as a few people have pointed out, this thread is about me
before i start, the op is a cat for not namedropping me – at least give me the attention ya flog.
he didn’t mention my age – i just turned 21 and i find it funny how i can be fully written off already. i haven’t hit my physical peak yet and i’ve only been running for 6 years.
my current prs are 14:10 for 5k and 3:47 for 1500m. i didn’t get a new 5k pb this past year but context is everything. i ran 14:10 at bryan clay in 2024 and came 9th in my heat. this year i ran 14:10 again, but it was at lee where i came 2nd (1st ran 14:05 and was an all-american in xc). it was also my first track season after transferring, and i still saw progression in my 1500m (a 1 second pr in 35°c heat). by the end of the season things were starting to click with the new training. i also dealt with iron issues and some mental health struggles. for me, staying steady through that and still racing well was progress. if the op really did his research he would have noticed a pattern in my running – i always plateau for 2 years before i improve. 14:47 in 2022, 14:43 in 2023, 14:10 in 2024, 14:10 again in 2025. this is just a trend i know but i do feel like i have progressed and i am super excited to show it next track season.
you know what’s funny about taking the mickey out of my pb and my work ethic – if you had told me in 2021, when i had just run 15:10 after 2 years of 80+ mile weeks, that i’d run 14:10 in my whole career, i would have been bloody stoked. same with the 1500 – i never thought i’d run sub 3:50. now i’m very confident i can dip under 14 and more. if i got hit by a car tomorrow and couldn’t run again, i’d be satisfied with my pbs. does that mean i don’t want to train hard and improve? of course not. but having that perspective has helped me keep things in context.
i don’t see myself as a 1500/5k guy long term. my build is better suited for xc, 10k, and eventually the marathon. i am naturally slow as bricks – i could barely break 30 seconds for 200m in high school. even now, with lightspeed work, plyometrics, and heavy compound lifting, i can still barely break 13 in a rolling 100. that’s going to hold me back in the shorter stuff. but i’ve never been injured doing dumb training – i ran 100 miles a week at 16 and 110–120 miles last xc season. i’m durable, and as the op mentioned, i do believe it will pay off in the long run over longer distances. this sport is all about stacking years on years and believing that it will work in the long run
op called me “obsessed.” i’ll own that. i love running. i love studying exercise science, testing things on myself and my athletes, reading research, seeing what works. i’ve never hidden that. it is what i have built my content around since i started posting in 2020
from this obsession ive been able to start a coaching business. i coach 13 athletes and helping them succeed is just as fulfilling as chasing my own pbs. one of my athletes, at 15, has already run 3:59 for 1500m. another ran 14:27 and earned a scholarship in the us. another debuted with a 2:29 marathon. coaching is something i’m super passionate about, and it’s already giving me a career path and some income while i’m studying. on my major – sure, exercise science gets called a “mickey mouse” degree, but it gives me options. i’m really into research, so i can see myself pursuing a master’s. i could also stay in the us and coach collegiately. i’ve worked a lot in running retail and would love to be a brand tech rep. one day i’d like to open a running store back home, but i want to do a lot more before that.
whether i ever run professionally or not, i’ll always pursue my own running. i find it sad how many people give it up after college. my love for the sport goes deeper than performance. of course i want to run fast and win races, but i simply love the process. running is an individual sport and i want to explore how good i can get.
i’m not naive about the odds. i know im not going to become an olympian. honestly i couldn’t care less. what matters to me is giving it a red hot crack and leaving no stone unturned. if i do that, i’ll be satisfied.
so yeah – i’m 21. i’m durable. i’m still progressing. i coach, i study, and i’m in this sport for the long run
let’s see how this xc season goes before writing me off