He's a good kid. I used to see him at South Carolina before he graduated. I wish him the best. USC low key has a good program although this web site will never admit it. Jameesia Ford -- just for example.
I don’t see what’s so controversial about it. Running is hard, it taxes the body and it hurts like hell. And you have to do it every day, push it every meet, go until you puke and then do it again.
Is it “fun”? I don’t know, winning is fun. Getting a PR is fun. Traveling with a team, goofing off during downtime, new experiences are fun. The actual event? Nah.
He’s free to think whatever he wants, of course. But I am always mystified when athletes occasionally admit to this sort of thing. If I were among the best in the world at anything, I would want to do it a lot. I would enjoy being great. I guess I just don’t understand why someone would consider it drudgery. I don’t know that it’s fair of me, but I always suspect childishness, like an excess of self regard, that makes young athletes feel that way. Like I said, I don’t know if that’s fair because I don’t have this young man’s experience.
It's sympathy vote casting. "I'm a victim of my own talent and ability.... please DM me and tell me what a great runner I am. Then please add me because my sponsor wants me to get to 20k followers."
It's a hard sport and athletes have a number of measures to make it easier. Some cheat. Many invest in religion because they can then convince themselves whatever happens, good or bad, is part of a divine plan out of their control. Others go to social media waxing poetic like this (remember McLaughlins long rants not that long ago?) looking for any kind of support they can get - even from total strangers.
Track has NEVER been fun for him? NEVER. Not once? Think about the hyperbolic absurdity of that statement. But then again he's 24 years old - it is what it is.
There is little positive to get out of telling other people you are not happy, particularly US dreamers. In that world everything must be CBT'ed into a positive. The problem is it creates huge liars. People who are all surface and always thinking surface. Like the world is one giant spin factory where those with the biggest mouths and grandest narratives reign.
This is common among the elite. I had two team mates from college go pro and neither of them liked running at all. I’m talking HATED running especially as a professional. One of them told me he would have to team up with someone just to afternoon strides. Said if he didn’t have a buddy there it would take an hour of mental struggle before he got the job done.
It is hard to walk away from something you are that talented in. But hey running has given this guy a lot.
Think if you didn’t like country music but had to play the same 6 songs day after day
In an interview with the inspector of the FRMA (Mr Ouba), Khalid Skah denounced indirectly the practices of a person called Aziz Daouda during the 90s, and say its himself (Skah) that is behind the generation of the 90s (Hissou Salah, Lahlafi, El G.) who started training with him.
My first thought seeing the thread title was "OK, so quit."
I had to Google to know who this is, which makes sense as he's a great runner but never an Olympic or WC finalist.
I guess he has uses his abilities to support his education and now for an income, but sadly doing something you don't like in order to earn a living is not too groundbreaking. (I don't know about his other opportunities, in Morocco or elsewhere.)
The most successful runner I personally know, a 2x Olympic medalist didn't enjoy running. She was insanely good at it from the first time she did it and was immediately signed up for an age group program before anyone asked if she wanted to do it,
The most successful runner I personally know, a 2x Olympic medalist didn't enjoy running. She was insanely good at it from the first time she did it and was immediately signed up for an age group program before anyone asked if she wanted to do it,
So many love *the idea* of being a track star or a world record holder. Hate the wrk/love the image. Some of us think we were born to be great runners, have the attitude, the right look and feel. We would be modest, generous, noble. It just doesn’t seem fair that so many of the top people are jerks. And so on. We coulda been a contendas. Just one thing stands in the way. Hard work and talent. life IS fair! Too bad.
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The most successful runner I personally know, a 2x Olympic medalist didn't enjoy running. She was insanely good at it from the first time she did it and was immediately signed up for an age group program before anyone asked if she wanted to do it,
I can’t say I feel sorry for her at all. Her parents signed her up for running, and she turned out to be the best in the world, “but no one asked her.” I’m sure she cried bitter tears during her country’s national anthem.
I don’t see what’s so controversial about it. Running is hard, it taxes the body and it hurts like hell. And you have to do it every day, push it every meet, go until you puke and then do it again.
Is it “fun”? I don’t know, winning is fun. Getting a PR is fun. Traveling with a team, goofing off during downtime, new experiences are fun. The actual event? Nah.
my favorite parts are recovery runs and new workouts
When you're in competition and training for a big event it is fun. However, when you are living in AZ and it is 110 out and you have to wake up at 5am before the heat and do your second run of the day at 8pm when it is getting cool out. Everyone else is enjoying normal life and you are unsure if you are even training for anything anymore it will make you hate it pretty fast. I never knew how much I hated it until I stepped away from it.
jakob has come around to change his tune at least to the extent that he seems to LOVE to compete. He also talks about the injuries giving him an appreciation for actual running.
As for myself, i rarely enjoy running, but I enjoy the social aspect of it, the goal setting nature, and being fit.
I have to talk myself into going for a run 90% of the time.
I've had periods where I was excited to try a new workout though. I feel bad for this guy.
Running is a very interesting activity. It can be the most enjoyable thing at times, but also the most painful and miserable. For me, the weather/temp plays the biggest role in how I view it. I also feel like it’s a necessary part of being a normal, healthy person; it’s how we are meant to move and should be as essential as walking.
With industrialization/technology everything has changed, and it’s become what we call the hobbyjogger fad