I'm wondering what you all think about this.
What the hell does this buzzword mean nowadays and is the term more relevant now since elite runners are having a harder time living as full-time runners? (Thanks Competitor).
I'm wondering what you all think about this.
What the hell does this buzzword mean nowadays and is the term more relevant now since elite runners are having a harder time living as full-time runners? (Thanks Competitor).
Harder? It's never been easier to live as a full-time runner. The competitor thing was a sad but minor blow.
No. The whole point of being blue-collar is that anyone can do it. For every elite in the NOP, there are scores of guys who work full-time jobs and train. They're not super talented or fast, but they work hard and go for PRs and improvement. I would consider myself a blue-collar runner. I have mediocre PRs, but I wake up early and train every single day trying to improve, using no equipment other than a Timex watch from Wal Mart. That's what a blue-collar runner is to me.
It's not a knock on the elites who have the resources at their disposal, hell if I had an anti-gravity treadmill I'd probably use it too.
Uhmm, ever heard about Dennis Kimetto?
lsdfjkh wrote:
Uhmm, ever heard about Dennis Kimetto?
Lol, how true this is. Even the most "blue collar" American runner is a soft little bitch of a runner compared to your typical African. Wow, tough guy- you don't have a Garmin? These guys don't have electricity or running water. Keep telling yourself that you're some kind of struggle-hard superhero, though.
Blue collar to me means someone doing manual labor.
It seems like a lot of runners who work are teachers, etc nit guys or gals hanging dry wall
luv2run wrote:
Blue collar to me means someone doing manual labor.
It seems like a lot of runners who work are teachers, etc nit guys or gals hanging dry wall
This. Other forms of labor such as teaching are good for society, but just involve standing around making sure information is distributed effectively and efficiently. It might be tiring mentally, but physically it doesn't compare to shoveling holes, lifting heavy items and so forth.
The guys you are referring to either run ultras or don't run anymore. There are very few of them left running road races, marathons, and track races.
Here's blue-collar running, from the Henry Rono thread:
Henry Rono wrote:
I broke four world records and I never stretch even to bend-down as touching my toes.All I was doing just run until I get tired I stop two-three times a day running.
I see athletes stretching alot even my athletes that I coach,I told them I never stretch and no injuries.
These athletes talk about stretching alot and what found from them are having a lot of injuries.
I told running in the hills stretches your entire-body from toes to the head naturally,that was my indirect-stretching as a wild animal in the forest never stretch and their muscles are lean and mean.They take off like rocket never pull a muscle.
I didn't do something different in between such as stretching. I only keep running until I get tired I stop.I made so simple for me.I didn't make it look complicated.Just run until there's no food in the stomatch, I go and eat some-more basically what did was as an an-te-lope does or gazelle in the wild-cold forest.
I didn't have headaches when I broke four events in 81days.It was all-natural.
I broke a record and wait for four weeks then another one wait four weeks and so forth...
Yes. The moment Brian Sell retired, blue collar running died. Duh!!!!
Cell phone brain wrote:
Yes. The moment Brian Sell retired, blue collar running died. Duh!!!!
Brian, is that you?
Doesn't seem dead if you read this:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/sports/striving-immigrants-find-long-distance-running-far-from-lonely-in-new-york-city.html?_r=0West Side Runners in New York appear to be very blue-collar. These guys bang out two runs a day and work a job as a plumber in between. Very old school.
NY Times wrote:
Felipe Vergara, 49, starts his first of two daily workouts at 4:30 a.m., running 8 to 10 miles in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Then he heads to his job as a plumber with a small construction firm at 7 a.m.
“As long as I’m at work on time, they don’t ask questions,” Vergara said of his bosses. “But they’re not very interested in the races.”
He runs 10 miles in the evening,
This line from the head of the club was hilarious as well:
West Side Runnesr President said:
“Minorities seem to keep running longer here (with the West Side Runners). They’re not getting into triathlons or buying a house in the suburbs.”