Puskedra retires

Americans are soft wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

Ugh, you sound like 'Father of the Year' material.......not

It's all about time management and not being lazy.

you sound like a dick.

walter j wrote:

jiaaf wrote:

Puskedra is not that young and of course his best marathon time is about 8:44 from the world record, which is sort of the position a 2:16 guy was in 40 years ago. Just stating some facts. He is a good runner, no doubt.

Eh, he just turned 29 which is not old for marathoners, and once Rupp/Ritz/Abdi retire he’s got about a fast of a PB as anyone left, granted it was a few years ago, but he could still be a solid threat for a US team. But if your heart isn’t in it then it isn’t in it.

PB...

corrected it for you

Suck the TRUTH through a garden hose wrote:

Americans are soft wrote:

It's all about time management and not being lazy.

you sound like a dick.

My Day today;

wake up, practice piano 45 mins

watched La la Land on TV

run outside for 1 hour , stretching , core work

went to Pet store for cat food

afternoon nap

don't know where my kids are , hope my wife buys groceries , i'm getting hungry.

You guys need to read some British distance running biographies from the 60,s. And 70,s Plumbers, brick layers, builders running 130 miles per week and running 2.10. The depth was incredible.

Americans are soft wrote:

Like kids really take up that much time in one's day.

really?. wrote:

Kawauchi isn't married with 2 kids, moron.

You are a complete arsehole. Hopefully you have no children.

Real Estate versus Software wrote:

Who!! wrote:

Actually, He'll be back when he realizes that making a career in Real Estate is much harder then most people think.....good luck!

I noticed Real Estate is a lot like software. Everyone thinks they can do it, but it takes a certain person and skill set. Notice all the threads here from people on how to get into coding? How can I get one of those high paying software jobs?

I think he'll have success at it. He's a good fit. Real estate is like running. It's competitive. I'm sad to see him retire from running.

The difference is real estate takes knowing people. Running takes work ethic. You have to convince people to list their home with you. That’s not easy when they already have a person they use. But who knows, maybe he’s from a rich family or his wife has rich family and he can get a long list of potential clients.

A lot of athletes go into sales roles because they think it’ll be easy since they are competitive. But being competitive doesn’t get you clients. Knowing people does. Unless you want to sit there cold calling for 6-8 hours a day.

Physically, Puskedra is not that physically strong. His form is not top notch, but it worked ok for him. Had he really focused on strength work, flexibility, and mobility, he could very well be a 2:07 marathoner IF his mind was right and had the right day. In my opinion, if he was still with Alberto, this could be much more feasible. But likely due to a conflict of interest and the NOP's super high standards, this couldn't come to fruition.

Mental burnout is 100% real.

He could easily crank out another sub 2:10 performance between now and the next couple years, but I don't think his mind is anywhere near where it needs to be.

Again, this makes me question the legitimacy of the OTC elite. There is just something in the water that I can't quite describe. A few good performances have come out of the club in recent years, but for the most part, the team is pretty flat. There could be some mental issues going on, but this is a well-funded corporate team with all the resources in the world at their disposal. Hassan, Amos ,and Blankenship seem to be the only ones actually doing anything relevant. The new Virginia Tech grads seem to be spicing things up, but there still is something that is lacking.

I really am not trying to hate here, but it makes wonder if it's the coaching or strength work, but I really doubt it. Rowland and Ratcliffe are top notch. I think it is just a bad negative vibe on the team. Seems like some of the guys just post deliveries of their Nike gear and run mediocre times. The team is just doesn't have the luster it used to.

Tinman on the other hand, has the team spirit and culture that is allowing middle of the rung, washed up college runners to contend for national championships and make teams, plus there is Drew. Makes me wonder how well Tinman elite would be if they had the funding and resources of the OTC.

If you aren't in college or a stoned trustafarian, Eugene isn't such a great place to live.

Americans are soft wrote:

Nice work wrote:

Good for him. More guys at his level need to learn from this and get a fvcking job. Nice work Luke!

Americans are soft. I remember a thread last year on the top Australian marathon runners, all of them of have regular jobs. In that thread someone said that is how it is in most other countries. Yuki Kawauchi has had a regular job, up till this year. It doesn't take much time to train to be a elite runner. A hour or two in the morning and evening.

Americans get those 60 hour+ workweeks.

If you're working 50+ hours a week then it's easy to see why you're struggling to fit in running.

Get a normal 37.5 hour job, preferably somewhere where you can run to/from the office. And/or spend your lunch break with a 50 min run and a 10 min getting ready/shower.

You can make it work. Ron Hill drew a 8 mile radius from his work and bought a house on that line. Then ran to and from work. If it's good enough for someone from the 1970s who ran 2:09, it's good enough for today's society.

Regarding Luke - i wish him luck - but I cant help but sigh when reading the line "I hope to throw all my passion and energy into being an estate agent instead". I'm really not sure it will enrich and fulfil his soul as much as running. There really is nothing quite like running.

Real Estate versus Software wrote:

Who!! wrote:

Actually, He'll be back when he realizes that making a career in Real Estate is much harder then most people think.....good luck!

I noticed Real Estate is a lot like software. Everyone thinks they can do it, but it takes a certain person and skill set. Notice all the threads here from people on how to get into coding? How can I get one of those high paying software jobs?

I think he'll have success at it. He's a good fit. Real estate is like running. It's competitive. I'm sad to see him retire from running.

It’s definitely a lot easier and more stable than running. Better quality of life with regards to work/life balance. Better for someone with kids.

Until Athletics pays guys like Puskedra ~$200k it simply isnt worth the effort. Guys that go on about ‘having the fire’ and ‘it isn’t about the money’ are idiots and need to try it themselves.

Essentially working 7 days a week 52 weeks of the year, being constantly tired, away from your family for long periods, no security: it’s not worth it and a guy like Puskedra doesn’t owe anything to anyone to keep competing.

Good luck to him.

I think a lot of posters would be shocked and appalled to learn that most elite American distance runners are earning less than $40K a year, don't have health insurance, nor have any retirement savings. Some without real contracts (equipment deals only) find ways to claim "disability" to qualify for government assistance like food and housing subsidies to get by. At some point, you do the math and decide that it is time to grow up. When you reach middle age, no one cares that you were "almost an Olympian" and decent jobs are hard to come by when your prior experience is mostly running and napping. Should you get lucky and start a work career in you late 30's / early 40's, you might struggle into middle management right before retirement age - so long as you can match the skills, work long hours, and prostitute/network yourself like the hyper-ambitious 20 and 30 somethings that want to push you aside.

Get your degree and then give yourself ONE Olympic cycle to make it as an athlete. If it doesn't happen for you, then find an appropriate level of hobby jogging to stay happy and get on with life.

TLW wrote:

Back in the day a career job was 9am to 5pm.

Now the normal career job is 8am to 7pm.

The professional landscape has changed and you see the direct result in the lack of elite and sub elite depth in the US marathon scene.

I work 7:30 to 4:00 and can flex things around wherever i need to. I don't know anyone who works 8-7.....

Not true...... wrote:

I work 7:30 to 4:00 and can flex things around wherever i need to. I don't know anyone who works 8-7.....

I work in the finance industry and it's common to work 8am to 7pm.

My friends in programming/tech have it just as bad too.

He said he’s going to be lacing up different shoes, dress shoes, between runs. Doesn’t sound like retirement to me. It sounds like he’s going to work between training runs rather than play videos.

Good post, Portland Hobby Jogger!

TLW wrote:

Not true...... wrote:

I work 7:30 to 4:00 and can flex things around wherever i need to. I don't know anyone who works 8-7.....

I work in the finance industry and it's common to work 8am to 7pm.

My friends in programming/tech have it just as bad too.

I'm in tech and work 9-6. Managers do a little more, but it'd be rare to be a manager in your 20s anyway.

Sure, not every career leaves time to train at a high level, but most do.

You could also get married & extend your career. Live off of your spouse's income , health insurance, etc.

TLW wrote:

Not true...... wrote:

I work 7:30 to 4:00 and can flex things around wherever i need to. I don't know anyone who works 8-7.....

I work in the finance industry and it's common to work 8am to 7pm.

My friends in programming/tech have it just as bad too.

I’ve been working in IT for 20yrs. The last 5, I’ve been working from home. I’ve never worked more than 40hrs/wk on avg unless it was an emergency outage or something which were few.

F@ck 8-7. No life.