How do I deal with being the only African/POC on my team?

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2 years ago 02/12/2023 4:24pm EST

Recently picked up running about 2 years ago and it’s been one of the best decisions of my life! I just do it recreationally and have fun with it as I got bored with cycling for the past few years before it. The one thing that has made me dislike it is the constant Freudian slips that happen in warm ups or long runs with my training partners. Constant subtle jabs at African for being age cheats or dopers ect, I understand it can come from a place of insecurity so I’ve just been quiet and ignored it until recently. I ran a really good 5k that I had been training for meticulously for the last 6 months (50 miles a week threshold training ect) and ran 14:13 which I was pretty happy with. A teammate was in the race and was adamant that I go up a heat because it would be too quick but I just wanted to have fun and challenge myself and that’s what I did. The next week at training the said teammate was throwing jabs at me insinuating that I was on sarms in a joking fashion and I could see he was resentful because he hadn’t had a good race and was copping from my other teammates for “losing” to me, which is something I never stated or felt I just set goals for myself and focus on myself. I don’t want to leave the team but idk if I’m being to sensitive what do you guys think ?

2 years ago 02/12/2023 4:26pm EST

re: am I being to woke

If this is true, I’m sorry that’s happening to you.

However, I don’t think that even Bekele could have run 14:13 after running for just 6 months and 50 mpw, so this seems like a troll.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 4:32pm EST

re: am I being to woke

Pretty sure we would known of a hs kid that ran a 14:13 5k off of 2 years of training. How the f do you have so much time on your hands that you get motivated to write out such a long dumb post?

2 years ago 02/12/2023 4:40pm EST

re: I hope not, but..

I hope not, but.. wrote:
If this is true, I’m sorry that’s happening to you.
However, I don’t think that even Bekele could have run 14:13 after running for just 6 months and 50 mpw, so this seems like a troll.

I’m not a high schooler, I’m 23 with a full time career job, I use to cycle competitively when I was younger but the workload was too much and I just didn’t have the legs so I stopped competing and did it recreationally until I picked up running so now I do both to just stay fit

2 years ago 02/12/2023 4:43pm EST

re: Hhkdnxbs

Hhkdnxbs wrote:
Pretty sure we would known of a hs kid that ran a 14:13 5k off of 2 years of training. How the f do you have so much time on your hands that you get motivated to write out such a long dumb post?

I’ve had nearly a decade of cycling at a pretty decent high level so I’m not coming into running from scratch, also when did I state I was a high schooler? I still cross train with cycling

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:08pm EST

re: am i being to woke

am i being to woke wrote:
I hope not, but.. wrote:
If this is true, I’m sorry that’s happening to you.
However, I don’t think that even Bekele could have run 14:13 after running for just 6 months and 50 mpw, so this seems like a troll.
I’m not a high schooler, I’m 23 with a full time career job, I use to cycle competitively when I was younger but the workload was too much and I just didn’t have the legs so I stopped competing and did it recreationally until I picked up running so now I do both to just stay fit

So what team are you on and how much time do you spend with them. As far as jabs about doped Africans go I don't know if these remarks are made specifically for you but there are so many of them being caught that it's a pretty normal conversation topic among distance runners. What makes you take the comments as "jabs?"

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:11pm EST

re: am I being to woke

Honestly if you're good at anything especially running with its PED history people will envy you. More so if there someone who's always been the fastest and now feel their position is threatened.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:14pm EST

re: am I being to woke

am I being to woke wrote:
The next week at training the said teammate was throwing jabs at me insinuating that I was on sarms in a joking fashion and I could see he was resentful because he hadn’t had a good race and was copping from my other teammates for “losing” to me, which is something I never stated or felt I just set goals for myself and focus on myself. I don’t want to leave the team but idk if I’m being to sensitive what do you guys think ?

Send it right back at him with jabs about Hitler and East Germans. He'll get the message, or else one day show up in Nazi regalia.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:33pm EST

re: Give As Good As You Get

Give As Good As You Get wrote:
am I being to woke wrote:
The next week at training the said teammate was throwing jabs at me insinuating that I was on sarms in a joking fashion and I could see he was resentful because he hadn’t had a good race and was copping from my other teammates for “losing” to me, which is something I never stated or felt I just set goals for myself and focus on myself. I don’t want to leave the team but idk if I’m being to sensitive what do you guys think ?
Send it right back at him with jabs about Hitler and East Germans. He'll get the message, or else one day show up in Nazi regalia.

I just don’t want to do anything immature I’ve stated multiple times I’m just here for fun and new challenges in an attempt to appease

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:37pm EST

re: 101

101 wrote:
Honestly if you're good at anything especially running with its PED history people will envy you. More so if there someone who's always been the fastest and now feel their position is threatened.

The thing is I don’t even try and compete against them, I just try and acquiesce to avoid confrontation I’ve literally spent the last half a decade trying to be a good cyclist and just want to have fun now to old to try and be a pro so I’m not even trying to compete with anyone but myself for fun

2 years ago 02/12/2023 5:39pm EST

re: HRE

HRE wrote:
am i being to woke wrote:
I’m not a high schooler, I’m 23 with a full time career job, I use to cycle competitively when I was younger but the workload was too much and I just didn’t have the legs so I stopped competing and did it recreationally until I picked up running so now I do both to just stay fit
So what team are you on and how much time do you spend with them. As far as jabs about doped Africans go I don't know if these remarks are made specifically for you but there are so many of them being caught that it's a pretty normal conversation topic among distance runners. What makes you take the comments as "jabs?"

I agree but the undertones are subtle you can see the resentment, also it comes from the most from one particular guy

#12

This post was removed.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 8:22pm EST

re: HRE

It’s not all Africans. Where are the comments about Ethiopians or Ugandans?

Kenya, however, has a doping bust seemingly weekly.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 9:53pm EST

This quoted post has been removed.

I think I might have to

2 years ago 02/12/2023 9:54pm EST

re: I hope not, but..

I hope not, but.. wrote:
It’s not all Africans. Where are the comments about Ethiopians or Ugandans?
Kenya, however, has a doping bust seemingly weekly.

I’m Eritrean/Somali but just get lumped together

2 years ago 02/12/2023 10:05pm EST

re: am i being to woke

Again, what team is this and how much time do you spend with them? I can see why someone thought you were in high school. Nearly all the questions here about team dynamics are from high school or college runners.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 11:04pm EST

re: HRE

HRE wrote:
Again, what team is this and how much time do you spend with them? I can see why someone thought you were in high school. Nearly all the questions here about team dynamics are from high school or college runners.

I train with a small local club in New Zealand, I train with guys who are slightly younger 20-21 and there all trying to run to make teams I believe. I train/run with them 3 days 2 sessions one long run

2 years ago 02/12/2023 11:44pm EST

re: am i being to woke

Where do you live (if you don’t mind sharing)?
I’m from outside DC and there’s a large Ethiopian community there; near Minneapolis has a fair amount of Somalis. Have you made efforts to reach out to them?

2 years ago 02/12/2023 11:44pm EST

re: am i being to woke

Just tryin' ta have fun here (running 14:13 after 6 months of meticulous training). Sure, bro.

2 years ago 02/12/2023 11:50pm EST

re: am I being to woke

I've never heard of a college track team with only one POC on it. You must feel like a white basketball player feels like.

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