olympic standard
- Thread starter atty_a
- Start date
I'm not going to lie to you. Genetics plays a big role in excelling in a sport like the one you are choosing. But who's to say you don't have the genes? 
So that aside, you will need a strong work ethic with regard to training. You will also need to train intelligently. You should start training now because most Olympic athletes start training very young (but I'm not sure about the age most long distance runners take up the sport). Start running, strength training and following a good nutrition plan. You should get with your high school's running coach to set up a program to get you started. You should also look into local races. Start with 5k's and 10k's and work your way up to marathons or whatever it is you want to specialize in.
So that aside, you will need a strong work ethic with regard to training. You will also need to train intelligently. You should start training now because most Olympic athletes start training very young (but I'm not sure about the age most long distance runners take up the sport). Start running, strength training and following a good nutrition plan. You should get with your high school's running coach to set up a program to get you started. You should also look into local races. Start with 5k's and 10k's and work your way up to marathons or whatever it is you want to specialize in.
what it takes...
Genetics, my friend, has almost nothing to do with it. Some of the best runners in the world lack the "natural, God-given" talent that some olympic competitors possess. But when the gun goes off, it all comes down to 2 things....who wants it the most and who has paid the price in training. You will need to get with a GOOD coach who will take your goals seriously, and most of all, you will have to train harder than anyone else is willing to. That is what makes an olympian. Good Luck.
Genetics, my friend, has almost nothing to do with it. Some of the best runners in the world lack the "natural, God-given" talent that some olympic competitors possess. But when the gun goes off, it all comes down to 2 things....who wants it the most and who has paid the price in training. You will need to get with a GOOD coach who will take your goals seriously, and most of all, you will have to train harder than anyone else is willing to. That is what makes an olympian. Good Luck.
At most levels, I agree with you abst928 - but not when you are up at the top .01% of any sport (like olympians are). Then genetics as well as all of the other things are required to make it work. You can certainly improve and you can certainly be in the top 10% of any sport without the genetics - but you can't make it to the very top because there will be someone who works just as hard as you and wants it just as much, but also has the genetics.
I agree with Kalrog. Everyone can improve and get better, but not everyone has the potential to be a world champion. I have been on some very good running teams. We worked hard and trained right, and even set a few state records. And I've seen a burnout kid who never ran, who sat around smoking pot every day come out for practice one day (we recruited him because we saw him run in gym class), and he beat most of our hard working runners.
There is this American dream that sounds good - that if you work hard you can achieve anything. That's not true. What is true is that you can take 10,000 people who have never run before, and have a race. The guy who finishes last will never be a champion. The guy who finishes first has good genetics.
The big question is - have you shown a lot of promise so far? If you have, stay with it. If you haven't, then keep running for fun, do some races and be as good as you can. Just do it foe enjoyment. But also set some more likely goals.
I might want really bad to play in the NBA. I might train real hard every day. But I'm a 5'8" guy who has a 12' vertical leap. I'll never be one of the top 100 basketball players in the world.
There is this American dream that sounds good - that if you work hard you can achieve anything. That's not true. What is true is that you can take 10,000 people who have never run before, and have a race. The guy who finishes last will never be a champion. The guy who finishes first has good genetics.
The big question is - have you shown a lot of promise so far? If you have, stay with it. If you haven't, then keep running for fun, do some races and be as good as you can. Just do it foe enjoyment. But also set some more likely goals.
I might want really bad to play in the NBA. I might train real hard every day. But I'm a 5'8" guy who has a 12' vertical leap. I'll never be one of the top 100 basketball players in the world.