Oddly enough I once lived in a city that was full of runners (somewhere in upstate NY very near a famous D1 University that should be well known to readers of this site). Then I quit running to race bicycles. At the time there were 3, maybe 4 other hardcore riders in town. That was it. So I moved to an city on the other side of the country that was teeming with cyclists. Could you do the same (obviously, a place with runners, in your case)?
Sometimes this website freaks me out because of threads like this. I don't know that I consciously thought the same things as you before reading this, but I have felt this way for some time. FWIW, I live in Orlando. We actually have a decent circuit series from August until March with one road race a month and point accumulation, but it does consist of 1 or 2 sub 16 5k guys and probably half a dozen sub 17 unless its a freak race. Anyway, I train completely alone as well. I show up to "big" races with the club guys and feel the exact same way. I usually find excuses to flop my training because there is no one to tell me otherwise and so I am 5 years removed from college with 6 month chunks of training that always die for no reason.
My only advice is that if you do move, pick a place that will help this part of your life. If you ignore your love of running for just about anything else and end up somewhere that makes it suffer worse, you'll regret it. A lot of cities in America do have those great clubs and there are even running meccas depending on what you want to do with yourself. Also, while I do have the benefit of at least two other sub 16 guys in this area, if you can even find one to run with once a week, it'll help. Though it sounds like you can't...sorry.
Don't give up my friend, you'll find life harder without running.
row row rowbury your boat wrote:
FWIW, I live in Orlando.
What part of Orlando? I'm here too and train mostly solo. I don't run many of the Track Shack races, but when I do show up, I'm usually in pretty good shape.
Shoot me an email, and maybe we'll be able to meet up for a run or two.
pablo wrote:
What part of Orlando? I'm here too and train mostly solo. I don't run many of the Track Shack races, but when I do show up, I'm usually in pretty good shape.
Shoot me an email, and maybe we'll be able to meet up for a run or two.
It's Paul, right? I know of you, friend. I sent you an email, it'd be cool to meet up sometime.
Even though my times suck now, I still get a high while running/training. We have a very short outdoor season where I live, so I'm never even in semi-shape until after all the meets have happened.
But come late August, when the temperature soars and the hot air at track surface washes out the view, I could swear that I was flying, not running. My feet never touch the ground. NEVER am I more alive, and I've done many fantastic things. I need it, it is life itself.
Now in the winter I am running on a treadmill, doing 5k's. So far this season I have, in maybe 2-3 weeks of running, lowered my time by almost 2 minutes, and I finally have sufficient aerobic shape that I started to feel really good on the treadmill as well as on the track. A bit more, and, I can see it becoming something like running outside, especially with good music.
etc.
It is all individual. Me, I need it. Life just isn't right without it.
You are young, healthy and able to run. Take advantage of it while you can. Someday you will be nearing 40, slow, and creaky like me. I am married to a great woman and have two wonderful kids, but running and competing in my 20s was the best thing I ever did for myself. Do not quit.
Great thread!
get into some college xc and track meets. prior to conference championships, you should be able to get into some. you probably can do some workouts with college teams if you approach their coaches in the right way. I've been able to run workouts with college teams in a couple places, despite being quite a bit older. one coach did turn me (and others) down citing some rule about assistant coaches, but I don't think that there is any rule that says you cannot do some runs with college teams. Also, there's no doubt that in some of the races, someone pretty fast will show up and talk to him about doing some runs. You could also join a club in another city and when you show up at the line, you will know some people, although you will probably not get to train with them much if at all. But starting some sort of relatively competitive club on your own might be your best alternative because it could attract the good 20 something runners in your city who are not competing locally or who are not competing for the same reason as yourself.
Some Sports Pysch for you:
You sounds as though are strongly ego centered in terms of motivation and only weakly task centered.
If this is the case then no training post collegiately is probably not the best situation for you.
In order to stay motivated for the long term post collegiately you need to highly task centered.
Being highly task centered and ego centered at the sme time is fine (even desireable), but you won't make it being mainly Ego centered and low task centered.
Interesting this thread would come up. I'm (hopefully) going to be running some indoor track races this winter and possibly even flying out to Stanford for a 5000m come April if I'm in good shape, and I haven't run a single track race in three years, only one cross country race. I too don't really view road races as real races because I always win, usually quite easily. There's no point in going out and time trialing every weekend, so I generally only run a road race when I want a fitness test. I don't live near any big cities, and there just isn't competition at the local road races. I can still run on the track at most college meets though. I had injury and consequently motivational issues the past 3 years, which is why I didn't race. I've been running 80-85mpw lately, and I love it; I'd probably do it whether I planned on racing indoors or not, but I've been kind of questioning what I'm doing lately. I'm a decent runner, I hope to dip under 14:00 this spring, but I'll never be an Olympian or be able to make a good living off running, nor can I really see myself putting everything else in my life on hold to dedicate everything to running for a few years. I don't really know what my plans are. I love running and will always do it, I love racing as well, but I'm the type that can get pretty obsessed when I AM racing and running well. It starts to take over my life, which can be a good thing sometimes, but I don't know if it's worth it...
I guess I'll see how running goes these next few months. I'm sure once I get back on the track and hear the bell as I try and chase down the guy ten steps ahead will tell me what I need to know.
I'm a slow runner from Orlando and this makes me feel great! :) Actually I don't care; I know I'm slow but I still love running. I don't need to compete. I just wish that I could run without worrying about my 2-years running hip injury. You may reach that point someday, my friend. I say relish your youth and speed now, while you have them. They will not last forever; I promise.
Again, thanks for all of the feedback.
Not really in an opportune situation to switch cities. Steady job, long-time girlfriend who doesn't want to move and also has a steady job, settled and situated.
A lot of the reason for a lack of interest in running anymore/lately also seems to be coming with the time of year. I started a new job about 6 months ago that is my first "real" job. I don't work ridiculous hours, Monday-Friday, 45-50 hours per week. But I also get to work at 8am when it's barely light out and bitter cold, then get off work when it is pitch black outside, and again, bitter cold. The enjoyment is just not there with the weather, the time of day, and the general time constraints.
I understand a lot of people feel that I should savor every win and enjoy every step I can take while I still have some speed; but, you also lose a lot of appeal when you have nothing to push you harder and further. And the first couple times where I won races over 2 minutes ahead of second place, it was pretty cool. But after those first two times it's just embarrassing-- it almost just makes you want to slow down. I realize the sport is to be the fastest person and that you want to show you're the faster athlete, but winning by a large margin just feels like you're "showing off". There's no reward in those victories.
I guess I just don't understand how everyone completely disappears after college and how I become one of the best runners in the area after being unable to qualify for nationals out of the D3 Mideast region. Hell, I even did one of the five largest marathons in the nation this year and broke into the top 20. How does that happen?!
How do those of you that still train for track events after college get yourself out there and push through it alone? Whenever I step on a track by myself for a workout I just start losing my mind thinking "I'm going to do how many? And how fast? And by myself?" I've always found myself unable to do interval work alone mainly because I have no force pushing me. I would love to train to finally go sub 15 on the track this spring but have no idea how I'm going to do the training for it.
The odd thing about post collegiate running is just how in the 'middle' you are.
I was a good runner in college, around 30:00 for 10k in top shape.
When I graduated, I would go to small money races (200-300 bucks for 1st), and run like a 15:15 for 5k and beat the next runner by a minute, but get beaten by two foreign runners by 50 seconds.
This would happen at the majority of races that I went to unless I did one of the bigger more sponsored races where I would still generally place in the top 20 , but get annihilated by the elites.
Not Worth It wrote:
How do those of you that still train for track events after college get yourself out there and push through it alone? Whenever I step on a track by myself for a workout I just start losing my mind thinking "I'm going to do how many? And how fast? And by myself?" I've always found myself unable to do interval work alone mainly because I have no force pushing me. I would love to train to finally go sub 15 on the track this spring but have no idea how I'm going to do the training for it.
It can definitely be hard. Luckily for me, threshold work improves my fitness more than anything, and it is generally not mentally taxing for me at all. I also do short fast intervals with long rest. Going out and hammering a bunch of 400s or mile repeats alone can be pretty tough. I also feel a bit silly when I'm out there alone, but you just gotta make yourself do it. You could adjust your training to be more mentally appealing. Do workouts you enjoy, split up the repeats to make them easier to tackle mentally, or just don't do balls to the wall workouts. Instead of doing 10 X 400m at mile pace, just do 6. Yeah, it might be suboptimal, but you gotta do whatever you gotta do to still make training enjoyable.
Not to make you feel bad, but I live in the mountain west; it's not forcasted to be above freezing the rest of the week, and last night when I did my 8.5 mile loop it was 20 degrees F. The day before Thanksgiving I did the same loop when it was 3 degrees above zero and 20mph wind gusting to 30mph. Trust me, no part of that run was enjoyable. But every run isn't going to be. You have good days and bad days, but personally I always feel better after I run, even if the run itself wasn't much fun. That alone makes it worth it. I also don't work 50hr/week, so I salute you for even running much at all.
I also don't like training in the winter time. Like you said, dark in the morning and evening and cold.
I would finish somewhere behind that guy named Schmuck as described in another post. Maybe you could start at the back of the pack and play catch up? At least it may give some sort of a challenge.
Not Worth It wrote:
But I also get to work at 8am when it's barely light out and bitter cold, then get off work when it is pitch black outside, and again, bitter cold. The enjoyment is just not there with the weather, the time of day, and the general time constraints.
but, you also lose a lot of appeal when you have nothing to push you harder and further.
Listen, most guys with full time jobs (and in my case a wife and 2 young children) also have to train in the same conditions. The enjoyment comes from a physical and emoptional release each day, and with a feeling of good health. Im also motivated by key races Im training for (a Half marathon and Boston marathon next Spring).
Sometimes you have to seek ways to motivate yourself - maybe try and crack 15 mins. or run sub 2:30 marathon. Whatever it is you have to find it. Many just enjoy running for its own sake (Im not one of those) - there is a part of me that enjoys the solitude and release that running provides, but I couldnt "train" without some competetive incentive.
So you are wondering how the guys out there do it??? The answer is they have some kind of fire burning in them that gets them out the door each day to try and improve. A key race, a rival to beat, or to lower their body fat, etc. If you find you cannot find anything there to keep you going, then maybe you should simply run and not "train." You dont need to feel compelled to do any kind of workout, just simply head out the door and run as much or as little as you like.
It's not the running, it's YOU.
If you're miserable winning a race by two minutes, you'll be miserable winning a race by two seconds. You're always going to feel 'empty' with your attitude.
Sounds like you need to focus on other areas of your life, then you'll start enjoying running again./