Do US road racers, mainly marathoners, really need help? Do we really need training centers that pay for our room and board, put us through these grinding tests, coach us, and pamper us like babies? I'm somewhat curious, did Bill Rogers, Frank Shorter and the other runners of the 70's and 80's have a whole lot of help? From my understanding weren't Rogers and others such as Steve Prefontaine fighting the AAU for help at the time? I may be wrong. Once again I may be mistaken, but US distance runners didn't have a whole lot of help back then either. It all comes down to how poor are you willing to live in order to maximize your running potential. Do we need more than an apartment shared by 2-4? I can easily see 4 people sharing a 2 bedroom apartment, 2 beds in each bedroom, for $500-$600 a month. Most apartment complexes pay for most of your utilities. You only pay gas and electric in most. So, add $400 for food and gas/electric and you come up with $900-$1000. That's only $250 split between the four per month. Each person could easily live on a 20-hr a week job. Less work, more run. Maybe my thinking is too spartan? It's only a matter of convincing runners in their early 20's to put "life" on hold, get a commited group together and move to an environment that is extremely runner friendly. The problem with runners in their upper 20's is that "life" has already began to take hold. Most people in their early 20's don't have houses to pay for or marriages and kids to worry about or careers to tend to. By the time you're in your upper 20's you've already wasted your goof-off time and you have to start thinking about your life. So, here I am. I plan on moving to Flagstaff, AZ next fall with one goal in mind...improve my running. I don't have the talent of a Webb, Ritz, Hauser, Teddy Mitchell or whoever, but what I do have is balls and commitment. Being only 22 I also have youth. By the time I'm 30, sink or float, I will have at least given it my best shot. This is an invitation to any other early 20-something runners to join me on my "attempt to climb the mountain" so to speak. Are there any young runners on here anyway? Alan _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.
