This is taking the "running is punishment" view that doesn't make sense for someone that enjoys it. I run mainly for enjoyment of the outdoors and nature, and similarly enjoy or have enjoyed spending hours a day out skiing, or riding my bike, or rock/mountain climbing, dog walking, orienteering, observing nature.
In my highest mileage years, I wasn't even training for anything. In my junior year of college (35 years ago), I quickly built up to a 20-miler every time I ran, often 140 miles a week (but sometimes 80 or 100 or 120). It was no longer timewise than what I did when I was on the cycling team my freshman year. Cycling was great, we'd ride in all the beautiful canyons up from PCH/Malibu (including through the areas burned by the Palisades fire recently). When I had to switch to running, long runs were needed to give me a similar experience, as I was running up and down all the canyon trails very far from campus but didn't have a car.
I actually got my highest grades (4.0) in engineering classes that year. I'm not a programmer, but the one programming class that I was required to take, I worked out my entire final project in my head during one run, and just wrote it down when I got back. So running can be productive thinking time for me. Time in nature is good for your physical and mental health.
2 hours a day is not too much to spend doing something you enjoy. The Verge has a current article on Netflix that says the average subscriber (not me, I haven't watched TV since before 2000) watches 2 hours a day. That's just entertainment and not really even a hobby. People who love gaming (not me, but I've had housemates in the past) play hours a day.
If he enjoys it, good for him. I ran 16:00 on 45-55 mpw. I look back and wonder what I would have run on more mileage and consistency.
At least he will have no regrets.
Mileage doesn't always equal faster times.
I actually got faster when I did LESS mileage and more recovery.
Yes, but you KNEW that happened because you'd done higher mileage. Maybe the 16:45 guy from Strava will eventually drop his miles and have an experience like yours. If that happens when he's older he won't think something like, "I got to 15:45 on 50-60 a week. I wonder what would have happened if I'd done 90?"
This is taking the "running is punishment" view that doesn't make sense for someone that enjoys it. I run mainly for enjoyment of the outdoors and nature, and similarly enjoy or have enjoyed spending hours a day out skiing, or riding my bike, or rock/mountain climbing, dog walking, orienteering, observing nature.
In my highest mileage years, I wasn't even training for anything. In my junior year of college (35 years ago), I quickly built up to a 20-miler every time I ran, often 140 miles a week (but sometimes 80 or 100 or 120). It was no longer timewise than what I did when I was on the cycling team my freshman year. Cycling was great, we'd ride in all the beautiful canyons up from PCH/Malibu (including through the areas burned by the Palisades fire recently). When I had to switch to running, long runs were needed to give me a similar experience, as I was running up and down all the canyon trails very far from campus but didn't have a car.
I actually got my highest grades (4.0) in engineering classes that year. I'm not a programmer, but the one programming class that I was required to take, I worked out my entire final project in my head during one run, and just wrote it down when I got back. So running can be productive thinking time for me. Time in nature is good for your physical and mental health.
2 hours a day is not too much to spend doing something you enjoy. The Verge has a current article on Netflix that says the average subscriber (not me, I haven't watched TV since before 2000) watches 2 hours a day. That's just entertainment and not really even a hobby. People who love gaming (not me, but I've had housemates in the past) play hours a day.
This all makes a lot of sense. You’d think it would make even more sense on a forum populated by runners — but you get people here over and over who seem to view running purely as some kind of transactional means to an end, rather than a healthy hobby and part of a balanced lifestyle, regardless of pace or race times. It’s such a reductive worldview and pretty sad. The irony of spending free time on a running forum arguing against the worthiness of investing time in running is, apparently, completely lost on them.
Eh, this is LRC so posts like this are to be expected. Not everyone is super talented so I'm going to respect anybody who is willing to put in the work. With better parents, that same runner is an all american. Also, some people just like running & it doesn't affect you in any way. The world would probably be a better place if more people were motivated to go for a run every day.
Fwiw I bet you that runner can go sub-2:40. You see stuff like this with people who come to running later in life & just start running marathons. They never fully developed their speed but there are people with much fast 5ks who are slower at the longer stuff. Conversation is more nuanced.
This is spot on. When I was hitting big miles, I had a 16:xx 5k time and had a 2:25 marathon. When you’re running after college/high school the 5k is such a dumb event to care about unless you’re a pro cause you can’t find many competitive 5ks. Why focus on winning your local turkey trot, when most runners in your region are competing in halfs and fulls.