This topic came to me as I thought about the genetic advantages athletes have in our sport. We don’t know the extent of those genetic factors in determining someone’s success as a runner. We know things like biomechanics, economy, injury susceptibility, and trainability play large roles, but also that training the right way can affect those variables. That’s what makes this topic interesting.
What do you think?
Infinity is a long time, so maybe but probably not.
No. Training can only get you to your genetic potential. If you can't even run 1 mile at 4:10, how is unlimited training going to get you to 3 of those in a row?
Smarter than a non runner wrote:
No. Training can only get you to your genetic potential. If you can't even run 1 mile at 4:10, how is unlimited training going to get you to 3 of those in a row?
Is there any evidence that optimized training for an individual results in an eventually insurmountable performance plateau?
I’d still be 7 lbs 12 oz with really short arms and legs and a head outsized to my body so no, I couldn’t.
You might be able to break the current world records, but I don't think you'd be able to keep pace with the natural progression of world records.
I don’t know about world record, but you would definitely set some strong age group records
Yes. About 100 years worth from thousands of coaches and millions of runners.
Not a chance wrote:
I’d still be 7 lbs 12 oz with really short arms and legs and a head outsized to my body so no, I couldn’t.
Yeah, very few world records are held by infants. Besides, if you broke world record as a newborn, you would already know that. Those world records also require no training.
The world record holder for largest newborn ever recorded was 23 pounds and 9 ounces. He lived for 11 hours. I don't think that you would want to break a world record without aging.
I would say no based on the criteria of the question biologically. If you did not age I would suggest your dna, cells, body, etc would not be changing either, therefore adopting to stresses of training would not occur and you would remain the same as you were the day at the outset.
Of course the opposite would be true, if your cells renewed continuously, in a way that stopped degeneration. Over time, slowly you as a person wpuld change to the ideal or hopefully optimal build for the distance and pace you were running through repetition, this would be the theory of evolution.
Then again thinking may not be optimal for running so physically you may get better/strong but mentally you are more likely to regress as it would no longer be a desirable trait.