What's wrong with 10ks?
What's wrong with 10ks?
'Bling'
Dear 3000m lovin' teen,
Not as much mental toughness and personal achievement involved in a 10k.
For many, lots of training involved just to complete.
Has nothing to do with pace.
Because Americans have zero idea about the metric system.
If you tell someone you ran a 10k, they have no idea how far it is.
If you tell someone you ran a marathon, they still have no idea how far it is, but know that it's far.
Hobby joggers know they are slow, so they seek to impress by "completing" distances.
This opened the door for the even worse ultra-marathon hobby joggers. People who are willing to spend 5 hours running every Sunday but aren't willing to hurt for 30 minutes on the track Tuesday and Thursday
Why are so many mediocre runners on lets run so obsessed with the idea that they are not hobby joggers even though they have no significant running accomplisshments whatsoever. It makes no sense.
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
C. Kramer wrote:
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
The hero we deserve
C. Kramer wrote:
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
Here's a similar scenario: you're a former college runner who runs 15:xx 5ks and wins your age group at the local turkey trots. You desperately seek acceptance from people who think that a fatty completing a marathon is a big deal. Then you start running marathons. The rest is history brah.
ItsObvious wrote:
Dear 3000m lovin' teen,
Not as much mental toughness and personal achievement involved in a 10k.
For many, lots of training involved just to complete.
Has nothing to do with pace.
Don't know if you are a troll or for real, but this attitude is definitely out there! Have seen it time and again at other message boards and running clubs.
Note that there was a time when 10K was the most popular distance, and runners would invariably ask what was your 10K PR. The fun runners/joggers were out there too, and of course they'd talk about marathons but they'd know about 10Ks and actually respect the shorter distances. But ca. the mid-late 90s with the "Penguin" era and rise of Gallowalking, anything shorter than the marathon became something of a joke to the Runners World fed masses.
C. Kramer wrote:
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
Bingo ! No need for further comment on this post, That is the reason!
ItsObvious wrote:
But ca. the mid-late 90s with the "Penguin" era and rise of Gallowalking, anything shorter than the marathon became something of a joke to the Runners World fed masses.
+1
Jeff Galloway has destroyed the sport. He is personally responsible for a big portion of it. Meanwhile, the unwashed masses see him as a "guru'
Platteville drive through wrote:
ItsObvious wrote:Dear 3000m lovin' teen,
Not as much mental toughness and personal achievement involved in a 10k.
For many, lots of training involved just to complete.
Has nothing to do with pace.
Don't know if you are a troll or for real, but this attitude is definitely out there! Have seen it time and again at other message boards and running clubs.
Note that there was a time when 10K was the most popular distance, and runners would invariably ask what was your 10K PR. The fun runners/joggers were out there too, and of course they'd talk about marathons but they'd know about 10Ks and actually respect the shorter distances. But ca. the mid-late 90s with the "Penguin" era and rise of Gallowalking, anything shorter than the marathon became something of a joke to the Runners World fed masses.
Yeah, thats why they do it. So why are you giving me hell for it? I basically reiterated the point of the Runners World fed masses... Its not my opinion. Its my opinion on why hobbyjoggers are obsessed with the marathon.
C. Kramer wrote:
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
This right here is why I advise young runners not to attempt a marathon until they are completely satisfied with what they've accomplished in the 5k/10k. Sure you CAN go back and focus on shorter races again, but most hobby joggeres (runners) WON'T. Most won't step away from the marathon until injury forces them to.
You're right and you're wrong.
They love marathons. 5k marathons, 10k marathons, 1/2 marathon marathons and marathon marathons. And binge watching TV marathons.
Faulty assumption.
More people compete in 5Ks, 10Ks, and even half marathons than marathons.
10k's don't give finisher medals. It's all about the medal. If they could win a medal in a 10k, they wouldn't run the marathon.
Why are you obsessed with what hobby joggers think?
C. Kramer wrote:
Here's the scenario:
You're a former college runner who runs 15:XX 5ks and win lots of local races. The fat lady at your office does 5 hour marathons and everyone thinks she's awesome because to a non-runner, a slow marathon is way more impressive than a fast 5k.
Then you meet some people in the local running club and they all pester you about when you're going to run a marathon. You finally bow to peer pressure and run one in, say, 2:45 or so. They all rave about how great that is, even though you know your 15 minute 5k is better and you're sure you can go faster.
So you begin training for another one. And another. And another. Then 5 years later, you're injured, burned out, and frustrated, and you can no longer come close to a 15 minute 5k. Another locally competitive runner has been sacrificed at the alter of the marathon idol.
Went through this myself and have seen it in several others. Don't fall for it. No one "has" to run a marathon.
In the end, the 15 minute 5ker and the 5 hour marathoner are equally hobby joggers in that neither is making a living from running. It's a hobby for both of them.
They do have different goals/motivations. The 15 minute 5ker wants to win the turkey trot or the save the children 5k. The 5 hour marathoner knows she isn't going to win anything at the neighborhood 5k, so what's the point? Finishing a 5k is easy. Finishing a marathon is a challenge.
They're both looking for a recreational challenge. Their skill levels lend themselves to different goals.
More importantly, why are you obsessed wih hobby joggers?
Because if I go run a 5k and have a great race I'll run 16:30. A bad race? 16:50. Now if I have a bad marathon? A personally soul crushing and epic DNF. And a great race? I'm 15 marathons in, haven't had one yet.
And if that doesn't explain the difference in why a lot of us run marathons and balk at concentrating on the shorter stuff there's no point in trying to explain it. Which is fine, to each their own.