Tennis
Tennis
bulldog35 wrote:
I think Jiu-Jitsu and MMA fighting would be a good alternative. Your already light and have good endurance. Diaz Brothers in the UFC are pretty legit runner tri guys. Plus you would get mad props from the let's run community if you were a sub 4 minute miler who went into the Octagon. Now that would be a following. I think Alan Webb should join the UFC.
About 1 in 10,000 guys walk away from MMA with their health and finances in tact. That sport is a cesspool.
BJJ is okay. A little cult-like, but there's always an avenue to compete in that sport. Still, getting slammed on the mat over and over again is TERRIBLE for the brain.
Well, you could try non-competitive running. That's what most of us around here do. And if that doesn't work, try not running at all. That is always an option. In fact not running is way more legit than competitive running.
Indoor rowing
Mountain Biking?
Way less attitude than road cycling. Races are more akin to running. Road cycling, if you get dropped from the peleton, there is no way you are going to get back on. In mountain biking, you can have a bad patch, then with a little technical skill manage to get back in. Crashes are less nasty because they don't involve huge packs of people and you usually end up in some bush or something rather than flat on the pavement.
Racing on a mountain bike is kind of weird coming from a running background. You can be completely red-lined on a climb early in a race, and then be fine an hour later and then still have another hour to go. In that time, you might go from slobber dripping off your chin intensity to HR at 130 on a slower, technical descent.
Not Lance wrote:
I'd look at competitive cycling. Jump into a few crits to see if you like it. You have to start in the less experienced, slower crits to begin, but you should be way more fit and easily move up. Buy a decent middle of the road bike and you should see yourself very competitive, very quickly. From what I've seen many people have all the gear and the what-have-you, but few have the motor. Guys like us - especially if you are starting at 21 or so - have big motors that the 30-something pretenders wish they had.
THIS
Both mountain and road biking and great and can keep you in incredible shape, but you would just need to equate the lower body with some weightlifting. If you do, you should focus on working your way up to CAT 2 or CAT 1 level competition.
Other Ideas (some mentioned before): Spartan races, off road triathlons, competitive crossfit, indoor soccer(high intensity, small field), weightlifting, pacing hobby joggers for $, etc
You could become one of those crazy people who flings themself off a tall cliff in a wingsuit.
Your 25 minute 8k suggest some real potential in competitive crab-walking. You could also try the sack race, though that tends to be dominated by guys with better mid-distance potential than you probably have. Then, there is the 3-legged race -- the only problem there is getting someone to donate a leg. It really limits the competition, but if you can figure that out, you will definitely have a leg up on everyone else.
Glad I could help. Good luck!
Racerator wrote:
I switched to rock climbing after college and eventually got to a decent elite level and it is my vocation now. Went back to running and have done well as a master.
I'm curious what you consider a "decent elite level" and how long ago you're talking. The sport has really changed and since popularity is booming, so is the talent level. A few years ago a v11 boulderer would have a shot at making finals at nationals. Today there are hordes of v13/14 types who can't even get out of qualifiers.
You need to get dual citizenship in a country where you are the BIG DOG.
Recessive wrote:
Your 25 minute 8k suggest some real potential in competitive crab-walking.
hahaha, this just had me bust out laughing
asdsa wrote:
Indoor rowing
I think to be competitive at indoor level you need to have height. Even if not that tall, I think you need to have mass. Even the lightweight divisions weigh a lot more than your average runner