# Dammit. I just can't do it! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 10, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186 "2002-11-10T22:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/1 "2002-11-10T22:31:12Z")
I ran another marathon today in Harrisburg. This was my third. The whole goal that I set for myself two years ago was to break 4 hours. I was at 1:52 minutes at the half, and still finished in 4:07. Everything’s fine, except for my legs which start to die on me at about 20 miles from hauling my 200 pounds around. They got so tight and sore, I had to stop and stretch several times, and I just watched my four hour mark slip away. You just can’t run with leg cramps, you **have** to work them out, or your legs just stop working. Now, I won’t have another shot at it until next year. Crap! ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/2 "2002-11-11T03:04:26Z")
aw, don’t beat yourself up over it…you finished a marathon. That’s more than many of us could do. Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/3 "2002-11-11T12:41:41Z")
At least you made a better time than [this man](http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_570361.html). IIRC he also “ran” the NYC marathon. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/4 "2002-11-11T12:58:47Z")
Or you could have been like Jay in _The Critic_; he finished a few days later, huffing and puffing. Congrats. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/5 "2002-11-11T14:58:05Z")
4 hours is my bike time for 26 miles. Nice job. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/6 "2002-11-11T15:03:59Z")
It would take me _4 weeks_ to do 26 miles. Stop complaining.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/7 "2002-11-11T15:08:53Z")
Yeah, but you don’t understand. This has been my goal for **two years!** Every day, I get out there and pound the pavement for an hour or more with the goal of breaking four hours. Every month I studiously study Runner’s World for all the extra hints and tips and dietary help. I have the right shoes. It feels like I went to law school worked my ass off, and studied for the bar, and failed 3 times in a row. I just can’t get it done, and now my knee’s sore. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/8 "2002-11-11T16:03:05Z")
In that case, it’s going to be your goal for another year. If it was easy there’d be no challenge to it, and without challenge what’s the point. But I’m puzzled as to why you have to wait a year for another crack at it. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/9 "2002-11-11T16:16:18Z")
Gary: Well, winter’s coming and there’s going to be no marathons around here for a while. Theres a couple in the next few weeks, but I already ran two in the last three weeks. In reality it takes a couple of months for your body to recover from a marathon. I have sore tendons, and my knee’s bothering me, because I ran these two close together. So, I need to recover and shouldn’t really consider running another marathon until January. Of course, then it’s the middle of winter, so I’d have to travel. I have a pregnant wife and a kid, and she ain’t going to let me fly out to some warm place to run a marathon, nor would I feel comfortable doing so. No matter how hard you try, you always lose some conditioning in the winter. You just can’t do that many outside miles, and treadmill running is easier than running outside. When spring comes I’ll be getting back into condition, and while there’s marathons then, I have little hope of hitting my mark in Spring. Then summer comes and it gets really hot. You can cover miles, but it’s hard to get a good time in stifling heat. Nevertheless a lot of training will stand you in good stead. Then fall comes along and the weather cools off into ideal marathon conditions and you get a shot at a personal best. So, it’s another year. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/10 "2002-11-11T16:21:44Z")
Do you think that running two marathons so close together may have been a limiting factor? I just wonder if you’d have been fresh legged if it would have been any different. Who knows, though. And this, folks, is why we can’t just run ONE marathon. There’s always something more, something faster, something better. Christ, we’re mental!!! ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/11 "2002-11-11T16:27:20Z")
is there no training you can do over the winter months, such as swimming? It seems that your issue is with endurance. You seem to have the pacing sorted out. I would guess that it just went wrong on the day. Well done and best of luck to you for your next one. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/12 "2002-11-11T17:17:02Z")
Twistoffate: There’s no problem with endurance. I feel good and strong. I’m not even tired after the marathon. The problem is that I’m 200 pounds. That’s a lot of weight for my legs to carry 26.2 miles at a run. I’m well-conditioned, but it seems like I’ve reached some kind of limit because of my legs. They just betray the shit out of me right there at the last 3 or four miles. It’s not pain or fatigue. Those are tolerable. My legs just stop working. If I lose 20 pounds I’ll nail it, but I don’t think I can run much faster at my current weight. At 180 pounds though, I’ll be scrawny. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/13 "2002-11-11T17:27:30Z")
It’s all those fatty lunches and sugary candies you’re stealing from your co-workers. They’re slowing you down. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/14 "2002-11-11T17:29:43Z")
Maybe it’s something in your pre-race regimen. At the dog track, the last pooch to crap is usually the winner. Maybe if you dump like a nervous greyhound just before the gun you’ll do better. Makes sense, as it’s that much less weight you’re hauling around. C’mon **Scylla** , how can to break 4 hours if you don’t do _squat_? ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/15 "2002-11-11T17:30:56Z")
Have you tried running faster? I’ve never run a marathon, but I’ll bet that would really decrease your time. [sub]Ow! Stop hitting[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/16 "2002-11-11T17:31:33Z")
^ you expect ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/17 "2002-11-11T17:56:30Z")
Scylla sounds like you might be over-training. If you are running over an hour everyday that is not good. You need rest days, and days with short runs. And drop your weekly miles in the weeks before the marathon. Try a virtual coach on the internet (sorry no link). I have never used one but, I have heard they can be helpful. Another thing to try is cross-training, this will lower the stress on your body and can help your time. 1:52 may be too fast at the split, try for a more even time. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/18 "2002-11-11T19:33:45Z")
BZOOO: Yeah, I know. I’ve been following a training program. The hour a day was a gross oversimplification. In training I’m doing about 50 miles a week. There’s a rest day in there as well as light and heavy days. The week before the race I do about 20 miles. If I’m running on Sunday, I’ll do 5 miles on Wed. 3-5 miles Thurs. a 1-2 light jog on Fri. and nothing on Sat. None of those would be speed runs. That puts me at about the right mileage and right program for a marathon. Over the winter my long runs will sort of fade away, and my runs will tend to be 5 miles on the treadmill. Once a week I’ll do 10. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/19 "2002-11-11T19:36:08Z")
As for the split time, I dunno. The only thing that’s bothering me is the strain on my legs. I’m not getting fatigued or exhausted. The scary thing is that I probably was running a negative up until mile 21 or 22. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186/20 "2002-11-11T21:36:34Z")
In that case, it sounds very much like you’ve answered your dilemma Scylla - you need to lose a bit more weight. I’m not quite sure how you reckon it’ll take as much as 20 pounds though. You’re looking to shave off 7 minutes from 247, which by my math works out at just under 3%. I’d have thought that a similar drop in weight, say 7 pounds, might just give you the boost you’re looking for. Now I’m a hockey player, not a runner, but from my experience even a difference of 7 pounds is pretty noticeable over an hour of hockey. Over an endurance event like a marathon, I’d have thought it’d make a big difference, and all without losing much in the way of muscle mass. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dammit-i-just-cant-do-it/136186.md?page=2)