Should You Run a Marathon?
Every year, many people train for a marathon as both a personal fitness goal and a once in a lifetime accomplishment.
Marathon runners are among the best conditioned athletes in the world. They didn’t necessarily start out that way, but they managed to achieve their fitness level through years of training and hard work. Top marathoners compete for prize money in races around the world, complete with world records and other types of things that are far beyond me and my fellow couch potatoes. I know several people who have either recently run marathons or who are currently training to run in one and I’ve noticed a few things that I thought I’d share here.
You Can Run 26.2 Miles Anywhere, Anytime
Organized marathons serve several purposes for those training for them. First, it establishes a very clear timeline for training and achieving the ultimate goal of running the marathon. The date is set and you know when you start exactly how long you have to get ready for the big race.
Perhaps just as important, though, is the fact that the marathon ensures that everyone attending the event will be visual witnesses to your achievement. Even those that don’t attend will have a much easier time understanding and applauding the fact that you ran The Boston Marathon as opposed to "I ran 26.2 miles yesterday."
But the fact is that no one needs an organized event to achieve the personal goal of completing a marathon. Any 26.2 mile run will suffice. Whether that’s at your local track (probably very boring to do that many laps) or just a nice course that you’ve made up near your home, it’s still a marathon, regardless of location.
Plan Around the Important Aspects of Your Life
Committing to running a marathon is a big decision, the results of which will end up consuming very large portions of your time on a weekly basis. If you have personal or family commitments that already require large chunks of your time and energy and you don’t feel like you have a large amount of schedule flexibility, you may want to spare yourself the frustration of trying to properly train for a marathon. Instead, perhaps, train simply to be able to run as far as you possibly can in the time you currently have to train.
As you become a more proficient runner and you learn how to incorporate your running with your current lifestyle, perhaps you can eventually add a marathon to your calendar. It’s always better to simply devote your available time and resources to establishing a running routine, whether or not that culminates in an actual marathon is inconsequential.
Keep the Marathon in the Proper Perspective
People tend to get caught up in the idea of running a marathon, in much the same way that people talk about visiting Italy or winning the lottery. They assume that they’re only going to do it once in their lives, so they tend to make it into something that it’s not. First, it definitely is an amazing accomplishment, especially for someone who elevates themselves from a relatively sedentary lifestyle to complete a full marathon. There’s no point in trying to downplay the significance of that achievement. It’s simply impressive.
Of course, many people tend to think that marathon completion will somehow solve a personal problem they’ve been having or possibly make that empty feeling go away. Typically, marathons are not the solution to mid-life crises and they aren’t going to provide the resolution to all of those Mommy issues you’ve been facing. Train, run and enjoy yourself responsibly throughout your marathon quest, but try not to be too disappointed when your life feels exactly the same the morning after you run the race. Other than soreness and some probable new blisters, everything’s going to be pretty familiar.
You Can Run 26.2 Miles Anywhere, Anytime
Organized marathons serve several purposes for those training for them. First, it establishes a very clear timeline for training and achieving the ultimate goal of running the marathon. The date is set and you know when you start exactly how long you have to get ready for the big race.
Perhaps just as important, though, is the fact that the marathon ensures that everyone attending the event will be visual witnesses to your achievement. Even those that don’t attend will have a much easier time understanding and applauding the fact that you ran The Boston Marathon as opposed to "I ran 26.2 miles yesterday."
But the fact is that no one needs an organized event to achieve the personal goal of completing a marathon. Any 26.2 mile run will suffice. Whether that’s at your local track (probably very boring to do that many laps) or just a nice course that you’ve made up near your home, it’s still a marathon, regardless of location.
Plan Around the Important Aspects of Your Life
Committing to running a marathon is a big decision, the results of which will end up consuming very large portions of your time on a weekly basis. If you have personal or family commitments that already require large chunks of your time and energy and you don’t feel like you have a large amount of schedule flexibility, you may want to spare yourself the frustration of trying to properly train for a marathon. Instead, perhaps, train simply to be able to run as far as you possibly can in the time you currently have to train.
As you become a more proficient runner and you learn how to incorporate your running with your current lifestyle, perhaps you can eventually add a marathon to your calendar. It’s always better to simply devote your available time and resources to establishing a running routine, whether or not that culminates in an actual marathon is inconsequential.
Keep the Marathon in the Proper Perspective
People tend to get caught up in the idea of running a marathon, in much the same way that people talk about visiting Italy or winning the lottery. They assume that they’re only going to do it once in their lives, so they tend to make it into something that it’s not. First, it definitely is an amazing accomplishment, especially for someone who elevates themselves from a relatively sedentary lifestyle to complete a full marathon. There’s no point in trying to downplay the significance of that achievement. It’s simply impressive.
Of course, many people tend to think that marathon completion will somehow solve a personal problem they’ve been having or possibly make that empty feeling go away. Typically, marathons are not the solution to mid-life crises and they aren’t going to provide the resolution to all of those Mommy issues you’ve been facing. Train, run and enjoy yourself responsibly throughout your marathon quest, but try not to be too disappointed when your life feels exactly the same the morning after you run the race. Other than soreness and some probable new blisters, everything’s going to be pretty familiar.
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