The American dream is being able to do what you want with your time. I know this seems weird to a Russian like yourself.
The American dream is being able to do what you want with your time. I know this seems weird to a Russian like yourself.
and this has an affect on you how? Unless you're footing the financial cost for, then really no business of yours.
Runnerboy1 wrote:
and this has an affect on you how? Unless you're footing the financial cost for, then really no business of yours.
+1
I think any lifestyle where you find brotherhood and community where it is less of a cult and more of accountability - someone telling you the truth to your face as tough love rather than putting you down - is worthwhile to find and belong to when you are in your 20s and 30s prior to starting a family of your own. People find this less and less in church and will not usually find it in their backstabbing workplace.
NotPC wrote:
Mikeh33 wrote:
How does one live like a heretic?
LOL yes learn the meaning of words before you try to use them.*
I think you mean "live like hermits"
* I guess you can always blame auto correct.
If you are living with 5 guys in Boulder or Flag you are not a hermit. A better word would be ascetic or maybe like a monk.
What a waste of valuable time wrote:
Count Jogula wrote:
I agree in principle that if that is what floats their boats, they should go for it. There is nothing "wrong" with living that lifestyle if you want to, as long as you're not somehow harming someone else or neglecting anybody, etc. However, I wonder how often such people end up regretting it later? (I'm talking mostly about the sub-sub-elites - guys who are still living like that at age 30 with a 10k PB of 30:30, or whatever). Eventually it ends, and they're stuck in mid-life without many useful skills, no connections except with the owner of some running shoe store, no money, and the task of explaining to potential employers what they've been doing all their adult lives. And all they got out of it was some mediocre PB's.
If they don’t regret they should.
Sir Roger Bannister showed how it should be done.
Another ridiculous value judgement. There is zero reason they should regret it inherently.
Count Jogula wrote:
I agree in principle that if that is what floats their boats, they should go for it. There is nothing "wrong" with living that lifestyle if you want to, as long as you're not somehow harming someone else or neglecting anybody, etc. However, I wonder how often such people end up regretting it later? (I'm talking mostly about the sub-sub-elites - guys who are still living like that at age 30 with a 10k PB of 30:30, or whatever). Eventually it ends, and they're stuck in mid-life without many useful skills, no connections except with the owner of some running shoe store, no money, and the task of explaining to potential employers what they've been doing all their adult lives.
If you chase the running dream, and get stuck in mid-life with no useful skills or connections, you probably fvcked up. Running takes 2-3 hrs/day maximum, leaving plenty of time for school, easily building up a coaching career that could comfortably earn you 20k-40k+ yearly, making connections, etc.
There is nothing with wrong with chasing sub 30' 10k for a decade post college, or even indefinitely if that's your thing and you don't mind working at a shoe store for life because that's your jam. More power to you. However, most runners chasing goals, mediocre or world class, usually have post running ambitions. Pursing these ambitions does not hurt your running during that time because again it only takes 2-3 hours a day for your training. If you sit around and just run, doing nothing else to get closer to your goals...then yea that's no good. I'm sure people that do that regret it, and they ultimately regret it because they were lazy and ignored the other goals at the expense of the fun (PR related) goal.
agc5k wrote:
The distance running "lifestyle" is very lazy. Sure you train hard, but you barely do anything the rest of the day. Last winter I was working 36-38 hours per week, going to school full-time, and still ran a consistent 65 mpw.
You can work full-time and still train well. Maybe you don't recover quite as well since you can't take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, but if you have an office job, you're off your feet so you should recover just fine. Just run before and/or after work. If you only have time to run singles, you can still run pretty solid mileage in singles.
Also this.
As long as you get a job off your feet and dedicate time to good sleep at night you can crush it, and easily get to very, very close of 100% of your potential that you might lose from not being able to nap and use normatech boots after every session.
Chasing the dream isn't wrong, and if it's worth the time to you, that's a good goal and I see no problems with it. The exception of course being if you have other goals or aspirations and totally ignore those being lazy outside of training hard.
How long do you have the ability to maximize your potential in running? About twenty years, and that's stretching it out to the upper distances, because most other world records were set by runners in their early to mid twenties.
How long do you have to maximize your potential in non-athletic pursuits? The rest of your life.
It's absolutely worth it to pursue the lifestyle if you have the right attitude. You could argue that most of our possible pursuits have a meaning only in so far as people think they have a meaning. What is better about being a financial analyst, feathering your own nest but with long tedious hours of lying that you somehow have an edge over the market?
Lol you are even dumber wrote:
NotPC wrote:
LOL yes learn the meaning of words before you try to use them.*
I think you mean "live like hermits"
* I guess you can always blame auto correct.
If you are living with 5 guys in Boulder or Flag you are not a hermit. A better word would be ascetic or maybe like a monk.
From a heretic to a hermit to a monk. It’s a viscous cycle for sure. Discus.
jamin wrote:
Everyone is chasing a lifestyle. That's something I discovered about human behavior when I became an adult. It's unfortunate that runners at the collegiate or club level dream of a lifestyle where they live in a house with 5 other dudes in some place like Boulder or Flagstaff and have no money and just train.
____________________________________---
You'd be wrong in forgetting that this is the USA and we have the FREEDOM to choose that lifestyle if we so desire.
However, that is coupled with the ability to FINANCE your runner's lifestyle. And a most important consideration of that is based on RESPONSIBILITY. Are you single or married with kids?
The running life should be lived with the idea of a timeline. Since our sport still revolves around the Olympic pursuit, that becomes a a 1,2,3, or 4 year time-table. Of course we have less than a year to go to Tokyo 2020 so anyone in that training/living mode should continue on to it's conclusion......
Now, at the end of that 2020 cycle a runner has to decide what he will do as a runner for the next year as well as condtinueing to next Olympic cycle (as in 2024)...... You are correct in that it is not smart to just live the runners lifestyle for an undetermined amount of years --- but the one year/four year cycle is based on common sense and is doable.
Serious life choices come into view at the end of each cycle... Do you want to run with the dedication required? Can you afford it? Would you rather be more invested in a career or start a family? Freedom coupled with smart choices is what being a runner in America after college is all about.
Mikeh33 wrote:
Lol you are even dumber wrote:
If you are living with 5 guys in Boulder or Flag you are not a hermit. A better word would be ascetic or maybe like a monk.
From a heretic to a hermit to a monk. It’s a viscous cycle for sure. Discus.
What is a viscous cycle? I would imagine it's very hard to run fast if someone is stuck in one.
Why is this thread full of "American Dream" and "Freedom" references ? You guys dont still believe that crap do you ?
I for one welcome the advance of AI and robots. At least then something in the US will be self aware.
Anyway, as someone mentioned earlier, its easy to run 100 miles a week with a full time job. Ron Hill paved the way. Just run your commute! (An hour run is more fun than an hour on the tube anyway). It really is the best of both worlds. We are lucky that our sport lends itself to that. Poor cyclists have to cycle 6 hours a day to get good. Runners can do it on 2.
Co-Flounder wrote:
In today's SJW perpetually offended world, if you are a white man and happy with your life, accepting of the gender you were born with and not worried about global climate change (which coincidentally replaced 1960s-1990s fear of global thermonuclear Armageddon) then you are a heretic for not embracing the New World Climate Change Fear Religion.
Obsessed much? Is there any topic that doesn't trigger you?
Tower Porklets wrote:
(An hour run is more fun than an hour on the tube anyway).
That's not what your mom/sister/gf/wife says!
jamin wrote:
Everyone is chasing a lifestyle. That's something I discovered about human behavior when I became an adult. It's unfortunate that runners at the collegiate or club level dream of a lifestyle where they live in a house with 5 other dudes in some place like Boulder or Flagstaff and have no money and just train.
Really important- they chose it, it's their choice.
Back in the 70's, when you can actually live off of a just above minimum wage pay grade, people would commend others for making the CHOICE to chase a dream.
jamin wrote:
Everyone is chasing a lifestyle. That's something I discovered about human behavior when I became an adult. It's unfortunate that runners at the collegiate or club level dream of a lifestyle where they live in a house with 5 other dudes in some place like Boulder or Flagstaff and have no money and just train.
I agree. I much prefer my new lifestyle. Commuting to work 1.5h each way and working 9 hours five days a week. I so look forward to the next 35 years.
Everyone has his/her dream. If you are fortunate enough to possess the talent to attempt to run for a living, than you should definitely go for it while you are young enough to do so. Otherwise, later in life, you may regret not giving it a shot. I ran professionally straight out of college, and although I wasn't always the fastest on the starting line, I did manage to eek out a living for 10+ years. While it was neither easy, nor glamourous, I had the peace of mind to know that I was fulfilling my dreams and my potential. Along the way, I continued my education and worked full time, realizing that my running career was not forever. I am now gainfully employed and enjoying my life, while still running every day for fitness. To each his/her own, I say, and do what YOU want to do, not what others think you should do.
diane.augustin wrote:
Everyone has his/her dream. If you are fortunate enough to possess the talent to attempt to run for a living, than you should definitely go for it while you are young enough to do so. Otherwise, later in life, you may regret not giving it a shot. I ran professionally straight out of college, and although I wasn't always the fastest on the starting line, I did manage to eek out a living for 10+ years. While it was neither easy, nor glamourous, I had the peace of mind to know that I was fulfilling my dreams and my potential. Along the way, I continued my education and worked full time, realizing that my running career was not forever. I am now gainfully employed and enjoying my life, while still running every day for fitness. To each his/her own, I say, and do what YOU want to do, not what others think you should do.
Thanks for sharing. Those were admirable choices you made. Best of luck in this and future endeavors.
diane.augustin wrote:
Everyone has his/her dream. If you are fortunate enough to possess the talent to attempt to run for a living, than you should definitely go for it while you are young enough to do so. Otherwise, later in life, you may regret not giving it a shot. I ran professionally straight out of college, and although I wasn't always the fastest on the starting line, I did manage to eek out a living for 10+ years. While it was neither easy, nor glamourous, I had the peace of mind to know that I was fulfilling my dreams and my potential. Along the way, I continued my education and worked full time, realizing that my running career was not forever. I am now gainfully employed and enjoying my life, while still running every day for fitness. To each his/her own, I say, and do what YOU want to do, not what others think you should do.
Thanks for sharing. It seems rare that people both run professionally and have a full time job. Nice to see that some folks still do it.
Ayn Ran wrote:
Nice man that's super insightful
Don't you ever speak to jamin like that