5 ms·

Well then I'm sure it's frustrating when a professional who runs a Marathon in close to 2 hours, hears you say the same thing.

by proee 9y ago

LeifCarrotson 9y ago
I'm no 2-hour-marathon pro, just a has-been mediocre collegiate runner, but there's some understanding of the effort levels and dedication that are required, no matter the accomplishments. But there are runners, and there are joggers, and there are joggers that call themselves runners and post "26.2" stickers on their cars. By analogy, there's a difference between an HN celebrity, someone who does programming for a living at a typical skill level, and someone who claims to be an engineer - but cannot complete FizzBuzz.
- proee 9y ago
  Perhaps, but from my own personal experience, I missed out on some big entrepreneurial opportunities because I considered people below my skill level to be insignificant. The Arduino platform came out years ago, and I continuously dismissed it because I did not consider it a "real" embedded development platform. Yet, the platform exploded and lots of neat things resulted from the platform. In hindsight, I should have embraced the platform and realized that not everyone is a professional hardware designer. Now that my outlook has changed, if someone tells me they used an Arduino, I'm going to refrain from judgement and instead look at the bigger picture of who they are and congratulate them on taking the first step into hardware.
- mnm1 9y ago
  I'd hardly compare someone jogging a marathon to someone who can't complete FizzBuzz. There's no way in hell most people who aren't in shape are even going to walk that, let alone jog 26.2 miles. It clearly takes a lot of training to jog, run, or even walk a marathon. Some people are slow. That in no way detracts from their accomplishment or the work they have to put in to get there. I'd say the winner of the marathon and the jogger accomplished pretty much the same thing. As long as they fulfilled their own goals--some of which might not include a set max time goal--the finish time is irrelevant.
- bitexploder 9y ago
  Marathons are harder for people who run them in 4 hours (assuming they tried as hard as they could). They are on their feet longer, and have to coerce their mind to push that much longer. It is just a different race for mid and back of the packers. Further, training is much the same. You might run 50-60 miles in a week because you can go faster. A slower runner might dedicate 30 or 40% more of their time to achieve that many miles. It takes the same mental effort to run at a 4 RPE (RATING PERCEIVED EFFORT on a scale of 1-5) as it does for an elite. The elite just has genetics on their side. I used to feel much the same way you do, but truly those "joggers" slogging out a 4 or 5 hour marathon giving it their all after months of running 9+ hours per week. They are runners too. Ultras are also far less populated by folks with an elitist running mentality. It is more about being in nature and a personal journey, which is why Ultra appeals to a certain crowd. Olympians and the guy down the road have more in common with their running experience than not.

Well then I'm sure it's frustrating when a professional who runs a Marathon in close to 2 hours, hears you say the same thing.

by proee 9y ago

Well then I'm sure it's frustrating when a professional who runs a Marathon in close to 2 hours, hears you say the same thing.

LeifCarrotson 9y ago

I'm no 2-hour-marathon pro, just a has-been mediocre collegiate runner, but there's some understanding of the effort levels and dedication that are required, no matter the accomplishments. But there are runners, and there are joggers, and there are joggers that call themselves runners and post "26.2" stickers on their cars. By analogy, there's a difference between an HN celebrity, someone who does programming for a living at a typical skill level, and someone who claims to be an engineer - but cannot complete FizzBuzz.

proee 9y ago
Perhaps, but from my own personal experience, I missed out on some big entrepreneurial opportunities because I considered people below my skill level to be insignificant. The Arduino platform came out years ago, and I continuously dismissed it because I did not consider it a "real" embedded development platform. Yet, the platform exploded and lots of neat things resulted from the platform. In hindsight, I should have embraced the platform and realized that not everyone is a professional hardware designer. Now that my outlook has changed, if someone tells me they used an Arduino, I'm going to refrain from judgement and instead look at the bigger picture of who they are and congratulate them on taking the first step into hardware.
mnm1 9y ago
I'd hardly compare someone jogging a marathon to someone who can't complete FizzBuzz. There's no way in hell most people who aren't in shape are even going to walk that, let alone jog 26.2 miles. It clearly takes a lot of training to jog, run, or even walk a marathon. Some people are slow. That in no way detracts from their accomplishment or the work they have to put in to get there. I'd say the winner of the marathon and the jogger accomplished pretty much the same thing. As long as they fulfilled their own goals--some of which might not include a set max time goal--the finish time is irrelevant.
bitexploder 9y ago
Marathons are harder for people who run them in 4 hours (assuming they tried as hard as they could). They are on their feet longer, and have to coerce their mind to push that much longer. It is just a different race for mid and back of the packers. Further, training is much the same. You might run 50-60 miles in a week because you can go faster. A slower runner might dedicate 30 or 40% more of their time to achieve that many miles. It takes the same mental effort to run at a 4 RPE (RATING PERCEIVED EFFORT on a scale of 1-5) as it does for an elite. The elite just has genetics on their side. I used to feel much the same way you do, but truly those "joggers" slogging out a 4 or 5 hour marathon giving it their all after months of running 9+ hours per week. They are runners too. Ultras are also far less populated by folks with an elitist running mentality. It is more about being in nature and a personal journey, which is why Ultra appeals to a certain crowd. Olympians and the guy down the road have more in common with their running experience than not.