I want to know if there ever has been crappy HS runner that weren't state champs or that 16min 5k guy or the 2:10 800 runner that ended up in the olympics later in life.
I need some motivation.
I want to know if there ever has been crappy HS runner that weren't state champs or that 16min 5k guy or the 2:10 800 runner that ended up in the olympics later in life.
I need some motivation.
George Young Olympic 'chase medal winner.
Brian Sell
If you were going to be an Olympian, you would probably already have a pretty good idea. Unless you are lucky enough to have dual citizenship to some island nation AND be able to run the B standard. Or easier yet, be a white swimmer in some African or Caribbean nation.
Lynn Jennings was dead last in her first PE mile (probably only in grade school). It irked her sufficiently to take running and training very seriously.
danxor wrote:
I want to know if there ever has been crappy HS runner that weren't state champs or that 16min 5k guy or the 2:10 800 runner that ended up in the olympics later in life.
I need some motivation.
doh etosh wrote:
If you were going to be an Olympian, you would probably already have a pretty good idea. Unless you are lucky enough to have dual citizenship to some island nation AND be able to run the B standard. Or easier yet, be a white swimmer in some African or Caribbean nation.
So even if i were to somehow dedicate the next 10 years of my life to strictly running with PR's of :57 (400), 2:13 (800), 5:30 (1600, bad season) , 11:30 (3200) and (18:00 5k) i could never ever reach the olympics even if i work even harder then i am right now?
danxor wrote:
So even if i were to somehow dedicate the next 10 years of my life to strictly running with PR's of :57 (400), 2:13 (800), 5:30 (1600, bad season) , 11:30 (3200) and (18:00 5k) i could never ever reach the olympics even if i work even harder then i am right now?
You're looking at this the wrong way. Track is not a sport where you can just train harder than everyone else and become elite. Only the top 1% have the potential to be elite runners. Everyone has an individual limit to what they can achieve as a competitor in this sport and very few of us can ever dream of competing in the olympics.
Idontevenknow wrote:
danxor wrote:So even if i were to somehow dedicate the next 10 years of my life to strictly running with PR's of :57 (400), 2:13 (800), 5:30 (1600, bad season) , 11:30 (3200) and (18:00 5k) i could never ever reach the olympics even if i work even harder then i am right now?
You're looking at this the wrong way. Track is not a sport where you can just train harder than everyone else and become elite. Only the top 1% have the potential to be elite runners. Everyone has an individual limit to what they can achieve as a competitor in this sport and very few of us can ever dream of competing in the olympics.
^ this
Idontevenknow wrote:
danxor wrote:So even if i were to somehow dedicate the next 10 years of my life to strictly running with PR's of :57 (400), 2:13 (800), 5:30 (1600, bad season) , 11:30 (3200) and (18:00 5k) i could never ever reach the olympics even if i work even harder then i am right now?
You're looking at this the wrong way. Track is not a sport where you can just train harder than everyone else and become elite. Only the top 1% have the potential to be elite runners. Everyone has an individual limit to what they can achieve as a competitor in this sport and very few of us can ever dream of competing in the olympics.
So here's another question to follow up..(thanks for replying btw, and to everyone else)
How do you know if you have the potential? I for example have great natural speed, but I have lots of body fat still so I've never quite exactly been the most fit athlete, would for example losing all the body fat in my legs etc. let me know if i have the natural potential?
But ... you can improve a lot and enjoy the sport, compete hard, be healthy, do the best you can with what you have. There is nothing wrong with that. That's me, in a nutshell, barely breaking 2 minutes in the 800 in high school and thinking somehow I was still going to be an Olympian. I did run at a small college and had a great time, had great camaraderie with my team, and got quite a bit better. But I was never going to make any money at it.
Different example: One of my colleagues was a D2 college basketball player. He says he was a role-player at best in his junior year in college when he started to finally realize he might not make the NBA, and had better start paying attention in class.
Just keep it in perspective is all.
doh etosh wrote:
But ... you can improve a lot and enjoy the sport, compete hard, be healthy, do the best you can with what you have. There is nothing wrong with that. That's me, in a nutshell, barely breaking 2 minutes in the 800 in high school and thinking somehow I was still going to be an Olympian. I did run at a small college and had a great time, had great camaraderie with my team, and got quite a bit better. But I was never going to make any money at it.
Different example: One of my colleagues was a D2 college basketball player. He says he was a role-player at best in his junior year in college when he started to finally realize he might not make the NBA, and had better start paying attention in class.
Just keep it in perspective is all.
Thanks for that..a little slap in reality helped (wish you told me through enough hard work you could do it though but i know this isn't true)
. Did you ever really really train hard to one day perhaps compete in the olympics for the 800?
The only certainty in this matter is that if you don't go for it, you definitely won't be going to the Olympics.
What you need to decide is whether it will be worth the hard work and sacrifice without the guarantee (or even possibility) of becoming an Olympian.
NahBro wrote:
The only certainty in this matter is that if you don't go for it, you definitely won't be going to the Olympics.
What you need to decide is whether it will be worth the hard work and sacrifice without the guarantee (or even possibility) of becoming an Olympian.
Wow. I think this was the answer i was looking for, Thanks NahBro. Could you by any chance email me?
Thought it was fitting to share this link. Great post! You never know how athletes will develop.
http://coachrunning.com/running-training/hey-high-school-coach-quit-being-a-jerk/
Dude, fewer people become Olympians for the USA in track and field than make the NBA, MLB or NFL. It's a very elite and difficult thing to do. If you're running just to be an Olympian, odds are that you will be disappointed. Hopefully you are running for other reasons as well, such as you enjoy running and training, being fit and feeling good, striving for new personal bests and pushing back your limits, and enjoying the great people who run with you. If you set enough personal bests, maybe you'll be an Olympian someday. But just enjoy the process and see where you go.
Kenny Moore
To add some optimism I'd say that even without that 1% I believe most people would be fairly suprised at how far hard work can take them. It won't make up the difference of that special gift but you will find yourself being quite competitive. And considering most aren't willing to put in that work it's an easy way to seperate yourself from them.
Sell, Fam, Symmonds, Wheating, Christian Smith, the list is endless really
whatever man wrote:
Lynn Jennings was dead last in her first PE mile (probably only in grade school). It irked her sufficiently to take running and training very seriously.
danxor wrote:I want to know if there ever has been crappy HS runner that weren't state champs or that 16min 5k guy or the 2:10 800 runner that ended up in the olympics later in life.
I need some motivation.
Didn't Jennings run a 2:46 while still in high school? That was a world class effort in those days.
The beast the Harry built...Greg Fredricks!
Now if Carter had actually let the team go to Moscow in '80....