Is running the only sport where participants are content to dedicate their life in exchange for mediocre results?

Sorry, dude. I'm disenchanted with running at the moment. This board is my emotional haven.

Hmm, i can't believe, but i think you may have won me over!

Sorry for your disenchantment, sounds possibly like a mix of overtraining/oversized-expectations that are taking the fun out of it. I find viewing the same thing (your home town, parents,and in this case running) through someone else's eyes to be very enrichening, i.e. many would love to run 4:20's/15min 5k, if you can user your experience/knowledge to teach other runners to improve, it may re-awaken your love for the sport. Steve Magness burnt out at 4:01, but he still talks about re-attempting a 4min mile after many years away from that level.

Additionally i found the most enjoyable aspect of running was hanging with the gang and chatting up a storm during long runs.

Running in a group with those a bit faster and a bit slower can make all the above easier to implement, you can also try volunteer coaching at a school or running store.

I take breaks in my running all the time. I maintain my fitness year round the trick is not letting yourself go.I have been doing workouts the past month once a week and loving it. I took four days off this week because I didn't feel great, and i find myself missing it. I think for some runners its hard to back of just a little every now and then. It can become a very obsessive activity. I love those who say if you run a lot you have to plan your life around it. Well if you do anything a lot your going to have to plan your life around it. I do find myself tired some days but I remember when I stopped running for six months I found I was less energetic at work and just as tired.

From this thread, you may be overtraining and need a break. Take some time off and come back fresh and full of enthusiasm.

Troll Detection Unit wrote:

Did it ever occur to you that most people run simply for the pure enjoyment of doing a healthy activity, or losing weight, or getting that runners high after a nice trail run, etc? Not everyone runs with the goal of one day going top 3 at the local turkey trot.

But you knew all of this. You're just trolling as usual.

Why is this a troll like question?? And turkey trots are a really small percentage of road races ran. I wonder why you mention "local turkey trots"?

jamin wrote:

Why am I content with spending 10-20 hours per week (all things considered) just to try and run a 4:20 mile and 15:00 5k? Why are others content with the same absurd ratio of work versus reward?

Because they want to be respectable runners! Now, a 15:00 5k will not get you in the Olympics or a D1 championship race but it is quite good as running goes...in general. Less than 1% of runners can reach 15:00 for 5k.

You know "objectively" that if you can reach 15:00...you are stronger than 99% of runners that "care " about running performances. That's a respectable accompliment for runners. ( there are a thousand and one things ( so to speak) that people can can do that can confirm their "feelings" of success about themselves.

Running is the only sport where 10 hours is considered a lot of time. There are 10 year-old swimmers putting in that much work and most of them won't even get college scholarships.

jamin wrote:

Critical Thinking wrote:

When did you run 4:20 and 15 flat?

I said I'm trying to. It consumes my life.

Is it fun?

If it is, who cares?

If it isn't, then you have a problem.

I happen to also be a competitive runner (ok relative terms and less so every year). I find my running to be very enjoyable but sometimes arduous at times as well (nagging injuries, not as desirous to run in snow and freezing weather as used to be).

However, I also play in a competitive men's league for basketball. Every year, new teams form with guys straight out of D3 colleges and high school teams. Our team regularly competes with only one guy who played college (D3) and everyone is in our 30s.

We play once a week most weeks. I shoot around about 30 minutes about once a week if I feel like it. I can get out of bed and make 9 of 10 free throws. Basketball is a cerebral game and I find I can play a pretty decent level off this "training." Making the right pass, reading the defense, setting screens, can be accomplished with no real time commitment, just an understanding of the game and playing as a unit.

If I commit to training I can run about my times in high school (slower mile, same 5k, better longer distances). Without any real commitment to basketball, I can play at a level at least as high as I played in HS due the nature of the game.

Note I admit being in shape is cab be an advantage in men's league and that my running contributes to some of my success there but most of it is feel for the game and hand-eye coordination that has not seemed to diminish much at all with time.

One more note ... no running for a month and I feel terrible next run. No running for months, and I feel terrible for weeks or longer. No basketball for a month, there are so many ways to influence a game, it is not an issue.

To the first few posters, some people can golf amazingly well spending very little time. My uncle and my brother fall into this category. At times, both have been single digit handicap golfers. Between them, they have golfed on and mostly off for nearly 100 years. It takes them about 6 weeks to go from not having played in 2 years to breaking 80.

I am actually the other way around. I practiced golf hard in middle school, I go to about a 20 handicap, nothing special but for middle school doing anything 2-5 hours a day all summer seems crazy. Now when I go out for a round after a couple of years off, I am likely to shoot in the low 90s. If I go 3 days in a row or 3 weekends in a row, I can't break 100 to save myself, all my bad habits come back...

$ity wrote:

Parenting...?

I dedicate my life to collecting vintage cigarettes and smoking them.