Running is my life, but I'm not even good at it.

First the bad news. You are already realizing this. You will never go to the Olympics and you will never be a D1 All American. You are not talented enough. Try as you might, you will never overcome the people who are more talented than you and work as hard as you and you are probably a 6-7 out of 10 on the talent scale.

Now the good news. You CAN overcome runners more talented than you who do not work as hard and smart as you. Distance running is an aerobic activity and aerobic capacity is VERY trainable, though it is a long slow process. Over many years of increasing your training you can make your body sustain a pace for longer and longer. Of course you are limited by you natural speed.

Personal experience: I ran 20:30 for 5K CC my freshman year of HS. My Senior year I ran 16:xx every race. Made it to the state meet on my own. Ran D3 2years, transferred to D1 and left college with some decent PRs and could cover 4 miles in that same 5k time I ran as a HS freshman. Never made the end of season top 7 on the D1 team though. I absolutely loved it, wouldn't trade that experience for anything. But I also got an Engineering degree from an excellent school. I live well and still run. Had a teammate who ran 28:20 for a 10k, placed top ten at the US OTs (in the 1990s). He barely made a living as a runner and is working at a job just like everybody else now.

Do what you love, try hard. But make sure you spend plenty of time cultivating other things in your life. Your education will make you money. Running is just for fun unless you are one of those people who can make a living at it. There are maybe 50 males in the US making a living at it. That means ALMOST EVERYBODY should realize that running is just for fun.

bumbojumbo wrote:

noam chomsky wrote:

All that is good is bad?

"Potentially" my friend.

All that is good cannot all be potentially bad. If none is good, than all is bad. No?

noam chomsky wrote:

bumbojumbo wrote:

"Potentially" my friend.

All that is good cannot all be potentially bad. If none is good, than all is bad. No?

THEN all is bad, not THAN. I'm amazed how many people get this wrong. Just don't get it.

Oh, and don't give me the "typo" excuse. A and E are not next to each other on the keyboard

Then vs Than

then(1) indicates implication.

If A then B, means A--> B, which means A implies B.

sometimes the "If" is assumed to be understood by the context.

...then why won't you [yadda yadda yadda]?

then(2) indicates passage of time between two events.

This guy went in, then a lady came out.

than is always a comparative word.

I am more intelligent than you (are), you stupid moron.

I had more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Then not than wrote:

noam chomsky wrote:

All that is good cannot all be potentially bad. If none is good, than all is bad. No?

THEN all is bad, not THAN. I'm amazed how many people get this wrong. Just don't get it.

Oh, and don't give me the "typo" excuse. A and E are not next to each other on the keyboard

I'm not really into details.

I went from not being in my top 7 in high school to top 7 on my college team. Just keep training and keep your head up. Running is a life style don't worry about the place on the team.

hey OP, I'm probably in a similar situation as you, but maybe a few months sped up.

I also started off very slow at running, as a guy I had a terrible time, very embarrassing. I would never share it with my friends because I was simply so slow. And you LetsRun guys who think you are better than everyone because you run 15 minute 5ks, whatever, not everyone who runs can get that fast super quickly. I'm saying to the OP that you CAN improve. I KNOW that I have no natural talent, why? I come in with a 2 mile time with no training THREE minutes slower than a peer who came in with no training.

I honestly thought about quitting running; it was so miserable being in the bottom 3/4 of cross country and track races. I joined both teams and I worked my a$$ off. I didn't run tons of miles because I wasn't capable of doing so. Maybe my highest miles per week was 30. And each run was painful. I always try to push myself to become faster.

I am also in a very similar position on my XC team as you; I ranked 13th out of 55 for boys in a recent 2-mile scrimmage. Top 10 get varsity. I feel so close. I improved my 15 minute 2 mile time (LOLOLOL ok laugh) to 12 minutes. Yes, that's still crap in comparison to most letsrunners, but I think that my work is finally beginning to pay off.

Long story short: Don't give up. Work hard and the times will come. You need to be patient and willing to sacrifice a lot.

Peace Out wrote:

I watched a documentary once on a guy who was an average runner (meaning 4 hour marathoner) and he did an experiment to see what hard work could really do; he got a coach, dietitian etc. and started training to see how fast he could get, documenting the whole thing on video. If I'm not mistaken he even took a ton of time off work so he could train twice a day etc.

Anyway this guy was actually kind of pudgy when he started the experiment, but in a few months he looked super skinny and eventually got close to 2:30 for the marathon until finally some bad injuries got him.

So yes, working harder than everyone else will do it; just be careful because pretty much everyone gets injured sooner or later and injuries SUCK.

Wait, so there was a runner hiding inside of a fat person? Clearly the sky is the limit for all of us.

Elijah Lagat started jogging after the doctor told him he was so fat that he was going to have a heart attack. He ended up winning Boston and running 2:07:41 back when that was less than a minute off the WR. I'm pretty sure most of us will never do that.

look at the size and skeletal structure of college runners, then compare to yours. if you are bigger boned than them and significantly larger, then you may not ever become what you think of as "fast" and one of the best on the team.

but, if you are similar sized to other very good runners, then you need to work harder and with day-in-day-out consistency. it may take a year and a half or so.

the twist is op goes to york and is 13th of 250 on her team

ok, heres the deal.
first off, let me announce that the 5k is my worst event. 
i only run 17's for 5k, but have maintained that to run 34:01 for 10k. 
but i must use the 5k as an example in this thread because it is the most widely ran distance that is raced every weekend around the world, primarily by the average middle aged male who wants to get in shape or impress his wife and family. im not coming on here to state that ive found some new physiological concept; because id probably get bashed for that. but in all my years of association with the sport, i have talked to several athletes who have told me that it was harder on their body (physiologically) to run all out for 18:00 compared to running all out for 15:00. 

when i first started running xc in highschool, the distance was obviously the 5k. during that season, i ran in the low-mid 18's, having no prior physiological career or athletic background other than some occasional streetball. 

after a few races i got addicted to the sport because of the enormous ammount of pain that coincided with running all out for 18:00, but then i got faster. i remember when i was running 18's, it took me forever to recover. several days. it was very hard on my body and i knew that something wasnt right; i knew that everyone else wasnt experiencing the same ammount of pain that i was, either more or less, but mainly more because i know for a FACT that it is harder to run all out for 16:xx than it is for 18:xx. its harder on your body and takes you longer to recover because you are running for a longer period of time. 

PLEASE DO MISINTERPERATE MY STATEMENT. 
i am not saying that the people running 15's have it easier during the race, or easier any aspect via racing. they are enduring a more intense ammount of pain for 15:00, and that is the primary reason why it takes them only 15:00 to finish the race, not 18. 
but my claim is that it is harder to run all out for 18:00 compared to 15:00 because you are running at your maxV02 for a longer period of time; thus, it is harder on your body for the remaining 3:00 that you ran. 

bottom line? i got tired of having to race for 18:xx, and the ole' mental theory of "the faster you get it done, the less pain time you will endure" actually kicked in gear. 
i ran 16:46 that summer for 5k on the track, and it seemed much shorter not in terms of pain intensity, but in terms of duration of the pain and how long it lasted. just thing of all the people that have dropped 30 minuted off of their marathon time!! thats 30 minutes less racing and 30 minutes less pain endured.!!

these people who out there running 5k's in the 18's-20's zone, have to race longer than we do. its harder on their body, but maybe they dont want the race to be over that fast. i hope that some day these people, if they have the mental and physical ability, are able to overcome the longer duration of racing, and come to the same conclusion that i did, which is...... 
"the faster you get it done, the faster its all over with" 
and this is true both mentallly and physicallly. 
your body will thank you, because it will take you less time to recover. 

mentallity > physicality

Saraswimrun wrote:

Ok. SO running is my passion in life. I am dedicated to it with a determination that I hold for nothing else. It is an exciting and fun part of my life.

But I'm not good at it. I'm number 13 on my HS XC team, and I'm pretty slow. I want to be in the top seven of my team so badly but I actually suck. I don't know what to do.

I love running so much, but I can't seem to get any better.

As a freshmen I ran high 21s all season and finished with a big pr in 2026. By senior year I got down to 1653. Just good steady hard work. I happened to fall into the trap that happens to most ambitious runners, overtraining. I would've improved more but I overtrained for awhile and regret it but I learned from it so I guess it was good.

The most important thing to know is that if you train every year year round, stay healthy, and don't overtrain you should improve each year. I'd say try to up your mileage a little each year, as a highschooler around 60 mpw as a senior in singles(base) and doubles(competitive season) is what I've heard to be optimal and it worked for me as a senior so I can attest to it.

Same here, I'm a male doctor from Europe, graduated 6 years ago, and I'm really good at it. However, running is my passion and has beeen since high school, my 10k PR is 32:20 after years and years of hard training. Not so good, but I've found out that 99.9% of people think that it's just as good as 28min 10k. I do not even work as a doctor, I just do it part time to be able ro run.

Listen, while pursuing my passion in running I met my beautiful wife, my best friends, and I basically love every day of my life. I have travelled around the world to race and I save up to go every year to training camp with my wife (also a slow runner) in St. Moritz, probably the slowest one to do that, but I still love it. However, I get some comments here and there, that I should be doing this and that in life because I'm not at Olympic level.

If I would have followed my talent as a doctor, not my passion for running, I would be financially better off, depressed, surrounded by friends I have nothing incommon with and probably cheating on my wife. It's your life and your choice. If you have a passaion for running, be thankful and keep the passion alive and dream big. Most people do not have a passion for anything, I just feel sorry for them, that's usually the same people that want you to forget your passion and get a normal job. It's just because they don't understand what it's like to have a passion.

About training. Focus on the marathon years down the road, build your mileage up little bit every year until you can handle 100-150miles per week (maybe after 10 years). It will definitely keep you busy, happy and strong !

You're young, so don't stress about your race times. You'll get faster if you keep a healthy interest and joy for the sport, because years of keeping at it are what will make you a more complete runner. You can't rush that even if you would like to.

Running can be a pleasant lifestyle regardless of how quick you are. I would actually argue that high school and college are the hardest years to be a runner, because you, your coach, and your peers might have expectations of you against which you will compare yourself. In your later years you will be more free to run how it pleases you the most. In my opinion running only gets more enjoyable as you age. I recommend keeping the sport something you like.

Let me tell you what happens. In high school tons of kids join teams and run. You might be 15th on your team when you're young and maybe you finish high school lucky to be even 10th on your team. A very few of the good high schoolers go on to run in college. A few that liked the sport but weren't fast enough for college keep at it on their own, whether with clubs or in their own personal time. After the college years many of the student athletes stop running since they've lost the team. More people stop running because of jobs, demands on their time, having kids, and a lack of enthusiasm for running that doesn't overcome the other priorities in their life. If you were that 10th place person on your high school team who kept at it, odds are good half of them won't even run at all by the time they are 30, some of them will have gotten lazier about it, and suddenly you're some in their 30s who enjoys running as a lifestyle and is way healthier (and faster) than 95% of your peers.

High school isn't your whole entire life. It's just today, one day at a time. Enjoy running and you'll go places.

I think this post should be taken seriously - nothing to joke about.

The first thing I have to tell you is this: don't you dare judge yourself by your place on the team. If your #1 runner happens to be blessed with incredible talent, but is lazy and without passion for the sport, then you are a better runner than him or her, period.

There will always be someone better than you, no matter what you end up doing. People will be faster, better looking, have higher SAT's, MCAT's, LSAT's, whatever - you should never, ever, judge your self worth by comparing with them. What matters is how you approach your life. I was the top student at my undergraduate university, but when I went to an elite law school, I was merely average. But innate IQ and grades have nothing to do with being an exceptional lawyer. In the same way, your place on the team has nothing to do with you being an exceptional runner.

Hear me now: we tend to praise people in this culture for their innate ability. This thinking is flawed and dangerous. We look at runners like Bekele and appreciate his extraordinary cardiovascular talent, his flawless biomechanics, and his amazing basic speed. But we rarely mention his courage and character. We don't see the little psychological battles he has to win, every day, to produce that end result. Nobody should be respected for talent alone, or by their place on your high school team. You shouldn't judge yourself that way either.

It's really difficult to come to letsrun.com, see page after page of people who are better than you, and not feel small. Do not view the front page as something to which you should aspire. Appreciate what elite athletes can do, and what the human body is capable of, but never compare yourself with them.

This is what matters: never, ever give up; attack your fear, because it won't stop coming for you; treat other people with kindness and integrity; there will be failure, pain, and disappointment - accept it - and get back up. Always get back up.

Actually some of those ultra runners do 100 miles at 8 min mile pace.

We should put this into the best letsrun threads under the category "Runpression"

Keep Your Head Up wrote:

In the same way, your place on the team has nothing to do with you being an exceptional runner.

Uhh what? Surely if you are not one of the fastest on your team, then you are nowhere near an exceptional runner. There are no points for effort.

There are plenty of points for effort. Half of all plumbers are below average. As are half of all accountants, one of every two doctors...none of them are all broken up about not being in the top 1%. They collect their pay and sleep happy.