Is it all about effort rather than time?

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Badger Dec 2018 2:44pm, 5 Dec 2018 10,100 posts	0 Badger Ask them if they think everyone slower than them should be barred from racing. Then ask them how they feel about coming last in every race. I forget which 2 hour something marathoner it was who expressed his admiration for 4 hour plus marathoners, and said he wouldn't have the stamina or patience to run for that long.
Badger Dec 2018 2:45pm, 5 Dec 2018 10,101 posts	0 Badger Just once though.
Jambomo Dec 2018 2:50pm, 5 Dec 2018 6,736 posts	0 Jambomo I think it maybe presumes that quick times = a lot of training miles = more effort and dedication. I think it relates to what Sharkie mentioned in sprinting, that training and dedication is the way to improve and get better. Better is relative though - one person may do the same training as the people in the group but still come out with poorer times because they maybe don't have the same genetics. You can't just use time as a determining factor of effort.
Raemond Dec 2018 2:55pm, 5 Dec 2018 1,434 posts	0 Raemond I reckon, even at elite level, it's got to be as much about effort as time or distance - otherwise you'd have to say that a sprinter's Olympic medal is worth less than a marathon runner's (there are probably some people who feel that way, but I feel that they're knobs, so it all balances out). At a normal (if there is such a thing) human level then I think the only reasonable approach would be to say that we can't really know what it takes for any person to achieve any time over any distance - those who sneer at fun runners probably don't have any idea what other commitments or priorities those people have that get in the way of them training as much a 'real' runner. Things like 'not really wanting to' or 'not physically being able to' of course should be considered perfectly valid reasons not to train, it's not like anyone is under an obligation to run a certain amount or at a certain level that requires them to make excuses for their 'failure.'
Fragile Do Not Bend Dec 2018 2:58pm, 5 Dec 2018 3,815 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend Such a subjective thing. My Garmin tells me I’ve burned off almost same amount of calories per mile regardless of whether I give it everything or walk it. So for me the distance covered is much more important than the speed.
larkim Dec 2018 3:00pm, 5 Dec 2018 6,194 posts	0 larkim Yes, I seem to recall an elite saying something along those lines Badger. Yes, there's definitely a factor that some less fast performances are down to less training commitment, but in just the pure race day experience I'm guessing there is some agreement here? I first had the thought a few years ago when my wife ran her first HM. It was only a few days after she had run her socks off for a 1:59 that I realised that she had run for a longer period of time that day than I had ever done, and the thought of racing for nearly 2 hours filled me with dread! (Since then I've raced longer though!)
Fragile Do Not Bend Dec 2018 3:03pm, 5 Dec 2018 3,816 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend Oh yes, I’m quite proud to say that I ran for 6.5 hours once (well, I walked some of it).