Why the Marathon?

[TheOtherScott]

I read this article the other day, and thought it was very much in line with my thinking since running (and barely finishing) the Around the Bay 30k in March.  It seems like there's an enormous pressure among runners to do the full marathon, professional and otherwise, and that short races are for beginners only.

 

http://www.runnersworld.com/5k-training-plans/10-reasons-the-5k-is-freaking-awesome?page=single

 

What are some other thoughts on this?

[blkhole24601]

I love this article! Makes me feel a lot better about my affirmation to never run a full marathon again. After all, I think I only did it because when I was first starting to run, I thought that's what "real" runners did: marathons, ultra-marathons, triathlons. But not only was the marathon an awful experience for me, but so was the training. Near the end, I had to give up entire weekends, I remember, because of an 18-mile run I had to do, so I couldn't stay out late, etc. Not my style. The half marathon is a much saner distance for me, personally, and I doubt I'll ever run more than that again, and that's okay.

 

So my stance is: 5k's, not just for beginners!

[goodbye_farewell]

Yup, I did the marathon thing. Probably won't do it again. After multiple HMs and one FM, I am sticking with the 5k. I'm going to sneak and win my age group one of these days

[virtualmonkey]

I have no desire to run a full marathon ever. I'm more than happy doing half's with my wife and 5ks with friends. I have no need to prove myself vs what anyone else can do.

[Shukar]

I ran a marathon partly because it seemed like what runners did, but I prefer the half as a distance. I'll probably do a marathon again sometime though just to prove I can do better than my last effort.

[Frost of the Gloaming]

I'm only doing one marathon so I can qualify for a race that I want to do

[Raikas]

I read this article the other day, and thought it was very much in line with my thinking since running (and barely finishing) the Around the Bay 30k in March.  It seems like there's an enormous pressure among runners to do the full marathon, professional and otherwise, and that short races are for beginners only.

 

 

I think most of that is macho posturing - bigger is better and all that.  "You ran 30km? Pft! I ran 42!"

 

I do think there's one point that's less about bragging rights and more about reality - people seem to peak at higher ages for the real endurance stuff, so if you're (for example) 35, your peak potential 5km running days have probably passed, whereas the longer the distance, the older you can keep improving (even at the elite level - look at this year's Boston marathon winners - Meb Keflezighi is 38, and the wheelchair winner Ernst van Dyk is 41).  And they usually say that the average runner peaks a little later than the elites, so you can imagine people sitting there thinking "I'll qualify once I'm in the next age group..." - I think that drives some of the marathon-pressure as well.

 

I mean, people who only start running at 35 will still improve their 5km time with training, but they'll always have that "If I'd started at 15..." in the back of their minds.

[steven.lazen]

Run what you want! I don't think Usain Bolt is less of a runner 'cause he hasn't done a marathon!

 

As far as professionals go- a lot of cross-country or longer distance track athletes tend to go marathon because there is no elite level cross-country races (professionally) and there is more money in marathoning (and its great to go into it when you start slowing down in the shorter races).

 

I think people view people who run marathoners with respect because it takes a longer amount of training and dedication to run a marathon than shorter races (and I'm only talking about completing a race, not elite level) so short races get less perceived respect. 

 

And don't worry - I run with a lot of ultrarunners and they think marathoners are wimps!

 

Keep Running!

[Kaylya]

It seems like some people get in their mind that they should run a marathon as part of their goal to be "healthy", and it's something they have in mind from day one of starting to run as an end goal. I don't think that line of thinking should be encouraged. That kind of goal encourages people to up the distance faster than they probably should. It also is likely to get in the way of people running long term - they're more likely to get injured and less likely to find enjoyment. Once they do the marathon, what's next?

 

The other thing, in terms of being "healthy" - particularly if you're a slower runner (e.g. aiming to finish the marathon in 6 hours), there's probably a lot better mix of things you could do with your time than do some 4 hour + long runs plus another couple hours per week of shorter runs. Now, it's most important that you're doing some form exercise, and if you absolutely love running, then that's fine, but you probably are better off doing, say, 3 hours per week of running including some speedwork and 3 hours per week of strength training than 6 hours per week of running. Or do triathlons, so there's less pounding on the same joints (e.g. I assume Olympic distance Triathlons are in the same ballpark of training time commitment as Half marathons).

 

So yeah - I've got tons of room to improve my speed at 5k and 10k. For now, that's where I plan to stay. Maybe after upping my speed I'll decide to try a 10 miler or a half or something, or maybe not; I think I'm a lot more likely to try my hand at triathlon before then.

[Strickland5]

Sorry I had to stop reading after seeing "poo-poo problems" as this is something I heard ALOT during my marathon training and could never get people to understand that it didn't happen to everyone. ... ugh!

 

I prefer 10K thru half marathon distances for races as they offer better bang for the buck compared to 5K (1-2 hours vs 25-30 minutes)

[Frost of the Gloaming]

the Poo-Monster!

 

lol when I start getting up early to get my miles in I will intentionally do a mile or two around the house to a "get things moving" that way I can duck home go and not have to make a pit stop behind someones bushes in front of their house

[Strickland5]

the Poo-Monster!

 

lol when I start getting up early to get my miles in I will intentionally do a mile or two around the house to a "get things moving" that way I can duck home go and not have to make a pit stop behind someones bushes in front of their house

Never had this issue during training ... your body is supposed to shut down those systems as it figures out it needs to shift priorities elsewhere... 

[Rostov]

It's an interesting one.  I'm training for my first half marathon at the end of Sept - only a few kilometres off the distance on my weekly long slow run, so all being well I should finish, and I have a target time in mind.  Assuming that goes well, the next big question is whether to do a marathon or not.  On the one hand, it doesn't look like much fun and it doesn't look particularly healthy.  On the other.... it's iconic, non-running friends will ask me about it, and a little voice in my head is telling me I should... just one... so I can say that I did.  And it would be a terrific achievement given how unfit I used to be.

 

I wonder whether the health worries in the article that RandMart linked only apply (or only mainly apply) to people who've not trained properly, who have perhaps trained for the marathon rather than being a regular runner whose next goal happens to be a marathon.  I'm starting to think I'll just keep on running my 5ks, 10k, and the LSR, and lay down good foundations for whatever I decide to do next, whether it's another half or a full marathon.

 

5k runs are ace, and I don't feel any less tired at the end of a PB-chasing 5k than I do after my long slow run.  I've only ever felt physically sick after running once, and that was a 5k...

[Rostov]

[multi-post sorry]

[The Borg Queen]

I don't think people should be afraid of marathons. I had fun training for mine, and greatly anticipate the next one. Everyone has their own thing.