I am hoping that by this time next year you and everybody else will have forgotten that I said I’d do it.
Not a chance. My own strategy was to tell as many people as possible, thus making it impossible to pull out with my dignity intact. I am currently implementing this strategy on your part, too.
Ain’t I nice?
I’m sorry you didn’t get the same rush at the finish this time. You might want to branch out and run other marathons. Some people enjoy traveling to marathons (one friend has run in Antarctica and one the Great Wall), others to establish streaks. (I know one lunatic who runs one a month!) The running community is full of good people, more so than any other community I’ve been involved with. Everyone goes into running for different reasons, but with enough commonality to become fast friends. (pun intended!)
I’ve run the Pikes Peak Marathon 12 times, and four other marathons (in chronological order, a defunct one to qualify for Boston, Boston, Philly, London.) While I have moved on to triathlons (half iron), I am blessed with running ability for a tall guy. When I ran my first non-Pikes Peak marathon, w/o adequate training due to work and some bad colds and in my upper 30s, I ran a 3:07 in Denver. I’ve been told if I ran one under good conditions at sea level, I was probably a 2:40-2:45 marathoner, or maybe better . (My best was 2:51 at Philly, when it was incredibly hot and humid.) However, there are some ex-pro runners around here to keep me humble. One guy ran Boston the same year I did. He is one year older than me. As a 40 year old, he ran Boston in 2:15! Even more amazingly, he was not the first master. Some 40+ Russian ran a 2:12, IIRC.
And the new world record is even more amazing. There are so few people who can run one 4:43 mile, let alone 26.2 of them! Hell, how many people can run that fast for 200 meters?
I’ve been told that the Marine Corps Marathon is one of the best marathons in the world. I’m holding you to this. (Hell, I even remember Priceguy’s thread.)
That’s what I’m doing for the 5K, but the marathon… You’re really not helping, though. It’s a bit daunting to know that I kind of know people who can run 26 7 minute miles and I can’t even run any miles all the way through! And the concept that there are people in this world who can run it in about two hours… I’ve always read that a human can outrun most animals in the world over a long enough distance, and I suppose it must be true.
I’ve talked about this before, but I think it’s relevant for you. I ended a lengthy hospitalization in March of 2006. I couldn’t walk more than a hundred meters without taking a break. I couldn’t sit up for more than half an hour at a time. I walked with a cane for weeks. Between then and now I had another stay in the hospital complete with major surgery. And yet, I did a four-hour marathon this past May and ran a 30-kilometer race over tough terrain in under 2:45 the other week. None of those wiped me out.
If I could come back and do what I did, don’t you think you can run a marathon in a year?
Be pretty embarassing if I couldn’t. 
Run until you can’t. Walk until you can.
Make finishing a mental game, and you can do it. There are people who walk the whole thing. They know if they keep going, they’ll make it.
I know others really enjoy running and doing races, but I just don’t seem to get the same kick from it. If I were an elite runner like you, I might reconsider, but knowing I’m just okay takes away some of the exhilaration for me.
It is unbelievable to me that someone can run a 3:07 in Denver and a 2:51 anywhere else. Let alone running Pikes Peak 12 times. That is truly impressive. People like you are what inspire people like me. Knowing that people can accomplish those type of things amaze me and helps me to keep going. Not because I think I’ll ever reach times like that, but simply because it lets me know that I’m not really anywhere near the limits of human endurance.
I started training for a half-iron last summer, but my bike times were horrendous and at the same time my running times were getting better. That is why I decided to do another marathon. Hopefully this winter will be a bit calmer, though, and I’ll get in good bike training and can improve enough to enter a half-iron. Long term I know running just isn’t what I want to do.
Congrats on your time, that is awesome.
I met a guy the other day and was talking to him about running and he said he did a marathon but it was slow, slow, slow and he was embarassed of his time. He said he wanted to go 30 minutes faster in his next one. I asked what his time was and he said 2:58 :rolleyes:
What you did is fast.
I agree with this. Finishing is a mental game. If you think you can do it, you can do it. Just don’t run yourself into injury. If something hurts, walk it out. Tomorrow is another day and you can try again. You’ll get there.
Ironically, many would consider you elite, and I don’t consider me to be elite. There are plenty of people who really struggle to break 3:30, 4:00, or even 5:00 hours. And there are those who are bitterly disappointed if they don’t break 2:20. Yeah, I tend to place in my age group, but there are plenty of guys who can just smoke me.
But, working on a half-iron is all to the good. I also suck on the bike. I am very competitive in my age bracket on the run (in two out of the three I’ve done, I came in one good piss from having the best split - in the other I lost my chain three times and just cruised in). But, it has taken a lot of work for me to get out of the bottom third on the bike. For me, that is part of the challenge. Can I bike with good cyclist and not lose my run? (I swim ok. I think I can hit the top 10% of my age bracket.)
Why do you run? Originally, I ran for the solitude. (Hey, I have 5 kids.) Now I run and swim for the camaraderie, and bike in solitude. (In part, because all my friends are so much better on the bike.) I race for an excuse for Mrs Slow for all this “training”, and to see new places and people, and to compete with my friends. I also enjoy the challenge of improving even though I’m 47. All of these reasons could apply to you. Figuring out what makes you tick is part of what these kinds of things are about. Once you get it, pursue what feeds it.
I envy people like you that can compete at the level you do. I know it takes a huge amount of dedication and time to get to where you are and it would seem your efforts are showing the dividends. It certainly isn’t easy. 5 kids and you can find time to train for a 1/2 iron? My hat is off to you, sir.
I’ve been running for about 5 years and biking for less than a year, so I’m not too broken up that my bike time is so bad (a really, really good time for me on the bike is 18.5mph). I know it will take time and hard work, the question is if I’ll find the motivation to put in the time and effort to get myself up to the 21mph range. I won’t even mention how bad my swimming is…
The benefits to running are why I run. I don’t particularly enjoy running, but knowing what happens if I don’t (I used to be 25+ pounds overweight) is certainly a huge motivator. So, I guess weight more than anything is my motivator, at least in terms of why I exercise. Competition with myself and others is what drives me to exercise hard.
Holy cow! That’s darn good. And IMHO you should do Boston, even if you don’t finish! Just to run the first mile would be exciting.
cmosdes - Congratulations! Well done, and you have to go to the Boston Marathon! Great job!
runner pat - May I propose the following for a high five smiley -
>|3===E| (a Roman numeral V atop a doric column; best I’ve come up with yet…)
Thank you, but I enjoy it, except maybe the bike, so it isn’t so hard. You can get there on the bike, it sounds like we are about the same, except I have 2 years on the bike, and a lot more running. My first half-iron was on a very fast course. I was the first guy to finish who averaged less than 20 on the bike (which put me well back in my age group). I didn’t know whether to be proud or not.
It sounds like you should join a running group or two and race some shorter races for a while. Maybe 10Ks and the odd 5 miler or 10 miler.
Well, I “came out” about the marathon to my family, which means I really have to do it. My dad, whose back bothers him so much he rarely travels now, promised he’d be there. Thanks to cmosdes. priceguy, Ludovic, SlowMindThinking, and everybody else who seems to think it can be done.
Good for you. Remember, training for a really long race is the ultimate delayed gratification. Just think about crossing that finish line, having that to celebrate, and knowing you can do anything.
There is no doubt you can do it. I’ve seen all shapes and abilities out on the marathon course. When I first started training for a marathon my longest run ever was probably under 8 miles. But within a month or so I was over 12. It just took a good plan, the belief I could do it and the dedication to get out there. If you have a year to train, you can certainly get there.
cmosdes and priceguy are right. You can do it, if you choose to do it. (as opposed to just want to do it.) Heck, I know a guy who lost 90 lbs training to do an ironman, over the course of the year. Don’t get discouraged if you find you are slow, you’ll find other runners only think its great that you are trying. (A few years back, the head of the local Road Runners group was a guy who is very slow, and very popular.) Just find a plan that keeps you from trying to much, persevere through any bad stretches (a running buddy, especially canine, is best for this!), and give yourself time to learn to enjoy it and feeling fit. I also take pride in knowing just how far I can run, as in, geez, I’ve been driving a while and I’ve run further than this, but that might be just me.