I am an exercise physiologist and I and my colleagues have read about and discussed this issue at length. Once you wear a mask while doing moderate-strenuous continuous exercise, the moisture from your expired air renders a mask useless. My suggestion for outdoor exercise is to wear aa mask around the neck and put it on when you see you will be passing people within 6-10 ft, then remove it. I rode S14 this morning and passed just one cyclist and otherwise only saw people in cars. There is no way it would have made sense to wear a mask in that situation.

I urge everyone to write. She did change her mind about bike shops after a writing campaign.
Christine


From: Bike-racers <bike-racers-bounces@mailman.swcp.com> on behalf of Geoff Mather via Bike-racers <bike-racers@mailman.swcp.com>
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2020 1:21 PM
To: bike-racers@swcp.com <bike-racers@swcp.com>
Subject: Re: [NMCycling] Crit 7/14 canceled, maybe write the governor.—copy of my letter to Grisham.
 
  [EXTERNAL]

Here’s my letter to Governor Grisham about outdoor exercise. Pls feel free to copy any or all of it.

> Dear Govenor Grisham:
>
> I applaud your efforts to make decisions based in science, not politics, to help our community fight the spread of  COVID-19. Therefore I fully support the requirement to wear face masks in public, including while exercising indoors. However, I don't believe the science we currently understand supports your new requirement to wear a mask while exercising OUTDOORS.
>
> How did your administration come to the conclusion that it is safe to eat in an outdoor restaurant without a mask, next to other people, but not to run or ride your bike without a mask on our streets or bike trails? High-intensity cardio exercises like running or riding a bike with a mask are as difficult as eating with a mask on. A mask simply blocks too much air while exercising.
>
> I’d like to suggest an alternative that is more evidence-based policy: require social distancing from any other person while exercising outdoors without a mask.  Your administration has appropriately deemed some business “essential.“ As a former public health official, you understand that jogging, running and riding a bike are essential to one’s physical and mental health. I ask that you review your policy and reconsider outdoor exercise “essential” to enabling community health and allow it to be done without a mask but with more restrictive social distancing.
>
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Geoff Mather



> On Jul 10, 2020, at 11:27 AM, hawke morgan via Bike-racers <bike-racers@mailman.swcp.com> wrote:
>
> I do not think we can do the Crit ITT with masks.
>
> If you disagree with the new maskless exercising ban I would encourage you to write Mrs Grisham.
>
> Here is the link.  https://www.governor.state.nm.us/contact-the-governor/
>
> This is my letter:
>
> Dear Govenor Grisham:
>
> I am opposed to the ban on maskless exercising.  This is just not rational.  It is legal to eat out maskless on a patio and not legal to run or ride your bike maskless 200ft from any other human being. There is no way math or science makes that rational.  A more rational mandate might be to keep 20ft from any other person while exercising maskless.  Most of the time exercising outdoors I am much farther away from anyone, usually 200ft+.  If you are going to exercise by jogging around Johnson Field at UNM, riding some crowed part of the bikepath, or going to a gym, I can see having to wear a mask, but not all outdoor exercise.
>
> I am very supportive of being careful about the virus, and was one of the first people social distancing and wearing a mask in NM, probably 6 weeks before this was mandatory.
>
> Thank you for your time.
>
> Peter Hawke Morgan
>
> Hawke Morgan
> Round About Co.
> (505) 259-6885
> yourstruly@fastmail.com
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