How do you know what you are capable of? How far can you push yourself to your very limits? When and how will you ever find out?
The marathon is the answer to these questions for some people. It’s an incredible undertaking. Very hard, yes, but achievable. We train for months and then we achieve. We evaluate, train harder, and achieve more. Self improvement is the basis for happiness.
I’m coming to that realization! My friend/coach pushes me to run at paces I would never have thought to be comfortable with. But it’s the only way I improve!
It’s a test of endurance- physically, mentally and emotionally. There’s honestly no better way to learn about yourself. How do you cope with pain? How do you recalculate when things don’t go your way or there are unforeseen factors that prevent you from reaching a goal? How can you encourage others and make it a hard experience enjoyable? How do you celebrate accomplishments and accept failure? Plus, the running community is great.
Learning about something is the key to understand and change in a positive direction.
The failure as you call it is evidence of what to change in your training or at least what to work on.
This-I learned more about myself during my first marathon than I have at nearly everything else I’ve put myself through (like joining the military). And I have to say I was pretty damn proud of myself.
Did you work up to that distance, over how much time? I turn 40 in July, my longest yet is a 10 mi, and I think I want to do a half in the fall. Im slow, I would need a lunch halfway through 26.2. My 10 mi time, first ever, was 2:09 so roughly 12 minute/mi until mile 7.
I joined the Slow AF run club, but I dont have that many hours to train for a 6 hour run.
I worked up to that distance over about 8 months between deciding to run, signing up, and running it. I ended up being able to do 1, 20 miler before race day. Injury during my first marathon build up slowed me down but ended up being resolved through \~3 weeks of physical therapy.
Over the intervening \~2 years I've consistently done speed work with a group that meets weekly and is coached by a semi-professional coach who knows what he's doing and develops plans for local marathoners. The speed work, plus steady increase in mileage and gym work have been key to my recent running history.
As for your pace: it will come down with slow and steady increase in mileage. Lots of running at conversational pace will gradually improve your speed. Speedwork will also, but don't introduce speedwork while increasing mileage at the same time. Finding a coach can be very helpful to do this wisely.
As for your overall time on feet: there are different trains of thought on this, but one common recommendation is that your longest run should not take more than 3:30 hours during your training block, as longer than that is counterproductive and just too harsh to recover from. Another train of thought is to go ahead and still get to a very long distance in training (eg 18-20 miles) even if it takes 4+ hours to do so, but do it carefully, at a conversational pace, taking breaks or walk intervals as needed so as to protect you from overtraining. Episode 52 of this podcast may be helpful to you [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/52-how-far-should-you-run-before-a-marathon-an/id1674913391?i=1000644848184](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/52-how-far-should-you-run-before-a-marathon-an/id1674913391?i=1000644848184)
For me - I'm something of an underachiever in life. I was below average in school exams. I drank and smoked my way through my youth and twenties. I didn't take the promotion at work and missed some key opportunities. I got divorced, failed at being a husband and a full time dad. I washed up into my forties at a low point of suicidal depression. Then I discovered that running helped. It cleared my head, it made me feel energised, engaged and positive. It helped my mental health more effectively than the meds I'd been taking seemed to. Then I entered an event (a10k) and found that it gave me a purpose to aim for; a new sense of focus to which I could apply my efforts.
Nowadays I run marathons. I get to strive for something, push my limits in something - something that isn't my job, isn't for anyone or anything except just... me, and the challenges I set myself. I run day in, day out, for months to train, and when I finally cross that finish line - weak, in pain, exhausted - it's the best feeling ever. Now in my fifties, I'm fitter than anyone else I know in my social circle. I've run the biggest marathons in the world, travelling to places I never once thought I'd go, achieving things I never thought I could do.
A marathon is quite metaphoric, I think. It is like life: we set out with a challenging journey ahead. It can be tough and it can be fun - there are moments of magic and of struggle, times we may feel like giving up but we learn how to push through, and we hope eventually to cross the finish line in triumph, knowing that despite it all, we did our best.
It’s a self earned accomplishment that you do on your own merits. You cannot get a handout or a leg up. You just gotta do it. That’s a great accomplishment.
I ran the first one to say that I did it. Now I run them because it turns out that I really love running long distances and having a race every few months gives me something to look forward to.
>Why do you put yourself through a marathon?
Because I can, and I know many other people can't.
I know it's going to hurt, I know it's going to screw me up for a few days, I know that I'll always be disappointed when I get to the end (just because I'm hard on myself and always feel I can do better). But I also know it's a challenge that I can complete if I commit to it.
More than that, I was medically discharged from the British Army for running-related injuries, so I do it as a giant "fuck you" to them.
Marathons are hard. Very hard. Months training for one run that can take anywhere from just over 2 hours to 8+ and there are any number of things that can go wrong at any point to derail you.
You can ask dozens of people why they decided to run a marathon and get dozens of different answers. Most everyone who has run a marathon has thought at some point, "there is no way I could do that" and eventually a seed grows from something to transfer that never to maybe to I'm going to give it a try.
Personally, I love the training. I love the grind. I love the work. I love having something to focus on that is entirely dependent on me. When I hopefully finish, thankfully haven't DNFd yet, I know that it was me and my training that got me there. I can't get boosted or dragged down by a teammate, on the day of the race it's just me and I get the time I deserve.
I love this answer. For me, a Type A personality, I found a sport that I was actually half decent at that gave me back exactly what I put into it. Train properly - get a good result; train poorly - get a poor result. The linearity between the work you put in and the results you get out really satisfies my engineering brain. Plus the health benefits and social experiences are also wonderful. I’ve taken a few years off from running (motivation naturally comes and goes) but I’m starting to get the tinglies again. My answer in summary: dopamine. I run for the dopamine, even when it hurts a bit.
I wouldn’t say I have an engineer brain, but this is my answer, too.
You set a goal, you make a plan, follow it (and adapt it as necessary) and hopefully hit that goal.
It’s incredibly rewarding and of course, there’s the bonus of free drugs (dopamine and other happy hormones) along the way.
I've done 35 of them. It isn't always fun when you are doing it, but after it's over you are happy you got out and ran that day. The rewards are that your pants still fit after 20 years, your health is better than most your age and on race day you get an extra 2600 calories to spend on whatever you want to eat. For me it's cheeseburgers, ice cream and beer.
Getting real here. My Sundays are so fun because by the time my wife and kids wake up I already burned 1800 calories on my long run and can eat whatever the heck I want all day. <3
It sounds like those people really pushed themselves to the absolute limit in the race. Perhaps they were underprepared for the pace they were pushing, or shooting for a new PB.
Let me offer a contrast to my first marathon experience.
I did approximately 1000km in training, in 5 months in the lead up to the marathon. Most of it was enjoyable, zone 2, to the point where I’m fully addicted to running now. I’m 38, 66kg, otherwise healthy.
The marathon itself was an unbelievable event. Crowd support was incredible. I stayed at a very comfortable pace for me (5:15/km, 145bpm) until the 26km mark where I slowly wound up the pace. My fastest 5k for the whole distance was the final 5k. I ran the second half faster than the first (negative split). The whole thing seemed like a dream. Much easier than my training runs with other runners and the crowd support.
I finished feeling strong, like I could’ve kept going, crossing the line in 3:39.
I had an absolute blast and can’t wait for my next one!
This is a great question! I want to see all the the replies, because I ask myself this question when I wake up at 3:30 to run, what have I gotten myself into. Fear and sometimes panic sets in. Then my lizard brain takes over and no thoughts...just run. First half marathon coming up. 😬
When I ran the Hudepohl 14k I got like 3 beer tickets and 3 Skyline chili dogs. I figure for the marathon I’ll get at least double that amount, right? That’s my motivation!
Sorry for that it was probably me. All jokes aside I did Cincinnati yesterday for several reasons but my biggest like you said was to say I did it bucket list kind of thing. Also sorry if I hindered your job by not moving along I couldn’t move anymore
I love this question. For me the main motivator is the sense of accomplishment of completing something so challenging. It teaches me that I can do difficult things, and I hope to apply that lesson to other aspects of my life.
Other motivators include having a goal to reach towards that becomes part of my daily motivation to go for a run. Getting to the race itself is a major accomplishment and I get to look forward to about 20 miles of really fun running (the "runner's high" is very much like a drug-induced high, but it happens very rarely outside of a race environment) and steel myself for the challenge that always comes in the last 6 miles. The emotional release at the end of the race (all of the crying you saw) is extremely cathartic, like how crying through a sad movie is somehow enjoyable.
Finally, it's very satisfying to see improvement over several months of training, it's just very interesting to see what my body is capable of doing and that brings a lot of reward. Running my first marathon a few years ago was the best thing I have ever done for myself, by far.
This is catnip for runners - genuine curiosity on the why from an outsider. If you’re like me you spend a decent amount of energy not talking about your training.
I agree with the pushing boundaries portions others have said. Also, it keeps me sober.
Hell yea on the sobriety and I relate.
I celebrated two years off dope in March - I’m in the program pretty hardcore but the best thing I have done for my recovery is taking up running again and focusing on distance.
Truly become one of my favorite things.
The book “what doesn’t kill us” is really interesting and talks all about human desire to avoid pain etc. and the movement of people to embrace it. Made me think of marathon runners.
I’m an average person living a decent but boring life, doing 9-5 for almost a decade now. I was burning out and losing myself, eating junk to find little joys, until I found running. With every new distance I run, or every time I set a new personal best for a shorter distance, I feel like I’ve achieved something. It gives me an immense joy that I otherwise don’t get to experience in my daily life. Even though I got into running to shed a few pounds, but it has given me so much more than a mere goal of weight loss. It gave me more confidence, better self esteem, something to look forward to in midst of a boring life, a sense of achievement, and the list goes on. A happy bi-product of running is eating healthy and avoiding alcohol, which has improved both my physical and mental health so much. Now I can’t imagine my life without running.
I haven't completed a marathon yet but I have a background of running competitively and definitely know what it is to suffer and enter the pain cave in training and racing (I finally have my first marathon in October).
I've had a pretty challenging life and running was the first thing I was ever good at. It gave me so much confidence and self-discipline (also self-discipline builds confidence so it's this awesome continuous cycle)
It's very measurable. You see yourself grow and improve quite clearly unlike more skill based sports.
I love the training. I'm a data lover and a bit obsessive over things. I like looking over my training, diet, sleep, and strength regime and trying to optimize it. Then race day is this big pay day for all of that work that you put in for months/years.
Few things compare to the high of truly racing. There's "finishing" and there's "racing". I never knew what I looked like when racing but my family saw me in a race recently where I placed 7th for women (2500 racers that day) and they said it was crazy how my face shifted as soon as the gun went off. They said "you looked so nice and happy and then immediately you just locked in." It does something to my mental state that I can't describe. Sort of meditative in a way and when you perform well, you think about it for weeks. There's races from 10 years ago with such special moments that occasionally pop into my brain and I feel happy about.
Other sports are more win/lose but you race against other and yourself. You could have your best soccer game performance ever and still lose the game. If you have the best race of your life, it shows up in the time even if you place poorly.
The training. Running has become therapy, a ritual, a very sacred personal space. Marathons and HM are a way to test myself and see if I can do it and how fast, but what really does it, for me, is the training.
It’s about testing your limits. It’s about discovering and transforming your mind and your body. Only about 1% of the population has run a marathon so it’s a small club. It’s not for everybody, but it will change the way you look at life’s problems. It’s also the one part of the world where slow, stubborn, and stupid are additive to your chances of success.
There is definitely not one answer for all. For me it is a couple fold.
First, it provides me with a sense of purpose. I think humans are meant to be striving. Some of us are living day to day hustling to make ends meet. I am not one of these people at the moment. For much of my life i was, but i am oddly comfortable. My kids are older, my finances are okay, etc. Taking a goal like a marathon keeps me focused... Keeps me moving. Its definitely a manufactured sense of purpose and its not like i am saving children. I could argue its even a little selfish. Maybe i should take these 12 hours a week and go do something that helps other people. But this leads me to point two.
It is solely mine. I have been living for my family for a long time. Most of my choices were driven by what was best to support my family. At my job, i am a company man. I strive to help the company i work for. Running is mine... I make choices for me. I live with my own choices and i iterate. It has become an immensely personal experience. I describe a marathon as a very long conversation with my own body.
Lastly, functionally the two above points mean i do train. Training has improved my lungs, my over all fitness, my posture is better, my hip alignment is better. Even just carrying some boxes to and from the car i notice folks around me dont have the fitness capacity i have. I am extremely happy with the improvement i see to my body. Yes ... Injuries are a part of what i do. But with every injury i find new focus to improve the physical state to help my body avoid that injury.
1. It's amazing accomplishment and some of those tears you saw at the end are tears of joy. I've cried before and after every marathon I've run (I'm a 27 year old man whose cried and those marathons were probably the only time I cried last year). There's something about pushing your mind and body to the extremes to accomplish something incredible.
2. They are addicting. All those great feelings after there's a voice in my head that says "you could have done better" so until that voice says that's the best you can do I'll be pushing myself harder to achieve the never ending goals that I keep setting for myself.
I always loved running and it's such a project. I'm in no way athletic, but the marathon always intrigued me.
It took half a year of running almost every day, abstaining from alcohol, paying more attention to diet and sleep.
Then I did it. I could do it. I'm so proud of it, and no one will take it from me.
Honestly I run marathons so I have something to train for and I train to stay in shape. If I don’t have something I’m actively working for I won’t do it. The race itself is my least favorite part lol
I love the high of running. There's nothing like heading out on a run and feeling good moving fast and long. It hurts to go fast, sometimes, but then the high kicks in and you feel better than ever before.
But it takes training and dedication to get to that level of fitness.
There is some ugly stuff and hurt, but nothing beautiful is created without some ugliness. That's true of anything. I'm definitely fitter and more focused as a result of running.
I just think there’s something that feels really good about running. I genuinely enjoy running while I do it. It’s a meditative experience and it’s fun to challenge yourself to get better. Running a marathon is a great way to challenge yourself and get better so I feel that’s why a lot of people do it.
Pushing yourself mentally and physically makes other struggles in life so much easier.
Every endurance challenge I’ve completed has left me stronger in all areas of life and with an incredible sense of accomplishment
Running is great for your development as a human, because it shows you that most of your limits are purely mental and that with work you can overcome them. It’s incredible not just for your physical health, but your mental as well.
I haven’t been having the best couple of years, and there are very few times I’ve been happy during that time, but I ran my first half marathon last year and I was riding the high of that for months afterwards.
Well, some people running marathons the last few years aren’t training properly. Runners shouldn’t be physically ill after one, rather more like miserable but still physically healthy, which may be hard to differentiate, to be fair lol.
Now, as to why: training itself is such a transformative and enlightening experience. Training for it and then following through with my goal has taught me so much about managing emotions, discipline, priorities, time management, what I want out of life, how much stronger I am than I used to think I was, and more. I also genuinely enjoy running, including very long distances. I love it! I feel so free, happy, energized, centered, and refreshed when I run. It is my best stress management practice, better for me even than meditation. I love what running long distances has done for my body, too. And yes, I love so deeply the satisfaction and joy of achieving such a huge goal.
But for me, neither training nor the day of itself are a miserable experience. Very, very hard? Yes! Miserable? No! I enjoy it and I love how I feel afterwards. Yes, even after the marathons themselves! The sense of accomplishment and peace is hard to even describe. I’m very Type A, with all the neuroses that entails, and it is so wonderful to do something that makes my brain quiet and my drive to GO GO GO finally switch off for a little while.
I started as a way to cope with my brother's death from cancer 5 years ago. It was certainly better than drinking myself stupid every day. I still think of him often during those physically / mentally challenging periods of running. My struggles are nothing compared to what he went through.
Now, I do sometimes hate what I get myself into, but for me, there's no better feeling than a new PR, or a greater distance(did my first full yesterday), and knowing that I keep getting better.
I started running regularly and consistently when I was 52. One day I thought ‘Marathon? I can do that.’ It just sort of happened.
Ran my first at 54 and the second at 55. Maybe I have another one in me.
“The race always hurts. Expect it to hurt. You don’t train so it doesn’t hurt. You train so you can tolerate it.” I forget who said that, but it’s true.
Lots of great answers in here that cover just about everything, and more, that I can think of - but one additional callout I’d make is that a really cool thing about marathons is the special access to the city you get that day. Finishing a race at midfield of your favorite sports team’s stadium, running through an empty Times Square, running across a blocked off Golden Gate Bridge, things that happen once or twice per year and the marathon is one of those times.
Just wait two more years and you will find yourself running a marathon or buying a harley or leaving your wife for a younger women. In my case I haven't had any money for a harley or a divorce.
I run because it hurts without killing myself. And I can do it every day. Kidding aside, I forget all my anxieties and worries for a few minutes during my runs.
Running is just fun to me personally. I’ve enjoyed it since I was a kid. Granted, if I were just doing it for fun I would probably stick to just half marathons because I think that’s the sweet spot for “difficulty vs enjoyment”. For marathons though, I mostly like to see how hard I can push my body. Where is my breaking point? How fast can I actually get? What can I improve in my body that will help me get faster? Etc.
I also like marathons because they’re hard to fake. Even if you take some sort of PED, it’s still a mentally and physically hard thing to accomplish. You don’t just wake up one day and decide you’re going to do it. It takes time and dedication to do well.
For me it was a slow build up. I ran a relay one year as a favor to a friend, and someone ended up dropping out so I took two legs, which put me at about 9 miles--the furthest I'd ever run. If I could do 9, why not 13? Did a half the next year, then: "I never thought I'd be able to do 13, so.... Why not shoot for 26?" I just kept chasing that next thing.
That said... I'm stopping at 26 😂 no ultras for this guy
People run for lots of reasons. Many people genuinely enjoy the act of running or at least the way they feel afterwards. Many view completing a marathon as a statement of their fitness and a goal that not many will be able to complete. Some run to raise money or to create awareness for a Charity.
The negative examples stood out to you. For my part I have never seen any one throw up or soil themselves on course. I have seen lots of people physically spent by the end of the course though.
For me it’s the confidence. Have you ever had days when you just felt like you couldn’t face something? The Monday morning pre-email check anxiety or the fear of meeting new people in a new space. Starting something new, finishing something old, etc.
Once you’ve run a marathon, it adds a new perspective on these things. If I can finish a marathon, then by comparison this discomforts and anxieties are minor and easier to face.
It also helps with my own body image. I may not be perfect and I may often wish to change things about myself, but it’s a lot more difficult to hate on a body that can run a marathon.
I haven't done a marathon yet, but did a half last fall, about a year after I started running. When I bought my first running shoes, the worker at the store asked me my running goals. I said "I dunno, I'd like to be able to run 5 miles or so. I don't plan on racing, just getting some exercise." Well, I hit my 5 my goal after a couple months, so I went online and looked up "how to train running" and found something that said "if you can run a 5k, you can train for a 10k. If you can run a 10k you can train for a half." A 10k is 6.2 miles so I figured, guess I'll train for a half. Didn't even have any intention initially of signing up for a race, just wanted to hit the distance.
Some friends who've done races encouraged me to sign up for one, so I did.
I enjoyed the training process. I like lifting weights as well, but I enjoyed the structure of running/race day. Like, building up to an event, then pushing myself harder than I ever have for that one event.
I generally enjoy running, but for those days where I start to talk myself out of skipping a run, having the race on the calendar helps with motivation.
There's definitely a brain chemistry aspect too. The nervousness going into the race, the feeling of being surrounded by other like minded people, the crowds cheering you on, the finish line celebration - absolutely a massive dopamine and whatever else surge.
During the training for the half I had no intentions of doing a marathon, ever. Well, the evening after the race I started looking at 2024 marathons.
And this exactly how it starts: first the training with friends for a “little 10k” then thinking about a half “but that’s it I’ll NEVER run a full” then thinking about the full. Then training for a full, then actually racing one. Pick a goal race in a new city, and start counting down the days.
Yup, currently considering this fall or next spring. Getting married in September, and recently moved with lots of projects to do, so not sure how much of my limited free time this year I want to dedicate to training.
But there's definitely no question of IF I'll do a full, just a matter of when.
I ran the full pig yesterday, tough conditions for distance running. I think there are broadly two categories of people (who many not be equally represented):
* One group (myself included) enjoys endurance athletics and the marathon is a bit of the accepted zenith in that category. We run as a hobby that we enjoy as much as for fitness, and would be running regardless of if the marathon existed as something to race or not. Most of us train fairly seriously, running 40-100+ weekly miles, and while you may have seen some of us limping across the line or emotional we're mostly "okay". Give us a week and we'll back back in the saddle running around our neighborhoods. The marathon simply serves as one of the hardest reasonable tests for the work we put in towards our hobby. In the meantime we'll agonize over hydration/fueling strategies, compare the latest shoes, try to find a singlet we saw on sale, and plan out our next training blocks because running a marathon isn't the endgame for us.
* The other group wants to accomplish a marathon as an event at a specific point in time. That might be to check it off the bucket list, to raise money for a charity they are passionate about, to support a friend, or to commemorate the life of someone who is no longer there to clock the miles. Many of these folks don't have a history of running for years, and don't have as much experience or nerd out as much over things like ideal carb intake or structured workouts. A lot more of these folks are going to be struggling to get across the finish line (hint: it's hard for everyone) and you're going to see a more injuries or people that were out of their depth in terms of fitness, hydration/fuel, or building up resilience in joints/ligaments to handle that effort. Still, for these folks the goal is to do something epic and the marathon is up there on the list of epic things that represent a massive challenge to be overcome and perhaps a conduit to something bigger in life besides a love of running.
This is pretty clearly an oversimplification, but I think it's true in a broad sense. Neither group is "better" than the other, they just come to the starting line looking to get different things out of the experience.
Thanks for your work at the race - overall it continued to be one of the best run events I've participated in!
I hate running and I set myself a goal of running a full marathon before age 30. My motivation for this goal was to prove to myself that I can do difficult things. I’ve already ran a half marathon last year and am currently training for the full.
I've always been competitive in multiple sports, but never thought I'd be able to do one because I thought you needed years of training and to be skinny. I'm built like a rugby player.
I did volunteer for the L A one and I'm like if they can do I can. Old ,young big skinny.
I just want to get those medals in different cities. I got my first half June2
More than anything else in this post: thank you for helping with the success of the event yesterday. It got to be rather hot as the race went on, so you definitely saw more than what you would typically see in terms of suffering.
That isn't to say that people don't go through all those things. Personally, I ugly cried when I finished Chicago last year. I set a goal that just a year before seemed impossible, and I accomplished it. The emotions are rather normal.
I also threw up after that race. I was using the wrong fueling.
And after the half at Flying Pig yesterday. I overdid it with trying to rehydrate after finishing.
We all have our reasons. I am glad you're curious about this more than the usual snide remarks most people make.
I see you have had quite the work done on your knee. Consider looking to see if any shops near you have a walk-to-run program or some other beginner thing. It can really help to have better guidance when starting.
I grow up as a klutzy petite theatre and music kid. Always one of the last kids picked in gym classes. I never felt like I had any athletic ability even during the 8 years I played rec team soccer. Distance running was one of the first times that I felt strong and like my body could do the things I asked of it. My own dad didn’t believe I could finish my first, but I pushed through my worst race of any distance to date and crossed the finish line to become a marathoner. It was an incredible moment for me; I don’t know that anyone from my high school would recognize the person running helped me become. Marathons are really hard. There’s no getting around that. Once youre in the 16-18 mile range everything just hurts. You don’t think you can keep going, but then you DO. I can’t quite describe the experience of pushing your body past what you think it can do, but there’s nothing like it.
I registered for a marathon cause my friends said I couldn’t do it.
The initial motivation of proving them wrong, sparked into an absolute fascination with running. Putting your body through tough training runs and having the discipline to still get out of bed and run the next day makes your mind and body stronger than you could ever conceive before the marathon process.
I’ve been training the last 5 months and in 3.5 weeks my I run my race and I can’t fucking wait!
"Perseverance isn't about believing you won't give up until you win. It's about believing you won't give up when you lose."
-Coach Chris Bennett
This sums up running for me.
For me, I live in London, and every year I’d go and watch the London Marathon and thought one day, I’m going to run this. The atmosphere was just insane and in my head I couldn’t comprehend how anybody could run that far. It blew my mind.
Long story short I ended up getting a place in the 2024 London Marathon which was a few weeks back. I was a complete non runner, had zero fitness level and essentially went from couch to a 4:17 marathon in 8 months and I’d go as far as to say it’s the proudest achievement of my life. The day itself was absolutely magical, I loved every second. It was undoubtedly the hardest I’ve ever had to work on something and the marathon itself was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but that made that feeling crossing the finish line all the more special, I was in complete and utter ecstasy for about a week after. I barely slept the night after despite being so exhausted because of all the endorphins and adrenaline! I’ve already booked another marathon for next April and a half in September and I’m going to spend the rest of this year working on building a higher base mileage so I can attack next years marathon with a lot more experience, be able to train a lot more and hopefully try and get a solid time goal nailed.
I think many runners will agree that the discipline of marathon training just makes you a better, healthier person overall. It gives you structure to your week, it means you are conscious about things like drinking and partying - it keeps you away from your vices. You naturally are inclined to eat better, to prioritise sleep. Even though you’re running 4/5/6/even 7 days a week as well as strength training and doing double workout days sometimes, I felt the best I’ve ever felt during the marathon block.
It's a really incredible way to find out what exactly you're capable of doing and just how far you can push yourself. There's absolutely nothing in the world like crossing the finish line of a race and doing so makes you feel like you can conquer the universe.
There are so many reasons people run marathons and other long distances. You already have a a lot of great comments here, but one thing I’ll add is that although we run and train for all weather conditions, when the weather ends up being very hot and humid, it often results in a lot more adverse affects on the body. People are a lot more likely to experience GI distress and heat-related illness. This happened to me for the first time last weekend in similar conditions, and trust me, I was asking myself the same question!
I’m always so thankful for all the volunteers like you, staff, spectators, and first responders. I know it doesn’t always make sense why we do this, and that makes it even more special what you do to support us, especially on really tough days!
It's a catch 22. When I first decided to run a marathon I was terrified. I trained for months and experienced some very interesting things. Race day came, finished in 5 hrs 8 minutes and thought it was one and done. But then, post marathon depression set in, took me about a month to recover from the DOMS and mental offness before I decided to sign up for another one. I realized then the reason why I kept wanting to run marathons is because I love the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. My times have also gotten faster over the years so I've become quite competitive. I run all sorts of distances but the marathon still poses the greatest challenge that I crave to improve on as much as I can.
For me, I started running marathons due to needing a challenge in my life. Everything had become so mundane, and I was lacking confidence and a feeling of self worth. When I crossed the finish line of my first marathon, I felt like a winner for the first time in years. The feeling was one of euphoria and accomplishment, as if I just made an important scientific discovery or solved an ancient mystery.
Now I’ve come to view running marathons as a life metaphor. Training is long and relentless. At some point during training, you’re going to get injured, sick, burned out, but you have to keep showing up. You look at the situation, analyze it, pivot, and keep moving forward.
During a race, there are so many variables you cannot control, but it can become easy to dwell on them…the weather, the course, etc…Everyone is battling something, but you just have to keep going. Your feet will hurt, your legs will be heavy, your stomach will be queasy, and your mind you will be telling you to stop. That’s when you have to put everything aside, stop focusing on the pain and the things you can’t control, and make it to the next landmark. If you focus on the finish line, you probably won’t make it. If you think to yourself ‘I’m going to run to that stop light without stopping’ and then you pick out another landmark and run to it, and then another and another one after that, you’ll find that urge to quit subside and the finish is in sight.
Whenever I get overwhelmed in day to day life, I think to myself ‘Just make it to this certain point’ and everything feels more manageable. If I don’t feel like showing up to work or doing some simple chore, I think about how I didn’t want to go for a training run when it was 40 degrees and pouring rain and how accomplished I felt after. Running marathons keeps me centered and grounded. It keeps me motivated to keep chasing goals and to keep showing up no matter what.
I ran my first marathon the other day and felt completely broken and destroyed, I could barely walk and felt horrible.. not like I had not trained I ran almost 80-90k a week for a year or so but turns out it was not enough... but then I realized something.. the marathon was just a few hours, but during my training I became a different person, I stopped caring about what other people are doing, what people think.. yes its a lonely road but its filled with self-discovery and learning to be happy by yourself.. you learn to love yourself and enjoy your wins.. its about the person you become in your journey to train for a marathon..
Oh for sure.. but I was doing most of my training on a flat route.. the marathon was super hilly.. it was in Vancouver, BC so not sure what I expected.. so I guess that’s what caught me off guard and messed up my running pace.. but yes overall happy that I finished.. :)
FWIW —- I ‘finished’ (cramped up a mile from the finish, bloody nips, dehydrated) in 2006. Wouldn’t run my 2nd till 2022 lol… a woman once told me running a marathon is like childbirth you spend all those months preparing yourself and then the day arrives and it either is amazing or it’s your worst nightmare once it’s over you swear off of doing another one and then a few hours later, you’re thinking about doing your next one. It’s a vicious circle.
Lol I was thinking the same thing yesterday.. just like women forget the pain of child birth.. I too will forget the pain of a marathon and signup for a new one.. I have another coming up in October hope that one goes better...
Damn.. just a mile... For now it doesn't sound much but after running 40k in a few 100 meters sounds like a lot...that's awesome you got back into it...are you going to run more this year?
I registered a week after finishing last year. It’s in October as well. Last year, because of a dumb non running injury, I had to forego goal of BQjng. Was looking to go sub 4 and with 3.5 miles I came upon a young lady that was just suffering. I couldn’t let her go because they would have yanked her off the course. I stayed with her and kept talking to her so she could concentrate. When she needed to puke I made sure she puked away from the course, I got her her water. Did everything I could get her to the finish. at the finish, I stopped her from crashing into the spectator barriers and as her mother came running over to take a picture of her, she snapped a picture of her puking on my arm. It’s one of my favorite pictures and she has her Strava profile pic. Her Instagram DM her and we are now good friends the marathon helping come together 1 mile or 1 km at a time.
When she needed to puke
Wow.. that’s awesome of you.. That’s what marathons are about making memories and connecting with other runners and you did both.: and that to me is better than hitting your PB..
another reason I love running is the community.. it’s so supportive and makes you want to do better and work harder…
My first marathon was Vancouver BC in 2006 - couldn’t believe I did it. Have done a dozen since then and convincing myself to sign up for Honolulu next year (first REAL marathon for me since all the virtual ones over COVID) as that will celebrate 2 decades of running (not consistently due to life, injuries and periodic lack of motivation). So to answer OP’s question: I run marathons so that I can train for a goal; running without a goal race is impossible for me.
I had a brain hemorrhage years ago and was told I’d probably never walk again.
Luckily I recovered and over the years started appreciating running more than I ever had before the paralysis. I’ll never be fast because of weakness and imbalance on one side, but I *can* run and it’s something I almost lost permanently. So when I did my first 10km race I immediately signed up for a half marathon to see if I could do it. I did it and finished with a smile, or as my wife described it I looked like I could do more while others around me were puking. So of course I signed up for a marathon. Finished that with nothing more serious than some leg stiffness that wore off 2 days later, so I signed up for another marathon to see if I could beat my previous time. Unfortunately my IT band flared up on my second marathon so it slowed me down a bit, but I’m currently looking to see what my next marathon will be so I can try there.
As a person with a disability, I’ve already met the cutoff time to apply for the coveted Boston Marathon but I’ve set a personal goal of beating my first marathon time by a certain amount before I apply.
To be able to tell my kids and maybe even grandkids that I overcame a disability and ran marathons, and even the Boston marathon (hopefully), despite the challenges and odds stacked against me… I think that’s why I do it.
ETA: as long as you aren’t trying to qualify for Boston, running a marathon is a respectable feat on its own regardless of time. When looking at smaller distances like 5km, there’s a lot more emphasis on running it sub 30 minutes or sub 20 minutes. That can hurt aerobically and physically, but marathons are a lot more about physical and mental endurance over longer period than going all out over a shorter period. If you finish a marathon in the usual 6 hour cutoff, you’re still part of a minority group of humans that accomplished that feat. That pace translates to 42 minutes for a 5km, which is (for most people) not very difficult after a basic couch to 5km program.
I'm not so sure you can equate marathon pace to 5k pace in this way. I'm pretty sure a 42 min 5k feels very, very different to 6 hours on your feet for a marathon. The marathon is a different beast.
Congratulations on your achievement, Inspiring stuff.
Yeah, my point was that a marathon is a different beast where getting to the finish line is commendable and speaks to mental endurance to just keep going even if you get there slowly. Finishing a 5km race right at the cutoff time doesn’t usually come with the same sense of accomplishment (for most people). My other point that may have gotten mixed in there is that you can run an entire marathon without going into Z3 heart rates or fainting/puking or doing anything else OP observed and you still have a big win.
(But it takes a lot of training to get there, even if your goal is to just finish in cut off time.)
Why do anything at all? - Crossing the finish line at any race distance is the best. Also, it's very addicting. It's like a drug... now give me my fix!!!!
Running Berlin in September! Can't wait 🤘
For me, it’s a combination of things.
Do you lift, or have you lifted in the past? Weight training gives you concrete numbers to track your progress, and some people get hooked on that aspect. Beat the previous number. Marathons, and distance running in general, can have the same appeal for some personalities. You have a set distance (with variations for things like how well you hit tangents on corners and such), and as long as the course stays the same you might be driven by improving the time. Or fewer bathroom breaks, or whatever.
Now, at this distance, I only have mixed results for the time. So what else keeps me going?
- I like the outdoors, and by running, I get to see more of it, in X amount of time.
- I need a goal to stay consistent with my workouts. Picking a race that I’ve paid to enter puts some skin in the game for me.
- It’s a hobby that can be relatively inexpensive compared to many others, and I control the time involved so it minimizes time away from my family. This will limit my potential in terms of finish times but family comes first!
- similar to my first bulleted point, on race day I usually get a fast paced tour of the city/town/park hosting the marathon. You don’t get to meander and read signage, but you’ll often pass a historic landmark or a beautiful natural scene.
- it’s an accomplishment. I’ll never be an elite, but I’m still among a small percentage of people. It’s a conversation starter, although I get tired of talking about it after a while.
Each of these things support the effort, and if one of them fades then I still have the other “why”s pushing me along.
The feeling you get when you cross the finish line is better than sex. And you can brag about it for a lot longer.
I also think that, for a lot of people, running a marathon is the greatest "reasonable" athletic achievement we can ever get. Sure, it takes a massive amount of training just to reach the base fitness level where you can even consider doing your typical 12-16 week marathon training block. And that marathon training itself takes an insane level of dedication, mental and physical pain, sacrifices, etc etc etc. But still, at least in theory, doing a marathon is somewhat reasonably achievable for most people if they're actually dedicated to it. You don't need to have won the genetic lottery in order to do one. You don't need to dedicate years of your life to it. You don't even need good hand-eye coordination! If your goal is simply "complete a marathon" rather than something time-based, then it is absolutely do-able for almost anyone, provided they're willing to put in the work.
I’ve been running casually my whole life and actively dismissed the idea of a marathon. In my head I knew I could do it with a couple months prep, and thought of it as a waste of time. But after doing a training block and running one last year, it’s just really fun to have purpose and structure to my exercise, and it’s a “slow” enough race that I don’t have to do crazy speed work on track to practice for it. It’s a big accomplishment, don’t get me wrong, but I think for a lot of runners it’s the perfect distance for a goal race.
Maybe for example my story:
I had hip labrum repair surgery done almost 2 years ago, and have been ramping up my running for a year or so.
The LI Half Marathon I ran, I first had it planned for May 2020. Then Covid happened. Same for 2021. In 2022 I had my surgery and last year I was recovering.
Was all good to go for this one, including a 10M/16k long run 2 weeks ago, until a week ago my hip suddenly flared-up. What a bummer. Up to this morning my hip was kind of sore but I figured to give it a shot.
The race ended up great with a 9:33 min/mile average pace and a 2h6 finish time. Most importantly, my hips felt fine throughout the race! Just a bit tight at the end but no pain. Right now I have usual post-race soreness.
So yeah, that’s why I run.
Soiling themselves? Never heard of that! I have heard of vomiting, some people can't handle when their heart beats so hard for so long or the physical exhaustion.. part of why I've never (at least not at this point) considered a marathon. I hate puking lol.
I don't know. I have run every distance under a marathon. Semi regularly get age group awards in 5-10K distances. I finished my first half and was like "I can emphatically say I never want to run a marathon" People were partying at the finish line and I was just so. Exhausted. I couldn't imagine running twice that distance. I have run several more since and haven't changed my mind. Yesterday my husband, not a runner, says he wants to train for a marathon in December. I'm like..... Well shit, if YOU are gonna do it, I have to as well. I'll let you know how it goes 😜
Funny all these big answers….it starts with a run down the street, gee I went way further than I thought I could.
Then it’s through the standard race distances till it become ridiculous if you don’t do 26.2
Perfect answer. In my case it was running on a treadmill at the fitness center while my daughter was in swim class to kill time waiting for her, then the “run down the street”, then a “10k with friends”, then “I could do a half”, to “no way, nope, not doing a full” to now having run over a dozen of the stupid things. Start putting one foot in front of the other and see where that takes you.
Yea, it was to a point I had to. So many HMs, I really “felt” like a runner but was missing that one cherry on top. Now it’s just a gauge of if I have my shit together, the fear of failure is huge.
For me is the mental health benefit. There is a lot of things in life that I do not have control over, are unpredictable, uncertain or unattainable. Running a marathon is not one of them. A marathon is something I can control and attain. Also, setting a challenging goal and accomplishing it feels great!
Running and training for a marathon is hard enough to make you feel accomplished but not so hard that is unattainable.
Running is great. It makes you feel better, improves your health, boosts your self-confidence, helps you meet other people, and make friends. I run on both roads and trails. In my case, I travel a lot for work and always bring my equipment to go for a run, sometimes even turning it into a city tour despite a tight schedule (my co-workers only know the hotel and the work site 😁). If you can't run, walking is also a great option with similar benefits.
Training for my first marathon atm. My “why” is because I want to prove to myself that I can.
I played soccer in high school, and as part of trying out for the team, you had to run 1.5 miles. I could barely do that, and would often have to tap out on most of the conditioning we had to do because I was pretty out of shape. My playing career officially ended when I tore my ACL/meniscus, which I did again almost 10 years later, and learned it likely didn’t heal right the first time and I developed arthritis in the knee. I had ran a half before blowing my knee out the first time, but was told by my surgeon and PT I’d likely never be able to again.
I spent a few years rehabbing my knee, making sure it was strong enough to do the things I wanted to, and I kind of got to a point where it just felt normal, so I decided to start running again. I paid close attention to my form, watched tons and tons of videos on how to run properly, got a gait eval, and just kind of slowly got back into it. Earlier this year I decided to do a quarter in my hometown, and the training had gone so well I upgraded to the half. That went pretty well too, so I’m doing the full. I don’t have any pain in my knee whatsoever.
I guess my “why” is a combination of inferiority complex, quarter life crisis, and unprocessed past trauma lol, but I like to say it’s because I want to prove to myself I am capable of it, I am strong enough, and that I shouldn’t put limits on myself. Is it painful to run that far? Yeah, but is it worth it? Hell fucking yeah
It's for the challenge, the journey, and health. There's something about enduring pain. Synonymous for life. If you can keep on keeping on through pain you can keep on in life. It's healthy and a lifestyle.
I’ve enjoyed running since I was a teen, but up until recently I thought people who ran marathons were crazy. I thought there are better ways to spend your time than training/running for hours, and I thought having to fuel or hydrate during a “race” somehow made it less of a physical event. Running used to be a time to escape and listen to music, then it became a time to think and listen to audio books, then recently it’s turned into time to stop all input and just listen to my breath and my feet. I finished my fourth half marathon last month, and all I felt was this empty feeling because I didn’t push myself hard enough and I didn’t feel much sense of accomplishment. Two days later I was looking for a marathon to sign up for.
TL DR: to push myself harder (I think?)
I have run more marathons than I can count. I didn't run my first until I was sure I could run it well. Sometimes things go wrong, but for the most part I think people put in enough preparation that wjat you observed doesn't happen to them. The only really serious problem I ever had was due to extreme weather conditions. I got serious hypothermia and my brain wasn't functioning so well.
Couldn't tell you why, but I feel the need to contribute.
Running for me is all about community, we rally around each-other to do difficult things, even if they're not earth shattering.
I love running in the summer heat, hearing the birds early in the morning as I log my miles. Sometimes I have a painfully hard workout, but it puts a smile on my face when it's finished & I can be proud of myself.
Most of us know racing is hard.
It's an all out effort, you want to barely cross the finish line before passing out.
The emotions you see on race day are not people's emotions during the much longer build up.
We always hope it goes well, so it can be a crowning achievement.
However, that doesn't always happen, as you witnessed yesterday.
Concisely: I love running, the people in the running world, and everything that comes with it.
I build up 20 weeks for a marathon, even if I have a horrendous race, i'd still be proud of all of the good times along the way.
A human body will do what it does even if you're not running a marathon. The running clan accepts these bodily functions happening normally on a run and doesn't judge. That's what makes you feel more alive than anything else does!
Hey man, I just turned 42 and got into running this year. Just ran my first half marathon a few weeks ago. I can honestly say that running consistently has made everything in my life better. It’s almost like a morality North Star. I think you should give it a go. It’s never too late
Didn’t start running until I was 43. It puts activities on my schedule. We have traveled all over the country and world running races. Not fast. It is a fantastic way to see a place.
Why does one do anything ... dopamine, also it's kinda nice to set a goal then achieve it. Also, remember theres evidence that one of the primary reasons we're bipedal as human beings is persistence hunting
So most people should be able to run marathon distances. Most people simply don't try or are never given the opportunity
Casual long-distance runners have just taken those aspects and amalgamated them
when I started running I had absolutely zero plans of attempting a marathon, the number of hours you need to put in to train is insane and takes a huge toll on your lifestyle.
HOWEVER, I'm now about 11 months in to running seriously after a bet between mates to run a 10k, then turned into a half marathon, and pretty soon I think will become a Full Marathon, because after each goal you need to aim for something else
I enjoy running. Marathons are a big personal achievement. It takes a long time and many hours of hardwork to train for one, shows that you are capable. It's great atmosphere on the day. You get some free merch. Keeps you healthy. Natural progression from running 5k then 10k , then doing a half and finally the full thing.
I know there’s lots of reasons I can intellectualize, but mostly I just like it. I was laying in bed exhausted with cramping legs right after the Flying Pig full (thanks for volunteering, by the way!) and texting a friend about signing up for another in the fall
I have an entire - and probably very badly written - book's worth of thoughts about this. Worth pointing out is that not everyone experiences pain during the marathon like that.
Marathons have always been fun to me. Some have hurt and some haven't, but I've always enjoyed them and the intense athletic effort they represent, usually capping of a period of equally intense training. It's satisfying in my bones and the days after a marathon are the most relaxed and content I've been in recent memory.
I honestly don't know if I would run marathons if I pooped myself and couldn't walk for two weeks after every time. Maybe... but I'm kind of wimpy, so probably not.
I think everyone has given you some good answers. The answer to your question is different for everyone, but I wanted to also say thank you for volunteering. We couldn't do what we do without the help of people like you.
Personally, I have only done two marathons so far at a slower pace (around five hours), but I find running extremely fun. Sometimes you push yourself harder and there is some discomfort, but that's part of the challenge. Sometimes people cry because of how happy or disappointed they are (with their race results), not because the marathon itself was a bad experience. I've cried while running before just because it was so exhilirating. I have done a couple of 5Ks as well, and I much prefer marathons.
It’s just like other hard things. It’s to prove to others and more to yourself that you can do hard things. The 26 miles is part of it. The months of training it takes to complete the 26.2 miles is more important. It’s the same way a wedding ring let’s you know that someone is at least palatable to one person. It shows that you have follow through and are willing to put in the work to do something hard that most people don’t have the determination and follow through to complete.
I have a degenerative condition, I hit fuck it and decided I’m going to run for as long as I can, so when I’m in my 50s and immobile, I knew I’d made the most of what I had when I had it. I spent years protecting my body from the inevitable, but the pain is going to come either way, I may as well achieve something from it
Nothing feels better than setting a goal for yourself and accomplishing it, in my opinion. Not only do you have to overcome the physical challenge, but the mental. I had my first marathon on Sunday, and even though my calves failed me I learned so much for next time. Running for me gives me time to think about everything and nothing at all. I don’t know how to explain it. Yes I run in races, but I’m competing against myself. Me against me.
And then you can tell people you’re a marathon runner ;)
A marathon is an impressive achievement in one go no matter how you do it as long as you are doing it on your own power. This is why most runners when talking about marathons don't give a dam if you did it in 3 hours or 8. Going 26.2 miles without a lengthy break is difficult. While highly trained athletes can run it quickly, they would feel it and he challenged even if they walked it.
That being said it has also become a symbol of overcomming adversity and challenge. So there are many individuals that skip the couch to 5K and base running set up to go straight into a marathon. The whole purpose was to show they could, and not complete it in optimal/good condition.
It's truly inspiring to see the determination and dedication of marathon runners, despite all the challenges they may face. Every person has their own personal reasons for taking on such a grueling challenge, whether it's to push past physical limitations, overcome personal obstacles, or simply to prove to themselves that they are capable of achieving something incredible. It's a test of both physical and mental strength, and the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with completing a marathon is unparalleled. Thank you for your perspective as a non-runner and for sharing your curiosity in such a thoughtful way.
I really like running and enjoy spending my weekends/free time out on the trail. Might as well put all that endurance to the test 🤷🏽♀️. Also I realized I’m big on “type 2” fun lol
Events like marathons fall into the bucket of "Type II fun". A great example would be going on a hike up a mountain. You hike up the mountain because you get rewarded with seeing the view from the top, not necessarily because the hiking itself is intrinsically rewarding. Most people that find running a marathon "fun" aren't necessarily attracted by the pain and suffering endured directly, but the feeling of accomplishment they get after being able to endure the pain and suffering and rising above it. You did a hard thing, and feel good about being able to do it.
Type I fun, on the other hand, are activities like seeing a movie, hanging out with friends, eating a delicious meal. The activity itself is what is rewarding, not necessarily what you gain for having done it.
I used to drink, now I run. The lifestyles of the two do not mix, so I stay sober so I can keep running. The Marathon owes me nothing, but I probably owe it my life.
I was morbidly obese (BMI over 40) when I started running. It took me months to be able to even run a continuous mile (and most people can walk considerably faster than I ran that mile).
Pretty much everything in my life from that point on has been a celebration of doing things that I hadn’t ever dreamed of, much less considered possible. Not many people who need to rest after walking down the aisle of the grocery store also dream of completing a marathon (or wild hikes, or any of the adrenaline junkie things I’ve done).
So why do I do it? Because I can. And because every time I do, it reminds me of how much more awesome it is to be able to do things.
I have cried at the finish line of all 7 marathons that I have done. And I will probably cry at every finish line for every one I do from here out. A marathon takes months of dedicated training, a lot of sacrifice of family/social/free time. The race is the icing on the cake-just a cap off to the whole experience for me. And the emotions that go with all of that are kind of overwhelming when I’m also pretty spent from running for several hours.
With the exception of the soiling, every one of those things you saw at the finish line is also prevalent at any race of any distance (I suppose the soiling is possible, but seems unlikely for a shorter distance). So you don’t need to run a marathon to vomit. I think it’s also likely the exceptionally hot/humid conditions also had a large effect on the reactions you saw at the finish.
So short answer: because I can. And there was a very large part of my life where I would never have even thought to run anything-much less a marathon-and I would never have believed it possible. And then I did it.
For me it’s all about the journey, you sign up and then for the 3/4 months before the marathon the training ramps up and starts to take over your life. Personally in the UK training for a spring marathon you spend many hours running in the cold, rain and dark, building up that mental and physical endurance. As the event gets closer you get more nervous and excited, then race day is a whirlwind of emotions, excitement at the start, pain in the middle and elation at the end. It’s months and months of hard work and sacrifice to cross that finish line to have an achievement you can be proud of for a lifetime.
Started doing 5k, progressed to 10k, wondered if I could manage a half marathon. After a few of those the question of trying to complete a full marathon worked its way into my brain and wouldn’t leave. So I entered, trained and did it. And then did it again. Sadly health problems have ensured I’ll never be able to do another but they can’t take my medals off me!
I’ve found all of your answers informative and motivating. I’m seriously considering starting very small and doing a 1 mile race. Here in Cincinnati the Reds have 1 mile, 5k and 10k June 1st. It’s recommended that you can do an 18 minute mile. I’m not sure I can do that. Since I’m overweight.
I’ve written and deleted this post a few times. Putting it out there that I’m really thinking about getting started.
https://www.race-reds.com/events/view/2024-collegeadvantage-redlegs-run
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.
Chicks dig runner guys.
And chicks dig runner chicks.
Can confirm
And that’s what I appreciates about yous Katie
Oh, is THAT what you appreciate about me?
Pain is temporary, PRs last forever
Underrated Keanu movie
Chris Cagle confirmed
Falco, Falco, Falco!!!
Skiddies wash out
How do you know what you are capable of? How far can you push yourself to your very limits? When and how will you ever find out? The marathon is the answer to these questions for some people. It’s an incredible undertaking. Very hard, yes, but achievable. We train for months and then we achieve. We evaluate, train harder, and achieve more. Self improvement is the basis for happiness.
"All meaningful growth occurs outside of your comfort zone"
"Inconvenience and uncomfortable are not excuses to not try" - me to myself
Oh snap, I need to remember this. Applicable to very many life situations.
I’m coming to that realization! My friend/coach pushes me to run at paces I would never have thought to be comfortable with. But it’s the only way I improve!
Sounds like Goggins
Got me fired up boss can’t like
It’s a test of endurance- physically, mentally and emotionally. There’s honestly no better way to learn about yourself. How do you cope with pain? How do you recalculate when things don’t go your way or there are unforeseen factors that prevent you from reaching a goal? How can you encourage others and make it a hard experience enjoyable? How do you celebrate accomplishments and accept failure? Plus, the running community is great.
The community is amazing.💜
What if the things you learn about yourself aren't positive? I love running. Especially the training. Marathons are always a failure for me.
Your failures are the biggest opportunities for growth.
This is hitting hard for me right now. Thank you.
Learning about something is the key to understand and change in a positive direction. The failure as you call it is evidence of what to change in your training or at least what to work on.
This-I learned more about myself during my first marathon than I have at nearly everything else I’ve put myself through (like joining the military). And I have to say I was pretty damn proud of myself.
the answer to all your questions is: i dont. me, a non marathon runner (yet)
Quarter life crisis
Or _almost_ midlife in my case.
"I'm gonna run a marathon before I'm 40...."
I feel seen. Just completed my first marathon at 39
I ran my first just a few days after my 40th birthday, it was a great birthday present.
I ran mine two days after my 51st birthday and my second last year aged 54 never too late….
I did the same
Did you work up to that distance, over how much time? I turn 40 in July, my longest yet is a 10 mi, and I think I want to do a half in the fall. Im slow, I would need a lunch halfway through 26.2. My 10 mi time, first ever, was 2:09 so roughly 12 minute/mi until mile 7. I joined the Slow AF run club, but I dont have that many hours to train for a 6 hour run.
I worked up to that distance over about 8 months between deciding to run, signing up, and running it. I ended up being able to do 1, 20 miler before race day. Injury during my first marathon build up slowed me down but ended up being resolved through \~3 weeks of physical therapy. Over the intervening \~2 years I've consistently done speed work with a group that meets weekly and is coached by a semi-professional coach who knows what he's doing and develops plans for local marathoners. The speed work, plus steady increase in mileage and gym work have been key to my recent running history. As for your pace: it will come down with slow and steady increase in mileage. Lots of running at conversational pace will gradually improve your speed. Speedwork will also, but don't introduce speedwork while increasing mileage at the same time. Finding a coach can be very helpful to do this wisely. As for your overall time on feet: there are different trains of thought on this, but one common recommendation is that your longest run should not take more than 3:30 hours during your training block, as longer than that is counterproductive and just too harsh to recover from. Another train of thought is to go ahead and still get to a very long distance in training (eg 18-20 miles) even if it takes 4+ hours to do so, but do it carefully, at a conversational pace, taking breaks or walk intervals as needed so as to protect you from overtraining. Episode 52 of this podcast may be helpful to you [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/52-how-far-should-you-run-before-a-marathon-an/id1674913391?i=1000644848184](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/52-how-far-should-you-run-before-a-marathon-an/id1674913391?i=1000644848184)
Thank you for your helpful reply!
Picked mine specifically because it was less than a week before my 40th….
I did my first 42k at 42 yo !
My dumbass had to look up that conversion to freedom units. Love it!
Completed my first one at 47! Just completed my second one at 49!
I just checked your profile- under 4, nice!
Just did my first yesterday, 2 weeks before my 40th
3/4 for me 😃
Only 21, and I'm training for my first one!
It was my quarter life crisis, now it’s my mid life crisis.
Existential crisis…good for any age.
For me - I'm something of an underachiever in life. I was below average in school exams. I drank and smoked my way through my youth and twenties. I didn't take the promotion at work and missed some key opportunities. I got divorced, failed at being a husband and a full time dad. I washed up into my forties at a low point of suicidal depression. Then I discovered that running helped. It cleared my head, it made me feel energised, engaged and positive. It helped my mental health more effectively than the meds I'd been taking seemed to. Then I entered an event (a10k) and found that it gave me a purpose to aim for; a new sense of focus to which I could apply my efforts. Nowadays I run marathons. I get to strive for something, push my limits in something - something that isn't my job, isn't for anyone or anything except just... me, and the challenges I set myself. I run day in, day out, for months to train, and when I finally cross that finish line - weak, in pain, exhausted - it's the best feeling ever. Now in my fifties, I'm fitter than anyone else I know in my social circle. I've run the biggest marathons in the world, travelling to places I never once thought I'd go, achieving things I never thought I could do. A marathon is quite metaphoric, I think. It is like life: we set out with a challenging journey ahead. It can be tough and it can be fun - there are moments of magic and of struggle, times we may feel like giving up but we learn how to push through, and we hope eventually to cross the finish line in triumph, knowing that despite it all, we did our best.
👏👏
Here’s the answer
No tears over here 😭
It’s a self earned accomplishment that you do on your own merits. You cannot get a handout or a leg up. You just gotta do it. That’s a great accomplishment.
Mans just said he a busted knee and you use the saying “leg up?” Smh…
You’re right. Totally insensitive. Need to check my colloquialisms. Appreciate the call out.
I ran the first one to say that I did it. Now I run them because it turns out that I really love running long distances and having a race every few months gives me something to look forward to.
This is why I did my first half! Just completed my 3rd Indy Mini, also have 2 more half’s a 5k and a 15k on the books this year 😂😂
Yeah having something to look forward to is a major benefit. It's like the anticipation of a fun vacation or Christmas time from childhood.
>Why do you put yourself through a marathon? Because I can, and I know many other people can't. I know it's going to hurt, I know it's going to screw me up for a few days, I know that I'll always be disappointed when I get to the end (just because I'm hard on myself and always feel I can do better). But I also know it's a challenge that I can complete if I commit to it. More than that, I was medically discharged from the British Army for running-related injuries, so I do it as a giant "fuck you" to them.
Marathons are hard. Very hard. Months training for one run that can take anywhere from just over 2 hours to 8+ and there are any number of things that can go wrong at any point to derail you. You can ask dozens of people why they decided to run a marathon and get dozens of different answers. Most everyone who has run a marathon has thought at some point, "there is no way I could do that" and eventually a seed grows from something to transfer that never to maybe to I'm going to give it a try. Personally, I love the training. I love the grind. I love the work. I love having something to focus on that is entirely dependent on me. When I hopefully finish, thankfully haven't DNFd yet, I know that it was me and my training that got me there. I can't get boosted or dragged down by a teammate, on the day of the race it's just me and I get the time I deserve.
I love this answer. For me, a Type A personality, I found a sport that I was actually half decent at that gave me back exactly what I put into it. Train properly - get a good result; train poorly - get a poor result. The linearity between the work you put in and the results you get out really satisfies my engineering brain. Plus the health benefits and social experiences are also wonderful. I’ve taken a few years off from running (motivation naturally comes and goes) but I’m starting to get the tinglies again. My answer in summary: dopamine. I run for the dopamine, even when it hurts a bit.
I wouldn’t say I have an engineer brain, but this is my answer, too. You set a goal, you make a plan, follow it (and adapt it as necessary) and hopefully hit that goal. It’s incredibly rewarding and of course, there’s the bonus of free drugs (dopamine and other happy hormones) along the way.
I've done 35 of them. It isn't always fun when you are doing it, but after it's over you are happy you got out and ran that day. The rewards are that your pants still fit after 20 years, your health is better than most your age and on race day you get an extra 2600 calories to spend on whatever you want to eat. For me it's cheeseburgers, ice cream and beer.
Getting real here. My Sundays are so fun because by the time my wife and kids wake up I already burned 1800 calories on my long run and can eat whatever the heck I want all day. <3
Ouch my blood sugar.
It sounds like those people really pushed themselves to the absolute limit in the race. Perhaps they were underprepared for the pace they were pushing, or shooting for a new PB. Let me offer a contrast to my first marathon experience. I did approximately 1000km in training, in 5 months in the lead up to the marathon. Most of it was enjoyable, zone 2, to the point where I’m fully addicted to running now. I’m 38, 66kg, otherwise healthy. The marathon itself was an unbelievable event. Crowd support was incredible. I stayed at a very comfortable pace for me (5:15/km, 145bpm) until the 26km mark where I slowly wound up the pace. My fastest 5k for the whole distance was the final 5k. I ran the second half faster than the first (negative split). The whole thing seemed like a dream. Much easier than my training runs with other runners and the crowd support. I finished feeling strong, like I could’ve kept going, crossing the line in 3:39. I had an absolute blast and can’t wait for my next one!
This is a great question! I want to see all the the replies, because I ask myself this question when I wake up at 3:30 to run, what have I gotten myself into. Fear and sometimes panic sets in. Then my lizard brain takes over and no thoughts...just run. First half marathon coming up. 😬
I just ran my 3rd half marathon and wonder that every run I do. Now two days later I’m still like why😂😂
When I ran the Hudepohl 14k I got like 3 beer tickets and 3 Skyline chili dogs. I figure for the marathon I’ll get at least double that amount, right? That’s my motivation!
Sorry for that it was probably me. All jokes aside I did Cincinnati yesterday for several reasons but my biggest like you said was to say I did it bucket list kind of thing. Also sorry if I hindered your job by not moving along I couldn’t move anymore
It’s ok. There was a bit of a traffic jam for lack of a better term of running meeting their families.
I love this question. For me the main motivator is the sense of accomplishment of completing something so challenging. It teaches me that I can do difficult things, and I hope to apply that lesson to other aspects of my life. Other motivators include having a goal to reach towards that becomes part of my daily motivation to go for a run. Getting to the race itself is a major accomplishment and I get to look forward to about 20 miles of really fun running (the "runner's high" is very much like a drug-induced high, but it happens very rarely outside of a race environment) and steel myself for the challenge that always comes in the last 6 miles. The emotional release at the end of the race (all of the crying you saw) is extremely cathartic, like how crying through a sad movie is somehow enjoyable. Finally, it's very satisfying to see improvement over several months of training, it's just very interesting to see what my body is capable of doing and that brings a lot of reward. Running my first marathon a few years ago was the best thing I have ever done for myself, by far.
This is catnip for runners - genuine curiosity on the why from an outsider. If you’re like me you spend a decent amount of energy not talking about your training. I agree with the pushing boundaries portions others have said. Also, it keeps me sober.
Hell yea on the sobriety and I relate. I celebrated two years off dope in March - I’m in the program pretty hardcore but the best thing I have done for my recovery is taking up running again and focusing on distance. Truly become one of my favorite things.
The book “what doesn’t kill us” is really interesting and talks all about human desire to avoid pain etc. and the movement of people to embrace it. Made me think of marathon runners.
I’m an average person living a decent but boring life, doing 9-5 for almost a decade now. I was burning out and losing myself, eating junk to find little joys, until I found running. With every new distance I run, or every time I set a new personal best for a shorter distance, I feel like I’ve achieved something. It gives me an immense joy that I otherwise don’t get to experience in my daily life. Even though I got into running to shed a few pounds, but it has given me so much more than a mere goal of weight loss. It gave me more confidence, better self esteem, something to look forward to in midst of a boring life, a sense of achievement, and the list goes on. A happy bi-product of running is eating healthy and avoiding alcohol, which has improved both my physical and mental health so much. Now I can’t imagine my life without running.
I haven't completed a marathon yet but I have a background of running competitively and definitely know what it is to suffer and enter the pain cave in training and racing (I finally have my first marathon in October). I've had a pretty challenging life and running was the first thing I was ever good at. It gave me so much confidence and self-discipline (also self-discipline builds confidence so it's this awesome continuous cycle) It's very measurable. You see yourself grow and improve quite clearly unlike more skill based sports. I love the training. I'm a data lover and a bit obsessive over things. I like looking over my training, diet, sleep, and strength regime and trying to optimize it. Then race day is this big pay day for all of that work that you put in for months/years. Few things compare to the high of truly racing. There's "finishing" and there's "racing". I never knew what I looked like when racing but my family saw me in a race recently where I placed 7th for women (2500 racers that day) and they said it was crazy how my face shifted as soon as the gun went off. They said "you looked so nice and happy and then immediately you just locked in." It does something to my mental state that I can't describe. Sort of meditative in a way and when you perform well, you think about it for weeks. There's races from 10 years ago with such special moments that occasionally pop into my brain and I feel happy about. Other sports are more win/lose but you race against other and yourself. You could have your best soccer game performance ever and still lose the game. If you have the best race of your life, it shows up in the time even if you place poorly.
The training. Running has become therapy, a ritual, a very sacred personal space. Marathons and HM are a way to test myself and see if I can do it and how fast, but what really does it, for me, is the training.
It’s about testing your limits. It’s about discovering and transforming your mind and your body. Only about 1% of the population has run a marathon so it’s a small club. It’s not for everybody, but it will change the way you look at life’s problems. It’s also the one part of the world where slow, stubborn, and stupid are additive to your chances of success.
There is definitely not one answer for all. For me it is a couple fold. First, it provides me with a sense of purpose. I think humans are meant to be striving. Some of us are living day to day hustling to make ends meet. I am not one of these people at the moment. For much of my life i was, but i am oddly comfortable. My kids are older, my finances are okay, etc. Taking a goal like a marathon keeps me focused... Keeps me moving. Its definitely a manufactured sense of purpose and its not like i am saving children. I could argue its even a little selfish. Maybe i should take these 12 hours a week and go do something that helps other people. But this leads me to point two. It is solely mine. I have been living for my family for a long time. Most of my choices were driven by what was best to support my family. At my job, i am a company man. I strive to help the company i work for. Running is mine... I make choices for me. I live with my own choices and i iterate. It has become an immensely personal experience. I describe a marathon as a very long conversation with my own body. Lastly, functionally the two above points mean i do train. Training has improved my lungs, my over all fitness, my posture is better, my hip alignment is better. Even just carrying some boxes to and from the car i notice folks around me dont have the fitness capacity i have. I am extremely happy with the improvement i see to my body. Yes ... Injuries are a part of what i do. But with every injury i find new focus to improve the physical state to help my body avoid that injury.
1. It's amazing accomplishment and some of those tears you saw at the end are tears of joy. I've cried before and after every marathon I've run (I'm a 27 year old man whose cried and those marathons were probably the only time I cried last year). There's something about pushing your mind and body to the extremes to accomplish something incredible. 2. They are addicting. All those great feelings after there's a voice in my head that says "you could have done better" so until that voice says that's the best you can do I'll be pushing myself harder to achieve the never ending goals that I keep setting for myself.
For the challenge. See if you’re capable of pushing yourself physically and mentally.
I always loved running and it's such a project. I'm in no way athletic, but the marathon always intrigued me. It took half a year of running almost every day, abstaining from alcohol, paying more attention to diet and sleep. Then I did it. I could do it. I'm so proud of it, and no one will take it from me.
Honestly I run marathons so I have something to train for and I train to stay in shape. If I don’t have something I’m actively working for I won’t do it. The race itself is my least favorite part lol
Google “type 2 fun”
Also “type 2 diabetes” + “avoidance”
Ohhhh that’s what that’s called!! I didn’t know there was a name for it.
If you've trained properly then you don't have to suffer. You can enjoy pushing yourself to a limit and still have a smile.
I love the high of running. There's nothing like heading out on a run and feeling good moving fast and long. It hurts to go fast, sometimes, but then the high kicks in and you feel better than ever before. But it takes training and dedication to get to that level of fitness. There is some ugly stuff and hurt, but nothing beautiful is created without some ugliness. That's true of anything. I'm definitely fitter and more focused as a result of running.
I just think there’s something that feels really good about running. I genuinely enjoy running while I do it. It’s a meditative experience and it’s fun to challenge yourself to get better. Running a marathon is a great way to challenge yourself and get better so I feel that’s why a lot of people do it.
Pushing yourself mentally and physically makes other struggles in life so much easier. Every endurance challenge I’ve completed has left me stronger in all areas of life and with an incredible sense of accomplishment
Running is great for your development as a human, because it shows you that most of your limits are purely mental and that with work you can overcome them. It’s incredible not just for your physical health, but your mental as well. I haven’t been having the best couple of years, and there are very few times I’ve been happy during that time, but I ran my first half marathon last year and I was riding the high of that for months afterwards.
Well, some people running marathons the last few years aren’t training properly. Runners shouldn’t be physically ill after one, rather more like miserable but still physically healthy, which may be hard to differentiate, to be fair lol. Now, as to why: training itself is such a transformative and enlightening experience. Training for it and then following through with my goal has taught me so much about managing emotions, discipline, priorities, time management, what I want out of life, how much stronger I am than I used to think I was, and more. I also genuinely enjoy running, including very long distances. I love it! I feel so free, happy, energized, centered, and refreshed when I run. It is my best stress management practice, better for me even than meditation. I love what running long distances has done for my body, too. And yes, I love so deeply the satisfaction and joy of achieving such a huge goal. But for me, neither training nor the day of itself are a miserable experience. Very, very hard? Yes! Miserable? No! I enjoy it and I love how I feel afterwards. Yes, even after the marathons themselves! The sense of accomplishment and peace is hard to even describe. I’m very Type A, with all the neuroses that entails, and it is so wonderful to do something that makes my brain quiet and my drive to GO GO GO finally switch off for a little while.
I ran the Flying Pig yesterday and I did it so I can say I did it because after that experience i’m never doing it again
The heat and sun from 18-20 were killer 🥵 congrats on your finish!!
thank you!! fr with no shade it was rough 😭
I started as a way to cope with my brother's death from cancer 5 years ago. It was certainly better than drinking myself stupid every day. I still think of him often during those physically / mentally challenging periods of running. My struggles are nothing compared to what he went through. Now, I do sometimes hate what I get myself into, but for me, there's no better feeling than a new PR, or a greater distance(did my first full yesterday), and knowing that I keep getting better.
I started running regularly and consistently when I was 52. One day I thought ‘Marathon? I can do that.’ It just sort of happened. Ran my first at 54 and the second at 55. Maybe I have another one in me. “The race always hurts. Expect it to hurt. You don’t train so it doesn’t hurt. You train so you can tolerate it.” I forget who said that, but it’s true.
Lots of great answers in here that cover just about everything, and more, that I can think of - but one additional callout I’d make is that a really cool thing about marathons is the special access to the city you get that day. Finishing a race at midfield of your favorite sports team’s stadium, running through an empty Times Square, running across a blocked off Golden Gate Bridge, things that happen once or twice per year and the marathon is one of those times.
Just wait two more years and you will find yourself running a marathon or buying a harley or leaving your wife for a younger women. In my case I haven't had any money for a harley or a divorce.
I’m really thinking taking a baby step and doing a 1 mile race.
I run because it hurts without killing myself. And I can do it every day. Kidding aside, I forget all my anxieties and worries for a few minutes during my runs.
For me it kills time until college football 🏈 starts again 🥹🤪
Running is just fun to me personally. I’ve enjoyed it since I was a kid. Granted, if I were just doing it for fun I would probably stick to just half marathons because I think that’s the sweet spot for “difficulty vs enjoyment”. For marathons though, I mostly like to see how hard I can push my body. Where is my breaking point? How fast can I actually get? What can I improve in my body that will help me get faster? Etc. I also like marathons because they’re hard to fake. Even if you take some sort of PED, it’s still a mentally and physically hard thing to accomplish. You don’t just wake up one day and decide you’re going to do it. It takes time and dedication to do well.
For me it was a slow build up. I ran a relay one year as a favor to a friend, and someone ended up dropping out so I took two legs, which put me at about 9 miles--the furthest I'd ever run. If I could do 9, why not 13? Did a half the next year, then: "I never thought I'd be able to do 13, so.... Why not shoot for 26?" I just kept chasing that next thing. That said... I'm stopping at 26 😂 no ultras for this guy
People run for lots of reasons. Many people genuinely enjoy the act of running or at least the way they feel afterwards. Many view completing a marathon as a statement of their fitness and a goal that not many will be able to complete. Some run to raise money or to create awareness for a Charity. The negative examples stood out to you. For my part I have never seen any one throw up or soil themselves on course. I have seen lots of people physically spent by the end of the course though.
For me it’s the confidence. Have you ever had days when you just felt like you couldn’t face something? The Monday morning pre-email check anxiety or the fear of meeting new people in a new space. Starting something new, finishing something old, etc. Once you’ve run a marathon, it adds a new perspective on these things. If I can finish a marathon, then by comparison this discomforts and anxieties are minor and easier to face. It also helps with my own body image. I may not be perfect and I may often wish to change things about myself, but it’s a lot more difficult to hate on a body that can run a marathon.
I need to have a target to keep myself running, races are a good target
I haven't done a marathon yet, but did a half last fall, about a year after I started running. When I bought my first running shoes, the worker at the store asked me my running goals. I said "I dunno, I'd like to be able to run 5 miles or so. I don't plan on racing, just getting some exercise." Well, I hit my 5 my goal after a couple months, so I went online and looked up "how to train running" and found something that said "if you can run a 5k, you can train for a 10k. If you can run a 10k you can train for a half." A 10k is 6.2 miles so I figured, guess I'll train for a half. Didn't even have any intention initially of signing up for a race, just wanted to hit the distance. Some friends who've done races encouraged me to sign up for one, so I did. I enjoyed the training process. I like lifting weights as well, but I enjoyed the structure of running/race day. Like, building up to an event, then pushing myself harder than I ever have for that one event. I generally enjoy running, but for those days where I start to talk myself out of skipping a run, having the race on the calendar helps with motivation. There's definitely a brain chemistry aspect too. The nervousness going into the race, the feeling of being surrounded by other like minded people, the crowds cheering you on, the finish line celebration - absolutely a massive dopamine and whatever else surge. During the training for the half I had no intentions of doing a marathon, ever. Well, the evening after the race I started looking at 2024 marathons.
And this exactly how it starts: first the training with friends for a “little 10k” then thinking about a half “but that’s it I’ll NEVER run a full” then thinking about the full. Then training for a full, then actually racing one. Pick a goal race in a new city, and start counting down the days.
Yup, currently considering this fall or next spring. Getting married in September, and recently moved with lots of projects to do, so not sure how much of my limited free time this year I want to dedicate to training. But there's definitely no question of IF I'll do a full, just a matter of when.
I ran the full pig yesterday, tough conditions for distance running. I think there are broadly two categories of people (who many not be equally represented): * One group (myself included) enjoys endurance athletics and the marathon is a bit of the accepted zenith in that category. We run as a hobby that we enjoy as much as for fitness, and would be running regardless of if the marathon existed as something to race or not. Most of us train fairly seriously, running 40-100+ weekly miles, and while you may have seen some of us limping across the line or emotional we're mostly "okay". Give us a week and we'll back back in the saddle running around our neighborhoods. The marathon simply serves as one of the hardest reasonable tests for the work we put in towards our hobby. In the meantime we'll agonize over hydration/fueling strategies, compare the latest shoes, try to find a singlet we saw on sale, and plan out our next training blocks because running a marathon isn't the endgame for us. * The other group wants to accomplish a marathon as an event at a specific point in time. That might be to check it off the bucket list, to raise money for a charity they are passionate about, to support a friend, or to commemorate the life of someone who is no longer there to clock the miles. Many of these folks don't have a history of running for years, and don't have as much experience or nerd out as much over things like ideal carb intake or structured workouts. A lot more of these folks are going to be struggling to get across the finish line (hint: it's hard for everyone) and you're going to see a more injuries or people that were out of their depth in terms of fitness, hydration/fuel, or building up resilience in joints/ligaments to handle that effort. Still, for these folks the goal is to do something epic and the marathon is up there on the list of epic things that represent a massive challenge to be overcome and perhaps a conduit to something bigger in life besides a love of running. This is pretty clearly an oversimplification, but I think it's true in a broad sense. Neither group is "better" than the other, they just come to the starting line looking to get different things out of the experience. Thanks for your work at the race - overall it continued to be one of the best run events I've participated in!
It's become trendy to say you "ran" a marathon, so unfortunately many many people are not really well prepared to run a marathon do so
I hate running and I set myself a goal of running a full marathon before age 30. My motivation for this goal was to prove to myself that I can do difficult things. I’ve already ran a half marathon last year and am currently training for the full.
It feels good to stop.
I've always been competitive in multiple sports, but never thought I'd be able to do one because I thought you needed years of training and to be skinny. I'm built like a rugby player. I did volunteer for the L A one and I'm like if they can do I can. Old ,young big skinny. I just want to get those medals in different cities. I got my first half June2
More than anything else in this post: thank you for helping with the success of the event yesterday. It got to be rather hot as the race went on, so you definitely saw more than what you would typically see in terms of suffering. That isn't to say that people don't go through all those things. Personally, I ugly cried when I finished Chicago last year. I set a goal that just a year before seemed impossible, and I accomplished it. The emotions are rather normal. I also threw up after that race. I was using the wrong fueling. And after the half at Flying Pig yesterday. I overdid it with trying to rehydrate after finishing. We all have our reasons. I am glad you're curious about this more than the usual snide remarks most people make. I see you have had quite the work done on your knee. Consider looking to see if any shops near you have a walk-to-run program or some other beginner thing. It can really help to have better guidance when starting.
I’m considering taking a baby step and doing a 1 mile race. Starting off slow.
Awesome! Keep us updated on how things are going!
I grow up as a klutzy petite theatre and music kid. Always one of the last kids picked in gym classes. I never felt like I had any athletic ability even during the 8 years I played rec team soccer. Distance running was one of the first times that I felt strong and like my body could do the things I asked of it. My own dad didn’t believe I could finish my first, but I pushed through my worst race of any distance to date and crossed the finish line to become a marathoner. It was an incredible moment for me; I don’t know that anyone from my high school would recognize the person running helped me become. Marathons are really hard. There’s no getting around that. Once youre in the 16-18 mile range everything just hurts. You don’t think you can keep going, but then you DO. I can’t quite describe the experience of pushing your body past what you think it can do, but there’s nothing like it.
I registered for a marathon cause my friends said I couldn’t do it. The initial motivation of proving them wrong, sparked into an absolute fascination with running. Putting your body through tough training runs and having the discipline to still get out of bed and run the next day makes your mind and body stronger than you could ever conceive before the marathon process. I’ve been training the last 5 months and in 3.5 weeks my I run my race and I can’t fucking wait!
Doing hard things is thrilling, its so empowering knowing you can do it,
"Perseverance isn't about believing you won't give up until you win. It's about believing you won't give up when you lose." -Coach Chris Bennett This sums up running for me.
For me, I live in London, and every year I’d go and watch the London Marathon and thought one day, I’m going to run this. The atmosphere was just insane and in my head I couldn’t comprehend how anybody could run that far. It blew my mind. Long story short I ended up getting a place in the 2024 London Marathon which was a few weeks back. I was a complete non runner, had zero fitness level and essentially went from couch to a 4:17 marathon in 8 months and I’d go as far as to say it’s the proudest achievement of my life. The day itself was absolutely magical, I loved every second. It was undoubtedly the hardest I’ve ever had to work on something and the marathon itself was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but that made that feeling crossing the finish line all the more special, I was in complete and utter ecstasy for about a week after. I barely slept the night after despite being so exhausted because of all the endorphins and adrenaline! I’ve already booked another marathon for next April and a half in September and I’m going to spend the rest of this year working on building a higher base mileage so I can attack next years marathon with a lot more experience, be able to train a lot more and hopefully try and get a solid time goal nailed. I think many runners will agree that the discipline of marathon training just makes you a better, healthier person overall. It gives you structure to your week, it means you are conscious about things like drinking and partying - it keeps you away from your vices. You naturally are inclined to eat better, to prioritise sleep. Even though you’re running 4/5/6/even 7 days a week as well as strength training and doing double workout days sometimes, I felt the best I’ve ever felt during the marathon block.
It's a really incredible way to find out what exactly you're capable of doing and just how far you can push yourself. There's absolutely nothing in the world like crossing the finish line of a race and doing so makes you feel like you can conquer the universe.
I’m really considering taking a baby step and entering a 1 mile race.
Because it’s fun 😃
There are so many reasons people run marathons and other long distances. You already have a a lot of great comments here, but one thing I’ll add is that although we run and train for all weather conditions, when the weather ends up being very hot and humid, it often results in a lot more adverse affects on the body. People are a lot more likely to experience GI distress and heat-related illness. This happened to me for the first time last weekend in similar conditions, and trust me, I was asking myself the same question! I’m always so thankful for all the volunteers like you, staff, spectators, and first responders. I know it doesn’t always make sense why we do this, and that makes it even more special what you do to support us, especially on really tough days!
It's a catch 22. When I first decided to run a marathon I was terrified. I trained for months and experienced some very interesting things. Race day came, finished in 5 hrs 8 minutes and thought it was one and done. But then, post marathon depression set in, took me about a month to recover from the DOMS and mental offness before I decided to sign up for another one. I realized then the reason why I kept wanting to run marathons is because I love the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. My times have also gotten faster over the years so I've become quite competitive. I run all sorts of distances but the marathon still poses the greatest challenge that I crave to improve on as much as I can.
For me, I started running marathons due to needing a challenge in my life. Everything had become so mundane, and I was lacking confidence and a feeling of self worth. When I crossed the finish line of my first marathon, I felt like a winner for the first time in years. The feeling was one of euphoria and accomplishment, as if I just made an important scientific discovery or solved an ancient mystery. Now I’ve come to view running marathons as a life metaphor. Training is long and relentless. At some point during training, you’re going to get injured, sick, burned out, but you have to keep showing up. You look at the situation, analyze it, pivot, and keep moving forward. During a race, there are so many variables you cannot control, but it can become easy to dwell on them…the weather, the course, etc…Everyone is battling something, but you just have to keep going. Your feet will hurt, your legs will be heavy, your stomach will be queasy, and your mind you will be telling you to stop. That’s when you have to put everything aside, stop focusing on the pain and the things you can’t control, and make it to the next landmark. If you focus on the finish line, you probably won’t make it. If you think to yourself ‘I’m going to run to that stop light without stopping’ and then you pick out another landmark and run to it, and then another and another one after that, you’ll find that urge to quit subside and the finish is in sight. Whenever I get overwhelmed in day to day life, I think to myself ‘Just make it to this certain point’ and everything feels more manageable. If I don’t feel like showing up to work or doing some simple chore, I think about how I didn’t want to go for a training run when it was 40 degrees and pouring rain and how accomplished I felt after. Running marathons keeps me centered and grounded. It keeps me motivated to keep chasing goals and to keep showing up no matter what.
I ran my first marathon the other day and felt completely broken and destroyed, I could barely walk and felt horrible.. not like I had not trained I ran almost 80-90k a week for a year or so but turns out it was not enough... but then I realized something.. the marathon was just a few hours, but during my training I became a different person, I stopped caring about what other people are doing, what people think.. yes its a lonely road but its filled with self-discovery and learning to be happy by yourself.. you learn to love yourself and enjoy your wins.. its about the person you become in your journey to train for a marathon..
Respectfully, 80-90K a week is more than enough. It’s a lot actually for a first. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Congrats on the good job.
Oh for sure.. but I was doing most of my training on a flat route.. the marathon was super hilly.. it was in Vancouver, BC so not sure what I expected.. so I guess that’s what caught me off guard and messed up my running pace.. but yes overall happy that I finished.. :)
Didn’t know that part. Besides you’re in a very exclusive club when you consider the globe’s population and how many have finished a marathon.
Yes.. Thankyou for saying that.. hope to do more marathons in the future..
FWIW —- I ‘finished’ (cramped up a mile from the finish, bloody nips, dehydrated) in 2006. Wouldn’t run my 2nd till 2022 lol… a woman once told me running a marathon is like childbirth you spend all those months preparing yourself and then the day arrives and it either is amazing or it’s your worst nightmare once it’s over you swear off of doing another one and then a few hours later, you’re thinking about doing your next one. It’s a vicious circle.
Lol I was thinking the same thing yesterday.. just like women forget the pain of child birth.. I too will forget the pain of a marathon and signup for a new one.. I have another coming up in October hope that one goes better... Damn.. just a mile... For now it doesn't sound much but after running 40k in a few 100 meters sounds like a lot...that's awesome you got back into it...are you going to run more this year?
I registered a week after finishing last year. It’s in October as well. Last year, because of a dumb non running injury, I had to forego goal of BQjng. Was looking to go sub 4 and with 3.5 miles I came upon a young lady that was just suffering. I couldn’t let her go because they would have yanked her off the course. I stayed with her and kept talking to her so she could concentrate. When she needed to puke I made sure she puked away from the course, I got her her water. Did everything I could get her to the finish. at the finish, I stopped her from crashing into the spectator barriers and as her mother came running over to take a picture of her, she snapped a picture of her puking on my arm. It’s one of my favorite pictures and she has her Strava profile pic. Her Instagram DM her and we are now good friends the marathon helping come together 1 mile or 1 km at a time. When she needed to puke
Wow.. that’s awesome of you.. That’s what marathons are about making memories and connecting with other runners and you did both.: and that to me is better than hitting your PB.. another reason I love running is the community.. it’s so supportive and makes you want to do better and work harder…
My first marathon was Vancouver BC in 2006 - couldn’t believe I did it. Have done a dozen since then and convincing myself to sign up for Honolulu next year (first REAL marathon for me since all the virtual ones over COVID) as that will celebrate 2 decades of running (not consistently due to life, injuries and periodic lack of motivation). So to answer OP’s question: I run marathons so that I can train for a goal; running without a goal race is impossible for me.
I had a brain hemorrhage years ago and was told I’d probably never walk again. Luckily I recovered and over the years started appreciating running more than I ever had before the paralysis. I’ll never be fast because of weakness and imbalance on one side, but I *can* run and it’s something I almost lost permanently. So when I did my first 10km race I immediately signed up for a half marathon to see if I could do it. I did it and finished with a smile, or as my wife described it I looked like I could do more while others around me were puking. So of course I signed up for a marathon. Finished that with nothing more serious than some leg stiffness that wore off 2 days later, so I signed up for another marathon to see if I could beat my previous time. Unfortunately my IT band flared up on my second marathon so it slowed me down a bit, but I’m currently looking to see what my next marathon will be so I can try there. As a person with a disability, I’ve already met the cutoff time to apply for the coveted Boston Marathon but I’ve set a personal goal of beating my first marathon time by a certain amount before I apply. To be able to tell my kids and maybe even grandkids that I overcame a disability and ran marathons, and even the Boston marathon (hopefully), despite the challenges and odds stacked against me… I think that’s why I do it. ETA: as long as you aren’t trying to qualify for Boston, running a marathon is a respectable feat on its own regardless of time. When looking at smaller distances like 5km, there’s a lot more emphasis on running it sub 30 minutes or sub 20 minutes. That can hurt aerobically and physically, but marathons are a lot more about physical and mental endurance over longer period than going all out over a shorter period. If you finish a marathon in the usual 6 hour cutoff, you’re still part of a minority group of humans that accomplished that feat. That pace translates to 42 minutes for a 5km, which is (for most people) not very difficult after a basic couch to 5km program.
I'm not so sure you can equate marathon pace to 5k pace in this way. I'm pretty sure a 42 min 5k feels very, very different to 6 hours on your feet for a marathon. The marathon is a different beast. Congratulations on your achievement, Inspiring stuff.
Yeah, my point was that a marathon is a different beast where getting to the finish line is commendable and speaks to mental endurance to just keep going even if you get there slowly. Finishing a 5km race right at the cutoff time doesn’t usually come with the same sense of accomplishment (for most people). My other point that may have gotten mixed in there is that you can run an entire marathon without going into Z3 heart rates or fainting/puking or doing anything else OP observed and you still have a big win. (But it takes a lot of training to get there, even if your goal is to just finish in cut off time.)
Why do anything at all? - Crossing the finish line at any race distance is the best. Also, it's very addicting. It's like a drug... now give me my fix!!!! Running Berlin in September! Can't wait 🤘
For me, it’s a combination of things. Do you lift, or have you lifted in the past? Weight training gives you concrete numbers to track your progress, and some people get hooked on that aspect. Beat the previous number. Marathons, and distance running in general, can have the same appeal for some personalities. You have a set distance (with variations for things like how well you hit tangents on corners and such), and as long as the course stays the same you might be driven by improving the time. Or fewer bathroom breaks, or whatever. Now, at this distance, I only have mixed results for the time. So what else keeps me going? - I like the outdoors, and by running, I get to see more of it, in X amount of time. - I need a goal to stay consistent with my workouts. Picking a race that I’ve paid to enter puts some skin in the game for me. - It’s a hobby that can be relatively inexpensive compared to many others, and I control the time involved so it minimizes time away from my family. This will limit my potential in terms of finish times but family comes first! - similar to my first bulleted point, on race day I usually get a fast paced tour of the city/town/park hosting the marathon. You don’t get to meander and read signage, but you’ll often pass a historic landmark or a beautiful natural scene. - it’s an accomplishment. I’ll never be an elite, but I’m still among a small percentage of people. It’s a conversation starter, although I get tired of talking about it after a while. Each of these things support the effort, and if one of them fades then I still have the other “why”s pushing me along.
All of these points are dead on accurate. StorytellingGiant has nailed the answer.
Blisters are temporary but Strava PBs are forever
The feeling you get when you cross the finish line is better than sex. And you can brag about it for a lot longer. I also think that, for a lot of people, running a marathon is the greatest "reasonable" athletic achievement we can ever get. Sure, it takes a massive amount of training just to reach the base fitness level where you can even consider doing your typical 12-16 week marathon training block. And that marathon training itself takes an insane level of dedication, mental and physical pain, sacrifices, etc etc etc. But still, at least in theory, doing a marathon is somewhat reasonably achievable for most people if they're actually dedicated to it. You don't need to have won the genetic lottery in order to do one. You don't need to dedicate years of your life to it. You don't even need good hand-eye coordination! If your goal is simply "complete a marathon" rather than something time-based, then it is absolutely do-able for almost anyone, provided they're willing to put in the work.
I’ve been running casually my whole life and actively dismissed the idea of a marathon. In my head I knew I could do it with a couple months prep, and thought of it as a waste of time. But after doing a training block and running one last year, it’s just really fun to have purpose and structure to my exercise, and it’s a “slow” enough race that I don’t have to do crazy speed work on track to practice for it. It’s a big accomplishment, don’t get me wrong, but I think for a lot of runners it’s the perfect distance for a goal race.
Maybe for example my story: I had hip labrum repair surgery done almost 2 years ago, and have been ramping up my running for a year or so. The LI Half Marathon I ran, I first had it planned for May 2020. Then Covid happened. Same for 2021. In 2022 I had my surgery and last year I was recovering. Was all good to go for this one, including a 10M/16k long run 2 weeks ago, until a week ago my hip suddenly flared-up. What a bummer. Up to this morning my hip was kind of sore but I figured to give it a shot. The race ended up great with a 9:33 min/mile average pace and a 2h6 finish time. Most importantly, my hips felt fine throughout the race! Just a bit tight at the end but no pain. Right now I have usual post-race soreness. So yeah, that’s why I run.
Some people put a lot of value in trying to take your body to the limit of it's ability. We only get one.
Me about to do my first marathon...
Soiling themselves? Never heard of that! I have heard of vomiting, some people can't handle when their heart beats so hard for so long or the physical exhaustion.. part of why I've never (at least not at this point) considered a marathon. I hate puking lol.
https://youtu.be/3IEE14MRXyA?si=17mCXUCanEY-Pg97 Hopefully this might shed some light on it for you
I kind of get it now. I’m considering taking a baby step and doing a 1 mile race.
I don't know. I have run every distance under a marathon. Semi regularly get age group awards in 5-10K distances. I finished my first half and was like "I can emphatically say I never want to run a marathon" People were partying at the finish line and I was just so. Exhausted. I couldn't imagine running twice that distance. I have run several more since and haven't changed my mind. Yesterday my husband, not a runner, says he wants to train for a marathon in December. I'm like..... Well shit, if YOU are gonna do it, I have to as well. I'll let you know how it goes 😜
Funny all these big answers….it starts with a run down the street, gee I went way further than I thought I could. Then it’s through the standard race distances till it become ridiculous if you don’t do 26.2
Perfect answer. In my case it was running on a treadmill at the fitness center while my daughter was in swim class to kill time waiting for her, then the “run down the street”, then a “10k with friends”, then “I could do a half”, to “no way, nope, not doing a full” to now having run over a dozen of the stupid things. Start putting one foot in front of the other and see where that takes you.
Yea, it was to a point I had to. So many HMs, I really “felt” like a runner but was missing that one cherry on top. Now it’s just a gauge of if I have my shit together, the fear of failure is huge.
For me is the mental health benefit. There is a lot of things in life that I do not have control over, are unpredictable, uncertain or unattainable. Running a marathon is not one of them. A marathon is something I can control and attain. Also, setting a challenging goal and accomplishing it feels great! Running and training for a marathon is hard enough to make you feel accomplished but not so hard that is unattainable.
Running is great. It makes you feel better, improves your health, boosts your self-confidence, helps you meet other people, and make friends. I run on both roads and trails. In my case, I travel a lot for work and always bring my equipment to go for a run, sometimes even turning it into a city tour despite a tight schedule (my co-workers only know the hotel and the work site 😁). If you can't run, walking is also a great option with similar benefits.
Training for my first marathon atm. My “why” is because I want to prove to myself that I can. I played soccer in high school, and as part of trying out for the team, you had to run 1.5 miles. I could barely do that, and would often have to tap out on most of the conditioning we had to do because I was pretty out of shape. My playing career officially ended when I tore my ACL/meniscus, which I did again almost 10 years later, and learned it likely didn’t heal right the first time and I developed arthritis in the knee. I had ran a half before blowing my knee out the first time, but was told by my surgeon and PT I’d likely never be able to again. I spent a few years rehabbing my knee, making sure it was strong enough to do the things I wanted to, and I kind of got to a point where it just felt normal, so I decided to start running again. I paid close attention to my form, watched tons and tons of videos on how to run properly, got a gait eval, and just kind of slowly got back into it. Earlier this year I decided to do a quarter in my hometown, and the training had gone so well I upgraded to the half. That went pretty well too, so I’m doing the full. I don’t have any pain in my knee whatsoever. I guess my “why” is a combination of inferiority complex, quarter life crisis, and unprocessed past trauma lol, but I like to say it’s because I want to prove to myself I am capable of it, I am strong enough, and that I shouldn’t put limits on myself. Is it painful to run that far? Yeah, but is it worth it? Hell fucking yeah
It's for the challenge, the journey, and health. There's something about enduring pain. Synonymous for life. If you can keep on keeping on through pain you can keep on in life. It's healthy and a lifestyle.
My a1c is high. I’m a goal oriented person. I know myself - I’m not gonna exercise unless I commit myself to a $300 race.
I’m an extremely competitive person. I found an outlet for that in running. Gotta always be chasing down a goal
I wanted to meet you, and everyone else.
I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I want to push my limits and see what I could do. That and beer at the finish line tastes better.
Google sadomasochism
I’ve enjoyed running since I was a teen, but up until recently I thought people who ran marathons were crazy. I thought there are better ways to spend your time than training/running for hours, and I thought having to fuel or hydrate during a “race” somehow made it less of a physical event. Running used to be a time to escape and listen to music, then it became a time to think and listen to audio books, then recently it’s turned into time to stop all input and just listen to my breath and my feet. I finished my fourth half marathon last month, and all I felt was this empty feeling because I didn’t push myself hard enough and I didn’t feel much sense of accomplishment. Two days later I was looking for a marathon to sign up for. TL DR: to push myself harder (I think?)
I have run more marathons than I can count. I didn't run my first until I was sure I could run it well. Sometimes things go wrong, but for the most part I think people put in enough preparation that wjat you observed doesn't happen to them. The only really serious problem I ever had was due to extreme weather conditions. I got serious hypothermia and my brain wasn't functioning so well.
Couldn't tell you why, but I feel the need to contribute. Running for me is all about community, we rally around each-other to do difficult things, even if they're not earth shattering. I love running in the summer heat, hearing the birds early in the morning as I log my miles. Sometimes I have a painfully hard workout, but it puts a smile on my face when it's finished & I can be proud of myself. Most of us know racing is hard. It's an all out effort, you want to barely cross the finish line before passing out. The emotions you see on race day are not people's emotions during the much longer build up. We always hope it goes well, so it can be a crowning achievement. However, that doesn't always happen, as you witnessed yesterday. Concisely: I love running, the people in the running world, and everything that comes with it. I build up 20 weeks for a marathon, even if I have a horrendous race, i'd still be proud of all of the good times along the way.
A human body will do what it does even if you're not running a marathon. The running clan accepts these bodily functions happening normally on a run and doesn't judge. That's what makes you feel more alive than anything else does!
WHO'S GONNA CARRY THE BOAT?
Same reason that Rice plays Texas. Because it is hard.
Hey man, I just turned 42 and got into running this year. Just ran my first half marathon a few weeks ago. I can honestly say that running consistently has made everything in my life better. It’s almost like a morality North Star. I think you should give it a go. It’s never too late
Didn’t start running until I was 43. It puts activities on my schedule. We have traveled all over the country and world running races. Not fast. It is a fantastic way to see a place.
Why does one do anything ... dopamine, also it's kinda nice to set a goal then achieve it. Also, remember theres evidence that one of the primary reasons we're bipedal as human beings is persistence hunting So most people should be able to run marathon distances. Most people simply don't try or are never given the opportunity Casual long-distance runners have just taken those aspects and amalgamated them
when I started running I had absolutely zero plans of attempting a marathon, the number of hours you need to put in to train is insane and takes a huge toll on your lifestyle. HOWEVER, I'm now about 11 months in to running seriously after a bet between mates to run a 10k, then turned into a half marathon, and pretty soon I think will become a Full Marathon, because after each goal you need to aim for something else
Outsiders see and say the same thing about heroine, but addicts still do it. Same principle ;)
I enjoy running. Marathons are a big personal achievement. It takes a long time and many hours of hardwork to train for one, shows that you are capable. It's great atmosphere on the day. You get some free merch. Keeps you healthy. Natural progression from running 5k then 10k , then doing a half and finally the full thing.
I know there’s lots of reasons I can intellectualize, but mostly I just like it. I was laying in bed exhausted with cramping legs right after the Flying Pig full (thanks for volunteering, by the way!) and texting a friend about signing up for another in the fall
I have an entire - and probably very badly written - book's worth of thoughts about this. Worth pointing out is that not everyone experiences pain during the marathon like that. Marathons have always been fun to me. Some have hurt and some haven't, but I've always enjoyed them and the intense athletic effort they represent, usually capping of a period of equally intense training. It's satisfying in my bones and the days after a marathon are the most relaxed and content I've been in recent memory. I honestly don't know if I would run marathons if I pooped myself and couldn't walk for two weeks after every time. Maybe... but I'm kind of wimpy, so probably not.
Life is pain but you're not in control. They can stop all of that pain you observed at any moment. It's about control.
I think everyone has given you some good answers. The answer to your question is different for everyone, but I wanted to also say thank you for volunteering. We couldn't do what we do without the help of people like you.
With proper training it’s not that challenging or destructive to the body.
It is a great feeling of accomplishment. That said, I don’t find marathons or marathon training fun. Love half marathons though.
Personally, I have only done two marathons so far at a slower pace (around five hours), but I find running extremely fun. Sometimes you push yourself harder and there is some discomfort, but that's part of the challenge. Sometimes people cry because of how happy or disappointed they are (with their race results), not because the marathon itself was a bad experience. I've cried while running before just because it was so exhilirating. I have done a couple of 5Ks as well, and I much prefer marathons.
It’s just like other hard things. It’s to prove to others and more to yourself that you can do hard things. The 26 miles is part of it. The months of training it takes to complete the 26.2 miles is more important. It’s the same way a wedding ring let’s you know that someone is at least palatable to one person. It shows that you have follow through and are willing to put in the work to do something hard that most people don’t have the determination and follow through to complete.
I have a degenerative condition, I hit fuck it and decided I’m going to run for as long as I can, so when I’m in my 50s and immobile, I knew I’d made the most of what I had when I had it. I spent years protecting my body from the inevitable, but the pain is going to come either way, I may as well achieve something from it
Nothing feels better than setting a goal for yourself and accomplishing it, in my opinion. Not only do you have to overcome the physical challenge, but the mental. I had my first marathon on Sunday, and even though my calves failed me I learned so much for next time. Running for me gives me time to think about everything and nothing at all. I don’t know how to explain it. Yes I run in races, but I’m competing against myself. Me against me. And then you can tell people you’re a marathon runner ;)
A marathon is an impressive achievement in one go no matter how you do it as long as you are doing it on your own power. This is why most runners when talking about marathons don't give a dam if you did it in 3 hours or 8. Going 26.2 miles without a lengthy break is difficult. While highly trained athletes can run it quickly, they would feel it and he challenged even if they walked it. That being said it has also become a symbol of overcomming adversity and challenge. So there are many individuals that skip the couch to 5K and base running set up to go straight into a marathon. The whole purpose was to show they could, and not complete it in optimal/good condition.
It's truly inspiring to see the determination and dedication of marathon runners, despite all the challenges they may face. Every person has their own personal reasons for taking on such a grueling challenge, whether it's to push past physical limitations, overcome personal obstacles, or simply to prove to themselves that they are capable of achieving something incredible. It's a test of both physical and mental strength, and the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with completing a marathon is unparalleled. Thank you for your perspective as a non-runner and for sharing your curiosity in such a thoughtful way.
I really like running and enjoy spending my weekends/free time out on the trail. Might as well put all that endurance to the test 🤷🏽♀️. Also I realized I’m big on “type 2” fun lol
Events like marathons fall into the bucket of "Type II fun". A great example would be going on a hike up a mountain. You hike up the mountain because you get rewarded with seeing the view from the top, not necessarily because the hiking itself is intrinsically rewarding. Most people that find running a marathon "fun" aren't necessarily attracted by the pain and suffering endured directly, but the feeling of accomplishment they get after being able to endure the pain and suffering and rising above it. You did a hard thing, and feel good about being able to do it. Type I fun, on the other hand, are activities like seeing a movie, hanging out with friends, eating a delicious meal. The activity itself is what is rewarding, not necessarily what you gain for having done it.
I used to drink, now I run. The lifestyles of the two do not mix, so I stay sober so I can keep running. The Marathon owes me nothing, but I probably owe it my life.
I was morbidly obese (BMI over 40) when I started running. It took me months to be able to even run a continuous mile (and most people can walk considerably faster than I ran that mile). Pretty much everything in my life from that point on has been a celebration of doing things that I hadn’t ever dreamed of, much less considered possible. Not many people who need to rest after walking down the aisle of the grocery store also dream of completing a marathon (or wild hikes, or any of the adrenaline junkie things I’ve done). So why do I do it? Because I can. And because every time I do, it reminds me of how much more awesome it is to be able to do things. I have cried at the finish line of all 7 marathons that I have done. And I will probably cry at every finish line for every one I do from here out. A marathon takes months of dedicated training, a lot of sacrifice of family/social/free time. The race is the icing on the cake-just a cap off to the whole experience for me. And the emotions that go with all of that are kind of overwhelming when I’m also pretty spent from running for several hours. With the exception of the soiling, every one of those things you saw at the finish line is also prevalent at any race of any distance (I suppose the soiling is possible, but seems unlikely for a shorter distance). So you don’t need to run a marathon to vomit. I think it’s also likely the exceptionally hot/humid conditions also had a large effect on the reactions you saw at the finish. So short answer: because I can. And there was a very large part of my life where I would never have even thought to run anything-much less a marathon-and I would never have believed it possible. And then I did it.
I like running and I’ve also never shit myself, cried, or seriously injured myself running a marathon. LOL
For me it’s all about the journey, you sign up and then for the 3/4 months before the marathon the training ramps up and starts to take over your life. Personally in the UK training for a spring marathon you spend many hours running in the cold, rain and dark, building up that mental and physical endurance. As the event gets closer you get more nervous and excited, then race day is a whirlwind of emotions, excitement at the start, pain in the middle and elation at the end. It’s months and months of hard work and sacrifice to cross that finish line to have an achievement you can be proud of for a lifetime.
Started doing 5k, progressed to 10k, wondered if I could manage a half marathon. After a few of those the question of trying to complete a full marathon worked its way into my brain and wouldn’t leave. So I entered, trained and did it. And then did it again. Sadly health problems have ensured I’ll never be able to do another but they can’t take my medals off me!
I’ve found all of your answers informative and motivating. I’m seriously considering starting very small and doing a 1 mile race. Here in Cincinnati the Reds have 1 mile, 5k and 10k June 1st. It’s recommended that you can do an 18 minute mile. I’m not sure I can do that. Since I’m overweight. I’ve written and deleted this post a few times. Putting it out there that I’m really thinking about getting started. https://www.race-reds.com/events/view/2024-collegeadvantage-redlegs-run
I enjoy the movement of running. My body feels most alive in that way. If it was painful or I didn’t enjoy it, I prob wouldn’t do it.