How to be an old-school tough runner

Brasil wrote:

stan the corgi wrote:

Be like Zatopek-do 400 meter repeats in a forest wearing army boots.

I read somewhere that Zatopek would stand in a drum filled with dirty clothes and water, and just pump at them with his legs until he couldn't pump no mo'.

That's pretty badass.

If it's in fact true and not a bluff like some oldies pulled on each other to intimidate or give harmful information in order to get a reputation or competitional advantage.

Oh Canada wrote:

That70sRunner wrote:

-cotton tshirt

-shorty shorts

-cotton sweats

-ringer gym socks

-nike waffle racers

-Casio chronograph

-no garmin

-no Strava

-NO HRM

run A LOT of miles

run most of those miles REALLY HARD

Race more weekends than you don't

never refer to vo2mx, threshold, tempos, and any of that science jargon.. just talk in terms of pace- mile pace, 5k pace, 10k pace, marathon pace

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This just took me back 40+ years! Hahaha!

+1

Run, eat, 8 hours day job, run, eat, sleep, repeat.

should be studying 102 wrote:

I am a young 20's runner growing up in an interesting time for running. The most obvious role models are guys like Tinman elite, the Athlete special, any number of instagram workout heros. the only problem is I think these guys are kinda running prima donnas. In contrast to these guys, I read about runners like Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley who ran FAST while working jobs, training in sub-par conditions etc.

Give me some tips of how to be a tough old school runner. You older guys who have been in the sport for a while, how do you do it while working full time, supporting a family, etc?

Any tough bad a$$ stories of the golden era of running would be appreciated

Dont listen to these guys telling you that the youtubers deserve credit. The old tough running era is a more abundant source of inspiration.

Guys who would run in the cold, pouring rain, just to not miss a day of training. Guys who would start an easy 10 miler run together but end up racing for the last 3-4 miles. Guys doing workouts that make you pause at first, but doing it anyway, like 20x 400m @ 68 seconds. Then, doing that workout again a couple of months later to test you and seeing if you got better.

Increasing your mileage every 2 weeks, no exceptions.

In races, obviously running your hardest, but sticking with a pack of runners clearly out of your league, and keeping up with them anyway.

All the while, doing ALL of this, WITHOUT the glory - the youtube videos, the instagram posts, the strava stats. All that sh!t is vain and conceited. It actually detracts from the inner satisfaction you get from flying through a run in the forest, with the crunch of gravel road, or the puffs of steam in a foggy morning as you exhale and tick off one mile after the next.

Some of the best runs you have, you wont tell anyone about. And you shouldnt. Because its for you. And your goal. To be the fastest runner you can.

Screw the posers.

Your race results are your “social media”

You eat real food like meat and bread

Everyone is the enemy until after the race. Then you go for a beer. And make that a domestic. No craft crap

Never ever complain about the weather or running surface

You wear normal cotton clothes not 75 dollar technical underwear. A grey cotton sweat suit is best.

You run 100 miles per week. It doesn’t matter if you’re a miler or marathoner. You run 100 miles a week. No “progressing slowly” to avoid get a little pain and having to call a wambulance. You run 100 miles a week.

If you’re a man you grow a beard and long hair. Being called a hippie is a badge of honor.

No designer energy gels or protein shakes. You drink coke and eat bacon.

You cut firewood as your “core” workout.

Great topic and interesting comparing eras. Times of course change and today too much information can be blesssing and curse.

As others referenced- we just ran in the ‘old days’ and often doing workouts without knowing it, ie today’s ‘progression runs’. Club and group runs were hammer time. My clubmates and myself were no elites by any stretch and our holy grails were Boston qualifiers- 2:50- and sub 60 10milers. Lots of dudes were construction workers, and carpenters, with of course lots of others being teachers, businesspeople etc. A teacher, I painted houses in the summer with other runners. We would climb ladders for 4-8hours a day on 80+ degrees, go home rest for an hour then bang out a 6-10miler every evening,

When a run would be scheduled we would do it no matter the weather. Recall a point to point 20mile Boston training run along the coast of NH in a driving rain in March. A coach brought a bunch of slower runners up from Boston. They got dropped quickly, could not see directional arrows spray painted on the ground thus got lost. Some ended up being brought back to end by NH and Mass State Police who found them on access roads to rt. 95. They got back to the bar, we gave them clothes from lost and found, they had some beers and laughed it off! These days, crying and perhaps lawsuits?

It’s just the way it was. We didn’t know any better, nor was there a constant bombardment of information from the Internet and social media. A lot of the practices of those days, were not conducive to optimal performance nor sustained performances and sports science etc has learned a lot about what not to do from those days, particularly injury prevention ( an awful lot of the people from that era, don’t run anymore despite longing to). BUT in a tough sport, that is very very hard, being fundamentally tough and not overthinking or over analyzing or over Strava-izing, is key.

OP- find some tough people and go out and hammmer!

Buy a timex watch. Get off social media, off strava. Run by effort. Run when it’s cold, run when it’s snowing, run early, run late.

Ultimately buy Tracksmith too. Give the vintage look

Domestic beer only.

Blue whales if you can find them

When the cotton socks you run in get holes in the heels use them for gloves. When it’s colder than 10 below, consider sacrificing a hand to save something else.

What back breaking blue collor job did Bill Rodgers work while running 120 mile weeks?

I bet Zatopek thought Shorter, Pre, and Rodgers were soft for running in Nike flats instead of combat boots. Cheater shoes anyone?

Run6556 wrote:

Brasil wrote:

I read somewhere that Zatopek would stand in a drum filled with dirty clothes and water, and just pump at them with his legs until he couldn't pump no mo'.

That's pretty badass.

If it's in fact true and not a bluff like some oldies pulled on each other to intimidate or give harmful information in order to get a reputation or competitional advantage.

If you actually read about it, then his wife confirmed that Zatu put the clothes in the bathtub with water and soap and ran on that to get in a run and do laundry when circumstances prohibited him running outside. Usually it wasn't weather he had to dodge but Commie army officers and spies.

should be studying 102 wrote:

I am a young 20's runner growing up in an interesting time for running. The most obvious role models are guys like Tinman elite, the Athlete special, any number of instagram workout heros. the only problem is I think these guys are kinda running prima donnas. In contrast to these guys, I read about runners like Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley who ran FAST while working jobs, training in sub-par conditions etc.

Give me some tips of how to be a tough old school runner. You older guys who have been in the sport for a while, how do you do it while working full time, supporting a family, etc?

Any tough bad a$$ stories of the golden era of running would be appreciated

Get up early as hell, and run. If your run is the first thing you do each day, while the rest of the world is sleeping, it doesn't matter how crazy life gets when the sun comes up. You've already done your run. Crazy early. Get up. Run.

You should follow race walkers. At least in the US there is almost zero chance of sponsorship and yet we still train for 20km and 50km distances, most of us having to work jobs.

Remember this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqXPw_6eYZw

Here is an excellent book that takes place during the golden era. Hence the name.

https://www.taleoftworunners.com/

Except that racewalking is literally the least cool sport I can think of

should be studying 102 wrote:

I am a young 20's runner growing up in an interesting time for running. The most obvious role models are guys like Tinman elite, the Athlete special, any number of instagram workout heros. the only problem is I think these guys are kinda running prima donnas. In contrast to these guys, I read about runners like Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley who ran FAST while working jobs, training in sub-par conditions etc.

Give me some tips of how to be a tough old school runner. You older guys who have been in the sport for a while, how do you do it while working full time, supporting a family, etc?

Any tough bad a$$ stories of the golden era of running would be appreciated

Translation - How can I fake an attitude people will think is genuine?

Bullet_Proof wrote:

*outdated cliches*

okay boomer

fake sincerity wrote:

should be studying 102 wrote:

I am a young 20's runner growing up in an interesting time for running. The most obvious role models are guys like Tinman elite, the Athlete special, any number of instagram workout heros. the only problem is I think these guys are kinda running prima donnas. In contrast to these guys, I read about runners like Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley who ran FAST while working jobs, training in sub-par conditions etc.

Give me some tips of how to be a tough old school runner. You older guys who have been in the sport for a while, how do you do it while working full time, supporting a family, etc?

Any tough bad a$$ stories of the golden era of running would be appreciated

Translation - How can I fake an attitude people will think is genuine?

Tattoos.

Don't post your workouts or races on social media, e.g., Strava. Fine to use those tools as a private training log but if you share with others, then you are running to get validation from others not for the sake of the grind.

How many elite runners today would run a super hard effort if they couldn't tell other people and get all the kudos?