My uncle told me tonight, "What the hell you doing all this running for, nobody gives a shit"!

You sound like a loser with no women.

kerasti wrote:

"Either you will go about the task of seeing to those needs by learning a unique set of skills, or the world will reject you, no matter how kind, giving and polite you are. You will be poor, you will be alone, you will be left out in the cold."

Total BS. Good people want to give in relationships without getting anything in return. But if you are giving them crap, you can't expect them to hang around.

Its not total bs. you can be the nicest guy in the world but if you dont have a job you will not succeed with women.

bfgnfgn wrote:

You guys are all missing the point. You're analyzing the uncle's words out of context. Some runners need to hear that. As much as we like to look in the mirror and say that we run for local glory because it's fun and challenging...we're usually compensating for something else.

I only know one guy who is really fast around here (can win any local road race he enters) who actually has his head on straight. The rest of them allow running to control them. The're either running FROM something or use running as a measure of self-worth/gaining respect from others.

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Wow, so he can win any race and he has head on straight!? I wonder how his head would be if he could not win any races? Why is he running, if not for the reasons the rest of them are running?

First, I am a woman so I know more about my sex than you do.

Second, being a nice guy is a character trait. It's a basic requirement that should last forever.

A job is a task that reflects a person's ability to meet their responsibilities and shows other attributes such as hardworking, dependable....

I don't have a job. I don't expect any man to want to be with me right now. I think it is perfectly reasonable on their part to assume I don't have my life together, because I don't and that is and has to be my #1 priority.

Just like a guy is going to want a woman who has her life together, a woman will too. So yes, a job matters because of what it reflects. But I will also disagree because, as long as you both can provide for a family, the TYPE of job you have does not matter to a grounded woman. To all the golddiggers out there, it does. But you don't want to be with a shallow gal.

I admire your uncle for his honesty.

Tell your uncle that at least you're passionate about something & that people who are passionate about something live longer. No, his being passionate about the local NFL team does not qualify.

Your happiness makes him uncomfortable. Remember this: People who use words like "never, nobody, everybody" are lying. And uncle is not a fortune teller. Read Glenn Cunningham's story in his book Never Quit.

jjjjkkkklll wrote:

running is just a big waste of time.

True by most standards.

jjjjkkkklll wrote:

He said people do it because they want to be seen.

Dumbest thing I've ever heard.

He is right in the big picture.

The mjority of Americans do not care about distance running until the Olympics. And then and only then will they watch the final three laps of the 5000 or 10,000, and call any American a "loser" if they don't win. Many people don't care or know about Frank Shorter's silver medal.

It's how people from our country are.

They need a famous, well-liked winner to get them interested.

Shorter and Rodgers helped start the running boom.

Mary Lou Retton helped start the large growth in gymnastics.

We don't care much about NASCAR, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, track and field, volley ball, etc.

The majority of Americans watch three sports.

Football, baseball and basketball. Hockey is growing, but still in 4th.

All other, including track, cross country, marathon, road races, are far far behind.

This is why many ldr's go to Europe to make money.

It can be a waste of time if you consume yourself in it! Too many runners obsess over their running and aren't even close to elite status athletes. I figure I need and want to give an hour to my health each day so why not run! Some ride bikes or do the elliptical but I chose to run and hopefully get faster but remember to live too! Most of us won't be NCAA champs, Olympic trials qualifiers, Olympians so don't throw all your cards in it! It really is just running have a life too!

Is the OP ian edwards? Merging that story with his 24 x 2 mile run yesterday would be tremendous.

subfive wrote:

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Wow, so he can win any race and he has head on straight!? I wonder how his head would be if he could not win any races? Why is he running, if not for the reasons the rest of them are running?

That's not what I said. He has is head on straight because there's more to his life than just running. Family, work, other hobbies, etc...He's talented enough that he can take a more casual approach to training and still run 15:xx for 5K...if he has a bad day, it's not the end of the world. He goes home to his loving wife and three kids.

Mick Lovin wrote:

Hockey is growing, but still in 4th.

Ha. Hockey (at least professionally) is dead. A survey in CANADA showed that over 50% of Canadians don't even care if the NHL gets out of the lock-out. That means probably 75% or more of Americans don't even care enough to click yes in a survey. Hockey is probably just behind gymnastics right now in the U.S.

Just tell your uncle firmly, "I like running and I don't care if no one else cares" and walk away.

LRC guys--listen carefully to this--well said!

Re. the uncle--some people like, some are indifferent to, and some probably dislike the fact that I run. All just opinions. People like to have them and express them. The people who get negative--it's their problem, not mine. If they don't block the doorway when I step out, no big deal. (If they did, there'd be a false imprisonment lawsuit but that's another matter.)

Oh, and I don't care if people see me running or not--unless they're drivers who should be watching out for pedestrians, the walking and running variety.

If it's not a waste of time for you, keep running. If you find yourself disliking it find some other activity to keep you fit. But don't let someone's opinion keep you from running if that's what you like doing. Someone I knew used to tell me how bad running was for me--while he smoked cigarette after cigarette and had the cough to show for it. You have to do what's best for yourself.

Best answer of all time was from a construction worker, Jerry (his real name). Our supervisor, Mike, was always riding Jerry hard about one thing or another. This particular day it was about weight lifting (Jerry was in awesome shape). "Why do you work out so much Jerry? yada, yada, yada ..." Jerry waited for a break in the diatribe, thought for a few seconds, and said quietly, "Free choice."

So what does he think you should do with your spare time?

Why do u think a woman wants to be dominated? Maybe once in a while in bed for fun, but I wouldn't thrive if I were with a man who tried to dominate me. I have known men who, in the beginning, like me because they believe they can control me, but then they realize that I was giving them freedom to be themselves, not handing over my power.

I believe I've figured out the problem that all the conflicts are coming from can't -

The LR man is not a boy, but a man who just doesn't know that he is worthy of being with an intelligent, accomplished woman. He is running himself in circles because he thinks the task has to be hard so he can feel worthy. And this is why he won't let himself express love or enjoy it. Instead he pushes love away the closer it gets to him because he feels unworthy.

The Master Troll wrote:

The Animal Within wrote:

Well no one does give a sh--, that part is true.

But I was told this and it paid for my college education and I met my wife thanks to me running in college so whatever. The majority don't care, but I do. The people I run with do. And with heart disease and diabetes a few generations back I'll keep running in hopes to live a better life.

People don't understand what we do, it is something you can't explain but has to be experienced. No offense but he sounds like a dick.

There aren't too many genuinely good posts on LRC nowadays, but that was definitely one of them.

Agreed. Why would anyone listen to their uncle's opinion anyway? Now, if it were your girlfriend, who you loved deeply, and it was impacting your relationship, then that would be another matter all together. But, I still wouldn't put all of my eggs in one basket.