...I just don't want to train for it. Seriously though, I very much want to have the feeling of crossing a finish line after I have just run 26.2 miles. I want people to look at me differently because of my incredible stamina and athletic prowess. I want to wear the big medal, get the nice drawstring bag, and technical t-shirt. But the thought of spending as much as 18 weeks, running as much as 30 miles per week, and just getting out to run for miles week in and week out, freaks me out completely.
I am 5 weeks away from my half marathon, I have possibly 3 more 12 mile runs, and the thought is starting to send shivers down my spine. I am completely ready for the half marathon. I am even having fascinations about how fast I would like to run the race, but the thought of getting up and running 12 miles this Saturday makes me want to curl up and go to bed.
The trouble with all of this is that if I really expect to finish the race in any sort of respectable time, the training is completely necessary! Maybe I am focusing too much on the destination and not enough on the journey. Maybe I am just tired today and feeling a bit of a rut. Or maybe training for long distance races really does suck. Any way you slice it, I don't feel much like training right now!
As someone who is currently training for a marathon I can tell you this: it doesn't go well with dating, drinking, socializing, hot weather, rainy weather, sore legs, and a lack of plenty of starbucks and mcdonalds to stop at (if you know what I mean).
ReplyDeleteSaying all that, I definitely think you should do it. Because you can, and I know you'll kick yourself in 20 years looking back at all your running without knocking that off your bucket list. I might take that back after Saturday, I've got 18...
Not trying to discourage you, but I think marathons are overrated. Saying that you ran a marathon does not put you into an elite group of athletes. Lots and lots of people have run a marathon. I'm never impressed by anyone who tells me they've run one. In fact, most people I know who've trained for one have had to skip the race due to injury from training.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I may be anti-marathon because my knees and back are bad enough that I can't run more than a few miles a week without bringing on lots of pain.