Did you achieve an acceptable pinnacle to your running career?

Training Advice/Discussion General

10 years ago 03/28/2014 3:09pm EDT

I think that most of us have this notion during our running careers that we are building up towards one race, one time, or one season, that we can look back on as the pinnacle of our career. The ultimate destination. Only life usually doesn't work out like the movies do. I'm asking the Letsrun community if they have ever felt truly satisfied with a certain time they hit, or career-capping race. Has anybody lived through such moment-that embodies all of the years of hard work and the miles of trials, or is it a fleeting notion?

I've always had this thought in my mind ever since i was a kid when i was obsessed with basketball that i wanted to do something big in athletics. I've set my eyes on the Sub-4 mile, but i'm not sure that this has to happen. Just something big.

10 years ago 03/28/2014 3:17pm EDT

re: Vagabond Atom

uhh - i think i just run for sanity, not some delusion of glory

10 years ago 03/28/2014 3:24pm EDT

re: Vagabond Atom

It's about the journey, not the destination, bro.

10 years ago 03/28/2014 5:20pm EDT

re: Vagabond Atom

Vagabond Atom wrote:
I think that most of us have this notion during our running careers that we are building up towards one race, one time, or one season, that we can look back on as the pinnacle of our career. The ultimate destination. Only life usually doesn't work out like the movies do. I'm asking the Letsrun community if they have ever felt truly satisfied with a certain time they hit, or career-capping race. Has anybody lived through such moment-that embodies all of the years of hard work and the miles of trials, or is it a fleeting notion?
I've always had this thought in my mind ever since i was a kid when i was obsessed with basketball that i wanted to do something big in athletics. I've set my eyes on the Sub-4 mile, but i'm not sure that this has to happen. Just something big.

I 'm still a bit annoyed that I did not go sub 16 for 5k without the course being questionable. But my overall accomplishment is....acceptable...talent being what it is for me.

10 years ago 03/28/2014 5:30pm EDT

re: Vagabond Atom

Frankly, no. I stunk as a runner and I managed to injure myself permanently at age 20 and never achieved any of my extremely modest "career goals": sub-2:00 for a half-mile, sub-10:00 for two miles, sub-60:00 for ten miles, sub-3:00 for a marathon.* In fact, I didn't even hit that pace for the half-distance on all of those.

It's safe to say that, while there were some sweet moments, there was no "pinnacle" to my career. At least as a coach I was able to get my athletes, including some of the women, under all of my PRs. And I didn't cripple any of them for life.

*Yes, I'm aware that they get even worse as the distance increases. So did I.

10 years ago 03/28/2014 6:15pm EDT

re: lease

As a lad of 15, I was quickly disabused of any delusions of grandeur, when my first cross-country season I finished near last every race. Over the subsequent course of 42 years running, I had a number of high points, not all of them races, that made all the effort more than worth it. I went farther, relative to my beginnings, than almost any elite athlete whose career I have studied. In addition, I was able to help others realize ambitious goals through coaching.

The key is to enjoy each day that you can run healthy and pain-free; anything past that is glory.

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Did you achieve an acceptable pinnacle to your running career?

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