an open letter
Message posted by: Lauri F.
Dear Fellow Ontriers,
I write this in response to several things I've read in regards to my posts, and to further explain the meaning of said posts. Please read on with that in mind and know that I've thought very carefully about your comments.
I've been a member of this community for some time, originally as a lurker and for the past year and a half or so as an increasingly prominent contributor. At times I post silly nonsensical things, at other times I offer congratulations. Sometimes I post questions, and very often I answer posed questions. I never do so without careful thought, and always do so backed by my personal experience and knowledge as well as the examples of those I coach. I know and compete all over the country with many talented athletes, both amateur and professional (including Olympic gold medal champions, marathon winners, and Ironman winners), and I feed off their expertise and share it here when applicable.
I am a person of logic and reason, yet not naturally a student of science. The science I know comes from lessons learned the hard way and years of careful research. My athletic career has taken me from obese couch potato to an Ironman who does ultramarathons for fun. I am someone who specializes at the half marathon but who most loves the marathon. Over the years I have seen many a doctor/specialist due to serious physiological issues and conditions I have that, for a normal person, would mean the termination of a distance career. Refusing to accept certain limitations, I continually fight to go one step while others around me easily go three. I sometimes get bitter about that, but it's my reality and I have to work with it.
To that end while I compete in many events each year, I only race a handful. It's very dangerous for me to race and when I do my recovery is long and hard. So I continue to train and to compete knowing that the times I earn are for the most part no indicator of what I can truly accomplish, or of how fast I truly am. It's often very frustrating for me to keep going back knowing I can be faster and better, but that I cannot try to be since it is unsafe for me. But I love the feeling of racing and competition. The bigger the race, the more fun it is for me. So despite the limitations and the danger and near constant intentional holding back, I continue to toe the start line simply because I love it so much.
So when I answer a question someone asks, particularly one that is science-based, I do so backed with the proper knowledge and experience and because of my passion for sport (particularly running). When I say that someone's proposed plan isn't wise, I try to explain why it isn't wise. I try to offer examples, from my race career and from those of my athletes, of disappointments realized. I try to describe how psychologically crushing and damaging that can be so that someone else can avoid disappointment hiim/herself. While I recognize and freely admit that some people can just go out there on low training and still kick ass, I try to steer people down the safe, healthy, and time-tested methods of training.
Sniper trailer As a coach I feel a responsibility to my athletes, because I am somewhat libel for what happens to them based on my recommendations. I feel that same responsibility to everyone who communes at Ontri, so please understand that I will always condone safety over speed, avoiding injury over participation. I would NEVER condone anyone attempting anything that I personally would do. For example if someone said to me "I want to run three marathons on three consecutive weekends after training 15mpw for 2 months" I would tell them they are being stupid and crazy. That said, I'm doing just that right now, with my third marathon in as many weeks this coming Sunday. But I am a seasoned athlete. I have been marathoning a long time, and on top of my many short course events I have 36 marathons and 8 ultras under my belt. I am very keen to my body's signals, and know exactly how to react to things when they crop up. I can fine tune on the fly and make adjustments to get me to the fi
nish line. I recover much more quickly than most people because over time my body has changed and adapted to the physical demands I have placed upon it. I'd rather finish a race slowly, even walking, than not start. Many people don't understand that, because they are more results-oriented than me, but hey, it's my money, my effort, and my life so it only matters what I think about that.
That philosophy comes back to bite me at times. I've had some pretty awful races over the years. Sometimes it could not have been avoided, but sometimes I choose to push myself too hard and have too lofty expectations and bad things happen. I know how bad it can be, and how much it takes to suffer that badly. That suffering, and knowing how debillitating it can be, is the final reasoning behind the things I post here. I didn't finish my first IM due to a bike crash. Last November I ran my then fastest marathon of the year and the next day ran my then slowest of my career and, not to be outdone, did it again a month later. I have hit the wall, I have bonked so hard I didn't know my own name, and I have cried, vomited, bled, and hallucinated my way through races. If there's one thing I know, it's suffering. I also know I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy. Definitely not on anyone here.
So, my friends of Ontri, if you ask a question and my answer to that question is not the one you were looking for, don't think I'm being rude or mean. I'm simply being honest. If you think I'm attacking you and telling you that you're being stupid, understand that I'm just trying to help you avoid the pain that I have felt and to help keep you healthy and injury free. One of the best things about this multinational community of ours is that we can reap the benefits of what others have learned over the years. I know I've learned much from people here, and in turn I sincerely hope that people have learned from me. I may not always be subtle or even tactful, but despite what Stacey has dubbed my "unique brutal honesty" I always have the best of intentions. And I always will.
- Lauri
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