42 replies to this topic

[Jogger]

I found this and thought it reminded me of a lot of people who read CoolRunning :
http://www.43folders...al-advice-hurts

Quote

Somewhere, a sad, obese man in pristine ASICS scarfs cookie dough over an unopened Runner's World, complaining that he needs more "tips."

it also reminds me of this (actually the thread on what is the best shoe to wear at six foot, really reminds me of this):

Quote

my concern is that there’s a big difference between buying new running shoes and actually hitting the road every morning. big difference. one is really fun and relaxing while the other requires a lot of hard work, diligence, and sacrifice. ultimately, the tools that we choose for any purpose will only be as useful as our ability to use them effectively and to understand what their improved quality means to the way we approach our work (as well as the challenges that led us to seek out these new tools). you can buy a successively more costly and high-quality series of claw hammers until you’ve reached the top of the line, but until you learn how to use them skillfully, you’re going to keep making ugly bird houses. no tool can save you from your own crap behavior ..

as usual no answers, just reader beware.

[undercover brother]

JoggerKev, on Jan 7 2009, 11:23 PM, said:

I found this and thought it reminded me of a lot of people who read CoolRunning :

If this strikes you as fancy talk, may I suggest that you approach the woman in your life who most enjoys sexual intercourse, and, in the nicest way possible, ask her whether she’d prefer to have congress with:

* a confident partner who has had a long career of safe and mutually-satisfying romps with a range of people who liked different things; or,
* a 50-year-old virgin who likes reading blogs about sex tips.


so are you saying we are all 50 year old (running) virgins kev?

nice piece.

[walker1st]

is it trying to suggest - programm , that the more expensive shoes from recognize "running" shoe manufacturer is actually something better for running ?

... top of the line model ....

[steviecat]

QUOTE "my concern is that there’s a big difference between buying new running shoes and actually hitting the road every morning. big difference. one is really fun and relaxing while the other requires a lot of hard work, diligence, and sacrifice......."

I know, I'd much rather go for a run than put in all the time and effort shopping..

Just because people like talking about all aspects of running doesn't mean they never actually run either, perhaps it's more a case of something to do when they're not running. If we all just kept our running to ourselves this site wouldn't exist and I'm glad it does.

Cheers
Steve

[Digger]

The article is a timely reminder for us all(particularly Newbie's), that before acting on any advice they ask for in a thread, to check the profile of the member giving the advice to see whether they have BTDT, otherwise they may end up with a 50YO virgin.

[EatEm]

walker1st ....  I think you are off teh mark.

The suggestion is that all the 'right stuff' (good shoes - not necessarily the best - skins, garmins, tech tops / shorts and all the other 'gear') means nothing unless you get out there and use it .... !!!!

Which reminds me ... time to go for a run ...

[SouthAustralian]

For me...cool running is not the real world. Its a transcient online site where people can gain valuable support and advice... the reader is ultimately responsible for making the right decisions.
CR is a means to an end...not an end, its one of the best around, but when alls said and done, the reader needs to relates to the people and the world around them and make their own mind up.
Maybe there should be a warning on site somewhere!
Frank in SA

[tim]

SouthAustralian, on Jan 8 2009, 01:27 PM, said:

For me...cool running is not the real world. Its a transcient online site

coolrunning is a way to communicate with real people.   So it may be all data on a hard drive but it is about real people.

transient?  Aren't we all.

[undercover brother]

SouthAustralian, on Jan 8 2009, 12:27 PM, said:

For me...cool running is not the real world. Its a transcient online site where people can gain valuable support and advice... the reader is ultimately responsible for making the right decisions.

i often wonder about this and i am sure i have made this comment before.
so someone posts about them getting chest pain whilst running.
what should i do they ask?
a fellow CR hops on and says well doctors are all idiots so dont see one of them.
i bet you its just indigestion so go and get some bicarb soda and it will settle.
person drops dead during their run the following day.
so would the fellow CR have a case to answer?
and would this be different if they had medical qualifications?
if someone reported the post as crazy talk and a mod didnt modify it could there be a potential problem there to?
i dunno.
i guess this is why i always cringe when i see general medical advice asked here.
sprained ankle ok chest pain etc... cringe.

[Leofisio]

undercover brother, on Jan 8 2009, 02:00 PM, said:

and would this be different if they had medical qualifications?

There is also CR's who pretend that they have health problems (with one nickname) and the same person (using another nickname) presents the answer to the patient (i.e. himself)...

Great way to have a self talk in public.

Leo

[undercover brother]

gee i hope they gave themselves good advice!

[walker1st]

no, the person gave himself wrong advice, dropped dead next day and now has taken himself to court,
and also called himself under 3rd nickname as an expert witness

[AngelicOne]

And on the 4th day, a new nickname was born and he up and married the aforementioned's widow.

[SouthAustralian]

tim, on Jan 8 2009, 01:12 PM, said:

coolrunning is a way to communicate with real people. So it may be all data on a hard drive but it is about real people.

transient? Aren't we all.

Its still not 'the real world'. It may be full of online real people, but it's not 'the real world'. Ive found that what CR has done for me is to enable me to build real and true relationships (with some CRs) as an extention of initial contacts made. Its those real relationships that can be 'the real world'. There are many here who I now call friends because we've either met, run together, visited each other, sought professional/personal advice from, emailed, or phoned each other. Thats the 'fruit' of CR. Sure there are phoneys on this site, but the proof is in the pudding.

This site is rich with runners who are genuinely passionate about running and about encouraging others to run. as with every site there are those who are keyboard tigers who give advice without practicing what they preach. They don't have much credence.

CR is one of the best sites around...but it is an online site.
Frank in SA

Edited by SouthAustralian, 08 January 2009 - 02:46 PM.

[SouthAustralian]

undercover brother, on Jan 8 2009, 01:30 PM, said:

i often wonder about this and i am sure i have made this comment before.
so someone posts about them getting chest pain whilst running.
what should i do they ask?
a fellow CR hops on and says well doctors are all idiots so dont see one of them.
i bet you its just indigestion so go and get some bicarb soda and it will settle.
person drops dead during their run the following day.
so would the fellow CR have a case to answer?
and would this be different if they had medical qualifications?
if someone reported the post as crazy talk and a mod didnt modify it could there be a potential problem there to?
i dunno.
i guess this is why i always cringe when i see general medical advice asked here.
sprained ankle ok chest pain etc... cringe.

I totally agree UCB.
CR is a great place to ask for informal advice, but I would always check with my GP or family and friends (the physical people in my life who see me as a whole person)...then and only then would I make a decision about what to do. Thats not to say that the ideas or suggestions that have been discussed here are futile. In fact Ive learnt more here from runners than anywhere else. but in serious health matters i refer back to the people who have my medical records.
I don't mind people sharing alternative ideas, so long as they don't prounounce them as 'the only truth'....
Frank

Edited by SouthAustralian, 08 January 2009 - 02:53 PM.

[tim]

i think you are separating things that do not need to be separated.

it is a form of communication. It is not face to face but I am not sure what you mean by "not real"

The communication that you have on this site and via email and phone add to your relationships with people.  Yes it does lack the face to face aspect but when you add that then it all is part of real relationships.

[Bellthorpe]

What worries me is the number of people who do see a health practitioner, but don't particularly care for the advice given. So they come here to look for alternative advice. Or they don't like what their doctor said, so they go to the physio. They don't like what he says, so they scrape the bottom of the barrel and go to a chiropractor. Then when he's injured them, they come here and seek the array of advice available.

All of this takes time of course, and that itself heals many ailments ...

[AngelicOne]

BT

You shouldn't be worried though ... it's only people who are suffering who are asking out to the wider community if other like-minded people may have suffered similar complaints and to see what their experiences were.

And if people have given an appropriate amount of time to one 'practitioner' or the like, then surely it's their choice to move on if they feel that there has been next to no improvement;   or even, for them to ask the wider population of their personal experiences.

A.O.

[slowmo]

Bellthorpe, on Jan 8 2009, 03:58 PM, said:

All of this takes time of course, and that itself heals many ailments ...

Yes, the old medico's dictum: keep the patient amused while nature takes its course...

By the way, and just out of interest, what's this thread about ?

slowmo

[AngelicOne]

Agreed SlowMo ... it does depend on the ailment;   time doesn't heal everything.


This thread ... I believe it's about the reader should be aware of what is placed on threads and beware that perhaps all that is written is not golden?

[FakePlasticTrees]

SouthAustralian, on Jan 8 2009, 02:44 PM, said:

...but the proof is in the pudding.

This site is rich with runners who are genuinely passionate about running and about encouraging others to run.

There are some tossers overly concerned with grammar and syntax and the such like. So that should be "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". Nobody hid the proof to something in a pudding to generate that quote  

To get back to Tim's point. The method of communication does not preclude these forums from being considered the real world. If you were to exchange posts with a "real" friend on this site, then has it really happened or not? Did you communicate with them or was it some made up imaginary land. These forums are as real as a bunch of people sitting in a pub discussing things, some come and others go, some make up bullshit and some know what's going on. If a rabid dog gives you bad advice online that's the same as getting that same bad advice in person.

Bellthorpe, from my own personal experience I've had as many wrong diagnosis as correct from health care professionals. I've now found the ones I trust and will listen to them, but it can take a little time and doesn't hurt to shop around.

[SouthAustralian]

FakePlasticTrees, on Jan 8 2009, 03:52 PM, said:

There are some tossers overly concerned with grammar and syntax and the such like. So that should be "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". Nobody hid the proof to something in a pudding to generate that quote

Thats interesting...if I was verbalising that quote, it would sound wrong to me if I said 'and the proof is in the pudding'...of course you're right...its in the eating, and this I know...but we proably make more mistakes typing than talking (though not in every case!!!)
Frank

Edited by SouthAustralian, 08 January 2009 - 03:45 PM.

[slowmo]

AngelicOne, on Jan 8 2009, 04:19 PM, said:

This thread ... I believe it's about the reader should be aware of what is placed on threads and beware that perhaps all that is written is not golden?

I see.

All CR posts are lies
This is a CR post, therefore...

slowmo

[Jogger]

Quote

"the proof of the pudding is in the eating"

Thats's the phrase, but being in Australia I have noticed that people like to shorten things so saying "the proof is in the pudding" is ok, I understand what it means and so do most people.

What's the thread about ? Well, its that people on this and other sites are often looking for the one tip to help them become a better runner, get less injured and its just that life is not so simple, and if you ask a question you'll get 11 answers from 10 people. You need to take it all in, discard most of it and then work out what's right for you.

There was a little riff about buying/having all the gear does not make you a runner or even a better runner. Gear is irrelevant. Watching the "spirit of the marathon" film recently brought this home to me, people spent more time futzing with gear etc than just running. when people say "you need this" they are probably wrong.

Edited by JoggerKev, 08 January 2009 - 03:43 PM.

[slowmo]

Kev, do you think there is a problem in readers not realizing that they have to use their brains in deciding how to respond to advice given on CR ?  I suppose I assume that since CR has (almost entirely) an adult membership it is the responsibility of the individual to exercise their critical faculties.

Regarding gear - well I can't help but notice that quite a few CRs are gear-freaks, ie. people who derive pleasure from buying, using, lusting after gear for its own sake.  The Garmin threads are an obvious example.  As a bit of a running luddite I don't own a Garmin, HRM, running watch, compression gear, shoes (well, I do have a pair of five fingers now)...  I like my running to be simple.  But I don't look down on others for their running gear fetishes - if they find it adds to the fun what's the problem ?  I don't need it myself but I can empathize - I'd love to own a lot more guitars than the five I have presently...

slowmo

Edited by slowmo, 08 January 2009 - 04:22 PM.

[undercover brother]

JoggerKev, on Jan 8 2009, 03:42 PM, said:

Gear is irrelevant.

red flag.
bull.
maybe i had just better ignore that comment

[Jogger]

Quote

Kev, do you think there is a problem in readers not realizing that they have to use their brains in deciding how to respond to advice given on CR ?

sometimes. definitely maybe.

Quote

Regarding gear - well I can't help but notice that quite a few CRs are gear-freaks

There is nothing wrong with gear, particularly if its well used for its intended purpose. I think there is an issue when people feel they must have the gear before they can participate. eg "I want to run trails, must have trailshoes and a camelbak and ..." There is nothing wrong with running trails with what you run on the roads. Only then can you see what works or not.

CoolRunning shouldn't be your first port of call, try some stuff out first, then you have some basis to judge the responses.

[Swaggers]

The art of complication displayed on a thread about there being no need to complicate running.  

Pity I'm banned.  I'd have something to say about that.

[walker1st]

Volleys, water, $10 stopwatch.

Off You go.

take a shower when done.

post a long report about it.

[Bellthorpe]

Crikey Rudolf, that's a bit over the top. A stopwatch?

I seldom use a watch these days.  I do wear shorts though.

[Colsy]

I am wondering if this is 2009s version of the Lame Thread, if it is, I am excited...if it isn't, I'm going back to bed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Split thread here ^

Are the people on CoolRunning becoming lame?

Edited by Colsy, 08 January 2009 - 09:53 PM.

[Bellthorpe]

"Back to bed"? Do you mean that you got up just to have a leak and post one last time?

[rohan]

walker1st, on Jan 8 2009, 09:35 AM, said:

Volleys, water, $10 stopwatch.

Off You go.

take a shower when done.

post a long report about it.

actually it seems some can write a fair bit before they even do the run...

[AngelicOne]

And I reckon there's some that post here and never run.
They're just too lazy to set up their own Cool Typing website.

[wombatoutofhell]

SouthAustralian, on Jan 8 2009, 03:44 PM, said:

, but the proof is in the pudding.

Pudding is bad for you-eat in moderation.

Bellthorpe, on Jan 8 2009, 08:29 PM, said:

Crikey Rudolf, that's a bit over the top. A stopwatch?

I seldom use a watch these days.  I do wear shorts though.

Thank God for that!  I still have nightmares from following, catching and passing the nude dude running at Run Melbourne.  I think this actually proves gear is not always irrelevent.

[Swaggers]

Walker1st said (among opter things):

Quote

take a shower when done.

  

Take a shower?    But...

Edited by Swaggers, 09 January 2009 - 08:55 AM.

[walker1st]

ok it was over the top.

can drop the Volleys

can drop the water

can drop the watch

can drop the shower

can drop posting the run report

do not drop the shorts (have to remeber this)

[thomo]

walker1st, on Jan 8 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

post a long report about it.

I have never seen a report long or short from you or your previous persona posted on here.

Would make interesting reading for fans and alternates.

rohan, on Jan 9 2009, 06:32 AM, said:

actually it seems some can write a fair bit before they even do the run...

You couldn't help yourself.

BTW I enjoy reading your reports and other peoples also.

[twosheds]

People are just voicing there opinions- and they are entitled to do that. If anyone takes these opionions as more than that then they are rather foolish. We all do this in the "real world"- talk to others, hear their opinions, voice our own. There is no obligatation to agree with anyone ever. Hearing different opinions is a valuable thing to do thats why I like reading the posts.
I do think that some people on Cool Runnings should start all their posts with ...in my opinion... rather than imagining thatthey are more than that.
Two sheds

[slowmo]

thomo, on Jan 9 2009, 10:10 AM, said:

walker1st, on Jan 8 2009, 07:35 PM, said:

post a long report about it.

I have never seen a report long or short from you or your previous persona posted on here.

You need to spend more time on the transitioning to barefoot thread thomo

slowmo

[thomo]

slowmo, on Jan 9 2009, 03:46 PM, said:

I have never seen a report long or short from you or your previous persona posted on here.

You need to spend more time on the transitioning to barefoot thread thomo

slowmo

I will have a look and report back.

[thomo]

thomo, on Jan 9 2009, 03:55 PM, said:

I will have a look and report back.

Had a look.

Reports are more shoe / aquashoe / 5 finger / barefoot orientated rather than performance based.

BTW over the Christmas / New Year on holidays and I ran and walked barefoot on beach.  Really enjoyed that. Also walked on footpath and gee they make awful paths in Qld, the stones in the concrete mix gave me blisters.

[slowmo]

thomo, on Jan 9 2009, 05:21 PM, said:

BTW over the Christmas / New Year on holidays and I ran and walked barefoot on beach.  Really enjoyed that.

Ah - potential convert...  <sound of hands rubbing together>

You should definitely spend a bit more time on the transitioning to barefoot thread.  As Kev says, there's too much phutzing with gear amongst runners.  Leaving your shoes at home is the first step on the path to running nirvana.

slowmo