How do I cope with the fact that I will never be a great runner because I just don't have the talent and genetics?

When it comes down to it it's all about getting quality tail and from what I've seen running fast doesn't accomplish that. Time to re-focus bro.

This view, in my opinion is quite childish. Do you realize how rare that kind of talent is? In all likelihood, you are blessed with genes. It just so happens that there are quite a few who were blessed a bit more. Asking why is pointless. If you act like your genes are holding you back, chances are that they will. If you believe this, then you have already stopped looking for your body's true potential. Some people find it early, but some people have to practice for years to find out what works best for them. If you limit yourself with this kind of thinking, you'll never make the discoveries about your health and fitness that could help you achieve a more satisfying level of performance. If you think you work hard now, chances are that you have stopped trying to take more steps and hoping that doing what you already do will somehow get you there. This just isn't the case, and you need to keep on striving to work even harder and train even smarter than you think you do now. Otherwise, you'll never get anywhere. I kind of feel the same way, but I know I have so much more in me than I have shown and I just want the chance to show it, even if that only means making an Olympic team. You have to realize how few people are actually the ones with the talent to win. You shouldn't at all be surprised that you're just not able to walk out the door and do that. You have to keep searching.

"We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."- Tyler Durden

committed to excellence wrote:

I want to be the guy who wins the olympics. Why was I not blessed with the genetics and talent to achieve this? How do I cope with the fact that with the smartest training and best coaching I may only ever be a sub 14 minute 5k guy and sub 30 10k guy.

This was my attitude about running when I was 15 years old...

If you're miserable running 30 minute 10Ks I guarantee you'll be miserable running 27 minute 10Ks. It's NOT the performances that are making you miserable about running, it's YOU that is making you miserable.

I must say, like the post above me, you have got some excellent replies, and for that you should be thankful, and try to heed their advice. Truth is, you don't even know what your 'genes' are capable of. Thinking of it as a genes thing is a superficial way of looking at it. Rarely is it about actual top end genetic potential, it's about how much work it takes to get there. For some, it takes so much work that it's almost not worth trying, but I believe you can be very good if you keep at it.

Wow...there's also a mentality factor in running and right now yours isn't so positive. You still haven't peaked yet so don't give up.

However, don't pretend you can possibly understand what these runners are going through. Don't summarize Brian Sell's accomplishments into qualifying and then screwing up. People said Webb was washed up but he's making progress and that's because he knew he wasn't finished running. Running a great race/time is about the timing in your training and your attitude. If you keep an attitude like that up then yeah, you'll never reach you're true potential nor will you break 13. If you think these runners have genetics on their side then you need to work harder to overcome that. You also can't always compare yourself to other runners or allow someone else to decide your fate for you. You know yourself and your body better than anyone. If you know you're capable of hitting better times then you know and you need to focus on your training and your running as opposed to others. Do not resign yourself to a subpar performance based on other people. Worry about your training and your body.

no brain wrote:

this is all bs

no one knows what "genetics" they have. you just havent got the correct training under your belt yet. you can be ANYTHING you want to be, the hard part is figuring out HOW.

lol.

Agreed. The OP's attitude is incredibly childish.

The only thing that any runner can aspire to -- regardless of their "genes", or their spot on the athletic hierarchy--is to become the best runner they can be. This requires commitment, persistence, and determination. It is a long-term process. The ladder that you (or anyone else) will be climbing has an undetermined number of rungs, but you need to climb that ladder one rung at a time. Worrying that one out of a million people have been given a ladder with twice as many rungs as yours is idiotic.

from a post colligate distance runner, i will give you the best advice i ever got from a fellow runner:

had a guy on our cc team,kevin, was sub 16 min 5k. then all of the sudden one season he wins our conference cc champ...by over 100yds!! what did he do different? what made him a completly different runner?

well when another teamate asked him those same questions, kevins reply was, "i just quit being a little b!@#$ about my training"

when you think you have done everything you can to improve you have defeated youreself!!

Genetics determines your performance at all levels, not just at the 13 minute barrier. You cope with athletic mediocrity by finding something else you can be sucessful at. If Running is truly your highest value in life, aim to become a world-class coach rather than a world-class athlete.

Rational Economics wrote:

Genetics determines your performance at all levels, not just at the 13 minute barrier. You cope with athletic mediocrity by finding something else you can be sucessful at. If Running is truly your highest value in life, aim to become a world-class coach rather than a world-class athlete.

Odds are you're never going to be the best in the world at anything. Just work hard and do a good job at whatever you do and be happy with that.

Unfortunately nobody does their strong suit in life.

The Smartest people are probably trying to become fighters in one aspect or another

The fastest runners are probably trying to become soccer players

The best soccer players are probably trying to become football players

The best Football players are probably trying doing drugs

You're either in the wrong sport, don't have the right pieces to put together ideal conditions for you to develop.

Everyone has talent, you just have to figure out what they're talented in, sports in general would be a lot more entertaining if the right people were doing the right things in life.

It's hard to predict who really has what it takes. For example for many years Paula Radcliffe looked like she was going to spend her life being the plucky Brit who finished just outside the medals at the big events.

But she kept working at her running, moved up to the marathon and become the fastest ever woman by an incredible margin.

The only way to cope? FIND OUT! Get the answer to the truth of that statement. Beyond that it's outside of your control.

I squeezed every drop out of my body for the dream. There was no success or failure. There was only seeking the answer to the question. The answer has brought me satisfaction every day since.

The answer was "No". I accepted and moved on. True hell on Earth is a life not knowing (the answer).

OldXCguy wrote:

Finding joy in the process is what has allowed me to run for 30+ years, even though I was never very fast; and I'm a lot slower now. Even now, I'm motivated to be better than I was last month and last year. Ultimately, either you love running or you don't.

The man speaks wisely. I began running in my 30s, was never extremely fast, although I did have a faster period of time in my life than now, during which I qualified for Boston.

Now... not fast but continue to enjoy it, continue to seek the best I can in myself, know it won't come to a lot of recognition--but what it has given me (at 60) is great health, RHR in the 30s, and bp in the 90/50 area--not to mention awesome friendships. Wouldn't give it up for anything! Look at the big picture, the lifetime benefits of this sport, and you'll find lots of reasons to keep running.

committed to excellence wrote:

How do I cope with the fact that with the smartest training and best coaching I may only ever be a sub 14 minute 5k guy and sub 30 10k guy.

If the only reason you train hard is to be the best in the world, and you think you don't have the talent, give up.

I used to struggle with being the best but the better you got the more you found out there are a whole lot better out there than you. I still went to state in track and cross country every year, I still ran in college, I still won an occasional race into my late 30's and I'm still probably in the top 3% of all runners on earth. Looking back, the day I realized I was not going to be THAT great was probably the most positive thing that has ever happened to me. One of the things I saw in great runners was the work ethic, the determination and the sacrifice (not to mention the god given talent). I worked pretty hard to break 15 in college and I could have ran a bit faster but it wasn't worth the extra work to do it. I'd still just be a 14:45 guy getting 9th instead of 12th.

you will never achieve your dreams with your feet on the ground like this. these are negative thoughts creeping in. you have to understand the biggest problem holding americans back from being an international force in distance running is that we are much too pessimistic and realistic. you can never predict where you will stop improving and to do that before youre even out of college is your downfall. i hope your coaches and running teammates arent keeping you down with this genetics and talent bullcrap.

If you can't find enjoyment from running itself and from trying to discover the limits of your ability, then give up. Running doesn't seem to be your thing.