Quitting my job - what to say

The 1500 pr is basically meaningless, but if you've run 15:00 for 5k, you're probably only 6 months of proper marathon training away from 2:30.

From there, sure why not? 2:30 to 2:19 is possible with a fews years of hardcore training.

I think it's a great goal. If I qualified for the Olympic Trials I'd brag about it for the rest of my life.

Dude I'd say go for it. Sure Kartelite is right there are better things that could have an impact on your life, but competeing in the trials it huge and has been a goal of mine since high school, hope it all works out for ya.

not a badass runner wrote:

The 1500 pr is basically meaningless, but if you've run 15:00 for 5k, you're probably only 6 months of proper marathon training away from 2:30.

From there, sure why not? 2:30 to 2:19 is possible with a fews years of hardcore training.

I think it's a great goal. If I qualified for the Olympic Trials I'd brag about it for the rest of my life.

Okay, but as many have said before: It's kind of a crazy goal just to make the Olympic TRIALS. The trials are to pick our olympic team, not a life's goal to quit your job over for marginal runners.

But its one step away from making the team. Just thing about it, your the underdog and you have the race of your life and you finish in the top 3 and make the team. All that matters is which three have the better race that day. How many people though Sell would make it over Abdi, Med, Khalid, Culpepper, Browne (granted some dropped out). And who would of though Jankins would finish 7th. It something the guys wants to do so I'd say if you have the income to support yourself why not you never know what can happen.

Ante up wrote:

Okay, but as many have said before: It's kind of a crazy goal just to make the Olympic TRIALS. The trials are to pick our olympic team, not a life's goal to quit your job over for marginal runners.

Why not? Unless your running makes you rich, at the end of the day running goals are arbitrary any way. Sure there's some glory involved, but that's about it other than your own personal satisfaction with a job well done.

For marginal runners, making the Olympic team is so impossible that it doesn't seem real. But qualifying for the Trials - running in the same race as Alan Webb or Ryan Hall, seeing your name in the race packet. That is enough to justify the years of sacrifice for many people.

OK...yeah....I'm a consultant and I work 50 or more hours per week as well. My PRs are only 4:03 mile and 14:06 5k and at no time have I thought I have a shot at the Olympics. Granted, I realize that someone I have trained with and never lost to in a race placed in the top 10 at the trials, but I still don't see being able to make the team a reality. I guess maybe you think 15 mins is good? I'm not getting how you think you can run a 2:20 or less.

"but I just can't take the hours anymore. (consulting, 50-60 hours per week, the workload isn't too bad but I feel like I am being forced into working overtime and not getting paid a dime for it)"

Search your soul for your true motivations. Are you moving toward a goal for which you feel tremendous passion and confidence of achieving or do you just want to leave a situation you don't like?

This is an imporatant question for you to answer.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. - H.D. Thoreau

I say if you have the means to do this and the process is going to make you happy (whether you reach your goal or not,remember) then go for it. Just don't half-ass it. Best of luck.

I quit

If you have the resources, go for it.

You are not hurting anyone. I really don't understand the naysayers here. You have an outside shot at running in the trials. Go for it. 50 years from now you will not have another shot.

VeloCity wrote:

Just tell her the truth, thank her for the experience and knowledge that she has provided, and give her a 30 day notice allowing her time to make a smooth transition or re-allocate resources.

Keep it positive. She may prove to be a valued resource when you re-enter the job market.

Good luck!

this guy said it right...I actually did what you are doing, many years ago; I worked part time at a shoe store and took grad school classes too; but trained for 3 years to try to make the trials, running 100 + mile weeks, etc...I fell short of the marathon qualifier of 2:19:04 by 2 minutes; then retired and went back into the full time working world. I would do it all, all over again too. Any sap can work from age 25 to 65; so what if I started a few years later. don't listen to losers who will try and tell you that you are an idiot for doing this. (esp family members)

Seriously I don't know if following your passion is always wise. I live in an area where for some reason there are many girls who are passionate about horses. My neighbors girls went to some expensive private school and majored in equine science (horses). It was her passion and it WAS her passion and it has been a mistake. No jobs.

If your passion emanates from sound judgement and realism then go for it. If not than look for advice from others.

Some people are just dreamers and not based in reality. Good passion has to come from sound judgement.

Thats an opinion many wouldn't want to hear but its true.

Mr Conundrum wrote:

Seriously I don't know if following your passion is always wise. I live in an area where for some reason there are many girls who are passionate about horses. My neighbors girls went to some expensive private school and majored in equine science (horses). It was her passion and it WAS her passion and it has been a mistake. No jobs.

If your passion emanates from sound judgement and realism then go for it. If not than look for advice from others.

Some people are just dreamers and not based in reality. Good passion has to come from sound judgement.

Thats an opinion many wouldn't want to hear but its true.

This is so true. Hollywood likes to make it seems like anything less than dropping everything for one's crazy, romantic goals, is selling out.

However, someone has to pay the mortgage, or there will be no "happily ever after".

The number one stressor in North America is lack of money and the number one thing couples fight about is money.

You don't need to become a corporate drone, but if I had my 20's over again, I would find an easy job and run on the side.

My slacker days were awesome, but if I hadn't got lucky with a good job now, I would still be paying off debt.

I guess you guys missed the part where I said "when I didn't qualify for the trials and turned 30, I jumped into the full time work world and didn't miss a beat". That was over 20 years ago. I now make over 100k have a house and a family. Now, if you were lousy runners like you guys, then maybe you did the right thing.

for real or not wrote:

I guess you guys missed the part where I said "when I didn't qualify for the trials and turned 30, I jumped into the full time work world and didn't miss a beat". That was over 20 years ago. I now make over 100k have a house and a family. Now, if you were lousy runners like you guys, then maybe you did the right thing.

Yeah but if you are mid 50's now it means you are a boomer. You have to understand that standards were lower back then - demographics were in your favor.

Advanced professional degrees and training were not as required as they are now to secure many "good" jobs.

As well, one didn't need a resume filled with extra curricular certifications, volunteer work with orphans and references from the head of the UN to get a job, back then you pretty much just had to show up most days and you were promoted (I am being facetious, but it is response to your assumption that I was slow).

I don't know a lot of people that could jump into the full time work world these days without missing a beat at age 30 - if all they did was run until then.

I absolutely agree. I'm merely a high school runner, and yes, I too have dreams of making the Olympic Trials some day.

I love to run. Running is everything to me, and its the only reason I stay sane everything single day. I only wish that I could harness this passion for years down the road because quite honestly, I don't ever plan on quitting.

And I understand the skepticism of those who have been able to move on and have no desire to try and make a comeback. However, even though you have the right to be skeptical, I wish you could remeber that feeling that I have right now.

I know that I will work the rest of my life. But when I've retired and have my own grandchildren, I wanna be able to say that I've done something other than just "put in the hours" for 40 years of my life. I want to take a chance a say that I chased after something that no one thought I could catch up to.

And if I don't, then so what. I consider it a bigger failure to not have the courage to try at all.

just a kid with a dream wrote:

And if I don't, then so what. I consider it a bigger failure to not have the courage to try at all.

I am not saying don't try. I am just saying, be smart about it.

You get one life, thier are no do overs. Go for it or when you get 50 years old you'll look back and wish you had.

SWc wrote:

You get one life, thier are no do overs. Go for it or when you get 50 years old you'll look back and wish you had.

I did and I don't.