I was feeling pretty tough after run-commuting to and from the office in the rain, but after reading the Craig Virgin high school thread my perspective is now out of whack. Is there a way to become tougher by this point in life or am I SOL?
I was feeling pretty tough after run-commuting to and from the office in the rain, but after reading the Craig Virgin high school thread my perspective is now out of whack. Is there a way to become tougher by this point in life or am I SOL?
Go buy a shovel. Go out back of your parents house and dig a hole 3 feet deep by 10 feet long by 10 feet wide and pile all the dirt in a single pile.
Tomorrow, fill in the hole. The day after dig the hole again. Repeat.
Make sure to alternate which foot you use to sink the shovel into the ground and which hand you hold at the top of the shovel to throw the dirt.
If that doesn't sound right, pay a farmer to drop a 10 wheeler of cow #%%6# in your back yard. Then use your shovel to move the pile 10 yards every day.
The best time to do this is before dawn but after dinner works as well.
Having read your posts for a couple years, I'm gonna say no. You have jaminitis.
If you're under 29, you could still join the Marine Corps. 0311.
HardLoper wrote:
I was feeling pretty tough after run-commuting to and from the office in the rain, but after reading the Craig Virgin high school thread my perspective is now out of whack. Is there a way to become tougher by this point in life or am I SOL?
The idea that farm kids are tougher is ingrained in them by country music (hard workin' Texas spirit yeehaw), underdog sports movies, etc. It's not reality. That's why the big schools kick the living sh*t out of everyone by more than their proportional advantage i.e. 14 runners from the state champ school could each beat everyone in a smaller conference.
No, you can't become more blue collar, but the good news is that being blue collar doesn't make you a better runner anyway.
Move to Detroit.
Chevrolet Suburban wrote:
HardLoper wrote:I was feeling pretty tough after run-commuting to and from the office in the rain, but after reading the Craig Virgin high school thread my perspective is now out of whack. Is there a way to become tougher by this point in life or am I SOL?
The idea that farm kids are tougher is ingrained in them by country music (hard workin' Texas spirit yeehaw), underdog sports movies, etc. It's not reality. That's why the big schools kick the living sh*t out of everyone by more than their proportional advantage i.e. 14 runners from the state champ school could each beat everyone in a smaller conference.
Farm kids ARE tougher softy boy.
Chevrolet Suburban wrote:
The idea that farm kids are tougher is ingrained in them by country music (hard workin' Texas spirit yeehaw), underdog sports movies, etc. It's not reality. That's why the big schools kick the living sh*t out of everyone by more than their proportional advantage i.e. 14 runners from the state champ school could each beat everyone in a smaller conference.
1) Agree "farm kids are tougher" is wrong when talking about sports.
2) The difference in times and depth between conferences can be pretty easily be explained. (hint: there is more to the proportional advantage than the ratio of number of students.)
There is one way: train outdoors for indoor track in Alaska or New England.
Farm kids come in all types as well. Craig was a talented runner who happened to be a farmer.
One doesn't make the other.
I'm sure I was a tougher farm kid than Craig in my ability to actually do farm chores but that doesn't make me a better runner. Or even close.
I think it's true that being forced to do physical activities that are not enjoyable, throughout a young person's life helps them when it comes time to "put the work in."
On the other hand, I have known "privileged" kids who were aware of this fact and overcompensated to the point of being insecure, and thus were able to beat "farm kids."
If you learn to do chores on pure hate, you can run on pure hate; if you are from the suburbs, you need to learn to run on pure hate. Running in harsh winter conditions helps, so does running in mountainous areas.
Kenyan kids, in my view, have learned to run on pure hate the most. Their demeanor belies this, but don't mistake the effects of poverty and malnutrition.
Absolutely! Just run like daddy didn't buy you the red Bimmer that you wanted for your 16th birthday. He bought you the yellow one.
I'll take the bait on farm life.
There's physical toughness (doing things when you're cold or fatigued) and there's mental toughness (doing what needs to be done when it has to be done). Chores are a daily grind, but you don't even notice them. If' you've got livestock, chores have to be done 2x day, period. You gear up for big events, like planting, baling hay, harvesting, stringing fences, etc. These make for 16 hour days because you have to finish them no matter what. And things break down at the worst time.
If you're smart, you use the winter to do your maintenance -- makes a big difference later so you have more capacity or at least know how to fix things.
foundation is foundation
and formative years cant be redone
if your a pansy , your a pansy !!!
nope sorry wrote:
foundation is foundation
and formative years cant be redone
if your a pansy , your a pansy !!!
Do a 'Brokeback Mountain' stint with jamin..
HardLoper wrote:
I was feeling pretty tough after run-commuting to and from the office in the rain, but after reading the Craig Virgin high school thread my perspective is now out of whack. Is there a way to become tougher by this point in life or am I SOL?
Given you took the time to start this thread you are a total puss and probably pretty annoying too. You have no chance.
Perhaps something like this?
I take that back .....
Go work a labor job , such as ....
concrete worker ,
UPS package pre-loader ,
roofer ....
heck go work on a dairy farm,
something that is all day and non stop !
And embrace it and keep it for at-least 3 years !!!
Then you can approach the built in ground level strength that those you spoke of possess, but more importantly if you truly embrace the work, you could possibly gain the mental understanding of what you CAN do, of what you ARE capable of accomplishing . the mentality needed to race and not just be an also-ran!
I coach in a rural area.
Many of the toughest kids are ones who live in rural poverty in bad housing with no land or livestock. Some of the softest ones are from families who have lots of land and the fullest extent of their work is raising show pigs here and there. So much of farm work is mechanized anyway that you would not believe the number of children who work on farms who are already obese as middle schoolers.
Growing up on a farm is no guarantee of toughness. I hate to go all "Sports Gene" on it, but some kids were just born to work hard, and others were born to be lazy. I've coached farm kids with lots of running talent who just didn't like working.
I don't want to overstate my case, though. I've coached farm kids with varying levels of talent who ran their asses off.
The variability is the child, not the area of upbringing.