Ritz=Worst Quote of the day ever?

I totally agree. As sad as it is I think his better days are behind him now. 5 to 10 place finishes are what we should expect out of him with the occasional 3rd place finish every once in awhile.

"I like the everyday satisfaction of having done something that most people can't do."

Running. People think running is a sport. Running isn't a sport because anybody can do it. I can run, you can run. For Christ sakes, my mother can run! You don't see her on the cover of Sports Illustrated, do you?

Wow, that is one of the most idiotic post I've ever seen. Can you add 2+2? Does that make you right up there with Einstein? Can you say "Hola, Bonjour"? Does that make you fluent in a foreign language? I can throw a football, so I must be as good as John Elway right? If your Grandma could set the American Record in the 5k, yes, she deserves to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Go back to your cave, troll.

A serious runner saying he likes running? What possibly could be inspirational or intelligent about that.

I was somewhat struck that he cited JBS as someone who continued to train after her prime years for the enjoyment of it. The impression I took from a number of articles about JBS in her latter years was that she willed her way through her physical ailments to get to the line of one goal race or another (Olympic Trials, Boston). The opportunity to compete was the carrot. The training was a necessary evil. I'm sure I read more than one "this is it, I'm done after I get through this race" quote. True, she hasn't followed through on those threats yet.

get real wrote:

Wow, that is one of the most idiotic post I've ever seen. Can you add 2+2? Does that make you right up there with Einstein? Can you say "Hola, Bonjour"? Does that make you fluent in a foreign language? I can throw a football, so I must be as good as John Elway right? If your Grandma could set the American Record in the 5k, yes, she deserves to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Go back to your cave, troll.

His quote said he can do something daily that most people can't do. He was incorrect, most people can run. Hell, I can run as fast as Dathan (just not nearly for as long).

If he takes pleasure in doing something BETTER or AT A HIGHER LEVEL than most people, that would make more sense than the quote.

Literally millions of people in this country take pleasure in running...that doesn't make him special. The fact that he is one of the best in the world at it does.

Disagree. He's elaborating on his love for the sport. Good stuff.

When Ritz said he appreciates doing daily running that most can't do- I think he figured we'd understand, without having to itemize each word with an explanation. I think you DO understand, but chose to argue.

ttc wrote:

Disagree. He's elaborating on his love for the fitness activity. Good stuff.

Fixed

Ok- Ritz will next state he despises the fans, running and looks forward to retiring. That'll make everyone happy. God forbid he stops to smell the roses and tells the fans about it.

ttc wrote:

Ok- Ritz will next state he despises the fans, running and looks forward to retiring. That'll make everyone happy. God forbid he stops to smell the roses and tells the fans about it.

It is not so much the issue with ritz liking training, but the fact that it is a lame quote of the day

SWEET wrote:

His quote said he can do something daily that most people can't do. He was incorrect, most people can run. Hell, I can run as fast as Dathan (just not nearly for as long).

If he takes pleasure in doing something BETTER or AT A HIGHER LEVEL than most people, that would make more sense than the quote.

Literally millions of people in this country take pleasure in running...that doesn't make him special. The fact that he is one of the best in the world at it does.

What he actually said was, ""I realized that I like training, I like to be fit. I like the everyday satisfaction of having done something that most people can't do."

You chose to interpret the word, "something" as "running". However, that is your choice, not Ritz'. In fact, it could as easily and indeed more believably be interpreted as "running a 12 mile workout in 60 minutes." Or more generally, "running harder workouts than 99.99+% of the population is capable of."

Now that this has been made clear to you, I imagine that even you see the obvious conclusion. Ritz was not incorrect. You were. Now please come back on here and admit your stupidity and spend the next 30 days apologizing profusely.

Thanks.

George Carlin's Ghost wrote:

For Christ sakes, my mother can run! You don't see her on the cover of Sports Illustrated, do you?

I don't know - who's your mother?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW HIS MOTHER.

I took it to mean training (which is mostly running for runners).

This brings us to why the quote is lame. Most professional athletes love their job -- this is not a very insightful quote.

Of course most people can't run as fast as ritz, but most people can enjoy being fit with a small amount of dedication.

Again, good that someone decided that they like training, but this isn't as interesting as the front page quote usually is.

You're a lame brain.

Wow. Tough crowd. I actually liked it. But then again, I am just a hobby jogger who can appreciate a runner for who he/she is whether they are an elite or not.

Carry on snobs.

I'll offer the following contrast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftmVLvQyZAs

What you see is why neither Ritz, nor other US long distance runners (outside Lagat), will ever accomplish even a fraction of what Jerry Rice has.

I saw Ritz say, "I really like training." I did not see him say "I really like winning." Rice is the GOAT, and Ritz (and other American long distance runners) is an also-ran compared to East Africans. The real difference isn't genetics or training theory, or other things you commonly see on this site. The difference is what you see right here.

Compare what Ritz says about training, and what Rice says about training.

I'll be the wet blanket and semi agree with the OP...

It will be interesting to see how much he still likes it when his injuries (or age) limit him to non-national class times (14 min+ 5k, 30 min+ 10K). Let's see if he'll actually continue running as a masters. It's a little premature of him to say that he's going to be like Joan Benoit Samuelson.

It seems like 95-99% of elite guys these days hang it up for good after they leave the pro circuit. I don't see Pat Porter, Todd Williams, Bob Kennedy, etc. tearing up the masters circuit.

Different story for the "old school" guys. Rodgers and Shorter actually did mix it up in the masters circuit.

The same type of quote would sound more inspirational coming from an "old school" runner that actually did continue to compete through the ups and downs. As of now it rings somewhat hollow from a guy who's been on the sidelines for over a year with a propensity to breakdown from doing what he loves.

Hopefully Ritz will prove me wrong. He'll make a decent comeback. He'll rewrite the American masters record books. But history has proven otherwise.