joedirt wrote:
quickndirty wrote:Don't you think that is understood? What an A-hole of a thing to say.
I've seen enough posts on the boards from runners advocating that individuals divorce their spouses because they don't share the view that running 60-100 miles a week is all that beneficial to their relationship or their relationship with their children to not instantly assume that the viewpoint is readily understood. In my own profession / situation I would find it next to impossible to simultaneously optimize running goals alongside raising four children to the best of my abilities, being a good provider and being a good partner to my wife. I ascribe to the belief that no man can serve to masters, so I no longer try to satisfy the competitive running beast.
At this point in my life (40+ with kids) I am what many on this board would consider a hobby jogger and I feel no shame in that. My late teens and twenties belonged to me, and I accomplished what I feel are some pretty great goals (high school state champion, 4 years of division 1 track lettering at two institutions, winner of multiple road races, trail races and even a couple triathlons). When my wife and kids became a part of my life, my goals changed. I began to act in our collective self interest and less in my own.
Now I measure myself with different goals, and I feel I am doing pretty well at those as well: daughters are consistently among the top 5% in the nation in math and science for their grade level (reading at a 6th grade level in 2nd grade), soccer teams that I coach win a lot more games than they lose and my kids are the highest scorers on the team and are definitely the fastest (in a coed league), our income is in the top 1% of the town I live in, and my wife and I have been happily married for close to 15 years. My running times are nowhere near where they once were, but I am not fat and don't really care about trying to run fast at this point in my life.
Now I'm not saying it is impossible for the OP to be running sub 2:50 marathons at 40 and still be accomplishing those other goals (if he is in a high paying profession that is not all that demanding time wise with a stay at home spouse, it is possible, but not as likely). The wall street journal did a piece years ago called "A workout ate my marriage" that is a worthwhile read for those that feel their working out doesn't have a negative impact on their family.
What would possess you to have FOUR kids? The environmental destruction you're causing is monstrous.