Are you People Blind!!

Big Woopdie Doo.

Dang, she is fast.

Excuse my ignorance, but what 200m record? High school? Collegiate? I thought she got second at USATF, so what record are we talking about?

Imagine that, this is a distance runner dominated messageboard and no one is talking about the sprints...

Felix ran 23.14 for 200m as a 17 year-old and Amy Spencer of the UK has just run 23.20 at the same age (Felix is two months younger) so it quick but not that exceptional if you consider how much quicker the senior US record is compared with the UK one (US 22.33 and UK 22.83 since you asked).

It's not so much that this is a distance runner dominated board (which it is), but if you look at boards like dyestat, (which many of you criticize about being immature, but act in a manner that more than rivals their immaturity), you'll find posts about it all over. That, too, is a distance runner dominated board, yet people take the time to check results and post news. This board is filled with people either bitching about the war, bitching about how they need to lose weight (even though they're already skin and bones), or bitching about other people in general. There's a lot of would-be and has-been runners on this board who give themselves a lot more credit than they really deserve. The worst part is that there is a core group of people who insist on stroking each others egos (as well as other parts of the body) just so they can form what appears to be a little alliance. The result is you can't even have a normal debate with someone on this forum without being attacked by his or her cohorts or being called a "troll". This is a great website, but unfortunately, there are a lot of dried up, useless former distance runners on here who try to live vicariously through the younger people that's why you get so many 35+ year olds talking trash and bragging about things they've never accomplished.

Reality Check,

Dude that was harsh. I guess to you I fall into that category you negatively described.

I don't know why anyone 35+ though has to be a useless former distance runner who trash talks and brags about things they've never accomplished. Where do you get that? Funny how young people can't believe that those older than them were once as fast or faster than they were. I graduated from college only 14 years ago. Believe me, people were fast WAY back then.

There are no alliances among us older guys - and man 36 ain't old - it's just older than you. Name the alliances. There are some people here who make better points than others do, and typically the more sane viewpoints (less foul language, coherent thoughts, etc.) come from the older than college age crowd.

I will never be as fast in the shorter distances as I was in college - age catches up to everyone - even Todd Williams. My only real shot at a PR is the marathon because I'm not too old to improve there and my PR there isn't indicative of the ceiling I should be able to reach based on my limited ability.

Seems to me that if you constantly are attacked by several people about one of your opinions that it is entirely possible that your opinion is in the minority - deal with that.

Reality Check: Dude please go back to bed and get some more sleep. What's the deal with bashing old guys? I am not 35 yet (is that the magic year we get old?), but only a year away. It's not about how fast we were, but how fast we want to be no matter what age. You will see sooner than you think. No need to accuse a "core group of posters" stroking each others egos.....its called support. As a highschooler or collegiate, we had the luxury of being supported and pushed everyday by coaches and other teammates. As we get older, we lose much of that support via teams, etc, however much advice and encouragement can be found on message boards such as this one.

Easy does it man!

Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it. I was not pointing any fingers, nor did I mention any names. I can see how I may have generalized a bit too much on the 35+ year olds, but in all honesty, a lot of these threads contains frivilous posts by such people. I expect that from a 17-year-old. Not an adult. FYI, I'm not that much younger than you two (Willy and Bubba).

Hi Reality Check! Welcome to the program.. that's 1-800-DRLA-URA.

It sounds like you might be a little bitter, but you have some good points that should be folowed throug with. I think we can talk this thing out to come to a consensual agreement about what is appropriate for the message boards.

First, why don't you go ahead and name names... if we talk sensibly, I am sure the people that you do not like would like to hear and discuss with you your grievances.

Secondly, I think you're onto something and it would be unfortunate if you simply let this drop after you are off to a good start. So, as you name names, drop them into the categories that you listed, which were:

1. Those who are bitching about the war

2. Those who bitching about how they need to lose weight

3. Those bitching about other people in general. There's a lot of would-be and has-been runners on this board who give themselves a lot more credit than they really deserve.

4. The worst - a core group of people who insist on stroking each others egos (as well as other parts of the body) just so they can form what appears to be a little alliance. The result is you can't even have a normal debate with someone on this forum without being attacked by his or her cohorts or being called a "troll".

5. Dried up, useless former distance runners on here who try to live vicariously through the younger people that's why you get so many 35+ year olds talking trash and bragging about things they've never accomplished.

Like you, I think the site could be a much better place. Please expand on the points you have made so that we can have some good discussion. But, if you are not willing to follow through with what you've initiated, you would simply fall under your own category(s) 3, 5, and probably 4.

Now, do the right thing.

sorry but 36 is old.

?

You're just jealous of the wisdom, maturity and wealth that automatically accrue with age.

Get some time in, sonny!

Well, it may be "old" but, at least wisdom, patience, and perspective comes with age.

Hey old guys! Want to have some fun (or cringe)? Check out your local listings for MTV's "The Real World". Once you get a load of this whine-fest, you will lose nearly all respect for the youngsters. Here's a sample:

(Insert trendy boy name): "Look (bleep)! Don't be leavin' none o' your skanky ass crap laying on the pool table. Bee-yotch!"

(Insert trendy girl name): "Dude, just chill aight?! Don't be all buggin' bout my laundry bein' out and shit!

(trendy boy in "confessional room"): (trendy girl) is all whack! Like, she don't understand that a pool table is, like, the last bastion of man's turf. Ya know wha' I'm sayin'?

(trendy girl): Whatever! Boy gotta' chill out.

After you see an hour of these and other "pressing issues", you do start to laugh everytime someone under thirty starts emoting about politics, war, economics, and other serious topics.

Old guys and girls, the time to consolidate power and protect OUR future is now!

Portland Runner. As scary as it is for you watching idiots like that on "The Real World", it is even worse being in your mid-20s and stuck in the same age bracket as those morons! It's guilt by association.

With regard to many of these people espousing their various theories on politics, war, economics, etc., my take is as follows. When you are in high school, there are always going to be a fair share of morons. 10 years later, these same people are still morons. The problem is, they just barely got through college and have lived in society for a couple of years, leading them to believe that they have this wealth of information and are grown-ups. At the end of the day, they are just morons who no longer carry themselves like high schoolers.

With your smarter just out of school types, arrogance is the biggest issue. Your 23 year old investment banker at Goldman or management consultant at McKinsey who thinks they really can go talk to a CEO and turn around a company.

I think a lot of these traits are still in people when they hit their 30s and 40s. However, at that time, most tone it down a bit, making it easier to handle.

Now revisit these groups once people get into their 60s. They believe that since at one time they knew what the hell is going on (often a generous assumption), by default they still have a clue due to their years of "wisdom".

Finally, you get the people who are a year or so away from checking out for good. They often exhibit few of these qualities. They have thrown in the towel on knowing what is going on in the world, resulting in them being less inclined to get into a "well, so and so is true" debate. They are more content to have a piece of candy or sort through pictures and talk about them. And when they are coherent to speak about the past, it might be interesting since even hearing what someone 90 years old ate for breakfast when they were a child ends up offering some kind of historical insight. Compare this to a 25 year old self-proclaimed rocket scientist who tells you why they have soy every morning because of this important article in Cosmo (whether or not they are correct is immaterial since the rationale used to get to that point is usually non-existent).

Once again Portland Runner, good job. Oh wait...hope that isn't stroking your ego...damn!

I watched The Real World back in the day of Puck and that guy whose name I can't remember with AIDS who later died.

Puck would blow "snot rockets" just outside and then come in the house and dig his nasty finger into the peanut butter jar.

See, Kojak is right. Even on this thread instead of talking about Allyson and Ari we have a bunch of people arguing about their insecurities. Sad. However, I think Ari is capable of going sub-2:05/sub-4:43 in the spring. I wish she finally got into a race against Dron (800) or Kaltenbach (mile)! Maybe at Penn Relays, hopefully.

I think you're the first to mention Ari.

Sorry. As far as sprinters go, they get virtually no play on this "distance-centric" board. Besides, Dyestat is the place to talk high school track. I'm old and a bit jaded about high school phenoms since I have seen many "next great things" never amount to much. Sadly (and who knows why?) many girls who show promise at a young age tend to disappear right after graduation and we never hear of them again. Maybe it's because track becomes a serious business and filled with pressure once scholarship money and the urgency to win.

Oh, well. So...do we bomb Iraq or ban rap music first?

Flagpole Willy wrote:

Once again Portland Runner, good job. Oh wait...hope that isn't stroking your ego...damn!

Case in point.