Reply to: Mo Farah

[mudskipper]

The purple toes where a bit of a sign the foot was fooked, I stuck a knife in the blister and drained it, I then had to go the medics as there was another blister under it where they got a syringe through the top blister and drained the one underneath.


Next day I had to run 52 miles on sand dunes,

They delaminated both my feet after the race whilst I lay on a tent floor, without anaesthetic. It was agony beyond description.

Tut, it's just a wee blister.

[SueEllen]

Of course you must stop if you are injured or in danger of injury. But elite athletes who pull out simply through disappointment with their poor performance just deserve a wet fish stuck up their jumper. I mean, hardly inspiring is it. Perhaps not so bad in the case of a marathon, but Paula should still have finished that one.

Everyone who trains at any level always wants to stop, but they don't, that is sort of the whole point I thought.

Nope don't agree. I know people who find marathon running "easy" as they have done 100+ of them.

Anyway people at elite level often race when slightly injured so if something else is hurting and they won't going to get a decent place then they simply pull out.

[unixman]

I don't think the chap who had multiple organ failure and was in a coma for a week in my last race was going to finish, neither were the 2 people that had heart attacks.

Of course you must stop if you are injured or in danger of injury. But elite athletes who pull out simply through disappointment with their poor performance just deserve a wet fish stuck up their jumper. I mean, hardly inspiring is it. Perhaps not so bad in the case of a marathon, but Paula should still have finished that one.

Everyone who trains at any level always wants to stop, but they don't, that is sort of the whole point I thought.

[minestrone]

The purple toes where a bit of a sign the foot was fooked, I stuck a knife in the blister and drained it, I then had to go the medics as there was another blister under it where they got a syringe through the top blister and drained the one underneath.

.

Next day I had to run 52 miles on sand dunes,

They delaminated both my feet after the race whilst I lay on a tent floor, without anaesthetic. It was agony beyond description.

[MarillionFan]

Sometimes that is easier said that done...

Ahhhhhh! You have a womans foot.

[minestrone]

Whilst it is noble to finish there are sooo many races out there now that people are categorising their races: training race, just get round, A race - it is not sustainable for most normal or elites to give 100% 100% of the time. Everyone is racing tactically and looking at the bigger picture.

I'm in my 40s now, I just have to accept I can't go crazy training these days, I take about 10 days light training, take 3 days off then go ballistic screaming at the moon stuff for a session. I now have to spin rather than run to keep fitness up, my ankles are gone, my toes are becoming arthritic. 100 miles running a week has done me, I have absolutely no intention of stopping though.

MDS 2016 top 150 is the aim.

[minestrone]

Nah. Unless you are injured, you can still complete the race at some speed. It's a race. The attitude of quitting a race is all wrong. I was a competitive rower for 13 years and later, president of my local running club. I never saw anybody quit half way through a training session, never mind a race. If you are making terrible time in a race, finish and get your terrible time, nobody will think any the worse of you. If Mo dropped out of a race and you finished it, you beat him, no question, no excuses.

I don't think the chap who had multiple organ failure and was in a coma for a week in my last race was going to finish, neither were the 2 people that had heart attacks.

[TestMangler]

I said 2 years ago on here Farah was at it, I bumped the thread last week and nobody picked up on it. It was a conversation between MTT and myself.

It has always been a commonly held belief amongst a great deal of the athletics community he was doing something.

I'm just happy to finish the races I do.

never realised he was so popular with rangers fans either. At the Motherwell v Rangers game a few weeks ago they were all singing something about 'the sash Mo Farrah wore'.....

[Doggy Styles]

Sometimes you just have to call it a day, as much as you train you get bad days and you have to call it. It's more important to be ready for the next one and work out what went wrong rather than completely fook yourself and not being able to effectively train for a few months.

This.

Bigger fish to fry and all that. If staying out there would set his training backwards he'd be right to pull out.

PS Hadn't he planned to pull out?

[Dallas]

I am a rower - have seen sooo many capsizes and stops in my time at head and regatta racing, if you are still in the boat yes you have little option but to hobble in if that is where your trailer is. recall the new zealander quad a few olympics ago, 1 crab = all 4 stopped meters from the line as the rest flew past - they had it in the bag and they all stopped.

More recently in the athletics, people are stopping at amateur and pro level mid race anf hobbling off.

For independent pro athletes its all about sponsorship, they do not want to see their super duper brand hobbling next to a AGer with a BMI over 10 - that is a fact and how it operates now, they will call the 'nutrition.....' whatever, they need to keep their fickle sponsors happy and get themselves race ready for the next one.

Whilst it is noble to finish there are sooo many races out there now that people are categorising their races: training race, just get round, A race - it is not sustainable for most normal or elites to give 100% 100% of the time. Everyone is racing tactically and looking at the bigger picture.

[unixman]

Sometimes you just have to call it a day, as much as you train you get bad days and you have to call it. It's more important to be ready for the next one and work out what went wrong rather than completely fook yourself and not being able to effectively train for a few months.

Nah. Unless you are injured, you can still complete the race at some speed. It's a race. The attitude of quitting a race is all wrong. I was a competitive rower for 13 years and later, president of my local running club. I never saw anybody quit half way through a training session, never mind a race. If you are making terrible time in a race, finish and get your terrible time, nobody will think any the worse of you. If Mo dropped out of a race and you finished it, you beat him, no question, no excuses.

[MyUserName]

Surely giving up and pulling out is the worst publicity of all. Would you want your brand made to look like a cowardly quitter, or a plucky contender ?

But if you pull out and the media take hold of it you can spin it by claiming you were saving yourself for heavy training, felt unwell etc. and that had you tried you could, of course, have won.

If you lose then nothing you say will change the fact you lost anything you do say will just look like an excuse.

[minestrone]

Surely giving up and pulling out is the worst publicity of all. Would you want your brand made to look like a cowardly quitter, or a plucky contender ?

Sometimes you just have to call it a day, as much as you train you get bad days and you have to call it. It's more important to be ready for the next one and work out what went wrong rather than completely fook yourself and not being able to effectively train for a few months.

[unixman]

But this is when the sponsors come into it, they have to pull out to save face, ie not be seen in Brand XYZ as a fat bird like me over takes them

They are all televised end-to-end now, its not good brand publicity.

Surely giving up and pulling out is the worst publicity of all. Would you want your brand made to look like a cowardly quitter, or a plucky contender ?

[minestrone]

I know pros do it. No sympathy. Unless they are injured they should always finish IMO. Giving up the race because you are out medal contention (Paula) or "having a bad day" (Mo) isn't a good example for youngsters. Not giving up in adversity is the whole point of the sport. Always finish even if it is just at a walk. A bit pompous maybe but whatever.

Sometimes that is easier said that done...