Belief, you really should go watch the movie Gattaca. I think you'd fall in love with it.
Belief, you really should go watch the movie Gattaca. I think you'd fall in love with it.
Geneticists don't waste their time on running. I have never seen a thoroughly done scientific study on genes and distance running but lots of half-assed conjectures.
zohan wrote:
1. You have never won a race.
2. You can't believe yourself into being a Boston winner, Olympian, etc..
Also, complete straw man. Even if everyone was EQUALLY talented, there could still only be one Boston winner and X Olympians per year so there will always be lots who miss the cut regardless.
And further, if everyone has lots of talent, that still doesn't imply they can win Boston or run XYZ time.
Surely you could have done a much better job defending your position.
22 years-old no belief in my talent - 2 hour HM PR.
49 years-old believed in myself - 29 minute improvement.
Belief wrote:
Your last paragraph sucks. Stop generalzing about starving Kenyans living at altitude. It's just hyperbole.
You illustrate my point about how offended you talent-believers get when you're deprived of your excuses.
http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/2/2/3/More than 60% people of Kenya live below the poverty line (less than $1.25 a day or unable to afford to buy food providing a daily intake of 2,100 kilocalories).
How big are you going to get eating 2100 calories a day on a meat-restricted diet? Either short and skinny or tall and skinnier. A huge population of short, skinny people is likely to be good at what sport? It's logical and obvious that Kenyans should be elite distance runners, especially with a well-developed recruitment and training system. But you would rather put blinders on and conjure up "talent." You seem unable to handle the thought that you were just a bit too privileged as a child. Better to hero-worship them as magically superior.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Belief wrote:Your last paragraph sucks. Stop generalzing about starving Kenyans living at altitude. It's just hyperbole.
You illustrate my point about how offended you talent-believers get when you're deprived of your excuses.
http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/2/2/3/More than 60% people of Kenya live below the poverty line (less than $1.25 a day or unable to afford to buy food providing a daily intake of 2,100 kilocalories).
How big are you going to get eating 2100 calories a day on a meat-restricted diet? Either short and skinny or tall and skinnier. A huge population of short, skinny people is likely to be good at what sport? It's logical and obvious that Kenyans should be elite distance runners, especially with a well-developed recruitment and training system. But you would rather put blinders on and conjure up "talent." You seem unable to handle the thought that you were just a bit too privileged as a child. Better to hero-worship them as magically superior.
But to be great at running, you need a lot of food, namely carbs. A huge population of skinny, malnourished, and underfed people =/= good running.
Course, once they get sponsored, I'm sure eating enough is not a problem, but I imagine getting to the level of a sponsorship-caliber athlete on an insufficient diet is pretty difficult.
Randy Oldman wrote:
22 years-old no belief in my talent - 2 hour HM PR.
49 years-old believed in myself - 29 minute improvement.
Why didn't you just believe a litter harder and run 1:10?
belief wrote:
genuine random a hole wrote:No.
Maximizing even a relatively low level of talent can get a kid fairly far in distance running since a such great deal depends on fitness level. Low talent kid could probably be the #1 kid on many CC teams if he works his ass off. That same kid just won't be a stud in college and the Oly dream won't happen.
Pretending that talent is just a matter of belief is plain ignorant or, at best, motivational pablum for the not so sharp.
The faster I ran, the more talented I became.
You answered my post w/ more banal pablum.
Critical Thinking wrote:
Randy Oldman wrote:22 years-old no belief in my talent - 2 hour HM PR.
49 years-old believed in myself - 29 minute improvement.
Why didn't you just believe a litter harder and run 1:10?
Why limit yourself to 1:10? You can run 58 min half if you believe hard enough. The sky is the limit.
You can't do whatever you set your mind to, but sometimes it's good to believe you can.
the grand inquisitor wrote:
Belief wrote:The genetics arguement always attracts a host of straw men. You are on their side?
I suppose most of them work in an office and have no idea what hard physical work really is?
Alright, 8/10. You had me going for a while.
No, I'm serious. All of my office working friends lack self belief, have no idea what a hard day's physical work is never mind day after day and consequently have poor fitness.
I know that's not all office workers, but these discussions are overloaded with people with little grasp of the concept of the psychology of sport and what constitues physical fitness. The kind of people who spend too much time working or posting on a computer.
Bad Wigins wrote:
Belief wrote:Your last paragraph sucks. Stop generalzing about starving Kenyans living at altitude. It's just hyperbole.
You illustrate my point about how offended you talent-believers get when you're deprived of your excuses.
http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/2/2/3/More than 60% people of Kenya live below the poverty line (less than $1.25 a day or unable to afford to buy food providing a daily intake of 2,100 kilocalories).
How big are you going to get eating 2100 calories a day on a meat-restricted diet? Either short and skinny or tall and skinnier. A huge population of short, skinny people is likely to be good at what sport? It's logical and obvious that Kenyans should be elite distance runners, especially with a well-developed recruitment and training system. But you would rather put blinders on and conjure up "talent." You seem unable to handle the thought that you were just a bit too privileged as a child. Better to hero-worship them as magically superior.
You're not paying attention to what I'm saying.
genuine random a hole wrote:
belief wrote:The faster I ran, the more talented I became.
You answered my post w/ more banal pablum.
I think that one went right over your head.
Yeah, because that is some deep shit.
I am growing weary of this. You win. You gave 110% on this subject.
There is no such thing as talent, or if there is is can be conjured up simply by believing in it.
Critical Thinking wrote:
Randy Oldman wrote:22 years-old no belief in my talent - 2 hour HM PR.
49 years-old believed in myself - 29 minute improvement.
Why didn't you just believe a litter harder and run 1:10?
I probably could have in my 20s.
Anyway, it's just the facts. Self-belief helps unlock natural talent. It doesn't change the fact the OP is an idiot or a troll.
Crap! I gave away my alter-ego.
Not surprisingly, the first response was correct, yet the thread marches on.
I am a geneticist by profession. I can't believe this is actually being debated. Of course talent plays a role in sports. Genetic predisposition plays MOST of the roles in determining how good someone is at something.
Is belief a real person or an extremely successful troll? I honestly can't tell which I think makes him one of the best trolls I've seen in a while. 8.7/10. Kudos.
On the unbelievably crazy chance he is a real person who actually believes the ignorance he is spewing: Belief, do you feel that because you aren't one of the greatest athletes in the world that you are lazy and just didn't try hard enough?
dial it up wrote:
Is belief a real person or an extremely successful troll?
Talented troll.
Belief wrote:
You're not paying attention to what I'm saying.
That's because I'm the smart one.