimized because the testing would be supervised, thus the individuals could not report false numbers (of course, people could still dope and get away with it).
At the global company I work for, I thought I was doing pretty good at 26,000 steps per day (training for a marathon of course). I didn't even make the top 1000. First place did more like 125,000 per day. Apparently the steps-per-mile conversion for the bicycle makes it possible. Or so they say.
Alan Bennet wrote:
At the global company I work for, I thought I was doing pretty good at 26,000 steps per day (training for a marathon of course). I didn't even make the top 1000. First place did more like 125,000 per day. Apparently the steps-per-mile conversion for the bicycle makes it possible. Or so they say.
The same thing happened with my company's wellness plan 2 years ago. A bunch of out of shape people were converting miles on stationary bikes to those who actually were running, like myself and others. None of the fittest people came close to the top 10...
This past year, they went to the Fitbits. All those who were at the top last year were nowhere near it this year.
Alan Bennet wrote:
First place did more like 125,000 per day.
That is approximately 63 miles per day. At an average walking pace, that is 21 hours per day.
I'll bite. Where are these 2:20 marathoners? They're scarce on the west coast!
This website does make it sound that getting a fast marathon time is harder than it should be.
This is what happens when all runners do is run
To glorify and protect the cause and extensions of running, we must do good in the world elsewhere. Who would want to work for bogus corporations with silly people , as the OP and other posters anecdotes, suggest? America, the land of the free, home of the brave. Our free enterprise system and traditions should amount to better things, no? Everywhere a runner goes is a domain of running. If we have lousy workplaces, some of it is the fault of society, but also a fault on our collective running community conscience. Why is no one thinking of making improvements to secure the vast home of running, of our great deeds and aspirations? Are we raising a generation of undisciplined gratification seekers (relatively ) within our running community, who only chase times and do not tend to "the field?" How much more admirable is that great runner, who abandons her ego and short term acclaim, to secure the home of running for all of posterity?
The more selfish and oblivious people are, the more things catapult. "Well, everyone else is doing it / doing things this way / such and such a way"
And the more this situation happens, the less glorious winning and triumphs become. Our Olympic games are becoming a joke, for humanitarian, national development, urban landscape, human health, corporate media greed and corruption, and other reasons. The fount of glory is becoming a joke. And all those time and fame seekers, becoming more desperate, are devaluing the innate values of the whole spectrum of times and journeys.