Amusing & infuriating Runners World quote a friend just sent me

simple, really wrote:Without us hobbyjoggers, you guys would be back to the 2.9 mile 5Ks with 15 males, start and finish line drawn with chalk in front of the RD's house, run on the sidewalk with no traffic monitoring.

If that's the kind of race someone likes, it's easy enough to get together with your running buddies and put it on and avoid the hobby joggers in bigger races.

Blah Blah Blah Blah wrote:

There is also satisfaction after taking a shit, but I don't tell everyone about it.

I do

simple, really wrote:

Without us hobbyjoggers, you guys would be back to the 2.9 mile 5Ks with 15 males, start and finish line drawn with chalk in front of the RD's house, run on the sidewalk with no traffic monitoring.

MORE OF THAT PLEASE

simple, really wrote:

Without us hobbyjoggers, you guys would be back to the 2.9 mile 5Ks with 15 males, start and finish line drawn with chalk in front of the RD's house, run on the sidewalk with no traffic monitoring.

Actually, without you guys there would probably be more meaningful track races in more areas.

Everyone acts like having marathons everywhere is a great fvcking blessing; towns don't actually give up as much as you think they do, to put on a race. Oh, you close down a road for a few hours? What a boon you have granted us.

Honestly, all that's increased with the rise of the hobby jogger is the amount of people who think they are entitled to something because they ran a distance. I was under the impression that real running was about something else.

coebra wrote:

simple, really wrote:

Without us hobbyjoggers, you guys would be back to the 2.9 mile 5Ks with 15 males, start and finish line drawn with chalk in front of the RD's house, run on the sidewalk with no traffic monitoring.

Actually, without you guys there would probably be more meaningful track races in more areas.

Everyone acts like having marathons everywhere is a great fvcking blessing; towns don't actually give up as much as you think they do, to put on a race. Oh, you close down a road for a few hours? What a boon you have granted us.

Honestly, all that's increased with the rise of the hobby jogger is the amount of people who think they are entitled to something because they ran a distance. I was under the impression that real running was about something else.

Please tell me how hobbyjoggers have reduced the number of meaningful track races.

Another LRC Idiot

old guy 70 wrote:

Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?

__________________________________________________________

Another LRC Idiot wrote:

The old lady might be working harder during the race. But a healthy 60 yr old woman should be under 30min with proper training.

____________________________________________________________

You're missing the point.

I'm more impressed by a fat endomorph, trying to get in shape, running a slow 5K, but has PUSHED himself/herself so hard they are dry heaving at the finish than I am with a gifted ectomorph who runs two minutes slower than his/her potential.

It's about effort, not time.

THANK you. See, this guy gets it.+1

Coebra wrote:

Once again, you miss the entire point. The birth of distance was not bowerman saying, "let there be shoes!" And a million marathoners appearing; running has been around forever. Billy Mills, Ron Clarke, Bob Schul, Jim Beatty, fvcking Zatopek, chadaway, Buddy Edelen, Bannister, landy, Snell, should I go on? All before your precious "hobby joggers support running" era.

The point being, to spell it out, is that track and field and road racing DID exist before the shoe era and was probably a better sport then, compared to how. Probably cleaner too.

old guy 70 wrote:

I'm more impressed by a fat endomorph, trying to get in shape, running a slow 5K, but has PUSHED himself/herself so hard they are dry heaving at the finish than I am with a gifted ectomorph who runs two minutes slower than his/her potential.

It's about effort, not time.

I'm more impressed with people who have worked consistently for a longer period of time leading up to the race than someone who just makes hard efforts during a race. Don't tell me that a 29:xx old lady is faster just because she is more gifted.

But to each his own.

I give up!

The 16 minute guy, obviously. For the *years* of effort it took to get in that kind of shape. As opposed to the weeks or at most months Gladys phoned in before getting her shuffle on, on game day.Why assumed every older person who's bad at running is heroic? They were probably just a bit too lazy to stay in shape, then decided to get out there for fun or for social media love. I have nothing against any of that, and it's nice they've started to make a change. But why be amazed?

old guy 70 wrote:

Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?

these guys ... wrote:

The 16 minute guy, obviously. For the *years* of effort it took to get in that kind of shape. As opposed to the weeks or at most months Gladys phoned in before getting her shuffle on, on game day.

Why assumed every older person who's bad at running is heroic? They were probably just a bit too lazy to stay in shape, then decided to get out there for fun or for social media love. I have nothing against any of that, and it's nice they've started to make a change. But why be amazed?

old guy 70 wrote:

Who deserves more credit: The elite runner who jogs a local 5K in 16 flat 'for the win' or a 60 year old woman, busting her ass, finishing last in 55 minutes?

I agree with "these guys..." I don't know why people think they need some fvcking chorus of trumpets for completing a 5k. Just because you're struggling doesn't make your activity worth more. Besides, it completely ignores the fact that the 16 minute FTW guy had to work as well. Didn't he struggle? Didn't he bust his ass?

Fvcking Gladys can get her due when it comes to her, but she doesn't deserve a chorus of "Ode to Joy" for finally taking an interest in her health, now that her life is on the line. Are we to say that one year of activity is to absolve someone of 59 years of dietary and exercise-less sin?

I disagree wrote:

... the explosion of bad runners shuffling for a long time.

Funny.

simple, really wrote:

Without us hobbyjoggers, you guys would be back to the 2.9 mile 5Ks with 15 males, start and finish line drawn with chalk in front of the RD's house, run on the sidewalk with no traffic monitoring.

Can you expand on that? Why don't you think there are enough runners who care about self improvement more than frills at a race, or at least enough to get a race together of certifiable distance?

Also, not sure why a raceline drawn in chalk, or in front of someone's house is inherently a bad thing. And there was traffic monitoring for road races long before hobby joggers.

I'm talking about one particular race on one particular day and the effort put forth on that day.

Obviously the person with years of effort deserves more credit.

I've always been more impressed with the work one puts in to run a good marathon than the result itself. It's the effort. The months of hard work that allows you to succeed on race day.

All my PR's were the result of months of hard work.

I used to think 24 minute 5K runners were joggers. Now that I'm running with those guys and hearing the hard breathing and effort being put forward my opinion has changed. I'm running as hard now to run 24 minutes as I did to run 17 minutes 35 years ago.

I agree...not every finisher deserves recognition, but even the slowest runner who has PUSHED himself to run his best is deserving of some recognition.

Not everyone has been blessed with natural talent. Of course those who are gifted and develop their talent to its full potential are the most deserving of all. I didn't think it was necessary to state 'the obvious,"

these guys ... wrote:

THANK you. See, this guy gets it.

+1

Coebra wrote:

Once again, you miss the entire point. The birth of distance was not bowerman saying, "let there be shoes!" And a million marathoners appearing; running has been around forever. Billy Mills, Ron Clarke, Bob Schul, Jim Beatty, fvcking Zatopek, chadaway, Buddy Edelen, Bannister, landy, Snell, should I go on? All before your precious "hobby joggers support running" era.

The point being, to spell it out, is that track and field and road racing DID exist before the shoe era and was probably a better sport then, compared to how. Probably cleaner too.

+1

Yup.

Great post, Coebra.

Look, we're not arguing different points here. Victory belongs to the one who has persevered the mostest. Napoleon said something like that (being french, his English grammar sucked) but the point is; hobby joggers is a catch-all term for people who don't embody the spiritual-ish pursuit of running as a means of self-perfection as opposed to a means of keeping the beer weight off.

So...if I'm only capable of running a 25 minute 5K now, but am running as HARD as I did when I was running 8 minutes faster forty years ago does that make me a hobby jogger?

I think anyone training hard to run their best is a runner. Regardless of their age, sex or weight.

" It would be great if people running in a race actually made an effort to be competitive or at least appreciated what's involved in being competitive."

Great for who?

makes sense really wrote:

I always tell me wife that even athough I always come first, I don't think of her as a loser for always coming last.

you mean DNFing