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Are you inspired by Alex Vero's ambitions, or slightly insulted?
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Plus the “I’m not being nasty but….” comment. If you actually read his website its quite obvious that his training target of 130 miles is for London the following year.
I also don’t honestly think the guy has much chance of succeeding. But then reading his website – neither really does he. Great that he’s trying though. And its nice to see some good runners like URR actually are interested even if sceptical. Just what are the rest of you guys so scared of???
I hope he continues his experiment a bit longer as I would like to understand what sacrifices he wants to make and how the mind responds to that. How far would he be willing to go?
"On the subject of why his claims inspired a cynical response from so many runners, I don't think the asking for money or film project is the problem.
What rubbed many of us the wrong way is Alex's suggestion that his force of will is so much stronger than other runners' that he might be able to overcome the normal parameters for improvement.
He admits to lacking huge genetic gifts, so he's basically saying that because he is more dedicated, smarter, or better able to figure out how to train for distance running than the rest of us, he will surpass the normal progression that other runners labor through to reach an elite (or near-elite) performance standard."
The bit about "he thinks he's better than the rest of us" I think is a bit of an inference? I've obviously never met him and I eat my word if he's an arrogant cocky git, but I see no evidence from his website about any unpleasant sense of superiority.
He should have been at peak mileage in March but he was averaging 60 - 70 miles per week. That's not that many more than I'll be hitting at my peak and I'm looking to come in at 3:30!
I'm all for ambition and I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who can cover that kind of distance at that kind of speed. However if you are going to make grandiose claims then you need to put in the work to make them happen. From his training log he hasn't and that shows in his string of missed targets in more recent races.
What people are objecting to is his disrespect for the efforts of other athletes who have ploughed the same furrow and know that it isn't just a matter of putting in two years' hard effort to make the UK Olympic team.
I've watched quite a few of the video clips on his website and it's all just self-promotional stuff showing Hero Vero running majestically along deserted beaches (mmm. where have I seen that before??) through inspiring scenery, rousing music etc.
Well, that's what we all think - whatever our ability level. But when its gone near the end no amount of "doggedness" brings it back.
Pug
The progress he has made in a short period of time is still impressive even if he fails.
I reckon he's doing incredibly well, considering where he was 12 months ago!!! Agreed
Gobi
I don't feel any need to be venomousMe neither
Reflecting on the documentary aspect of this and having watched those slightly vomit-inducing videos on his website, I think the lack of objectivity is part of the problem. Watching those and then thinking back to the BBC "Run for glory" series last year, makes me realise that Vero is wanting to make a film about himself running for glory. What his approach lacks (only on the evidence of his website admittedly) is showing us the sweat and tears and failures along the way.
Frankly, I found the "Run for glory" series and the athletes featured much more inspiring than Vero's efforts, even if their goals were less ambitious.
It would make a much better documentary if someone else made it, edited it and narrated it and if there were other athletes featured, perhaps some more experienced Olympic hopefuls. We could then see which approaches worked best, whether you needed to be a good runner already, whether it takes at least seven years to reach your potential, as some suggest, or whether it just takes a couple of years of dogged determination.
Anybody got any contacts in the BBC? That would make a good pitch I'm sure, and with much broader appeal than the self-censored, self-promotion that Vero is offering.
I agree that that would make for a really intresting documentary and I hope the BBC or someone else will do something like that.
I also think the Vero's documentary would also be intresting to watch. I think the main intrest in Vero's documentary is that he's gone from your average joe public running ability to a near elite level of running in a short period of time. I think this is the main intrest for most people not if he will make beijing or not.
you lot sound like a bunch of jealous schoolkids, stand up and applaud people who conquer things, not squash them cos you cant acheive them yourselves
I suspect that the cynics or sceptics on here are more likely to have run faster marathons than Vero. Including me.
I'm in front of him until he goes sub 2.50 JG :¬) and even at my age I think I can go faster.
* hands Gobi a walking stick*
Not neccisarily people who make a big noise about going to conquer things and then, erm, well, kind of don't really.
Not everyone on here has been criticising him.
I've also met Alex (went for a run with him & Gobi) and then & now I wish him all the luck in the world, although I've always thought that, although possible, his immediate targets were just too ambitious - and it appears that Alex has now accepted that, which should actually help his progress through the summer (ie train at the level you are now, not what you want to be).
I'm lucky enough to be training with a guy who's already run sub 2:15 twice which, following a long period of injury, he feels is the only pb he can still achieve (it's a lower standard than his shorter distance results) - he's also looking at running a marathon in spring 2008. The kind of talent that this guy has means that he can take the best part of a year off injured, run for a few weeks and beat 32 minutes for a hilly 10km. A little demoralising for us mortals, but I'd love Alex to prove my suspicions wrong and show that there is hope for the normal man who is prepared to train hard.
Until then my thoughts are that a mid 2:2x is possible for those in their 20's - 30's who can maintain a high (100+ mpw) level of consistant, sensible & focussed training for several years. To go below that, you better hope that you've picked the right parents, or maybe have a access to a naughty(?) pharmacist ;-)
I haven't seen any mention of his endurance history in the various threads. I see from his website that he finished 68th out of 800-odd in the 2005 Marathon Des Sables; a 152 mile desert race over 7 days. OK - this is like chalk and cheese compared to sub elite (or even elite) marathon running, but it's not like he started running yesterday. He must have several years' worth of endurance running in his legs by now...?
Those people who support him, applaud the fact that he's giving it his best efforts. Don't they realise that there's a lot of very dedicated and commited people doing just that, who having a realistic understanding of their capabilities and responsiveness to training, recognise that that they won't achieve a 2:15 marathon. Doesn't stop them giving their best, and probably just as good as Alex's, efforts.
We live in a world of reality shows featuring sad, pathetic wannabees who seem to think that a lack of talent can be compensated for by an overpowing desire to succeed. That's a myth and it certainly isn't the case for marathon running. Alex has stated that will power and determination will get him through the last six miles of the distance. That's self delusion on a grand scale, and if there's one thing that pisses me off its self delusion!!
There seems to me to be an incredible naivity and understanding of what it takes to run this fast (2:15). 70-75min HM/2:30 Marathon is doable, but it's one enormous jump from that to 2:15.
Irespective of what I think about Alex's motivation or commitment, he can't do it in two years - he's deluding himself and misleading the rest of us. It's that I can't forgive.
Surely he is only misleading those that choose to believe the hype over the results.
Self delusion (if thats what it is) is not an art that he is alone in practicing either - all those of us that have ever had a goal and not reached it could be accused of having been delusional, because our result "proved" we couldn't do it.
Reading back, a comment from the front page of this thread saying that he has inspired me to train better because he is now faster than me (Gobi I think) really hits the nail on the head about what the majority of us might usefully take from the whole experience.
Lets face it - it makes no difference to me who is on the Olympic Marathon squad for 2008, but if some bloke that was 5st heavier than me, and considerably slower than me 12 months ago runs 15 -20 minutes faster than me at a marathon this year, then what can I learn from his training and his attitude - that makes me sit up and really take notice - does it not you?