Serious: will I regret focusing too much on running later on?

Shawn H wrote:

Mitten Man wrote:

9/10

Based on your writing style and mature humor there is no way you are a sophomore in high school. Well done.

My thoughts exactly. Where did this kid come from? Kids don't read anymore, let alone write. In fact, my first thought as I was reading this post was that the OP should concentrate on writing while keeping his (I assume the writer is a male) focus on his apparently mediocre running talent in proper perspective. Write, Forest, write!

Lol, I get this kind of thing almost every time I post on here. Yeah, I'm actually a HS sophomore, not a troll. You're right about how most kids don't read or write much, though. In elementary school I was always the kid reading some novel in class when my teacher wasn't looking, and I guess that pays off eventually. It would sure be great if more people my age would do that. It's amazing how most kids have a pretty limited vocabulary and couldn't write a decent essay to save their lives.

I figure I can help out being that I'm only four years older than you and found myself in the same spot at the beginning of high school. While my times were a bit faster than yours, I certainly wasn't on track to earn myself a scholarship in college. But I decided to entirely focus on running anyways, and I think it was one of the best decisions I've made. When I graduated HS two years ago, I had zero regrets about my running career and I know that I got the most out of my talents because I decided to focus on running rather than partying.

But the biggest thing that I would disagree with you on is when you said you have no plans to run in college. I got recruiting letters from the crappy D2 schools all around me and decided to pick my school for education, so I picked a massive Big Ten university where I would have no chance to walk-on. Instead, I've joined the club cross country here and it's been the best decision of my life. I'm a top 5 runner on one of the best teams in the nation but without a coach or any of the pressures that come with varsity. Definitely keep NIRCA in mind when you do go to college. Good luck man

Keep your grades up. You want to go to a good college so you can get a cushy job and enjoy the rest of your life.

Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with being obsessive about running. Dating can wait until college if you like. I didn't date much in high school, but I made up for it in college and grad school. No regrets.

First, I don't think the stereotypical LRC runner lives in his mom's basement running 100 mpw at age 30. I'd guess over a majority of people on here don't run that much; there is, however, a vocal minority that brag about this.

To help answer your question, I will talk about my history a little bit. In high school I was obsessed with running. I was pretty bad by LRC standards as well, basically same pr's actually. But I ran a bunch, built up to 80 mpw by my senior year and dropped my times a lot. I wound up walking on to a d1 xc and track program in my state, I got hugely burnt out and disillusioned by bad coaching and a hyper competitive environment in college. After going through a period of depression, mostly characterized by partying, I quit as I started studying to get into grad school. With one semester left of a three year program, I wish I would have tried equally as hard at school as I did running because I think the long term benefits of a great base of knowledge will set you up far better than running. I think running is great and actually helped me learn a lot of the traits that have now allowed me to excel, a little bit, in school but don't let your long term goals get away from you.

Best of luck.

Everything will most definitely NOT fall into place. See my rant below for more on this.

Ignoring girls is also very, very bad advice as well. I did the same, and consequently never fully developed the skills necessary to properly "get a girl," as the expression goes. It has led to an amount of frustration that has nearly driven me insane, along with student loan debt.

I suggest a more balanced approach. Don't ignore girls, but don't focus exclusively on them, either. Simply being exposed to the ways of women while in high school will help you greatly later on in life.

100% true. I am a high school valedictorian who lived a sheltered life, and knew very little about what it takes to be a financial success in life upon entering college. I attended an excellent technology school (over, say, a mediocre tech. school, or a large major university) mostly because of the happenstance that it was nearby. I ran out of money (which is really more of a situation of running out of people who feel like cosigning for anouther $20,000), left college with an unfinished degree, and as a result of being in a program that I have since found to be useless unless you're taking it to the Ph.D. level (which I obviously can't do until I finish undergraduage work), have no real skills with which to help me pay off my $100,000 of debt. So, for the last 8 years I've been living with my parents, spending nearly all money earned from mindless jobs (that are really just for people who never went to college, as those are the only kind for which I'm actually qualified) on student loan payments, and not saving a single dime. My bank account literally has $63 and change in it right now. Seeing no way out of my situation, and having attempted to drown myself unsuccessfully, I HAVE BECOME INTENSELY BITTER. Perhaps as a result of the sheltered upbringing alluded to above (I live in a rural area, as that's where my parents live), I have NEVER been in contact with ANYONE who makes the kind of money that you claim. If you have any career-counseling advice, or even if you just need a place to dump some dollars on a charity case to decrease your taxable income, then I'm all ears & my pockets are open.

My advice to the OP: Don't *just* focus on doing well in school, focus on your studies, or any other vague mantra that gets floated. Don't "do what you love," either. Rather, create a list of in-demand careers. Then, from that list, choose the career that is least likely to make you want to kill yourself, and do whatever needs to be done in order to get the proper education, certifications, etc. Reject the choice if it includes more education (in either duration or cost) than you are willing or able to handle, and move on to #2 on your list. So, knowing all that, you should really maintain some focus on running, as it may help you pay for 'education' at a sufficiently prestigious university to guarantee employment after college. I only had hobby-jogger times, but by the end of your senior year you may have really good times.

At best I was a mediocre runner but still ran 60 plus miles a week through my late 20s. I have no regrets, met a lot of great people, traveled and ran all over the world, and I am still involved in our great sport.

As others said stay balanced, have other plans and unlike some of us older foolish ex runners do ancillary training to ensure future health and fitness.

typo. correction: "another $20,000," not "anouther $20,000"

I regret not focusing on running more. I'm proud of my times, but in hindsight I wish I would have done a lot more. In high school I never ran more than 45 mpw. What if I ran 60 or 70? What if I ran in middle school? These questions bug me. You won't end up a weirdo by running a lot. I never had any problem maintaining a social life or getting good grades. In fact I'd say running helped me improve in those areas. Good luck.

SERIOUS ADVICE FROM SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU: I was just like you in HS, ran 18 flat my sophomore year but was obsessed with working hard and running and becoming the best I can be. Because of that attitude I ended up seeing loads of improvement (low 16s, sub 10, 4:30s) and got good enough to run in college. My mindset was that I had to run in college so I didn't have any "regrets." I chose to run, best decision of my life. Im a walk on at a decent team and loving life....however. I didn't focus on school in HS like you said! I had a 2.6 GPA and a 19 ACT.....garbage. FOCUS ON SCHOOL AND RUNNING! It's very possible and you will thank yourself later for the VERY REASONABLE academic scholarships standards. Now I'm a walk on who is getting no athletic money, no academic money because I didn't focus on school, and not able to work because of the amount of time devoted to running. I'm going to be in debt when I graduate (not a crazy ammount) but it's the price I paid for not paying attention in school. Run hard! Train smart! Pay attention in school and kick ass at both, it's very doable!

***Also, all you people with pipes up your a$$, don't tell me to quit running to avoid student loans, no way!***

Good luck!

tracknoob wrote:

Currently, I'm a high school sophomore sorta addicted to running. It's on my mind a lot, sometimes when I should be doing other stuff (like trying to get something out of a boring class at school). I'm often visualizing races or planning the next week's training. I don't run crazy high mileage or anything, I just train two or three hours a day in the off season. It sounds pretty normal for a high school student, but it might be a bit more of a distraction than you would think. Often, I lose interest in academics or other hobbies because I'm having too much fun running. I don't put in as much work at school as I probably should, and my grades reflect that (usually one or two Bs a semester instead of straight As like I used to get).

Zoning out in school and losing interest in other hobbies sounds like less of a running thing, and more of a focus thing. Running may be the thing that you're focusing on, but the same thing would probably happen with video games or any other hobby.

I would encourage you not to let running close other doors in your life, but there's nothing wrong with it being your biggest hobby. It's a healthy thing to do, and if it's making you happy (and giving you confidence), then there's no reason to let it go.

Lastly, running may not make you popular with girls in HS or college (when lots of people are fit and have hobbies that they actively pursue), but if you continue to run into your mid 20s, you'll probably find a lot more women are interested in you.

You'll only regret not having run more and totally tapped out your running potential.

Yes, you probably will.

There is nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can. Even if you aren't all that good. But everything has it's time and place. Run when it's time to run. When it's time to study, then study. Pay attention when in class. Have a social life.

2-3 hours training seems extreme to me. How much of that is actually running? You don't need to run more than 70-80 minutes at your age. Even that is high (for an average).

There is plenty of time for it all. Day dreaming about running is a waste.

Same. I'm a HS freshman and I seem to have similar concerns. I am in the top 5% in grades, I do a bunch of extracurricular service stuff, SGA, and track/XC but I feel swamped with everything and I'm not having any fun. I run a 17:50 5k, and probs 4:5x mile this year, so I have some potential. I just don't know what to focus on, since I am the sort of individual who likes to excel at whatever I'm doing. I don't want to half-ass anything. Btw, I train about an hour and a half a day or less.

Some people spend a similar amount of time each day watching tv. Enjoy your high school years and keep a healthy mix of friends both runners and non. Use your time wisely and your efforts will be rewarded. Good luck and many healthy miles ahead.

Frosh wrote:

Same. I'm a HS freshman and I seem to have similar concerns. I am in the top 5% in grades, I do a bunch of extracurricular service stuff, SGA, and track/XC but I feel swamped with everything and I'm not having any fun. I run a 17:50 5k, and probs 4:5x mile this year, so I have some potential. I just don't know what to focus on, since I am the sort of individual who likes to excel at whatever I'm doing. I don't want to half-ass anything. Btw, I train about an hour and a half a day or less.

Don't sell yourself short. Freshman times of 17:50 5k and 4:5x mile are good times. Example: I started running freshman year, pr's of 4:41 1,500m, 9:50 3,000m and 17:55 5,000m. Senior year I won state in the 1,500m, had pr's of 3:53 1,500m, 8:38 3,000m and 15:35 5,000m. I got a full ride to a Div I college. I did train hard Junior and Senior years in HS though. I suppose I did have an advantage with my training since both my parents ran Div I but with all the training knowledge shared on the internet these days it wouldn't be a benefit now.

Run takes makes 1-2 hours out of your day. It is by far the easiest sport to train for in terms of hours per day.

If your college basketball and football players can play their sport and have a life then so can you.

Alan

College football players and basketball players don't have much free time. Actually since many don't go to classes or do any academic work maybe they do.

Your story sounds similar to mine when I was at your stage of life - obsessed with running to the point that it impacted my grades and social life.

You may end up regretting a lost opportunity to go to a top tier academic university. It's probably not too late to turn that around, but it will be soon. That being said, no reason you can't do great no matter what school you end up at.

I'm a physician in a partnership with a guy who graduated from Brown, so it didn't really matter in the end that I went to a school with easier admission standards and a lesser academic reputation.

Another thing you may regret is if you pass up opportunities to do interesting things. I had an opportunity to spend 6 weeks vacationing in Europe with a friend (Amsterdam would have been the primary destination) the Summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, but I passed it up because I wanted to focus on optimizing my preparation for the coming cross-country season, which I felt would be compromised if I took the trip. In retrospect, I may have been right, but I didn't end up doing anything that phenomenal in cross-country that season anyhow. I'll never know what I missed out on by not going to Europe that Summer, however.

do it or do not do it — you will regret both