Running after high school was the worst thing I could have done

brutal honesty wrote:

massive heelstrike and overstride that i still hope to correct

This is simple to fix. Increase your cadence and both problems will go away. Count "1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3...." to yourself every second and with each number you are counting to yourself, a foot is hitting the ground. It isn't hard to do, so I'm not understanding why this is something you "hope" to correct. Just do it.

When I was starting out, I recognized I was overstriding and heel-striking, and did exactly this, and changed my form/problem almost overnight. I realize you have been running for longer, but you should still be able to do this.

brutal honesty wrote:

...

--i actually do enjoy lifting weights and progressing in the major lifts. i have a small girlish frame, but if i had spent the last decade focusing on weights, i would still look a lot better and be a lot more confident than i am. unsurprisingly, i got with my current long-term gf at a time i was lifting around 4 days a week. she enjoys running too but no woman will ever truly respect or be attracted to to a skeleton-ass distance runner. x-fit guy is right.

No woman will ever truly respect or be attracted to a man who does not respect himself.

Jamin?

It appears you have some mental demons that are unrelated to running.

Seek help.

7/10

Nicely veiled troll. Solid material, son.

U slow piece of shït wrote:

Just because you suck at running doesn’t mean you should try to make runners feel bad you fäggot. Stfu and get good at something. You’re just jealous that there are so many faster people that didn’t have to work as hard as you or they did and they still surpassed you. Stfu and stop taking out your envy on good runners you ässhole. Smd

Watch out so your mom doesn´t come down while you´re writing that crap, tough guy.

You should always run BEFORE high school. You will be better rested and have the rest of the day to accomplish something with your life. (Unless you run twice a day)

I have all that same stuff you do. Except I hate lifting weights and don't ever think about my looks. I just love how running opened up another world to me. Breaking 15 min for 3 miles was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I'm always hurting somewhere and couldn't break 60 for a lap to save my life but I still love it. I know others achieve a lot more on less work but that's just life. I accept it.

I’ve been running for 25 years since High School. Despite being a larger guy (5’11”-160 for a miler) I have had moderate success. Enough to keep going. Now I am still 160, and looking around at all my friends with their 40+ inch waists, I’m glad I’ve never stopped. And I lift as well ... always have which is why I was bigger than my buck 30 college teammates. With a 245 max bench and 405 squat I can go to beach with confidence.

OP here. interesting that this thread somehow came back from the dead.

yes of course i have mental demons. that's why i was drunk and posting a thread under the name "BRUTAL HONESTY", to try to work through them.

i certainly don't begrudge anyone else their running, even if i suck. i'm glad to see others enjoy it and succeed.

despite all i wrote, running has still been a net positive in my life. but my point is that is far from the optimal thing i could have been doing for the last decade. i stand by that. most any other sport would have had better mental, social, and physical gains if i'd devoted the kind of time and mental bandwidth to it that i have to running. this is probably true of most letsrun posters-- we'd all be the kings of our boozy millenial kickball leagues, with a lot more friends.

but of course i still love running, and my PR's are crappy enough to keep things interesting for a while to become. i'll keep chasing that dragon for a while yet.

best to all my angry internet friends in the new year =)

Serious response here, assuming this isn't a troll post... Plenty of people enjoy a hobby for years, then move on to something else. It sounds like you enjoy being active, but haven't gotten what you need, or reasonably expect to get out of being a distance runner. Why not try something new... like (gulp) cross fit, or cycling, or some combo of sports. Good luck!

I agree with you. As a senior in high school who is currently 6' 140 lbs, I realized that I could've been a lot happier and feel a lot stronger right now if I had never started running. People call me a lanky stick and it hurts my ego.

agreementboi wrote:

I agree with you. As a senior in high school who is currently 6' 140 lbs, I realized that I could've been a lot happier and feel a lot stronger right now if I had never started running. People call me a lanky stick and it hurts my ego.

I hope ur trolling but u realize ur the source of ur own dying ego. Just start lifting bruh especially when u first start jesuuuuuuus u see gains everyday bruh trust me start lifting along with running you’ll go from skinny fat to skinny muscular in a month

OP, 40 years after HS I'm feeling the effects of non distance running genetics and overuse. Maybe I should have been a downhill skier or gymnast. My anterior pelvic tilt and tight posterior muscles predispose me to injuries every once in a while.Nevertheless I'm glad my blood pressdure is low, my weight is stable, and my heart, lungs, and internal organs are healthy. Do I regret running? No I regret running 60+ miles a week in my mid 20s while neglecting mobility and a balanced training regimen . I regret pretending I was much better than I was and training like a real runner but I'm grateful for the memories of training with a group and all this sport does for us.

...posting on here with your sob story was probably the worse thing you've ever done. Happy New Year mr happy.

I'm on the cusp of stopping competitive running, I've been telling myself for the past 7months that after this coming indoor season is over I will be done. I'm about to turn 27. With that said I do not regret the time I have put into the sport. I have met a lot of great people through the sport and I have achieved goals that I never thought possible.

The training is a grind, running 70mpw while working 50-60hrs a wk... going out on weekends, drinking, dating, trying to fit in other hobbies, it adds up but it also gave me a tremendous sense of purpose. I never felt limited by running in other facets of life, occasionally I just had to make sacrifices. It does get a little frustrating to constantly think about when you're gonna fit in x workout or run while traveling for meetings etc. but this is true for any passion really.

So my .02 is that running has served me well and I do not regret the time I have devoted to it. I know many guys who run way more than 70/wk while also working full time and trying to balance everything. It is tough but doable. I look forward to turning into a hobby jogger, hitting the weights more and just running for fun, but I also know that once indoor starts and I start racing again I could very well not want to shut it down. The feeling following a good race is so euphoric that it is hard to give up.

I just hung up the sneakers from competitive running after 30 years of racing. The only thing I miss is getting together with a bunch of serious runners on the weekend and going for a hardcore long run.

ThatAverageRunner wrote:

Jamin?

yep, that's Jamin alright

You forgot to mention your 143 IQ