After all these years do you regret devoting so much time and energy to running?

i definitely regret my time spent running, well at least the sacrifices that had to be made. i'm behind on my career, stuff like that. unless i find an employer who used to run i'm screwed.

nobody outside of running gives a damn about it, that's what i'm realising now that i'm "retired". 99% of this country couldn't even tell you who haile is or bob kennedy, arguably the best ever in the world and in this country. it's tough to avoid being a one dimensional guy when you're serious about running.... but you must maintain balance and give up some running committment if you hope to get a good job or something after running. one other downfall that running did was made me a puny little guy, so now i'm trying to gain weight/muscle a bit just to be average and not look 10 yrs old.

if i did it over again, i'd turn down the full scholarship offer, trade in the few all americas, and live a normal life without the hurt and miles and sacrifices.

i'm with ya man, i really am.

and i have nothing against running. i'm gonna run forever and ever and it will probably keep me sane too. you obviously have a similar dream as me...meaning if you could do whatever you wanted then it wouldn't be sit in an office with those people.

but your view is so unrealistic. "f**k the world"...well no, that's easier said than done. i'm sittin here, poor off my you know what, lookin for a job, living with my parents, etc etc. i have a college degree from a great school and nothing to show for it. i wish i could just move out somewhere, do what makes me happy, make enough money to live on, etc etc. that'd be awesome. but it's not realistic.

the reality is that nobody cares...meaning you busted your butt for years running and don't get any recognition for it. i'm all for running dude, i just regret busting my butt....the mile repeats, the 20 milers, etc. the running when it's 10 below or when it's 95 and humid. etc.

i'd love to hear a realistic path i could take if you got one. but just saying 'F THE WORLD" won't get me or anyone else much man.

sounds more like you wasted time with a family anf job

to add to that...

specifically, employers would seroiusly rather hear me say i did a summer internship with some fantastic firm or something...rather than hear me say i ran 100 miles a week for eight weeks straight. that sort of thing is what i'm talkin bout. my resume is completely pathetic besides my running accomplishments and my 1 internship that i did...that apparently is not good enough.

Never have truer words been said voxbox - run for yourself and your sanity.

'Rage, rage against the dying of the light' Dylan Thomas RIP - a Welshman who knew how to live life and who died 50 years ago in New York, which seems somehow fitting for this site.

this is a great thread...i hope we get a lot on this one...

To the original poster...if you are injured right now, then it's probably normal to feel this feeling. I've been injured for a while and was thinking the same thing, in fact i went out and bought a few things to make me feel like i was fitting in more w/ the "real" world, but now that i've been back into some good running the past 4 weeks, I've totally come back to running, cuz it's so great to feel so healthy and see yourself improving and seeing all this land that you have covered and doing things that to 99% of the population would die doing. So if you're injured right now, just be patient, and do w/e while waiting, but don't forget that running is where it's at.

go to grad school. you'll have a few more years with plenty of time to run (or not). there's no reason to regret. you ran, you met new people, that shaped who you are today. the only thing that i dislike about running is the fact that i can't do a lot of other things. "let's go play basketball." "nah, i gotta run." or "i gotta race this weekend." but when things go well, it makes it all worth it. even if they go bad, at least you know you prepared yourself the best you could. so even when you apply for the job you really want, and you think you're qualified (or over-qualified), and you don't get it, you know that you did what you could. but there are plenty of things in life that you could have ended up focusing a lot of attention on and thus giving up the opportunity to learn other things. choices. you can't change the ones from the past, only the ones from the future.

I feel that I've wasted much more of my time doing meaningless tasks, like watching TV, listening to music, arguing with friends, etc. Running is something that keeps me healthy, happy, and most of all, sane.

Regrets are stupid. You have to live with the decisions you make; regretting them is a waste of time and energy. You can be upset that you made a certain decision, but don't dwell on it. Make the best of what you have currently, and then strive for better.

The question is, what do you think you would have done with all the time you spent running? If you think about it, the time you devoted to it in one week is not very significant compared to other aspects of life.

to wasting time:

I TOTALLY AGREE!!! I HATE THE INTERNET!!! it wastes all the time in my day, seriously. I made a promise to myself that once i get out of HS, I am getting rid of aol instant messenger completely and am never gona be on the internet except for when important race results come up and if i have reports to do. it consumes all the time in my day.

"Regret is a wasted sentiment. Rolling around in the muck is no way to get yourself clean"

--Aldous Huxley

Don't look back except to understannd why the hell you are doing what are doing what right NOW. Get on with it and shape the future. Just be glad you are not a 4 year old orphan sniffing glue on the streets of Nairobi...

i'm sitting here working on a saturday (after doing 18 this morning), for about the 150th saturday in a row, trying to figure out how i'm going to feed the wife and child for the next week. i could do another couple of hours a day here in the office i suppose, but it's not worth it. i know everything's going to come out allright. being broke sucks, but spending every waking minute catering to the whims of someone else is exponentially worse.

that, to me, is the beauty of running. not one single person besides you can slow you down, tell you to stop, make you follow them down some ridiculous path. there are few things left in our existence, unfortunately, where you have complete and utter control over the effort you put in and the results you can achieve. run for yourself, because nobody else is going to do it for you.

I have been running for years.Ran in middle school, high school, college, I have coached for ten years and have been sucessful. Coached state champions and championship teams. i have a great wife and son. I have a great career in education and still run 40-60 a week. I find the time to balance every thing. The one thing I regret more than anything in my life. And this is probably the only thing is I partied too much in college. I never did drugs, but I drink too much for a runner and did not give running the right attention. I don't remember the parties, but I remember not meeting my goals. As a 35 year old I now realize what is important. My religion, family and friends are my top priority, but running makes me happy and I have stay in great shape for my age. Also I can eat anything I want.

You know, i wouldn't trade a thing. After all is said and done and you are proud of your accomplishments, that is all that matters. You just have to keep it in perspective. In respect to resumes, you need to shape your running experience to be like business. Because obviously it was if you spent so much time on it. Those 100 mile weeks should count for something when it comes to character and hard work. If you can't put it on the resume, make sure it comes up in the interview. I heard a guy say once that if he were a fortune five hundred ceo he would beat the living financial daylights out of other companies if he just hired the top 50 NCAA XC runners to work for him every year. And he's right, those guys, when they put thier mind to something , they can't be stopped. So don't look at it like a burden that you ran all those miles, use it to your advantage. You're a mentally stable, physically fit person who has way more to offer than fatty mcfat sitting on the computer claiming that she lost weight.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

http://www.geocities.com/classicpoetry/dtdonotgogentle.html

I have also thought about this at times...especially when you miss a night with friends to sleep for a race or similar situations.

I used to work in a running store, and it felt like 99% of my life was running. I love running, but it got to be too much.

I have since moved on. I am back in school, and have rekindled other interests that I had been neglecting (piano, theater, learning to play the guitar, choir) In spite of all this, I am also currently training more than I ever have in my life.

Regrets are silly. Every decision you make has an alternative. If you had never run, how much would you have regretted not doing it.

The key (at least in my opinion) is to continually take honest assessments of your life and decide what is really important to you. Then allot your time accordingly.

And if in your honest assessment, you find you are running (or doing anything) for recognition or for anyone or anything other than yourself, then it is time to move on.

I love that poem.

NO!

Most of the posters seem quite bitter and jaded towards your fellow non-runner. Why?

Dennis hit the nail on the head. Constantly reassess yourselves and striving to grow as a WHOLE person: mind, body, spirit. Find other loves in addition to running.

Personally, I am a family man and my family life is full of ups and downs of health, success and failure in career and all kinds of other characters. It is tied to places, events and histories. With all of these experiences life ingrains itself into my memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more worthy.

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!"