How to get out of the 4x8 (already had a talk with coach)

Pissed off 800/1600 runner wrote:

I'm not in the wrong here, people.

Oh, you are. You just don't think you are.

Pissed off 800/1600 dude wrote:

I was entered in the open 800 this Saturday (large invitational, good place to run fast) when two kids on the 4x8 scratched and said they weren't going to the meet. Naturally, my coach decides not to just drop the 4x8 team but instead decides to put me and another kid on (both of us were looking to run PRs in our respective main events, this is one of the only opportunities we have all season to run fast). We both talked to him, saying we weren't going to try and that there was no point in running it, and he decided to be a hardass and didn't budge. How do I get out of this?

This isn't a troll

-your token high school 2:06/4:40 guy

As someone who has had to deal with my fair share of stupid coaches, I was initially leaning towards siding with you. But then you turned out to be a MAGAt and a freshman.

Freshmen don't "deserve" sh*t. Pay your damn dues and just run a fast split, snowflake.

My Senior year of high school, Matt Centrowitz ran the 4x800 first at our state championships and doubled back in the mile. He got PASSED in the 800, and came back to run 4:04 SOLO for the mile. This was a meet that his pops had pinned for his chance to break 4. Even the best runners double/triple/quadruple up. You'll be alright.

Or just crap your shorts before the race.

I agree with you my coach would harrass me and one day i wasnt there told them how i looked emaciated in a picutre in the paper even though im a distance runner. Jog it. Then destroy the 800.

HUBBA wrote:

Or just crap your shorts before the race.

Better yet, crap your shorts DURING the race, Greta.

Explain. Sure I'm young, dumb and inexperienced. How does that have any bearing on what I deserve? I've grinded my ass off since 7th grade. I could be home playing video games, but instead I'm out there doing 3 x mile in 5:20. I more than deserve to have ONE unhindered race my freshman year. It's not like I've been whining for every race, but now that my coach is squandering my best opportunity to run fast at a meet where the 4x8 doesn't matter is when I'm pissed.

Also, we're runners here. You're biased against me because of my political views. When you base half of your decision on politics and the other half on an assumption, you know your opinion is some $hit

Also, if you read my last post you'd see that I had already said I was going to go all out. Fukking soyboys on here

Oh you've been grinding since 7th grade. I'm not sure that everyone here realized that you've been working your a $s off for 2 whole years so you could b1tch and moan about a race your freshman year. On behalf of everyone, I apologize, you obviously aren't and entitled little baby

Being "young, dumb, and inexperienced" doesn't give you a lot in the line of credentials to know what you do and don't deserve. Actually, none of us really know what we deserve much of the time. Saying you deserve "ONE" unhindered race doesn't make it true. And you are not so fast that you need high level competition. You'll probably have dual meets where you're "unhindered" and can get pulled to something faster than 2:04.

You bet that's what I'm doing. What difference does it make? I'm putting in the work, that's what matters. I've done his stupid 4x8 and 3200s already. I want a single open 800, fresh. When would my b1tching become acceptable? 4 years? 10?

Yeah, I'm b1tching about a race freshman year, but what it seems like nobody here is getting is that this is clearly a situation where b1tching is acceptable. My coach is wrong, I'm right.

I'm repeating myself here. I will report back Saturday and we'll see how it goes.

If you really feel that strongly about your coach, why not just quit and run unattached? You said it yourself, your coach isn't really doing much for you at all. Sure you may miss out on states (Although with a 2:06 and 4:40 I'm not sure if you're really worried about placing well/qualifying depending on where you live) but you gain control over your training in addition to controlling what meets you go to. Although I'm sure you'll run another open 800 at some point this season whether it be districts, counties, etc, and in that case, just wait.

Like so many here. I could just say. Get over yourself and be a team player.

You say you have an idiot coach.

Be glad you have a coach.

This "idiot" has a college degree, interviewed for and won the derby for his teaching/coaching position at your school.

He works 60+ hours a week at one of the most necessary yet also grossly underpaid jobs in America.

He is responsible for teaching, discipline, counseling, parent communication, professional development, etc. And that's just for his teaching hog.

As a coach. He is responsible for everyone on the team. He will create an imperfect workout schedule, settle for a meet schedule that his halfwit athletic director threw together when he wasn't drawing up new football plays, and will probably have some people in the wrong events, not enough events, or even too many events.

His kids who persevere and are successful eill think he is a god. The ones who suck will call him an idiot.

Few of the great running minds who could be great coaches can be found toiling awsy at a low-paying education job. It takes a servant's heart and a will of iron to do what your coach does for you.

Next time you see him, you should shake his hand - hint: real men do that - and tell him how much you appreciate the sacrifices he and his family make so he can be your coach.

Slow, entitled, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

The mistake you made was telling him you weren't going to try. How on earth did you expect him to react to that statement?

Keep working hard, doing the extra mileage on your own. You can manage his workouts with your effort. Do longer warmups and cooldowns. If you're only practicing four days a week that gives you three days to do your own thing.

Dude grow a pair and use the meet as training. Why are you pressed to be running fast in April? If you wanna be a stud, I can tell you that the studs are running the 4x8, 16, 8 , and 4x4 in a lot of cases. Be grateful for the opportunity -- not everyone on the team can run at an invitational, much less 2 events.

You can literally run a pr in the 800 at a random tri-meet where kids are likely to go near or under 2 flat. Also, given the time between the two races at big invites, you could probably still PR in the open 8 even with a strong leg on the relay. My teammate ran 2:05 on a relay at an indoor invite and came back to run 2:02.

The 4 x 800 is hella fun. Don't dodge. Run fast. Be a team player.

I was only a 1:58.0 - 880 man, but had fun trying... busted through 660 in 1:25.9... oooh man, did that last 50 meters ever hurt!

And another thing. If you run two 800s, or an 800 and a 1600 in a meet (or and 800 and a leg of the 1600 relay), you get yourself into SHAPE!

Double every meet. It's not unusual.

I wish I had a whole team of dedicated, selfless young men such as yourself. I wish to commend your parents for raising a child without the "it's always about me" attitude. Truly inspiring at a time when I was just starting to despair for the younger generation.

I generally agree with your assessment of you coach and don't think he should have put together the 4x800 team. That said pick your battles, and this isn't a hill worth dying on.

Also you kinda come off as a know-it-all little prick with your attitude and name calling.

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