Sometimes I feel depressed about my lack of "talent"

You're lack of talent depresses all of us

Fast timez wrote:

You're lack of talent depresses all of us

The original thread title was poorly chosen, but I am not ashamed of it, it was just not the proudest moment. Thanks to Letsrun and some reality checks, plus a few truths and honesty, I saw the light.

No longer depressed about my lack of talent. We should never use that word anyway. Yes, some runners are super talented and get by on no training, but who cares? Good for them.

Many of the posters here have worked quite hard for long periods of time to run their fast times --- the more I read the more humbled I felt.

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks again for taking the time to respond to my questions. This thread has definitely influenced how I'm going to approach my current training cycle in trying to break 3:00 in the marathon. I'm not sure if it makes sense for me to get into much discussion of my own training in this thread but I may check back in sometime later in the cycle with a few comments. This thread has been really insightful.

You're very welcome and good luck! Post back with your progress and I hope you go sub 3. It simply boils down to more consistency, more volume, a good part of it slow, and some focus on helpful workouts (LT intervals and long runs with M-pace) when you're comfortable at peak mileage, to sharpen and prepare for the race. Add the health and lifestyle component (weight, nutrition, sleep and recovery) and you will be on your way. I know it's a lot, but it pays off to give it your best shot.

"Tell me honestly", I am relaxing in a hotel room ... my son's wedding is tomorrow. I just read through this entire thread for the first time. Wow! Congratulations!

How is your wife dealing with your new skinny self?!

As I neared the end of the thread, and you were still debating whether to target sub-3, I was silently screaming, "well below sub-3 ... you've got it!" So happy to see you did it.

You said after you reached your goal, you would just enjoy running ... maybe do trail races ... ultras ... or maybe 5Ks. What do you think now?

You mentioned you didn't like the Pfitzinger plan. That's what I based my training on prior to my last sub-3. That was 13 years ago. But my background was completely different: competed in high school (but didn't even get to sectional meet) ... took a few years off ... was a walk-on as a senior in college (10,000m) ... trained pretty seriously for a couple years (6 marathons in 14 months) ... was still improving (2:40 pr) when career, kids, etc took over ... trained seriously again for a couple years in my 40s, but lost interest when I stopped improving (after "maxing out" at 17:10 5K and 2:56 marathon at age 44 ...170 lbs)

Now I am in my late 50s, and giving it one more go. Ran 3:25:xx in October (on 20 mpw) ... targeting 5Ks now. Maybe another marathon next year. One last hurrah. But I am inspired by your story!

Anyway, again, congratulations! Your journey and your attitude (and the many excellent responses) is a great motivation. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the kind note! Glad you found this thread motivating and I hope it can help others reach their own goals. There is definitely invaluable advice given on this forum, which I am very thankful for.

She did not like it one bit --- no joke. My friends and coworkers too were not a fan of the "gaunt" runners' face! Luckily for all, I gained back a few (5 to 7) lbs in the last 14 days...I am a bit ashamed of it, but I did enjoy all kinds of food in irrational amounts after the race, with parties, Thanksgiving and work travel adding to the toll.

After a 5 month diet, body was craving a lot. My goal now is to find a maintenance weight above race weight (133) and below my former weight (which averaged about 153 last few years). So 139-140 lbs sounds like the right balance when not trying to peak for a given race. It will allow being a bit more social and less overly focused on calorie cutting.

I think (but I am not sure) that others are in same spot, that their "race weight" is an optimal-ish range that is hard to sustain without constant restraint. I am however not going back to where I was. No way.

I lacked confidence before, and going sub 3 really helped me reassess my self image as a runner I think. It unlocked something.

You're right I said that I'd try other things after and would enjoy "just" running but you know what?

As soon as I crossed the finish line, there is a voice in me which silently screamed: "you're not even tired!", "you ran a negative split", "you closed in your fastest mile!" "wtf man!" etc.

I tried to silence that voice, but I can't. So I am not done, and at age 34, I will now shift my focus on a more holistic goal: I want to become a better runner and see what I can do. I like the pursuit of athletic achievement, and in the near future, I want to incorporate things I have NOT done before:

- doubles (none in this training cycle)

- "classic" 400/800/mile repeats(none in this training cycle outside of LT intervals)

- strides or quick repeats (200m)

- weekly longish runs year round (> 10 used to be so rare)

- true long runs in future cycles (multiple 20+ as opposed to single 16,17,18,19 and 20 in this one)

- peak at 70-75 (was 65 here)

And most importantly: enjoy running and seeing the search for progress as a positive, and not a negative as in: "I don't know if I can ever break 3 ever". Not sure if this is clear, but it's a huge difference in my outlook.

I am a bit wary of setting hard goals just yet, but it would be really cool to run a sub 2:50 marathon, or 1:20 half, or sub 18 5k or a sub 5 mile?

I'll need to get back to the drawing board soon, because right now, my PRs align perfectly if you look up Daniels/McMillan and other tables (24:14 4-miler, 37:59 10k, 1:23:57 half and 2:56:33 marathon). I think it'll make sense to start at shorter distances, and will target a 4-miler and 10k in Feb and April.

Long story short: I am not going crazy (yet) with trail and ultras. At age 34, I want to see if I can get faster. The recent 20 minute marathon PR is almost embarassingly large!

I think all of us can find success with Pftiz/Daniels/Hansons, you name it. As a matter of fact, switching things up (while being careful of injury risk) is probably one of the most beneficial attitudes. I shouldn't have said I didn't like Pfitz, I should have said I was afraid of trying something daunting like his mid-week long runs.

Your 6 marathons in 14 months show a huge talent of durability, which is an amazing asset! And given that last marathon on very low mileage, I think you most definitely have a strong shot at improving a ton in any future marathon. Do you have a specific goal in mind in either 5Ks or the marathon?

I wish you the very best --- and I am inspired by runners like you who have been going strong for 10, 20, 30+ years. Careers and kids of course have a huge impact and we can't just devote 100% of our time and energy year round to lowering our PRs. My wife showed incredible patience and understanding. But being out there running for as long as you have, or picking things up and getting back at it again, that's what running is all about. It doesn't leave you, it's part of who we are!