So what are you?

--amadeus--

It was said recently on here that ultra running is a minority within a minority. But there seems to be a lot of them on here, likewise with mountain runners. Now obviously there will be cross over between events for people - I do 10ks but I consider myself a marathon runner, that's my main event. But I'm curious how you all classify yourselves?

And a secondary question, do you think that we are representative of Irish runners in general?

Woddle

I now class myself as an everything, the only thing I will never try though is an ultra, it just doesn't appeal to me.
I also reckon after this years marathon, I will try my luck at the shorter stuff 800/1500m.

Running Bing

Track (long distance)

Its funny I got bitten by the marathon bug last October and all I could think about was improving my marathon time. So I got the bright idea to focus on some shorter distances to help with that and now Im hooked on those:D


Tbh I feel I will be focusing on the 800/1500m for a long time now as I really love those events. I think eventually I will get back to the marathons but I think that wont be fore quite a while.

rovers_runner

I'd also be a jack of all trades.
5k -> Marathon and now mountain running too.
Don't think I'll go for an Ultra as marathon has the appeal as the ultimate distance for me, where else would you be so specific about .2 of a mile

hunnymonster

Mountain Running

Woddle wrote: »

I now class myself as an everything, the only thing I will never try though is an ultra, it just doesn't appeal to me.
I also reckon after this years marathon, I will try my luck at the shorter stuff 800/1500m.

I remember saying that, then Ray O'Connor and Zuppylurk got in the way and now I can't choose an option in Amadeus' poll :-)

thirtyfoot

Track (Middle distance)

This may help people decide what they are (from a thread here a while back)

Sprinters - lazy prima donnas
Jumpers - eccentric prima donnas
Hurdlers - unsuccessfull lazy prima donna sprinters
Middle Distance - least offensive of the muckers
Throwers - are only throwers so that they can still eat, drink, smoke as much as they want and still be considered a serious athlete.
Cross-country - lowest level of the species, pure muckers
Mini-marathoners - like a plague of locusts sucking the life out of the marathon dream
Marathoners - freaks. No other word, who else would put vaseline on their nipples.
Ultra runners - unsuccessfull freaks, too slow to do a real marathon.
Triathletes - gadget and gizmo loving clowns.

cfitz

Triathlete

I think this board is representative, in that road-runners are the most common in Ireland and they're the most common here. I wouldn't have thought so many people were training for marathons, so marathon runners are probably over-represented here. There aren't many sprinters here but then again, once you get out of the junior grades there aren't many sprinters - it seems to be quite elite in comparison to distance running.

osnola ibax

I'm a vas on the nip guy meself, never thought that vasing up the oul nippelinos would become a routine way of life before January this year

aburke

Road Race (10k)

If ever a poll needed a multi choice option...
I could tick over half those boxes.
We need PR [with STV] to get it right...

robinph

Road Race (1/2 mara)

Need multiple choice poll really.

Mostly do road between 5m - 1/2, but like XC as well. Occasionally doing slightly shorter and slightly longer, wouldn't do sprints or anything further than a marathon though.

shels4ever

Triathlete

Depends on the time of year,

cfitz

Triathlete

Come on people, he said 'What's your speciality?'! Even the top middle distance guys run track, road, and cross-country but surely most of you know which is your favourite/best/most important event?

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

I think you can do multiple choice polls but I wanted people to pick a specific distance as thier preferred option.

There are loads of threads on marathons and more and more on tri's and I was curious if that reflected peoples race distances or if the slippery nipple folk were just noisier!

Stupid_Private

Road Race (1/2 mara)

I don't think you need multiple choices for a 'what do you specialise in?' question. I may take part on road, track, and cross country depending on the time of year I sure as hell don't specialise in track or XC - they're a means to an end. Grouping the road races may have been an option. I'd "specialise" in or around 5k and 10k, but not wholly sure which. Good question though.

Stupid_Private

Road Race (1/2 mara)

cfitz wrote: »

Come on people, he said 'What's your speciality?'! Even the top middle distance guys run track, road, and cross-country but surely most of you know which is your favourite/best/most important event?

Stop beating me to the punch today... this is the second thread in minutes!! *shakes fist*

TheRoadRunner

I specialise in whatever distance I target as my next major race. Is usually 5k,1-k, half mara or mara

donothoponpop

Cross country

Why is Mountain Running being discriminated against by being the only option in italics? Yet again we are the poor men of athletics, confined by the angular typeface of otherness. I'm considering lobbying for votes elsewhere, in order to "cook the results", but that would be coming down to your level...

robinph

Road Race (1/2 mara)

donothoponpop wrote: »

Why is Mountain Running being discriminated against by being the only option in italics? Yet again we are the poor men of athletics, confined by the angular typeface of otherness. I'm considering lobbying for votes elsewhere, in order to "cook the results", but that would be coming down to your level...

The italics will be the option that you selected.

donothoponpop

Cross country

robinph wrote: »

The italics will be the option that you selected.

D'oh!

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

donothoponpop wrote: »

Why is Mountain Running being discriminated against by being the only option in italics? Yet again we are the poor men of athletics, confined by the angular typeface of otherness. I'm considering lobbying for votes elsewhere, in order to "cook the results", but that would be coming down to your level...

robinph wrote: »

The italics will be the option that you selected.

I admit it, I sniggered! Too much time at altitude with only sheep for comapny will do that to you you know...

donothoponpop

Cross country

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I admit it, I sniggered! Too much time at altitude with only sheep for comapny will do that to you you know...

I knew I was attempting too much human interaction lately. I'm suitably red faced right now.

I'll run 10x400 on the flat later, for my punishment:)

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

I know it's early days yet but I'm quite surprised by the votes so far - more sprinters than marathon runners (we almost never have sprint threads) and more triathletes than anything...

tagoona

Other

But you didn't split triathletes into sprint, olympic, half ironman and ironman.
A shameful neglect of our sport I feel

Woddle

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I know it's early days yet but I'm quite surprised by the votes so far - more sprinters than marathon runners (we almost never have sprint threads) and more triathletes than anything...

I think you gave too many options, maybe sprint, middle,long,ultra,xc,tri and mountain and maybe even throws and jumps

rainbow kirby

At this point, I honestly don't know! I've only done short distance road races so far (5k/5 mile/10k), but I'm training for my first half at the moment. Ask me next year and I might have a better answer...

RoyMcC

Marathons

Well I've voted. But a pity that jumpers, throwers, coaches, technical officials etc, all of whom are part of the athletics family, seem to be lumped under the 'other' category :mad: I suppose it reflects accurately the participation levels though

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

tagoona wrote: »

But you didn't split triathletes into sprint, olympic, half ironman and ironman.
A shameful neglect of our sport I feel

Woddle wrote: »

I think you gave too many options, maybe sprint, middle,long,ultra,xc,tri and mountain and maybe even throws and jumps

RoyMcC wrote: »

Well I've voted. But a pity that jumpers, throwers, coaches, technical officials etc, all of whom are part of the athletics family, seem to be lumped under the 'other' category :mad: I suppose it reflects accurately the participation levels though

All good points (well maybe apart from teh triathletes, just put them all in a big box by themselves and some bike catalogues and they're happy )

But I was trying to get a handle on teh forum demographics. From teh threads it didn't look like there were many triathletes and looking at the results we only have 3 who have voted "others" at this stage. With a 14 option poll already I didn't think it was worth breaking it down into categories that might not get votes.

RacoonQueen

Mountain Running

Wheres the option for I'm a gob****e?

lecheile

Road Race (10k)

I selected 5k cos that's what I'm racing at the moment (except for the recent 8mile and soon to be 10k) but will start preparing for my first marathon (DCM) in a few weeks and will probably do all the races I'm allowed, in between. I also love putting the spikes on in the winter and wading through the muck, and everytime I run up a mountain, I promise myself that I should do some IMRA races.

And to add to the profile, If I can find someone equally slow in the water to train with, I might become a tri-athlete and join those who appear to be in the majority.
(Although if Mrs LeCheile reads this, I may have to replan )

ladytri

Other

lecheile wrote: »

I selected 5k cos that's what I'm racing at the moment (except for the recent 8mile and soon to be 10k) but will start preparing for my first marathon (DCM) in a few weeks and will probably do all the races I'm allowed, in between. I also love putting the spikes on in the winter and wading through the muck, and everytime I run up a mountain, I promise myself that I should do some IMRA races.

And to add to the profile, If I can find someone equally slow in the water to train with, I might become a tri-athlete and join those who appear to be in the majority.
(Although if Mrs LeCheile reads this, I may have to replan )

Come on LeCheile, come over to The Dark Side...it's full of black neoprene and titanium and stuff...you don't even need to REALLY swim- the wetsuit does it for ye

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

ladytri wrote: »

Come on LeCheile, come over to The Dark Side...it's full of black neoprene and titanium and stuff...you don't even need to REALLY swim- the wetsuit does it for ye

How can you *not* want to look like this:

ladytri

Other

--amadeus-- wrote: »

How can you *not* want to look like this:

oooh yeah, now your talkin'

spurscormac

Track (Sprints)

I selected I run just for fitness, as I don't think I specialise in any of the distances, and my times are not particularly fast.
As others have said, I run whatever is on at the time, this usually means anything from 5k - 10k.
Hope to build up to a half marathon by next year.

Having said that, I'm competitive in trying to push my own times & improve my PB.

jlang

Ultras / Adventure races

I'm ticking marathon but it's not because I think I'm any better at that distance than any other - more because it's the only distance I put any significant thought into planning. Didn't like my first XC (got better), loved my first mountain run. I'm quite enjoying duathlon/triathlon but can't really tick the specialisation box yet. I really hope the wetsuit does do the swim for me, but I can see myself putting more time and effort into these once my swimming reaches semi-decent.

findingfitness

Other

I just ticked triathlete - Really Im a wannabe..... but July is coming fast lol

lecheile

Road Race (10k)

--amadeus-- wrote: »

How can you *not* want to look like this:

thanks amadeus - while the thoughts provoked by LadyTri of neoprene being the new lycra is most appealing, I'm not sure if I could present myself in public with water bottle yellow that is so obviously clashing with helmet. Does this make me unsuitable for the world of tri?

tunney

Other

--amadeus-- wrote: »

How can you *not* want to look like this:

You're just jealous cause most triathletes run faster times off the bike than you do straight.

hunnymonster

Mountain Running

lol Tunney, fighting words but Amadeus is a marathoner and you've yet to run that distance off the bike :-)

thirtyfoot

Track (Middle distance)

I'm shocked. I didn't realise Tri was so homo-erotic. There is obviously more to it than gizmos and gadgets.

There probably is a gauge or meter that measures the homo-erotitism at meets though is there?

I thought the posey sprinters were bad:rolleyes:

hunnymonster

Mountain Running

lol tingle, where else are you going to find a man in a bikini with a small bit of metal wedged between his butt cheeks.

shels4ever

Triathlete

hunnymonster wrote: »

lol tingle, where else are you going to find a man in a bikini with a small bit of metal wedged between his butt cheeks.

Tingle if you can answer that i'd be very worried

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

tunney wrote: »

You're just jealous cause most triathletes run faster times off the bike than you do straight.

And you're just jealous that I'm grown up enough to run without having to play in th epool and go for a ride on my bike first

Tingle wrote: »

There is obviously more to it than gizmos and gadgets.

Gadgets, gizmos and multi-coloured panties, all an aspiring triathlete ever needs

jlang

Ultras / Adventure races

And the athletics / triathlon forum merger was going so well.

tunney

Other

--amadeus-- wrote: »

And you're just jealous that I'm grown up enough to run slowlywithout having to play in th epool and go for a ride on my bike first



Gadgets, gizmos and multi-coloured panties, all an aspiring triathlete ever needs

Corrected that for you.

--amadeus--

Ultras / Adventure races

tunney wrote: »

Corrected that for you.

Do I detect a subtle and well hidden challenge in that?

Running Bing

Track (long distance)

Must say a lot of that triathlon clobber is on the dodgy side



I mean he's one of the toughest triathletes ever and I had to do a double check to see if it was a he:P

lecheile

Road Race (10k)

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Do I detect a subtle and well hidden challenge in that?

I think a challenge is a great idea - amadeus picks the distance and tunney pick the clothes

robinph

Road Race (1/2 mara)

Running Bing wrote: »

Must say a lot of that triathlon clobber is on the dodgy side



I mean he's one of the toughest triathletes ever and I had to do a double check to see if it was a he:P

There is no hiding with outfits like that, but won't somebody please think of the poor spectators. :eek:

Zuppy

Mountain Running

There is no fat git who used to run option?!?!?!?

Nope I have been a tri-head and we was ultra hard. If your worried about Lycra briefs then try being a cyclist and having to wear pink on the giro d'italia. (same guy wore the pink jersey with zebra shorts). And that looked a sight.

I was a marathon runner who laughed a manly laugh at the antics of sprinters. Avoided mountain runners and wished I could drink like a thrower. I dabbled in Ultra events so considering it best suits my unhinged mental balance I vote that.