Sergey
THose who come in my help to say that i just coach top class runers they are completly wrong.
You say so that´s "insulting" because you don´t know me at all. Along all my coaching career i did coach all kinds of runners to all kings of categories, from olympic runners and international class, to the national class, to runners that are simply local runners to people with quite mediocre performances. Actually i still try to advise runners with with 14m - 15m 16m 17m to 18m to 19m PB´s in the 5000m - and they are not teenagers, they are seniors with years and years of training, simply they love to compete, they are like me they have running passion. I coach people from 2h09m in the marathon to 3h20m in the marathon !
If i think that i can help and give them some advise that they can improve no matter how much even if that´s if that´s simply a tenth of second i coach them - yes for free they have running resourse to pay me. My requirements are only 3 conditions, but that´s not talent. Talent have no place for my decision to coach someone. Discipline yes, not talent. Thus WANABEKILLA is wrong when he thinks that i would say "yiou are europen but you have no talent thus give up to try"
one- to be sincere and that we have both respect one each other and self-discipline
two- that they want to compete and improve thir performances, i don´t coach just for fun or wealth, even those i consider mediocre runners, i try my best
three- that we both define a goal target. Of course that a 16:30 runner can´t have a goal as to go to the olympics in short term. This is a fantasy, not realistic. The 2004 olympics qualifying that´s 13:20 (i guess) thus a 14:40 that´s an average runner according the olympic qualifying, he can´t dream yet to participate in the olympics and less to dream to be an olympic winner as some 14;40 they want to be. This i consider the great american wrong dream. This is what frustrating, to see that evenatully they willn´t fullfill their dream, and they give up running after they are teenagers. We need realistic targets. What i think that´s an offense also to the good sense of people or rationalism and an absurd is to think that a 16:40 runner NEXT goal is to participate in the olympics. Come back to earth my friend, to the reality. A 14:40 runner that´s an average runner according the olymoics requirements and a 16:30 that´s a mediocre runner according the olympics requirements. Wake up to the reality. Next step to that 16:30 runner if he competes regularly is to improve some minutes first in high-school competitions, then he can dream realistic to national class, and finnaly to international class, but according the actual olympics standarsd he is no more than a mediocre runner.
What is dramatic is that the mediocre runner is mediocre, what is dramatic dor him a frustrate for him is that after seeing that he is no more able to made the olympics he have no running alternatives, and he give up to try, But i tell you we all may be happy and the sense of realisation without being olymoic runner. You simple need to create a new mentality and not an old one that sees olymoics as the ultimate and the "sina qua non" conmdition (exclusive condition).
Now, two more things from my temperament that you need to know. That are my to best sentences.
- i never give up nothing.
- i always try my best.
Thus you understand that accroding my 2 sentences if i decide to coach a mediocre runner - i use to - no matter what mediocre i think he is - i will coach him until he gives up to try, and i try my best knowledge to help that runner.
About Rui SIlva he did an operation in October 2004, but new injuries artived and he is compltly out - he don+t train nothing since october 2004.