anyone know the details of webbs pre-running background? I know he was a youth group swimmer but what kind of yardage was he swimming and from what ages?
anyone know the details of webbs pre-running background? I know he was a youth group swimmer but what kind of yardage was he swimming and from what ages?
He was a nationally ranked sprinter.
from the usatf site:
His mother Katherine is a speech pathologist and a former competitive swimmer in the breaststroke, he credits the sport for building his strength and his cardiovascular system without the wear and tear on his legs…
why could it have nothing to do with his running success? It will have have developed his cardiovascular system from a young age (but without the pounding on growing limbs): a damn sight more useful than wallowing on the couch stuffing your face with chips like most American kids. You think Mottram's triathlon background as a youngster has NOTHING to do with his recent accomplishments?
Geb as a kid would run 15 miles round trip to school and home. The "pounding" didn't seem to bother him.
I used to be a swimmer for four years. I got into the sport following doctor's advice to improve my asthma condition.By ahe 11, I was done with smimming because of different reasons.
I took up running instead and I was good at it right away.
In Europe, where I am from,sports are done in clubs, and young athletes compete for their club rather than for schools. Anyway, my transition from swimming to running was good and in at age 15 I ran 1.59 for 800m and 8.57 for 3000m.
I'm not sure if swimming made me a better runner, but I definitely went from an asthmatic to a decent runner.
Obviously he got those VO2 genes.
I think athletic parents are a huge advantage in another way. Those parents understand principles of nutrition, recovery, strength and conditioning, competition, etc. They also put 100 percent of the family resources, time and money into the child's training. The athletic families I know never vacation or even camp, have restrictive diets, and spend thousands and thousands of dollars on equipment, travel, and personal training. These kids do nothing else but train, no other extra curricular activities.
Run with your heart! wrote:
Geb as a kid would run 15 miles round trip to school and home. The "pounding" didn't seem to bother him.
Yes because as we all know, just like parts of Africa, the US has very little paved roads.
Anyone know how much he lifts? (benches)
In sub4 I believe it mentioned him doing 3x 15 reps with 145 pounds one day.
Yes, Webb obviously entered running as a fitter kid than had he done nothing - you people are quick. But had he done no swimming and started running when he did, he would have quickly "caught up" and his running by age 16-17 and of course today would be no worse.
Street bum who won Powerball wrote:
Yes, Webb obviously entered running as a fitter kid than had he done nothing - you people are quick. But had he done no swimming and started running when he did, he would have quickly "caught up" and his running by age 16-17 and of course today would be no worse.
THAT, is a pretty ignorant statement. What is your proof? How can it ever be known? It goes against most common sense to think his fitness and athletic background did not play a role in his development because IT DID play a role in his development. Period. Fact is fact and swimming is a fact of his background. To say anything counter to this fact is to try to ignore reality and to weave a disconnected line of thinking that corresponds only to your imagination.
thats where you are wrong
"IT DID play a role in his development. Period."
And that's YOUR proof? Using CAPITAL LETTERS?!?
Running and swimming overlap only in that they are "aerobic," Big deal, The muscles used and the way in which they're used aren't the same. Had Webb been nothing more than a wiffle ball player who was in OK shape by normal teen age standards, he would have been running the same times within a year of starting as those, he actually did run.
My "proof" is seeing plenty of good swimmers try to come out for cross country with limited success, in fact there was little correlation between swimming and running success as the best kid I knew (17's 5k) was a 50 yard specialist in the pool for the YMCA team. And I have seen hundreds of these kids.
The only reason you dorks are even interested is seeing a 3:46 mile and figuring everything active the man who ran it did, must have played a role. Why don't you 800 hopefuls go take long walks in deep sand like Krumenkackar (sp) used to do, and see if you run 1:43. Or grow up in a dirt poor country torn up by warlords and see if you're elite by age 17
is someone going to answer the original questions instead of just debating the importance of the question? id like to know as well.
Street bum who won Powerball wrote:
"IT DID play a role in his development. Period."
And that's YOUR proof? Using CAPITAL LETTERS?!?
Running and swimming overlap only in that they are "aerobic," Big deal, The muscles used and the way in which they're used aren't the same. Had Webb been nothing more than a wiffle ball player who was in OK shape by normal teen age standards, he would have been running the same times within a year of starting as those, he actually did run.
My "proof" is seeing plenty of good swimmers try to come out for cross country with limited success, in fact there was little correlation between swimming and running success as the best kid I knew (17's 5k) was a 50 yard specialist in the pool for the YMCA team. And I have seen hundreds of these kids.
The only reason you dorks are even interested is seeing a 3:46 mile and figuring everything active the man who ran it did, must have played a role. Why don't you 800 hopefuls go take long walks in deep sand like Krumenkackar (sp) used to do, and see if you run 1:43. Or grow up in a dirt poor country torn up by warlords and see if you're elite by age 17
My proof is the living, breathing Alan Webb. Your proof is you have witnesses a bunch of average athletes (most likely lacking any predisposition toward running) not become awesome runners???
Well, if I follow your logic...I have seen, year in and year out, thousands of middle distance runners training specifically and ALSO NOT develop into awesome middle distance runners. So, should I conclude that running does not contribute to achievement in running??? of course not.
Webb was born with certain genetic predispositions. But you aren't born with the ability to run 3:46, you are born with the potential. Other things must fall into place to give rise to that ability. If Webb did not swim and develop his aerobic foundation, it is reasonable to conclude his initial times in track would have been slower. If his times would have been slower, the entire picture of his development may be different.
My logic: difference in initial beginnings may lead to differences in end results. This pretty much follows all science and observation of natural systems.
Your logic: initial differernces play no part in end results. BUT you do not have any insight into any possible degree of buffer that would offer stability to the system--except for that you assume Webb would have exactly the same motivation to train and same desire to succeed without the swimming background..and that is just clearly uncertain. Therefore, you conclusion is not sound.
I agree with you that Webb, regardless of acitivies, was born with inherint potential. But to discount real life experiences as NOT playing a role upon development flies in the face of all human sciences, all kinesiology, all sports development theory, psychology, and reality. Potential does not equal performance.