Amusing & infuriating Runners World quote a friend just sent me

Just calm down. If you just accept the fact that HJ's are not runners, all will be well. Folks with different appearance/motivations/personalities/philosophies. Just because a mass funrun sorta looks like your sport, doesn't mean to say it is. Actually competitive cycling (or most sports) is more like 'Real Runner' running than HJ events.

Runners World has a place. Just don't misinterpret its agenda.

Coebra wrote:

You fail to comprehend that it's the 25+ minute 5Kers like you who have contributed to ruining my sport.

Hmmm... Which sport are you referring to?

Marmite then? wrote:

Coebra wrote:

You fail to comprehend that it's the 25+ minute 5Kers like you who have contributed to ruining my sport.

Hmmm... Which sport are you referring to?

Running, you dolt.

So when I was running 25+ I was contributing to ruining your sport, but now that I'm doing a 21-er Im not anymore?

How fast do I have to get, to be fast enough to contribute something to your sport. Can I ever give back more than I have taken. Would Olympic Gold be enough?

Hoe does this stuff work, man?

Slown Stephen wrote:

So when I was running 25+ I was contributing to ruining your sport, but now that I'm doing a 21-er Im not anymore?

How fast do I have to get, to be fast enough to contribute something to your sport. Can I ever give back more than I have taken. Would Olympic Gold be enough?

Hoe does this stuff work, man?

I swear. Some of you people are thick.

Then they are like the regular high school students who graduate without any major problems. They get congratulations for their graduation, but no special recognition for overcoming the adversity.

If you are not interested in birds, why do you even bother to watch birds? You can just hike the mountains, or just take a walk in public parks. Is there anything special about watching birds that contributes to additional weight loss?

Coebra wrote:

Marmite then? wrote:

Hmmm... Which sport are you referring to?

Running, you dolt.

Have these people you loathe so much ruined track & field and cross country? How about ultras? Answer the question with respect please. Thank you.

I wonder if people say this about their jobs. For example if they have an important project that needs to be completed by Friday, they can put a bunch of garbage in it and say that they have completed it, when in reality it's not quality work.

I like this proposed model. Just treat it like graduating high school. I'd be fine with that. I'm sure other people would say that high school is 4 years, while a 5K-10K is an hour or less, and so it's isn't worth even a congratulations. I'm fine with others thinking that as well, though personally I'd go with the herd.

I think they got into birds once they started doing it. Or maybe they just got into checking things off a list, and/or bragging and/or beating other people. Maybe there's a LetsBird.com with their own crazy forums. Who knows. But there is something about watching birds that contributes to weight loss - it gets people tromping around, for lengths of time, distance, and up and down terrain they'd otherwise shy away from. It's not a bad model really. "Hike 8 miles" is one thing, "Hike until you see this 5 birds, or don't - quite whenever you like" is another, and I guess for some people the latter works better.

Coebra wrote:

You fail to comprehend that it's the 25+ minute 5Kers like you who have contributed to ruining my sport.

And after all the nice things I said about you ...

I question whether my pace brethren and I have 'ruined' 'your' sport. Irreversibly changed it for the worse? Perhaps. But it's a free country. People are free to put on old school races (and do).

I also question whether showing up and trying your best, was ever contrary to the spirit of old school running. Maybe 10'+ milers rarely showed, but I doubt they were unwelcome. I also doubt they were coddled and I'd be fine with that.

Besides, if I want a semi-organized, semi-competitive friendly event where the winners and losers chat and have beers at the end, I just go do a trail run. Like the one I'm doing in a week.

Full disclosure 100% hobby jogger per Letsrun, 24 minute 5K PR (55 y/o woman), so automatically about 90 % of you here will berate me but here goes. I am not sure most of you can actually understand the efforts us "hobby joggers" go through to be well, truthfully, quite mediocre runners. I run 5 days a week usually following a fairly specific training plan (no, not the Galloway plan) but frankly, I could never run as fast of any if not most of you because I simply do not have the type of body type that lends itself to super fast running. Honestly, although I am of completely normal body weight, my legs are like friggin tree stumps and they only carry me so fast. I work incredibly hard just to be quite average and I'm ok with that but most of you clearly aren't. I give 100% in all workouts, don't carry water or gel packs for a 5K, take selfies during my half marathons, do color or zombie runs and yes, actually know Galen Rupp is and follow distance running quite carefully. Not sure why all the derision towards people who are passionate about running but not that fast. I was a collegiate swimmer and some people just glide through the water and others flail yet fellow swimmers don't insult them and tell them they don't belong at master's swim events and open water swims or define them by their time. The more the merrier. What gives?

these guys ... wrote:

Coebra wrote:

You fail to comprehend that it's the 25+ minute 5Kers like you who have contributed to ruining my sport.

And after all the nice things I said about you ...

I question whether my pace brethren and I have 'ruined' 'your' sport. Irreversibly changed it for the worse? Perhaps. But it's a free country. People are free to put on old school races (and do).

I also question whether showing up and trying your best, was ever contrary to the spirit of old school running. Maybe 10'+ milers rarely showed, but I doubt they were unwelcome. I also doubt they were coddled and I'd be fine with that.

Besides, if I want a semi-organized, semi-competitive friendly event where the winners and losers chat and have beers at the end, I just go do a trail run. Like the one I'm doing in a week.

These comments weren't written by me. I had no idea I was popular enough to have my handle stolen.

These guys..., I stopped commenting on this post before the steve Irwin post. Everything else is by an imposter. I won't be posting anything after this quick note as I have said my piece and it is useless to keep repeating myself to a group of people who are more interested in stirring up trouble than making conversation

hobbyjoggerplus wrote:

Not sure why all the derision towards people who are passionate about running but not that fast. The more the merrier. What gives?

A: Basic internet incivility. LRC is known for posters who are either mean-spirited or troll the threads for personal jollies. The larger running community is far more welcoming toward newbies and less gifted participants.

Kinda been at this awhile, I started in the late 70's. As far as the race scene the comparison I always make is that for those of us running then, seeing what has happened to the sport is like when you have a favorite local band and then BOOM they explode and go world wide.

There are parts of you that wishes you were still rocking to them at the local bar, but that will never happen again. They're gone big time and not coming back.

Now the GOOD thing about all these newbies is the law of big numbers. Maybe some kid shows up to a 5k because his overweight mom is trying to drop 10 lbs, and maybe he wins a trophy, maybe he decides to give XC a try, maybe he goes on to college.... The point being, the more people that participate, the better chance we have to find those diamonds in the rough, those Jim Ryuns and Bill Rodgers, Jordan Hasay's of the future.

Marmite then? wrote:

A: Basic internet incivility. LRC is known for posters who are either mean-spirited or troll the threads for personal jollies. The larger running community is far more welcoming toward newbies and less gifted participants.

I see you are wearing your rose-colored glasses again but you are correct. Of late the incivility has become a bit more common place.