| Location: AL,USA Member Since: Jun 14, 2008 Gender: Male Goal Type: Other Running Accomplishments: I've finished a couple of races here and there... Short-Term Running Goals: Maybe one day I'll be enough of a runner to run a race. maybe not...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 32.00 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 43.00 |
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A friend of mine emailed me this question the other day, and when I
got done with my reply, I had written far more than I intended. I know
it's a topic that has been tossed around in various forms time and time
again, but I figured I'd put it out there for others to mull over.
The question is that of talent. If you are so inclined, take a look at the
original question and response and chime in with your own thoughts...
**************************************************
Sent: 6/20/2013 22:43
To: John Nevels
Subject: Question.
How much of
running is talent. I hear this word thrown around. How much "talent" is
there in placing one foot in front of the other? How much of it is
training and dedication. "consistency is key," right? How much of
running (from the 5k and on up to ultras) is really dependent on
"talent". Just curious. What is stopping me from being a sub 2:30
marathoner besides an extra 150 lbs and Bruce Denton? Feel free to ask
around haha....
**************************************************
From: John Nevels <jrn47again@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jun 22, 2013 at 4:57 PM
Subject: Re: Question.
Generally, by and large, "talent" is a copout word used by people who don't want to put in the work.
That said, there are definitely some anatomical and
physiological advantages to be had when it comes to running, some of
which are determined by genetics, and some by environmental factors
outside of your control.
To be sure, and I can't emphasize this enough, 85-90% of
running aptitude and success is up to the runner and can be affected by
your aforementioned habits of training, dedication, consistency, etc.
It's that 10-15% that makes amazing running feats possible and separates
the Olympians of today from the rest of us. I fully believe that, if I
trained like Galen Rupp, I could push my 5k down from my current PR
(16:36) to around 14:30-15:00, maybe even faster; I just don't know.
However, I fully believe that just the right ratio of dimensions of legs
and body, just the right functionality of lungs, just the right
muscular response to training and baseline vascularity (all genetic
predispositions that cannot be altered through training), coupled with
just the right environment growing up, like, say, spending the first 18
years of life living at 7000 feet (environmental factor out of runner's
control), that amazing things are possible. With an influx of interest,
money, and attention to running (like what Rupp, Ritz, Webb, etc. have
gotten), then such phenoms that have all the right puzzle pieces will be
found. Also, when an aptitude is seen as a way out of poverty and
desolation, such as what the Kenyans have found, incentive will be
present as well. They've all got just a tiny percentage better
functionality in a very small subset of their anatomy and physiology,
that, when multiplied by 1000 steps or 1000 heartbeats or 1000 breaths
can actually add up to something.
That said, I think that the farther you go, the more
training takes precedent over "talent." An aptitude to be in the
Olympic 100m dash is determined at birth, and the rest of us just have
to suck it. I'll never be able to do what Usain Bolt does, and I
couldn't even come close, regardless of how much I tried. On the other
hand, I fully believe I could be in the same ballpark and competitive
with, say, Anton, if I were willing to put in the work he has. I'm not,
and most people aren't. Obviously, Bolt and Anton are the extreme ends
of the spectrum, and I think there is a full continuum of training vs
talent in between, but I really think that the vast, vast majority of it
all is training.
As some anecdotal evidence, I weighed the same at age 11
as I did at age 20 (a rather substantial height difference, though).
For being over 6 feet tall, I've got relatively short legs, and I'll
never be as lean as the Kenyans. I started as the slowest person on my
XC team (like, girls and all) and have finished DFL more than once. My
freshman year, my 5k's started around 27 minutes (which was much faster
than when I was in middle school, when I was thrilled beyond measure to
hit a 28:xx, and the slowest 5k I remember being a 45 as a kid). I
would have been a prime candidate to play the "no talent" card and give
up. With this as a background, it almost personally offends me when
people claim no talent, and it DOES personally offend me when most
people tell me that they would love to do the running I do, but that I'm
clearly far more talented than they are, so they're not going to beat
me; I've put in too much work to attribute this to a simple natural
gift. I worked my butt off over the rest of high school to end up with a
high school PR of 16:57 and be on the still-standing school record
4x800m team, then keep on going to do this ultra nonsense. I understand
that a 400-pounder is probably not going to beat me in a 5k, but a
large part of this is due to previous choices that have lead to the
current condition, as well as the mental state that is generally present
in such instances. I understand that some people have huge frames and
don't respond as well to training, but this discrepancy in purely
natural aptitude gets smaller as the distances get larger. As a point
of note, I should probably state the fact that I'm NOT a fast
ultrarunner; based on relative results, I'm a far better 5k-er and
10k-er than ultrarunner; the simple fact that I've finished certain
events and distances (read: been willing to complete) makes some people
*think* I'm a good ultrarunner.
Talent in the (distance) running world is
USUALLY used the same way that luck is used in the rest of life. A
copout. People don't want to recognize that they can do these things,
run these times, cover these distances, accomplish these cool feats,
because once they recognize the capability, it's entirely on them. They
can't blame it on talent or parents or luck. They have to own up that
they aren't willing to put in the work. I take full responsibility for
not being like Anton or Meltzer or Roes. I think most people would
rather blame their knees.
All that said, running, like you said, is a simple act.
One foot in front of the other; how bad could it be? The paradox is
part of the beauty of the challenge. It's something so simple, but so
difficult.
Dang... I didn't mean to write a dissertation or a sermon
there. My bad.... (...it was at this point that I realized I shouldda
just said, 'yeah'...)
| | Comments(2) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| The first few miles had gone as
well as could be expected for a Tuesday afternoon this time of year. A
mile or so had been spent shaking out the cobwebs that had developed
through another day at work, and the Southern humidity had been true to
form having all those daring to be out of doors wringing wet within a
very few minutes.
Left foot, right foot....
No surprises
to be found on the course that so many know so well. Up the first
little rise, dance through the first series of rocks, make the next
turn... Even the consistently ordered series of smells found along the
course, ranging from the cut grass of the adjacent golf course to the
sun-baked organics of the nearby landfill, came and went in predictable
fashion.
Left foot, right foot...
Just another run on another steamy day, until, of course, the horsefly made its presence known....
Coming
through the last little bit of the course, the buzzing of flies seemed a
bit more cacophonous than usual. At first, this did little more than
create a brief note in the already stalling internal monologue.
Soon
enough, however, the quick back of the arm sting of one of Creation's
miserable creatures snapped me out of my near stupor back into the
reality of the present. A quick swat easily dislodged the beast, which
proceeded to harass me until I had vacated his territory, which extended
far beyond what one would expect for such an animal. He returned to
his guard post by the bush should I have the audacity to return...
As
everyone knows, a horsefly bite isn't life-altering; it's not even
really noteworthy most of the time; it's more of just a general
annoyance.
But to a runner falling victim to the doldrums of the
routine, a horsefly can be an ironic source of enlivenment. For the
next 8 or 9 miles, I was awake, present, in the moment. The thought of
the horsefly had vanished within minutes, but the effect was
long-lasting. It was quite refreshing to be back engaged in the
activity.
In a seemingly odd way, this annoyance of nature had
reminded me of the joy inherent in running. It can be so monotonous at
times, but the occasional jolt of sensation can remind us of the wonders
around us and bring us back to experiencing the run of the moment
rather than the mental tire-spinning of a so-called "boring" run.
I just hope I can remember this without finding any more horseflies...
| | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| easy does it... | | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| a bit warmish out.... | | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| ...and humid, too... | | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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"The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it." - Al Batt ...oh yeah, and there's this today: http://www.ultralive.net/ws100/webcast.php
| | Add Comment |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 32.00 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 43.00 |
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