"No other form of physical activity matches the hubris of runners"

Xfit_guy_the_real_1 wrote:

There is some truth to it.

If you run a Marathon in 2:20 or 6:00h, you're still a mediocre Marathoner. The bandwidth is so big, it's like comparing bench pressing of 400 lbs with benching 5 lbs dumbbells. No one would consider the 5 lbs dumbbell bench pressing guy an "athlete". But in running, participating is everything.

That's because participation, at every level, is *possible* in distance running.

Do you know any casual 100m runners? Men and woman who run 100m for fun and compete every now and then at a local level? No, of course not. Same with high jumpers and javelin throwers. It's not really *possible* to be a casual long jumper. You can't compete unless you are pretty serious, because casual competition just doesn't exist.

Casual running competitions *do* exist, so it's *totally* possible to be a casual runner and do 5K races every now and then in a way that isn't possible with most other sports.

Anyone using the word "hubris" when referring to anything other than a classical Greek tragedy = douchebag.

DontFeedTheTroll wrote:

[quote]Xfit_guy_the_real_1 wrote:

Do you know any casual 100m runners? Men and woman who run 100m for fun and compete every now and then at a local level? No, of course not. Same with high jumpers and javelin throwers. It's not really *possible* to be a casual long jumper. You can't compete unless you are pretty serious, because casual competition just doesn't exist.

Casual running competitions *do* exist, so it's *totally* possible to be a casual runner and do 5K races every now and then in a way that isn't possible with most other sports.

Casual gallon jug toting neanderthalls doing their 3 minutes of cardio on the treadmill also exist in every workout facility in America.

Idiotfit should be proud of his brethren.

Where are you seeing hate in my post? I said that joggers are different types of athletes than serious runner. I didn't say that I hate joggers. I'm not sure how you missed my point so badly.

That's a good point. You also don't have a lot of casual football, baseball, basketball, hockety, etc players. Or Nascar drivers. It's just difficult to participate in a lot of these activities casually, especially once you are out of school. And I'm pretty sure that people who do participate in pick-up b'ball leagues, local golf tournaments, low-level softball competitions, etc, DO wear t-shirts from their events, and if there is a bumper-sticker available for an event in which they took part, it's quite likely they'll put it on their cars. Oh, the hubris of those people!

Another mistake both of these whiny writers (Stafko and this Vandy guy) make is assuming that running bumper stickers are always a form of bragging. Sometimes they are just a way of identifying yourself to other like-minded individuals, and showing enthusiasm for long-distance running, in much the same way somebody might display a bumper sticker for their favorite sports team, or a country they've visited, of a million other things they are interested in or wish to support in some way.

Here is the Runnerazzi response to the first ariticle by Stafko..

http://www.frequency.com/video/runnerazzi-response-to-chad-stafko/131921869/-/5-2391615

wat,,,, those are two different extremes running a 6h marathon compared to a 2:20 marathon. Here let me throw out just a wild less known name but a name nonetheless Kevin Havel, He went to John Hersey High School, was Top 5 in IL state ALL 4 years in high school, Went to Stanford on a scholarship, (had a not so great college career, but he still went to Stanford on a scholarship) he ran the Chicago Marathon in 2013 in a time of 2:23, my father ran it in 4:18... Are you saying that in any sense of the word that Kevin Havel and my dad are even within the same universe of running?

Triathletes need to be in the discussion

I went to high school with the kid who wrote this article. Such a freaking dweeb. This is officially not worth losing sleep over.

Hi Charlie

I like running alone and find the idea that people are looking at me a distraction. If I am proud of the "svelte" body I have maintained into my mid-thirties, I would not be any vainer than the next man. One of my greatest sources of pleasure and pride comes near the end of a long run while most people are sound asleep. Perhaps it is the author that can't understand people suffering for a personal goal other than a byline.

When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.

Jonathan Swift

This whole shitty article is predicated on the idea that runners are in it just for the benefits of looking fit. If I wanted to look fit, there are a heck of a lot of ways to do so that don't require as much time or effort, or emotional and physical pain for that matter. It seems to me that most runners run because it is a very goal-oriented activity that allows them to see short and long-term improvement.

As far as the need for runners to be ridiculed by society, I can assure you that I've enjoyed my fair share of derogatory comments, and even trash flung out windows as I pounded myself into the pavement. Though I was a fairly accomplished high school runner, and am now running in college, society certainly hasn't heaped any accolades at my feet. So I ain't in it for the recognition.

Most of all, this fallacious heap of dung's argument obviously extends from the fact that he has absolutely no understanding of what it means to run. And no, I don't mean trying it a few times, just to report back on how much it sucks.

There just doesn't seem to be any explanation for such a vitriolic attack from Rouillard on running aside from an obvious insecurity about his own athletic abilities. And, ironically enough, spending some time running, setting some goals, and achieving them might actually remedy this.

themanontherun wrote:

jjjjjjjjjj wrote:

That was a pretty awful opinion piece. So, now weighlifters, who literally spend most of their time lifting weights in front of mirrors, are supposed to be less vain than runners?

Ironically, you're making the same mistake about weightlifters that the author in OP's post makes about runners. There are plenty of curlbros who hang around the gym checking themselves out, but serious bodybuilders don't spend nearly as much time working out as runners do, and if they're looking at themselves in the gym, they're checking their form. Most competitive weightlifters are also not lean and cut; strength is made in the gym, muscles are made in the kitchen. They may do a small cut after competitions just to play around.

I think you're mistaking weightlifting for bodybuilding, and really, aren't competitive distance running and hobbyjogging basically a parallel to those two?

No, I'm not making the same mistake about weightlifters, because I'm linking them directly to their activity, which involves lifting weights in a room with a lot of mirrors and if they are looking (or forced to look) at themselves, they are checking their form and watching themselves at the same time. Some will be vain and others not, but standing and lifting weights in front of a mirror is not much like the solitary pursuit of the long distance runner. It would be difficult to tell vanity in a body-builder, as opposed to the pursuit of a certain look, since the latter is their essential activity. It's obvious too that if you are heavily muscled, you have reasons to be proud of your appearance that distance runners lack, and society will generally re-enforce those opinions.

cant tell fat from muscle wrote:

Casual gallon jug toting neanderthalls doing their 3 minutes of cardio on the treadmill also exist in every workout facility in America.

Your problem is that you equate time worked out with success. When in fact these 3 min are more effective than your 10+ mile slog. FACT.

The kid who wrote the article is editor in chief of the school paper. As someone who has written for that same paper in the past, I think it's very likely that the poor quality, uninspired piece was probably written in a twenty minute deadline crunch to fill space because another writer failed to meet deadline.

Not all Vanderbuilt students are as ignorant and ridiculous.

failure to distinguish wrote:

I suppose my post was a bit of an exaturation.

My, what creative spelling you have!

I'm just wondering why the article didn't mention Cross-fit as a superior excercise at any point? Why isn't it getting more attention from these opinion writers? Ugh i'm going to go do 200 pullups a couple deadlifts while i ponder.

What I have observed about body builders and listened to them talk is it is not vanity that drives them but insecurity. As Shakespear said "vanity thy name is woman". If he were talking about body builders he would say "insecurity thy name is body builders". I would say that the difference is vanity is more based on power and insecurty is more based on fear. Of course I may be wrong.