RunningAHEAD - Topic: Another running article

flatfooter

posted: 12/5/2013 at 12:24 AM

I found this pretty interesting as it went into dealing with work/life/running, starting from a non-running background, running to compete, and dealing with injuries. If you can think outside of the ultrarunning specific context of this article it is pretty applicable to all of us...

oldfatslow

posted: 12/5/2013 at 8:48 AM

It is funny how he was in college and playing lacross as a runner on the team, but when he thought about joining XC the prospect of doing 70 miles a week scared him away.

In HS, I ran XC a year and thought we ran too many miles in practise. Maybe if the focus seemed more on the race, instead of just building miles, maybe, just maybe, I would have stayed with it. But given the opportunity the next couple years I jumped ship to soccer.

Ever since then, the distance runners have always seemed "those guys", the "other". Even when I ran track, the distance runners were a separate group of guys. And now being old and fat, and wanting to get in shape, and planning to run a 5k, I still don't or won't consider myself a distance runner. It is a mental block thing, but interesting to read that he faced the same mental barrier. To run all game long in a team sport seems normal, but to go out and run 70 miles a week on trails or roads seems, as he said, "insane".

shipo

Latent Runner

posted: 12/5/2013 at 9:42 AM

Too funny, I was a keeper on my middle school soccer team, and a pretty fair one too I might add. One day I beat the school's top miler in an intramural XC event, and after that season, I never played organized soccer again. Go figure.

Fat old man PRs:

1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
2-mile: 13:49
5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
5-Mile: 37:24
10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
Half Marathon: 1:42:13

oldfatslow

posted: 12/5/2013 at 10:16 AM

Quote from shipo on 12/5/2013 at 9:42 AM:

Too funny, I was a keeper on my middle school soccer team, and a pretty fair one too I might add. One day I beat the school's top miler in an intramural XC event, and after that season, I never played organized soccer again. Go figure.

The year I ran XC, I was only a freshman. I just remember my perspective back then that it seemed a lot of miles. Of course it was painful to keep up with the seniors on a 10 mile run. They were probably relaxed and taking it easy, whereas I was fighting stomach cramps or something the whole way.

Now that I'm my own coach, I'll make my longer runs easy and relaxing Smile

shipo

Latent Runner

posted: 12/5/2013 at 11:19 AM

Quote from oldfatslow on 12/5/2013 at 10:16 AM:

The year I ran XC, I was only a freshman. I just remember my perspective back then that it seemed a lot of miles. Of course it was painful to keep up with the seniors on a 10 mile run. They were probably relaxed and taking it easy, whereas I was fighting stomach cramps or something the whole way.

Now that I'm my own coach, I'll make my longer runs easy and relaxing

I think I proved to be pretty annoying to the upper class runners as I was able to keep up with all but two or three (even in races); it was kind of strange being fourth on varsity as a freshman and third as sophomore.

I agree about being your own coach, long and easy. When I run with my company group there are plenty of kids who want to push the pace and my 56 year old ego always tries to keep pace. Annoying. Joking

Fat old man PRs:

1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
2-mile: 13:49
5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
5-Mile: 37:24
10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
Half Marathon: 1:42:13

Another running article (Read 118 times)