|
|
Post by ahutch on Oct 10, 2009 1:23:19 GMT -5
Can't believe no one commented on this yet...not that there's anything wrong with that concept, but what are you talking about??? Reid has said on his blog that he doesn't plan to run a marathon in the next 12 months, and will focus on the 10,000m in 2010. He plans to return to the marathon in 2011 and 2012. Obviously plans can change, though (as he demonstrated shortly before Ottawa this year!). As for criticisms of BCMP, there have been plenty on these boards, but I didn't see anything on this thread that merited comment. The original posts were wondering why more Canadian runners weren't taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the project. To guys of my era, who would have killed for such an opportunity, it's an intriguing question -- and I don't think we really know the answer. Certainly, there have been several different theories presented, so it seems like something that's worth discussing. After all, it's unlikely that our "solutions" to the problems of Canadian distance running will succeed if we don't even understand or agree on what the underlying problem is. |
|
|
|
Post by ahutch on Oct 10, 2009 1:36:13 GMT -5
And just one follow-up point, while I'm wasting time. A lot of people have assumed that the Brooks project was designed to throw resources at athletes to help them perform, with the idea that removing the stress of jobs and money would facilitate excellence. But actually, I don't believe that was their thinking. After all, Mike Dyon and his cohorts were all working full-time (heck, the Dyons were building a business empire!) while they were running their best.
In my conversations with Mike, what he emphasized was the role of the group training environment that he (and others) had in the 1980s. In founding the project, what he (and Hugh) were trying to do was to enable the formation of a strong group of runners pursuing similar goals. That, I think, is something many people on this thread agree is an important goal (hence the discussion of the old BC supergroup.) (And yes, I know oldster prefers to go solo!)
The question is, how do you go about forming a great group? Everybody WANTS to do that, but making it happen is another question. DST has obviously done a great job building one organically over the course of many years. But he's succeeding where many others have tried and failed. The Brooks project is trying to do basically the same thing, building around a proven coach with great resources, with a narrower focus dictated by the funder's personal interest.
It is having some great success, as the teams for World Cup marathon and the World Half this weekend demonstrate. But, although we're not privy to its internal workings, it does seem surprising that there aren't, say, 10 athletes in the group now -- since group training was the goal. As Matt originally pointed out, this suggests that, despite all the whining by athletes like myself over the years, the relative shortage of athletes committing their 20s to serious distance running isn't simply due to the fact that they can't pay rent by doing so. And that's a somewhat surprising point.
|
|
|
|
Post by SI on Oct 10, 2009 9:20:54 GMT -5
The question is, how do you go about forming a great group? If there are enough people interested in doing some hard work, the groups form naturally. I don't think the existence of groups will create the individuals out of thin air. We had a "group" in Brantford but didn't realize until later that was what we had so we all joined the BTFC. Hell, remnants still crawl through a few miles every Sat morning. And aren't there already lots of groups in Canada? RR groups? There is a large one in Paris near Brantford. That is where the demand lies. |
|
|
|
Post by Steve Weiler on Oct 10, 2009 14:15:54 GMT -5
Can't believe no one commented on this yet...not that there's anything wrong with that concept, but what are you talking about??? Reid has said on his blog that he doesn't plan to run a marathon in the next 12 months, and will focus on the 10,000m in 2010. He plans to return to the marathon in 2011 and 2012. Obviously plans can change, though (as he demonstrated shortly before Ottawa this year!). Ok, that makes perfect sense then - my error. 2011 and 2012 could be very exciting for this event! |
|
|
|
Post by SI on Oct 10, 2009 15:02:45 GMT -5
The fact that he says that he won't run one for 12 months certainly doesn't mean(to me) that he is doing anything different at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by journeyman on Oct 11, 2009 15:11:24 GMT -5
the relative shortage of athletes committing their 20s to serious distance running isn't simply due to the fact that they can't pay rent by doing so. And that's a somewhat surprising point. It's only surprising if you subscribe to the throw money at it school of problem solving. How about, it's hard? Even people who love the sport, and are well-supported (not only financially, but emotionally as well) have moments where they question what they are doing. Because it is hard. Why were there seemingly more people willing to do it in the past than in the present? That is the million dollar question (or the 2h10min08sec question if you prefer). |
|
