And regarding coaching. What qualifies him to be a coach? I mean he could even run 2.05 marathon that doesn't mean he's a qualified coach. There are people studying for that kind of job. Just because you are a good athlete doesn't make you a good coach?!?
One thing that's clear from all the hate here is that... Seth is living the life we all wish we had, and is pursuing his dreams to the fullest. Dude had mediocre times probably a majority of us had in college yet never gave it up and ran a 2:23. Now he created a life where he can essentially train and live like a pro-runner.
He'll run 2:16 and LetsRun keyboard warriors will be devastated.
Thats what u wrote... Just thinking of that probability puts you in dreamsland. 2.15 would mean doing his halfmarathonpace in amsterdam of 2019 back2back....
When I was a college Freshman I broke 15:00 for the 5000m I ran 14:59. Which was brutal I felt like I had nothing left 3 weeks later I ran 30:04 for 10,000m. Explain that? I ran pretty close to my 5000m back to back. Seth has what a 1:05:43 Half best? It is not impossible for him to run 2:15:59, but with that being said him running the Olympic Trials Qualifier is well within his range if he run's a smart race.
1. When you were a college freshman you were by definition a developing athlete. Improvements at that level can be exceptionally dramatic. It's harder to do that when you've been running seriously for 15+ years.
2. Your 5k performance may have been negatively impacted by your place in the training cycle.
3. You were probably doing some training at and under 4:50 pace.
None of those three things apply to Seth.
There are people who run a half marathon 4-6 weeks before their goal marathon at their marathon pace. Usually that is because it is either a practice-level effort, because they are in the middle of a very demanding training block, or because they go out at a very conservative pace and then cut down over the last half of the race. Again, none of those things apply to Seth.
I don't get the hate of SJD. It's pretty easy to not watch his content if you don't like it. He is a self aware amateur, so I don't know why his training would be "hammered" by appearing on a podcast. Why would it matter how he trains? It's not like he is a college coach that is under-developing others. It's also not like the future Bekele is going to be ruined because they try to follow along. His audience is middle aged hobby joggers which the vast majority I'm sure have "worse" training than SJD, but who cares either way. I only run 30 minutes most days, but who cares? Should I be hammered for my training? I'm a 41 year old parent just enjoying my short runs. I'm not coaching others to do the same. I find more enjoyment in running if my daily runs are more enjoyable than the enjoyment I'd receive from knocking my 5k time lower while running a whole lot of runs I dont enjoy as much in training. I have a hard time watching a FULL sjd video due to all the b roll walking around his house, but his style is very cinematic and I do like skipping to his nature runs and checking out his editing style.
There is such a thing as having some level of respect for the sport no matter what pace you're running. I'm not talking about old fogey stuff like not wearing headphones when you train or running track intervals three times a week. I mean that when you get placed with the elite runners at NYC and get to warm up in the indoor facility (which a lot of very fast and very dedicated runners will love to do), you don't give up and clown your way to a three hour finish when you hit a rough patch at 25k. When you get sub-elite entry at Rotterdam, take a realistic look at your training and go out at a reasonable pace to finish well.
If you take his word for it, Seth is going to try to go out in 67 minutes and he will absolutely crash and burn. And then people will come on this forum and say "he tried his best! at least he went for it! what's wrong with have a dream?" That's BS. Going out in 67 minutes when you've done the training he has is by definition not trying your best. It's deliberately setting yourself up to fail.
Look I spent my entire 20's and a part of my 30's being filled with hate and anger it does nothing but cause health issues and problems in your life. Try and be positive and root for the guy a little bit. My running days are behind me I look at a guy like Seth as normal guy trying to live his dream and I can respect that and cheer for him.
Most critical comments here are not hate or anger. They are merely critical comments based on knowledge of running, physiology, training, etc. Calling Seth out is not hate. I would love to see him meet his OTQ goal, but history shows that he makes bad decisions and is chaotic in his methods. The fact that he has an audience of sycophants unable to see that and that only offers up "positive" ball sucking is stunning to witness. But it's not hate to call this out. It really isn't.
I don't get the hate of SJD. It's pretty easy to not watch his content if you don't like it. He is a self aware amateur, so I don't know why his training would be "hammered" by appearing on a podcast. Why would it matter how he trains? It's not like he is a college coach that is under-developing others. It's also not like the future Bekele is going to be ruined because they try to follow along. His audience is middle aged hobby joggers which the vast majority I'm sure have "worse" training than SJD, but who cares either way. I only run 30 minutes most days, but who cares? Should I be hammered for my training? I'm a 41 year old parent just enjoying my short runs. I'm not coaching others to do the same. I find more enjoyment in running if my daily runs are more enjoyable than the enjoyment I'd receive from knocking my 5k time lower while running a whole lot of runs I dont enjoy as much in training. I have a hard time watching a FULL sjd video due to all the b roll walking around his house, but his style is very cinematic and I do like skipping to his nature runs and checking out his editing style.
There is such a thing as having some level of respect for the sport no matter what pace you're running. I'm not talking about old fogey stuff like not wearing headphones when you train or running track intervals three times a week. I mean that when you get placed with the elite runners at NYC and get to warm up in the indoor facility (which a lot of very fast and very dedicated runners will love to do), you don't give up and clown your way to a three hour finish when you hit a rough patch at 25k. When you get sub-elite entry at Rotterdam, take a realistic look at your training and go out at a reasonable pace to finish well.
If you take his word for it, Seth is going to try to go out in 67 minutes and he will absolutely crash and burn. And then people will come on this forum and say "he tried his best! at least he went for it! what's wrong with have a dream?" That's BS. Going out in 67 minutes when you've done the training he has is by definition not trying your best. It's deliberately setting yourself up to fail.
It will be entertaining, and that I believe is his #1 goal (or should be) as he is more of an entertainer than a runner (or storyteller as he calls himself). His goal is to craft the best story. Respecting the sport can come in many forms, and trying to increase the entertainment level in it should certainly be considered one of the better forms. In formula one for example, a few of the drivers complain that the Netflix series Drive to Survive doesn't respect the sport. The series has also directly contributed to huge growth in viewership and interest. Which is better in that case, huge growth in the sport or making sure all traditionalists believe it is being respected. I say the first, as long as it contributes to long term growth, which I believe it does.
its funny to see all the posts about the "haters" or "jealous critics" itt. it's mostly just people being rational. saying his training doesnt correlate with running an OTQ or even a PR is evidence based versus his fans that tend to fall into the faith based category.
I don't get the hate of SJD. It's pretty easy to not watch his content if you don't like it. He is a self aware amateur, so I don't know why his training would be "hammered" by appearing on a podcast. Why would it matter how he trains? It's not like he is a college coach that is under-developing others. It's also not like the future Bekele is going to be ruined because they try to follow along. His audience is middle aged hobby joggers which the vast majority I'm sure have "worse" training than SJD, but who cares either way. I only run 30 minutes most days, but who cares? Should I be hammered for my training? I'm a 41 year old parent just enjoying my short runs. I'm not coaching others to do the same. I find more enjoyment in running if my daily runs are more enjoyable than the enjoyment I'd receive from knocking my 5k time lower while running a whole lot of runs I dont enjoy as much in training. I have a hard time watching a FULL sjd video due to all the b roll walking around his house, but his style is very cinematic and I do like skipping to his nature runs and checking out his editing style.
I agree with most of that (except the self aware part, he's a bozo and has fully bought into his own BS). None of this really matters, he's not amongst the ranks of the elites, and most of his clientele will probably just be entry level runners who just need the motivation and some routines to stick to. It's not like he's jumping onto CU's staff or anything. I hear you. Especially on all the B-roll and wasted time at the beginning of his videos.
I do give pause because I take exception to non-experts parading around like experts though. This isn't exclusive to Seth, this is something humanity has done since forever. It's just that it's super convenient with youtube these days. Way too easy to pick up a camera and spout nonsense, and if you edit your videos nicely, somehow people will be more inclined to believe you. Running is trivial for the most part, but I just hope he doesn't get someone injured. He's done it to himself in the past. I'm not entirely convinced he would be able to recognize and adapt at an early stage when it comes to others. I actually watch his videos regularly, and he's a bit of a space cadet. It's quite often that the wheels just stop turning in his head and he defaults to his rah-rah-wooooo chanting, and that's honestly what I'd expect from him as a coach. Not someone who's actually watching his runners and paying attention to what's going on with them, but someone who would just be there as emotional support.
I don't hate the guy. He's a really good runner himself, seems like a good guy, works hard, inspires lots of people, etc. I'm just conflicted, because most of his shortcomings are knowledge-based. It's fine if he sticks to himself, but when he starts involving other people is where he loses my trust because he could easily overstep his bounds. I'm in his facebook group, and some of those people could easily be driven to ruin following Seth's advice. Not even just training/nutrition/health, but like monetary decisions as well. I would divorce my wife if she threw our money away like some of those people do on shoes and gear, membership fees and donations to Seth, and eventually paying for his coaching.
He’s stated he’s trying to get an OTQ. I agree with you that he’s probably setting himself up to fail, but I respect the goal.
In the same way, I suspect that most 2:20-2:25 guys are going to look foolish this year trying to get the OTQ.
I would respect the goal if he had done literally anything to try to achieve it, but he hasn't. You can criticize a 2:25 marathoner for trying to cut down to 2:18 in a few years, and the vast majority of them are going to fail. But 99% of them are going to work harder than to improve than Seth has. I don't see anything admirable in stating that you want to OTQ and then doing 3-4 hard efforts in a 12-week training block that mostly consists of 9-10 minute miles.
I don't get the hate of SJD. It's pretty easy to not watch his content if you don't like it. He is a self aware amateur, so I don't know why his training would be "hammered" by appearing on a podcast. Why would it matter how he trains? It's not like he is a college coach that is under-developing others. It's also not like the future Bekele is going to be ruined because they try to follow along. His audience is middle aged hobby joggers which the vast majority I'm sure have "worse" training than SJD, but who cares either way. I only run 30 minutes most days, but who cares? Should I be hammered for my training? I'm a 41 year old parent just enjoying my short runs. I'm not coaching others to do the same. I find more enjoyment in running if my daily runs are more enjoyable than the enjoyment I'd receive from knocking my 5k time lower while running a whole lot of runs I dont enjoy as much in training. I have a hard time watching a FULL sjd video due to all the b roll walking around his house, but his style is very cinematic and I do like skipping to his nature runs and checking out his editing style.
The guy posts videos of himself every single day. He charges his audience to belong to a club where they get extra content - about him. He tells people what shoes to wear,. He makes big claims about his performances, and can't back them up. His training is so obviously poor that every experienced watcher knows he's doing it wrong. and then anyone who has an issue with any of the above is a 'hater"?
Nobody has a right to publish content, build an audience, and monetize it, without being criticized. And there's a lot to criticize.
Instead of being so defensive, maybe take a look at why this one singular person is so broadly dismissed by serious runners.
One thing that's clear from all the hate here is that... Seth is living the life we all wish we had
Why do people here keep repeating that here is hate? I see absolutely no hate here? Is everybody who thinks his "dreamgoal" is irrational automatically a hater?
And btw. I really dont wish to live his life, never ran in college, starting running at the age of 39 and am happy to run under 3hours after 3 years but mostly Mountain-Ultras are my kind of thing. And I watch (or click through his vids) since october 2018! His content was way better back then when he was not overinflating it blablabla. And looking back at 2019 I think he trained harder before Amsterdam. Less hours, less miles but harder
Many armchair critics of his channel use a lot of rhetoric to get across their points. In many times it feels like criticism for the sake of criticism, much of it not really well thought out. Using rhetoric in a piece of criticism is what makes the armchair critic a hater vs. good quality criticism.
Example:
1. "Seth runs too much slow mileage" - fair criticism that shouldn't be considered from a hater.
2. "But instead the bozo spends countless hours running 100+ MPW at 8:30/mile pace" (took from first page of this thread) - added unnecessary rhetoric makes this a hater comment.
Both these points of criticism might not even be fair criticism, since Seth's #1 goal is to be a story teller. Weird training contributes to making it more entertaining and makes for a compelling story. Purely from a training analysis, both points are fair, but the rhetoric on the 2nd comment is not fair given his overall priority of an entertainer (or storyteller as he calls it).
If you really believe in 2.15 then you haven't understood a lot about physiology especially at marathon level. Race day miracle ain't goin to happen.....
Shut up read what I wrote
Dont be filled with hate and anger! Root for the guy!
since Seth's #1 goal is to be a story teller. Weird training contributes to making it more entertaining and makes for a compelling story.
You're joking, right? Please be joking. Weird training is not entertaining nor compelling. And if his #1 goal is to be a story teller, the same boring shots of coffee, headlamp, doors opening are not compelling. His vlogs are lazy, his training is chaotic. He misses his goals both on story telling and on racing. Neither of those things is entertaining.
I'm with you. His videos pop up on my YT page, because, and any more I FF through the intro, the coffee in the dark, the family BS, the garage, and the drive, to see what crazy workout he's doing, then I pause for a few minutes to hear what he says about a shoe.
Then I go to other sites to see what normal, not-110 lb people say about the shoe.
I watch his Boulder stuff a little bit more, because I know all the runs he does there.
Many armchair critics of his channel use a lot of rhetoric to get across their points. In many times it feels like criticism for the sake of criticism, much of it not really well thought out. Using rhetoric in a piece of criticism is what makes the armchair critic a hater vs. good quality criticism.
Example:
1. "Seth runs too much slow mileage" - fair criticism that shouldn't be considered from a hater.
2. "But instead the bozo spends countless hours running 100+ MPW at 8:30/mile pace" (took from first page of this thread) - added unnecessary rhetoric makes this a hater comment.
Both these points of criticism might not even be fair criticism, since Seth's #1 goal is to be a story teller. Weird training contributes to making it more entertaining and makes for a compelling story. Purely from a training analysis, both points are fair, but the rhetoric on the 2nd comment is not fair given his overall priority of an entertainer (or storyteller as he calls it).
Hi, everyone! I am RE: Ality Runner and welcome to my channel. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button!
First off, I am a humble story teller but I also want all of you to pay me money to coach you. I have run a sub 2:25 marathon so that makes me super qualified to coach all of you. Not convinced? OK! OK! WOW! If you become a paying member of the RR FAM-A-LEEEE, I will teach you my exclusive RR U CAN! Training System. In it, I will show you that setting PRs and even becoming an elite athlete is easy by...
Eating only small portions of organic items found at Trader Joe's.
Jogging no faster than 11 minute mile pace with lots of vert and lots of rest to take video/pictures.
What to do when lactic acid inevitably happens at 20 miles regardless of pace.
I will name drop a lot of famous coaches and athletes that I have met. Some of them are absolute LEGENDS!
Getting the most high fructose electrolyte goodness into your body.
Only wear shoes under 7 ounces in weight for EVERY run.
Coffee - the only performance beverage that you will ever need!
NEVER wear shoes for more than 50 miles and then retire them.
How sleep and recovery are overrated.
Looking out for #1 and putting yourself first...ALWAYS!
Traveling alone...ALWAYS!
These great tips and so much more can be had by subscribing to my exclusive Patreon or Discord for $119.95/month. This includes a t-shirt and a single use 10% off code for Runner's Warehouse. Such a deal-eeee-ooooo! Slather the Philly on mahhhh bagel!!!
(Disclaimer: I am but a humble story teller with no actual coaching experience. I do not possess a USATF Level I certification, have never attended a HIIT instructor training, do not own a Peloton bike, nor have I set foot in an Orange Theory studio. I have merely logged a lot of miles, was once a scrub at a D1 college, and have an affable and folksy charm.
Results are not guaranteed, no promises of improved performance are promised, nor are any RR U CAN officers, assistant coaches, or site administrators responsible for injuries or bodily harm caused by following the RR U CAN program. No refunds will be permitted, subscribers must commit to a 90 day subscription, and any intent to leave the RR U CAN program must be submitted in writing at least 60 days prior to termination of the subscription agreement.)