Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Tit For Tat

One of the great things about writing a Blog is the feedback you get. Some of the gems are so fabulous that I have to include them in a new post. I always get a good giggle out of the people who post "Anonymously" best of all. Usually they are the type of comments from those folks who are, in print as in life, better left to their anonymity.

This particular gem comes from someone who clearly worships at the altar of John Stanton, the titular Al Bundy of the Running Room Empire, and someone, who, by the sounds of their e-mail at least, is if not an actual little Imperial Running Room Storm Trooper stoolie, then someone who has drunk deeply from the company Kool-Aid. Of course this may be a literary and cultural reference that escapes them, but Hey!, I enjoyed this Post so much I just had to pass it along.

Vince,

I have to say that never in my life have I met or read about a person so utterly self centred. (unquestionably true!)

I find it absolutely unbelievable that you call John Stanton a "Jeff Galloway wannabe" or a "grossly overweight salesman" when you should be talking about yourself. (I believe that is actually the stated purpose of my entire fucking Blog!, to talk about myself and my Quixotic attempt to qualify for Boston. Clearly sometimes it is not enough even when you spell it out for some people... As for the Running Room's marathon program, it was at one time actually affiliated with Jeff Galloway's marathon clinics. Oops, didn't someone do their homework. Hmmmnn, maybe they don't read.... And I heartily applauded John Stanton's personal marathon experience as being nothing less than inspirational. Some people's kids, I tell you... They must have missed their Remedial Reading Class)

Have you seen your self in the mirror? (every morning actually) and by the way, your self is actually one word Einstein!

Ummmmm, let me think about this, John Stanton is a self made millionaire who has completed many marathons under 3:30 and you are an unemployed, wannabe competetive marathoner who wishes he could beat the people that he preaches to. (and the point here is...?)

It seems to me that you spend every single marathon clinic yapping on about how much knowledge you have and what everybody should and shouldn't be doing and then you painfully fail when your ideas are put to the test. (actually, over time, I have met all my marathon goals and then set new ones. Enlightened minds consider this developing and making progress...)
Why don't you do us all a favour and keep your obviously useless ideas to yourself so that people in the clinic can actually get a good time. (I can not speak for the people with whom I have trained, but a lot of them keep asking me to keep doing what I do, and a surprisingly high number actually go on to meet their goals. As for "my" obviously "useless ideas", I have to confess that I am merely passing on accepted training strategies and programs from people far more experienced than I. Like OLYMPIC Coaches and athletes, you pathetic, drooling, mouth breathing moron! Say, was that last bit out loud? And as for doing you a favour, I'd be happy to, may I suggest therapy, a stiff drink, a sense of humour and a spell-checking program for your computer? And just out of curiousity, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A DATE! )

You have no real knowlege of athletics, regardless of how many "books" you have read, get out and train, lose some weight and listen to other people, then you may improve. (It is those damned "Evil Books" again! And is that all the "books" EXCEPT the ones written by John Stanton? I get so confused when trying to figure out the reasoning of troglodytes... I think they should be burned, those damn books! And - Jeez, what does a guy have to do? - my last two marathons have been PBs!)

Hey Vince, I have an idea, why don't you sit back, keep your mouth shut and take in some ideas from other people who have experience running under the goals you are constantly bragging about but never reaching. (I like to think my Modus Operandi - that's Latin, you knuckle-dragging cretin - is to do nothing less than continually scour the minds and opinions of accomplished athletes and many other sources for more and better ideas. Hence the reason my Blog continually sources out information and provides links to and quotes from many other Marathon Training sites. As for me "keeping my mouth shut", my nature kind of rebels at the sort of Fascist censorship implicit in that statement. And it is not really what writers do... So, you and which army, my friend?)

BLOGS! - Don't ya just love 'em!?!

5 Comments:

Blogger Scooter said...

Vince,
I believe I'll be buying you that beer in Boston, somehow, I don't think this guy will be in town! I laughed at the "drinking the Kool-Aid" reference, as PJM mentioned it in one of his posts yesterday (http://www.flashesofpanic.com/panic/000934.php - paragraph 3), so either some cross-pollenation is going on here or it's an eerie coincidence.

7:10:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vince, thanks for your help.

In the last couple of years I have run several marathons and taken a few clinics and you were the best pace group leader I have encountered by a wide margin.

And there is no doubt in my mind that your suggestions and knowledge of marathon training helped me reach my time goal with a comfortable cushion. Even if your suggestions were mostly, as I recall, to "Slow Down!" on Sunday mornings.

The person who posted those comments sounds just a trifle envious. Actually, it sounds suspiciously like a very unhappy woman! Have you spurned another, Vince!

7:55:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My vote is that Anonymous is indeed an unhappy woman. Maybe with a few weight issues of her own!

8:21:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mate, it seems you have pricked a nerve with some ass kissing little boot licker.

I'd love to see your resume side by side with this wanker's.

Keep up the good work!

4:21:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Anonymous poster must live in a world the size of a pea. The comments were rather farcical to say the least.

In my life experience I have yet to meet an "utterly self centered" person who would bother to teach others. Or admire them in print so openly.

And if Vince is so "utterly self centered" why on earth would he give a damn about the way an employee of a large corporation is treated?

Vince, a word to the wise. Stay out of company politics. As some one even older, indeed much older, and more experienced than you, let me assure you that it is a sucker's game. There is absolutely no way you can win.

Focus your energy on your training. If anything, you need to be even more self centered than you are to qualify for Boston. It is a hard, hard task. You must not allow others to divert you from your primary objective.

I have been reading your Blog for some time now. You are a compelling writer and I am enjoying participating in your journey.

Success in life and in running can not always be measured in numbers and times. Continue to be true to yourself. I admire your perseverance and tenacity.

9:35:00 AM  

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