Learned that lesson the hard way. It puts in doubt the entire slimming industry and Government advice about eating less and 'doing more aerobics'. I found I was getting weaker and weaker and fat was clearly being reduced at the cost of muscle mass. Muscle mass is far more difficult to replace than fat is to lose. Obesity clearly isn't good, but muscle loss is worse. I can't believe how much better I look and feel after 4 months of lifting and wish I had never ever attempted weight loss.
This is a statement that can only be conceived by a person who has never run fast and never done training that would support running fast. He is indicating to us that he has been afflicted by the most poisonous mindset common to adult endurance athletes who come to sport later in life having skipped competing in team sports as a youth. The finisher mindset tells these people that the goal of a race is to finish. His version or "smashing the shorter distances" has no component of running shorter distances well. He is only concerned with running the shorter distances without quitting, not a very impressive goal. Once you've finished your 5k you then finish a 10k, half marathon, and then marathon, then Iron Man. Finishing is the goal and once you've finished one distance up you have the authority to look down on people participating in anything shorter than your preferred distance. Never mind that you are talking to someone who has run a 5k in sub 5 minute miles, a pace you've never even sniffed. The "finisher" can confidently tell a faster runner that they don't do 5ks because they wouldn't even be warmed up at the end, or that they are surprised that the faster runner doesn't do marathons because "I thought you were a serious runner?" For those of you who haven't spent time around adult recreational runners, you will have to trust me. This twisted mindset is common and unshakeable. They missed their opportunity to understand effort, hardship, and a desire to improve when they skipped out on participating as a competitor earlier in life. The damage is permanent and they cannot be reasoned with.
Not really, the really fast guys all do crazy mileages, mostly pretty easy. Someone's mileage actually often matches up more with how fast they are than how far they run, e.g. a top 10k runner does way more than someone who just wants to finish a marathon. So in terms of running, he's mostly right. While some faster stuff is needed, it's not a very big part of training.
My only quibble with your statement is the phrase "pretty easily". A top 10k competitor is going to put in high mileage. A lot of those miles will be "easy" or "junk" miles. But easy and junk are relative terms to that person's ability. I've spent enough time around recreational runners to encounter plenty of people who don't know how to run hard or fast and use their long runs as badges of honor even though they run 18 miles at damn near the same pace they run 6 miles. I wasn't trying to argue the validity of programming methods for competitive runners. I was identifying a finisher based mindset that is highly prevalent in the recreational ranks.
I imagine that the feedback loop that creates these logic defying claims about how great running is really stem from never doing anything truly difficult, but instead confusing doing a lot of easy things without getting winded with being able to do the hard things that they never actually try.
I may have told this story on the boards before, but I had a friend who was going to work in Boston on the day of the marathon, somehow came across another mutual friend who was running it, and then decided on a whim to run it with him. They both finished.
He wasn't a runner. He lifted and did some hiking or skiing maybe every other weekend or so. He was also in his 40s.
This was interesting.
I was thinking about all the cars around town with the 26.2 stickers. These, of course mean absolutely nothing other than the implied “I finished”, which in turn, means next to nothing without the time to complete.
By comparison a 200lb press, and its silly sticker, means precisely that.
There are allot of runners (joggers, walkers) that finish well after 5 plus hours. Most of it walking. Heck for my very first marathon, my friend at work coached me quite a bit and told me just to hang on to my pace for the race. He then said its not really a race at least not for me. Just finish and enjoy. (confusing I know)
I finished well at 4:24 (basically kept 10 minute miles for all 26 miles) but being my first marathon I was happy just finishing it. Matter of fact every race after that I would always try to get faster but really in the end I just wanted to finish without death or injury.
That said, my first ever 405 squat was a 405 squat. As Henry Rollins said:"Friends come and go but 200 lb is always 200 lbs" Interestingly this is something I never thought about until your post Barry.
Awesome point of fact by the way: I had a colonoscopy today and my nurse asked me if I was a corrections officer, cop or a firefighter? I asked why do you ask that? She said its because I look pretty big and strong . . . . .I kid you not!!!
I said nope I am just a middle age guy that tries to do strength training and some climbing. That's something she would not have asked me years ago as a skinny fat runner. I don't need a sticker for running or lifting. My body is my sticker now. F n A!!!!
Sparky