about to quit running...tell me why I should or shouldn't

Did your training change? What caused you to start running bad?

Maybe a break from running would do you good.

Don't worry about your place or time, just have fun. The rest will take care of itself.

quit running start golfing again.

Take some time off. I remember Ian Stewart said that he once got to the point where he hated running and couldn't do it anymore, so he took a summer off and raced bicycles. After a while he missed running, came back, and felt the best he had ever felt. Ended up medaling at the Olympics.

What about the team? Don't you care about them? How would quitting affect other people? Or are you that selfish?

you will never reach your running potential if you participate in the "American social life" that is the norm these days. so yeah you should just quit now.

quitter wrote:

I have a girlfriend, and a good social life,

If you step outside your current frustration for a second, you have to know that it will be very rewarding to work through this crappy stretch and see your resilience pay off. You are talented, and that talent hasn't disappeared. Have some faith that you're doing the right things, show some tenacity and some patience, and you'll be glad you did.

Try my two rules for running. Rule #1 MOVE YOUR HEAD BACK (at least one inch) when you run. It is a FAR more relaxing, stress free way to run! Steve Prefontaine ran this way. Rule#2 NEVER run harder (or easier) than 80% PERCEIVED EFFORT! If your head moves forward and down and you work harder than 80% effort you will burnout as has happened.

What about the team, mate? wrote:

What about the team? Don't you care about them? How would quitting affect other people? Or are you that selfish?

What about him? Is the entire team selfish enough to guilt trip a kid into enduring training he has no interest in?

If you are asking whether you should quit (at an appropriate time so as not to screw your team in CC), the answer is obvious: Yes. You aren't improving. You don't like it. You have other interests. You are not going to get a scholarship or get to run on a college team. Most everything about it is negative for you. Absolutely no reason to go on.

But, it sounds more like you are wanting to know why your running plateaued and went into decline. You wouldn't need to post on an anonymous running message board if you had no interest in running anymore. It sounds more like you are asking if there is any way to get out of your rut and feel like your old self again.

So if I get your chronology, you're finishing a disappointing senior year of cross country, and basically you're asking if you should run track and if you should run in college. Maybe you're just burned out, stressed out, over-trained and need some time off. Alternatively, maybe you need to explore other aspects of your life. How can you tell? I agree with other posters that you should take some time off after cross country season ends. Stay active doing other things for maybe a month or so -- biking, hiking, whatever. Then do some easy trail runs and see how you feel. If running is fun, do some more of it. Don't think about track. Don't think about college running. Don't have an agenda or program. Don't use a watch. Just do a run because it feels good. After a couple of months, if running is still fun, and so you're still doing it because it's fun and it makes you feel good, then maybe check out a local 5k fun run. How does it feel? Does it stoke the competitive fire, or does it leave you cold? Then go from there. There are lots of ways to live your life. It's all good.

Just some perspective -

I had identical 1600 PR's freshman and sophomore year. I hit the wall a bit later (freshman in college) where I was sick of running terribly and wanted to quit. I stuck with it and ran under 4:00 for the mile, got some AA's, a conference win, and great experiences.

Aside from anecdotal experience, I'd say do whatever you need to do, but keep everything (running included) in perspective for down the road.

If you don't enjoy it then don't do it. It sounds like you did enjoy it though and you put too much pressure on yourself or over-trained or something then it went wrong.

However, I think if you're not enjoying it now it's pointless to do it. You say the rest of your life is great - I think you should focus on that. Good luck!

I'm going to get tough with you here, you need to stop whining and accept the bad with the good. And training wise, sometimes it's better to back off a bit now and then.

If you're injured, then keep at it, because everyone gets discouraged when they are injured.

If you've just lost the fire, then GTFO.

wait so you haven't had any major injuries in your career and you're still running like crap? first, you should go get a blood test done and see if you have anemia. if you're perfectly healthy, then stop being a little baby, stop thinking so much, and just go run.

I had a marginally similar progression. Ran okay (~5min mile) as a freshman with little/no training; had a great sophomore XC season then ran 4:30 mile; went undefeated as a junior in XC -- and then it all hit the wall. I really started feeling a lot of pressure, tanked junior season of track. Senior season I ran like crap (partly because I got mono).

I kept running, at a low-key university. Ran slower as a freshman than I did as a soph in high school. Started to wonder what I was doing. Made some slow progress as a sophomore, still believed I could get a breakthrough (as the Brojos like to say, "talent doesn't go away," and your 4:24 as a soph definitely indicates talent). By this time, the self-imposed pressure had finally evaporated, because no one thought I was a "rising young star" anymore. Finally, as a college junior, it all came together. Over the course of three races, my 1500 PR dropped from 4:01 to 3:44. After the first big breakthrough, it finally gave me my confidence back and allowed me to run what I'd been capable of running for a few years. I continued to get a little faster over the next few years, and really ended up getting a lot out of running.

Bottom line: for me, sticking it out through a few years of frustration ended up being worthwhile. That being said, I always still enjoyed being part of a team and so on, so it wasn't a big sacrifice to me to keep training. If you're not enjoying the process, there's no shame in finding another hobby that you enjoy more.

Picture yourself 10 years from now. If you quit now and have a wonderful life will there be a nagging question of what might've been? If you stick with it now then however it turns out there won't be any questions later.