The #1 factor determining your running ability is....

Tell that to Jim Ryun, who ran 2:55 in his first 800...

... knocked almost minute off that within a few weeks...

... and was running them back to back within a year...

were you trying to prove the OP MORE right?

What about good coaching?

craigmac4h said: The supremacy of genetics is inferred from the understanding that (1) running performance is the result of specific physiological processes, and (2) the attributes which control all physiological processes are largely determined by genetics. We lack the technology to determine an athlete's genetic exact potential, but we know that certain traits are favorable and that some people possess these traits while others don't.

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That's right on the money...why do folks doubt this?

i don't believe for a second that genetics is the most important. You're ability is not predetermined. It's when your growing that this "predetermination" happens. it's all about childhood lifestyle and environment. It's already been proven that the best possible time to strengthen fast twitch or slow twitch fibers is during childhood.

What i'm getting at is that genetics has a small part to do with this ability. Why is it that Jamaicans are so fast in Jamaica but not when they are born and raised in the U.S. ? It's environment and lifestyle as kids that matters the most.

hellooo? wrote:

i don't believe for a second that genetics is the most important. You're ability is not predetermined. It's when your growing that this "predetermination" happens. it's all about childhood lifestyle and environment. It's already been proven that the best possible time to strengthen fast twitch or slow twitch fibers is during childhood.

What i'm getting at is that genetics has a small part to do with this ability. Why is it that Jamaicans are so fast in Jamaica but not when they are born and raised in the U.S. ? It's environment and lifestyle as kids that matters the most.

Ok, can you tell us how Jim Ryan, Elg, Johnny Gray, Kennedy, Hall etc grew up in an environment different enough to result in them being record holders? I mean, how was their environment that different from other less accomplised runners who trained at a world class level???

hellooo? wrote:

i don't believe for a second that genetics is the most important. You're ability is not predetermined. It's when your growing that this "predetermination" happens. it's all about childhood lifestyle and environment. It's already been proven that the best possible time to strengthen fast twitch or slow twitch fibers is during childhood.

What i'm getting at is that genetics has a small part to do with this ability. Why is it that Jamaicans are so fast in Jamaica but not when they are born and raised in the U.S. ? It's environment and lifestyle as kids that matters the most.

Everything you said is exactly the opposite of what's true in reality

A loser would train hard, lose, then blame it on genetics. A winner would train hard, lose, and analyze what went wrong, then train harder. My point is that you will never know if you have the right genetics until you work your tail off, anyone can just sit at home and say, "Why should I even try to be a distance runner? The Kenyans will just run right over me!" (I'm guessing the OP is this kind of guy) Very few will just forget about "Genetics" and "Talent". Those few just go out and run and train and focus, because they have the desire to be number one.

Ello wrote:

A loser would train hard, lose, then blame it on genetics. A winner would train hard, lose, and analyze what went

How can a winner lose...and be considered a winner???

Are you a winner if you win more than 50% of the time and a loser if you win just 49% of the time??

Is a D1 champ a "winner" for life because he won that race?

And is the loser who trained hard and lost...a "loser" because he happen to make a very likely accurate judgment about why he lost but the "winner" is a winner because he's good at deluding himself?

GettingRealRealinReality wrote:

Tell that to Jim Ryun, who ran 2:55 in his first 800...

... knocked almost minute off that within a few weeks...

... and was running them back to back within a year...

None of the three statements above is correct.

I will agree that JR did a supremely good job of picking his grandparents.

hellooo? wrote:

i don't believe for a second that genetics is the most important. You're ability is not predetermined. It's when your growing that this "predetermination" happens. it's all about childhood lifestyle and environment. It's already been proven that the best possible time to strengthen fast twitch or slow twitch fibers is during childhood.

What i'm getting at is that genetics has a small part to do with this ability. Why is it that Jamaicans are so fast in Jamaica but not when they are born and raised in the U.S. ? It's environment and lifestyle as kids that matters the most.

No one is saying that there aren't other factors that determine success. Environment is a big factor but it isn't #1. Let's take, for example, Geb as a kid and switch him out with, let's say, another under talented kid growing up in a less than desirable (for athletics) environment (the other kid would live under the same conditions that Geb would have - you know, 10k to school and back everyday, etc.). 20 years later we'll introduce them both to a strict training regime, allowing them to train for a couple years, and then put them on the track for an all out mile. Geb will win. If you threw them both into 10 more races, Geb will win every time. Granted, Geb may not be as good a runner as he is today, but he'll still be an awesome runner.

Most amazingly absurd thread ever!

Love it.

But for real, LRC posters believe that the #1 influence on your ability is how close you are to being Kenyan or Ethiopian.

That is all.

Sit a bunch of white boys who have too much money to train hard and too much laziness to even rest properly and you you get the LRC posters.

Stop whining about being white and disadvantaged and train well and rest well and see what you can do or STFU.

Simple.

Idiotic mindless drivle on LRC is soooo damn entertaining.

Ello wrote:

A loser would train hard, lose, then blame it on genetics. A winner would train hard, lose, and analyze what went wrong, then train harder. My point is that you will never know if you have the right genetics until you work your tail off, anyone can just sit at home and say, "Why should I even try to be a distance runner? The Kenyans will just run right over me!" (I'm guessing the OP is this kind of guy) Very few will just forget about "Genetics" and "Talent". Those few just go out and run and train and focus, because they have the desire to be number one.

So where are your Olympic gold medals? If you don't have any, why not?

Hi Guys,

One thing most of us ignore when we here someone ran his first 1,500m trial in 3:50 or his first 800m in 2:55 is what were they doing before that and how?

For instance, we know that El-gurouj was playing soccer in his teens before his first 1,500m but how he trained for soccer or how he played matters a lot!

I did my first 5k race in my 2008, I was in my mid 30s then and I ran 17:30. I did it again in 2009 same results!

I used to play soccer before, and other sports before. I can say that if I tried running in my teens or early 20s, I could have a more impressive time!

No one tested me lol!

yeah but his second was 2:10 and didnt take long to break 2 minutes. Most kids take 4 years to do it if they do it at all.

Actually, maybe it's nurture that is the #1 factor determining ability. If you're never given the opportunity, you can't get any faster. If Bekele was born into slavery a few hundred years ago, he would never have run at all.

Who is this guy Nate Jenkins anyways? Never heard of him...seriously...

dude think about it some people are born very large, their genes determine their size.

Do you think Halie G could turn himself into an NFL lineman if given the chance?? C'mon have some g'damn sense!

There is a REASON all successful runners are skinny and short, and a REASON NFL lineman are huge.

honestly if your born in america, anyone can be a linebacker. Genetics are just gunna make it harder for him to do so

devilstyle wrote:

honestly if your born in america, anyone can be a linebacker. Genetics are just gunna make it harder for him to do so

lol you are a total moron if you think a 5'5 100 lb guy can be a linebacker.

idiot

I can't belive you people so delusional as to think the ONLY think between you and Olympic Gold medal is some magical training plan.