How many miles do you run a week ? - Page 4 - Clubhouse

30/10/2012 at 19:50

TimR wrote (see)

. If we all could run 160miles, there would be no elites.

Sorry, but that's utter nonsense. Something called "talent" limits you, it's not just about hard work.

Check out the sub 3 hour thread on this very forum. Couple of guys on there do 120miles a week. That's elite training (who does 160 exactly? I'd guess noone), yet they're nowhere near the true elites. 30mins for 10k, versus 26/27s for the best in the world.

cougie

pirate

30/10/2012 at 20:04

Stevie - have you read Bounce by Mathew Syed ? He'd argue that it's not talent. Do anything enough and you can get to be world class.

Stevie G .

30/10/2012 at 20:14

I'd say the guy is bonkers. You have to have talent to be the best in the world. Yes you need loads of other ingredients, but you can't get there without the talent.

TimR

30/10/2012 at 23:11

Are you saying sub 35min 10k is not elite?

I'm 43, I'm never going to run sub 35mins because I don't really want to. I could if I gave up everything in my life and just ran all the time but it's easier for me to make excuses for why I can't run 160miles a week.

Really this thread has gone a bit bonkers. Possibly there are more important things in life than running.

andy the deestrider

30/10/2012 at 23:14

TimR- someone who lives with there parents has no idea you say, load of bollox in my opinion. I cant recall ever not thanking my parents for not cooking any meal, or not thanking them for washing stuff, or any other boring but essential day to day task which helps me run that bit more. Yes there probably are people out there who are half soaked kids. I do not wish to be tarnished with that brush.
Sorry if I come across as irritated but your comment is a tad on the stereotypical side for my liking. I realise, appreciate and aknowledge the sacrifices my parents make every day thankyou very much.

stevie g I hate to say it but I agree that being gifted is a small part of a very big puzzle.

HeOw

30/10/2012 at 23:28

I run between 10 and 55 miles a week. I have ran 2150 miles this year so far. 55 miles when I was at peak of my marathon training. It takes a very strong individual to constantly be able to train week in week out at high mileage. I currently have a cold, can't run. 2 weeks ago, I had sickness bug, couldn't run. I fit it in when I can. I have 3 young children and I am a woman. I am just grateful I have legs and my kids can see they have a fit mother who doesn't smoke fags all day whilst joining dodgy Facebook groups.

HeOw

30/10/2012 at 23:30

Oh and I have elite talent, I just chose to not unleash it... When I reach dizzy heights of a sub 45 min 10k, that'll do me.

HeOw

30/10/2012 at 23:36

Andy, come on, we know your Mum still bathes you...

TimR

30/10/2012 at 23:53

Andy, you confuse me. Very early in the thread you said that people make excuses not to run and anyone can run those distances just by making practical adjustments to their lives. All I've done is pointed out that being a parent is not just an excuse and there are very few simple practical adjustments we can make to our lives.

Imagine if your parents decided that they wanted to run 160miles a week. You would suffer then.

As I say there's a lot of nonsense being spouted here. Someone will tell me next that I chose to be a parent and not a runner. In which case I'm obviously not one of the 'anyone' or 'everyone' mentioned earlier. It's a ridiculous circular argument.

Runnin man

31/10/2012 at 00:24

Talent will initially get you far, and will give an advantage, but hard work will always get you further, whether it is work or play.

andy the deestrider

31/10/2012 at 00:38

TimR- your right I did say that people make excuses not to run but I suppose I should've also added that this comment was directed at people who who ask us runners how to get good but will then sit and watch tv for 3hours a day in the evening. That was the sort of excuse I was refering to.

But alot of people could make the difference by choosing to exercise rather than go to the pub or whatever to waste away there life.

Fair comment about if my parents decided to run 160 a week but in that case I would just do things myself between runs obviously and get on with it. I understand obviously that this scenario is hypothetical so am not taking it literally but if that was the case I think the housework would just have to be shared, that's not exactly a hardship. I know one lad who couldn't use an iron an doesn't know what a can out polish does.thats mothering.

Chimpster

31/10/2012 at 00:39

As I remember Mathew Syed's book he largely based his claims on skill based activities (i.e. playing music, games, maths tricks etc.). I think he still accepted that there was still a physical limitation to how well anyone could preform.

I would argue the physical: skill ratio is larger for running than for a game, so genetics plays a greater part. Of course the more you run the more efficient a runner you will become but there is a limit. Not everyone has with the perfect muscle and bone development nor the best genetic variants of metabolic enzymes, etc.

I think most people know others who quickly become impressive runners off little training and others who work their butts off for little gains. It's near on impossible to say what one person can achieve. You can make as many excuses and explanations as you want but as there are so many factors to making the perfect runner the only way to find out for sure is for that person to try.

Edited: 31/10/2012 at 00:41

TimR

31/10/2012 at 00:58

Andy, you're still looking at it from your point of view. If your parents decided to run 160miles a week, and you were 8 years old, you wouldn't be ironing, cooking or doing very much sharing of chores. Lol.

As you say it's all hypothetical and people are taking comments too literally.

160miles is elite runners territory, if you are or want to be elite that's what you have to do and for most people it's just not practical.

RicF

31/10/2012 at 07:06

The elite v the rest, and its relationship to mileage has; I've noticed, thrown up some interesting attitudes. I once ran 100 miles in a week; I've only done this three times so not a habit, a comment I received at the time was, "why are doing that for? you're not an elite!". So the implication here was that being an elite somehow qualifies you to run high mileages. My response was to suggest that running high mileages might make you an elite. The reply was that elites are born etc, to which I said that if the elites were so good why do they need to run so much, is it a means to be good or a punishment for being talented? This chat can go around in circles, but eventually it came down to whether or not its worth putting in all the extra effort. My gut feeling is that training/living like an elite but getting barely up to 80% WAVA is a waste of time. Of course, there's also the slight outside chance that the individual might just like running loads of miles.

andy the deestrider

31/10/2012 at 07:40

Chimpster- fair enough if its based on more skill based activities like music, racket sports ect.

RicF thats an interesting idea you have there about how peoples attitudes have implied that unless your elite your not needing to run high mileage.
For me its not so mucb needing to run high miles its that I want to run that mileage. I dont think anyone would manage the mileave they do if they didn't want to run.

TimR- yes I agree totally there with your first paragraph "....if you were 8yrs old" ect. yes it would be very different if a child is really to young to do stuff for them selfs, although I have in the past qiuetly qeustioned how good a parent can elite runners be. As clearly people in this thread have kept some perspective on the fact that they cant just neglect kids for benefit of running. I like the fact people are just trying to do the best they can with there circumstances.

I was just really showing my frustration at the people who are in a situation where they could do something but dont even though its only them who come up witb excuses. you must of met the story of person I mean who says "i'd love to run but then comes up with the lamest excuse possible (ooooh I'll miss coronation street or something daft. I don't mind if someones taking there kits to some other club or something its just a bit irritating when people are looking for the easy shortcut to fitness.

andy the deestrider

31/10/2012 at 07:51

Tim R- another factor about the whole "if your parents decided to run 160mpw....." Some people seem to need nursing for far to long w whereas some young people prefer to actually learn how to do things themselves.

I knew a lad who stil has his work lunch made by his mum at 20yrs of age. He also gets driven to and from work as well by his mum and a load of other things so you know that sort of person I'm on about. I was 2mile to school as soon as I was aloud and made me own dinner as soon as I could because I never wanted to be a chore in itself. some parents dont half moddy coddle there kids through life only for the kids to be to soft to cope, ridiculous really. Gotta be cruel to be kind sometimes.

andy the deestrider

31/10/2012 at 07:54

Sorry about the garbage spelling aswell.

PhilPub

31/10/2012 at 09:55

TimR wrote (see)

Are you saying sub 35min 10k is not elite?

Nowhere near. (At least) 1,567 men in the UK ran under 35 mins last year. Maybe we're talking semantics because I'm not gonna say that such-and-such a time does constitute elite, but the point still stands about whether it's worth making certain sacrifices in order to reach a certain level. If you enjoy running 160 miles a week, fill your boots, but if you're sacrificing things like family life or your job just to try and run under 35 mins for 10k, you're a bit of a mug. Any prize money you can pick up from cherry-picking minor races won't even cover your entrance fees and transports costs to get there! To become an elite, on the other hand...

On a side note, surely Mo Farah is good example for aspiring young elite-wannabes. Wife and kids (OK, he lives apart from them for certain training periods, so there are sacrifices on both sides...) and when asked what it takes to get to the top, the words "hard graft" are normally in there. IMO he's genetically advantaged to be running fast in the first place and to be injury resistant enough to cope with the training, but he still needs to put the graft in.

andy the deestrider

31/10/2012 at 10:04

He I'm with philpub there, 35mins is good but nothing amazing really when you think how many people have done that time, its not really any big deal.

HeOw

31/10/2012 at 10:21

The Ghost Runner story was one that got me. The guy let running take over his life. Lost his wife, family. There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. A young man like Andy can do this. However, Andy, if you had wife, 3 children and a full time job, you would increasingly find it nigh on impossible. So do it while you can! You don't have to apologise to anyone. Your life, your choice. Your parents support your decision and you are grateful to them. You can be a bit more selfish in your twenties, Loads of time ahead to have to think about other people. Your parents will know this, hence why they will support you. I would for my children.