I'm that guy who runs marathons...for fun. People run marathons for many different reasons. Health, accomplishment, rewards, recognition, maybe even free beer, but I run them for fun. Many people also run marathons for fun, so this is not an anomaly. There is something about making 26.2 miles that is refreshing, peaceful, exciting, and entertaining. Alas, this is not a post about why I runs marathons, this is a message for anyone who has ever tried to convince me that running a marathon, for me, is easy.
I hear it all the time from friends, colleagues, acquaintances, even people I sell shoes to that because I have run a handful of marathons, half marathons, and even ventured into the world of ultramarathons, that running 26.2 miles must be easy for me now. I think the easiest way to respond to this is a simple agreement, but that's not what my head nod typically means. Yes, in a sense running a marathon is easy if by easy you mean I get enjoyment out of it. Somewhere between the start and mile 16 I am having fun and then when I cross the finish line that excitement is back, but wait what happened to miles 16-26.2? That's potentially 10 miles I forgot to mention. That's because those 10 miles are the most painful miles. I typically hit my wall in between 16-18 miles and then I have to summon all physical and mental energy I have to carry my way through.
Running a marathon is not easy. There are easy parts and there are aspects that can maybe qualify as easy, but overall making it 26.2 miles is still a challenge, and I think it will remain a challenge for years to come. I ran cross country in middle school, high school, and a little in college. I ran a lot of 5ks during my high school and college career. Too many to count actually. I never once thought to myself that running 5ks was easy, though, based on how many I had completed. Now don't get me wrong, can I run an easy 5k? Yes, I can I do it in training all the time and some road races here and there. When that competitive nature sets in though, that's when easy is thrown out the window. Which brings me to my next point.
I don't run marathons for competition, that's crazy. I only started running marathons in the fall of 2013 with a personal best of 3:03. To many people that's fast, but when we are talking competition speed, its not great, not even close. So how can a competitive side kick in when I run a marathon? I think it's just adrenaline. Running in a crowd of thousands of people gets the blood flowing and the chemicals kick in. I don't want to jog, I want to run. I have no issues with people who jog or walk, I think it's purely great they are out there doing what they are doing. It's just not my style. I think we might be off topic though so I revert back.
Why isn't running a marathon easy for me? I'm not one of those superhumans that can't feel pain. Lactic acid builds up, my feet start to hurt, muscles ache, my mind tells me to stop, I get blisters, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, and the list can go on. There are a lot of people that can make it a marathon or longer and feel great and to a certain extent I can do that. I have run a few longer races and have been out on the roads the next day tearing it up with minimal soreness. I have run a few longer races where I feel great through the entire race physically, but my mind won't stop telling me to quit. Something always kicks in to make the race a challenge.
I guess my point in all of this is, that running a marathon isn't easy. It can be for some, but don't simply assume that it is just because someone has done more than one. I think some people use it as an excuse...kind of an "I can't do a marathon, and it's easy for you to say I can, because running 26.2 miles is easy for you." And that is the the biggest issue I have, when people use my experience as a way of creating an excuse for why they can't do something. I don't know a lot, but I do know one thing, most people could make it 26.2 miles with the right training and right attitude, it won't be easy, but I never said it was.
I hear it all the time from friends, colleagues, acquaintances, even people I sell shoes to that because I have run a handful of marathons, half marathons, and even ventured into the world of ultramarathons, that running 26.2 miles must be easy for me now. I think the easiest way to respond to this is a simple agreement, but that's not what my head nod typically means. Yes, in a sense running a marathon is easy if by easy you mean I get enjoyment out of it. Somewhere between the start and mile 16 I am having fun and then when I cross the finish line that excitement is back, but wait what happened to miles 16-26.2? That's potentially 10 miles I forgot to mention. That's because those 10 miles are the most painful miles. I typically hit my wall in between 16-18 miles and then I have to summon all physical and mental energy I have to carry my way through.
Running a marathon is not easy. There are easy parts and there are aspects that can maybe qualify as easy, but overall making it 26.2 miles is still a challenge, and I think it will remain a challenge for years to come. I ran cross country in middle school, high school, and a little in college. I ran a lot of 5ks during my high school and college career. Too many to count actually. I never once thought to myself that running 5ks was easy, though, based on how many I had completed. Now don't get me wrong, can I run an easy 5k? Yes, I can I do it in training all the time and some road races here and there. When that competitive nature sets in though, that's when easy is thrown out the window. Which brings me to my next point.
I don't run marathons for competition, that's crazy. I only started running marathons in the fall of 2013 with a personal best of 3:03. To many people that's fast, but when we are talking competition speed, its not great, not even close. So how can a competitive side kick in when I run a marathon? I think it's just adrenaline. Running in a crowd of thousands of people gets the blood flowing and the chemicals kick in. I don't want to jog, I want to run. I have no issues with people who jog or walk, I think it's purely great they are out there doing what they are doing. It's just not my style. I think we might be off topic though so I revert back.
Why isn't running a marathon easy for me? I'm not one of those superhumans that can't feel pain. Lactic acid builds up, my feet start to hurt, muscles ache, my mind tells me to stop, I get blisters, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, and the list can go on. There are a lot of people that can make it a marathon or longer and feel great and to a certain extent I can do that. I have run a few longer races and have been out on the roads the next day tearing it up with minimal soreness. I have run a few longer races where I feel great through the entire race physically, but my mind won't stop telling me to quit. Something always kicks in to make the race a challenge.
I guess my point in all of this is, that running a marathon isn't easy. It can be for some, but don't simply assume that it is just because someone has done more than one. I think some people use it as an excuse...kind of an "I can't do a marathon, and it's easy for you to say I can, because running 26.2 miles is easy for you." And that is the the biggest issue I have, when people use my experience as a way of creating an excuse for why they can't do something. I don't know a lot, but I do know one thing, most people could make it 26.2 miles with the right training and right attitude, it won't be easy, but I never said it was.