Runners that take themselves too Seriously (Read 1533 times)

I don't know your group, but if I'm not happy about a race result, that doesn't mean i don't enjoy the race or the effort. Running is like golf to me - some people just have fun with it, some people take it too seriousy, and some people take it seriously but enjoy themselves. I'm the last one - I train my butt off but I enjoy doing so. I race hard and I enjoy that too. I talk trash with some of my running partners but I also try to give them a lot of support if they're trying to improve. I think it may be a bit of a stretch to say your running partners don't enjoy it - they just want to improve. If that's not a priority to you, that's cool too but they may not understand that. I've found it's good to run with several groups of people. I've got friends I run with when I want to push myself, some are just for fun/sociabe runs, and some are in-between. It makes for a good balance for me. If you take every run as life & death, it WON'T be enjoyable, but it's also good to push yourself every now and then. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

It sounds to me like they're taking THEMSELVES too seriously, but not their training. When I opened this thread, I expected to rush to the defense of the runners that you're talking about, since I take competition very, very seriously, myself. After reading about the situation, I'm inclined to take your side. A serious runner should not be upset after every race, particularly long road races, which are mostly non-tactical. They should know what they're going to run based on their training and their workouts, so there should be no surprises. Being constantly upset indicates that they are fantasizing about performances that they're not earning with their workouts. This negative attitude also reflects an unbalanced view of competitive running, whereby the race is almost holy. Many runners have a hard time being happy when they put too much psychological emphasis on the race at the expense of the training and lifestyle. This distinction is even apparent at the professional ranks, where some athletes are able to stay relaxed and perform consistently in races, shrugging off the occasional poor performance, while others are sporadically brilliant, but consistently under perform. Deena is a good example of the former; Webb has been an example of the latter (though I think he's finally getting the mental side of his running in order). I'm all for taking competition seriously, but there are only two healthy ways to look at a sub par race: 1. Determining a weakness in training that lead to the poor performance, and addressing it. 2. Realizing that that the performance did not reflect one's fitness, forgetting it, and moving on.

A serious runner should not be upset after every race, particularly long road races, which are mostly non-tactical. They should know what they're going to run based on their training and their workouts, so there should be no surprises. Being constantly upset indicates that they are fantasizing about performances that they're not earning with their workouts. This negative attitude also reflects an unbalanced view of competitive running, whereby the race is almost holy. Many runners have a hard time being happy when they put too much psychological emphasis on the race at the expense of the training and lifestyle. .

I think that was kind of what I meant too. Its ok to have a bad race now and then, but if every race makes you miserable there is something wrong. I think there is a fine line between not being satisfied (competitive) and being miserable (down on self).

I grew to be happy with results based on where I was in my training and in my life!

That is among the most sage wisdom you are going to read anywhere. On anything.

I like how my son handles a "bad" race. He starts laughing at himself! He'll just shake his head, smile, and say, "I can't believe I started out too fast and butchered that race like that!" And that will be after he gets a PR. But he learns from each race and keeps getting faster. I do like his positive attitude - it's contagious.

Sounds like your son will do well in whatever he does. A person can be happy and still recognize room for improvement.

What attracted me to running was how it might help to transform and improve me as a person. I think this is the case with a lot of people, who then get lost in acronyms and gadgets.

Brilliantly put! There is a strong trend out there of overcomplicating something as basic as running and we runners have created the market for gear, electronics, supplements, books, magazines, etc when most of us don't need any of it. If more people ran as much as they planned their runs or analyed their data, they might get some where. Left foot, right foot, quickly repeat.

If I can just mention my pet peeve .... that's people who always have an excuse for not running as fast as they think they should have. That's one thing about racing that I love. The clock doesn't lie. My time on thgat day is what I had (all things considered). If I'm gonna complain about it, I need only look in the mirror for the person to blame. Too slow? I should have run faster. Period. Blaming your shoes or the course or the weather or other runners is just whining, IMO.

Here's another great snippet from a nearby club's site, about the Winners Circle Running Club's Whine Line: Here is your chance to whine to the WCRC board: "The course was too long", "The clock ran too fast", "The race director was rude", "The beer was too warm", ... the possibilities are unlimited! Use the Whine Line to pass on your anonymous feedback to the WCRC board - positive or negative. I just LOVE "the clock ran too fast".