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| photo by Martineric on Flickr |
There are many good reasons not to run a marathon. Health definitely tops the list. Get checked if you are not sure about your heart (even if you are, a check-up can’t hurt). Or if you know that any part of your body can’t take the stress. Your knees, your feet, your back, anything. Make sure everything is in good condition. Lack of time is also common, but be honest with this one. Do you really not have time due to your work, family and life obligations or is training going to cut into your TV time. Finally, some people don’t have access to a safe and decent running area. I know that there are those who train for long distance races on treadmills, but that just isn’t the same.
However, if you think running a marathon is crazy, but can’t come up with a credible reason, let me make the case for targeting and finishing a marathon:
It’s a cheap hobby: The largest item on your bill is going to be the signup fee. Especially if you are going for one of the majors (NYC, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London, and now Tokyo). You pay more than $300 for the privilege of running 26 miles in one of these cities. After that you will probably spend $200-300 for shoes and clothing (for boys shirts are optional, but encouraged) and $100 or so for drinks and gels. All in, probably somewhere around $500-$600 in a year.
On the other hand, you will save on transportation, because you will be fitter and you will walk everywhere. Don’t snicker! Each round trip saves $5 in NYC.
It is not as hard as you think it is: The finishing rate in big city marathons hovers around 98-99%. In other words, if you get to the start line you will see the finish. So, you see, you can’t fail! Calm down and enjoy the ride.
OK, it is harder than I told you, but that is actually a good thing: I admit, I wasn’t completely truthful in the previous section. Getting to the start will not be as easy as I made it sound.
Training for and racing a marathon will require you to run distances in the vicinity of what some might consider a complaint-worthy commute length. Spending that much time on foot will be a completely new experience for your body. You will eat and drink, yet you will feel depleted. Your legs will cramp, your joints will creak, your feet will blister and your stomach will say very bad things about you.
Yet you will keep going! Because your brain will learn to step up and take charge. It will learn to take things step by step, won’t get overwhelmed by the task ahead. It will learn to ignore some of the aches and pains, push you to your limits. It will learn that however depleted you feel now; after a 5 minute walk you will be good to go again.
So, not only your muscles, but also your brain will come out fitter from the marathon experience.
Camaraderie: I always feel a stronger fellowship at the start line of longer races. This in no way means that short distance runners are jerks. When I line up for a 5K or even a 10K, I feel like I am going to work. Do it efficiently, do it as fast as you can and get your bagel at the end. Starting a distance race is more like going on an adventure with friends.
Who knows maybe it is the immensity of the task. Maybe we are all scared and looking for buddies to get through it together. Or maybe it is like getting on a trans-ocean flight. You know you are going to be next to that guy for the next 10 hours, you might as well make friends. Bottom line, distance runners are a friendly bunch. During the race and during training.
Food: Think of your favorite food. A giant portion of it. Now imagine eating that after being hungry for a good while. And I am not talking skipping lunch and having snacks in between kind of hunger here. I am talking completely empty stomach, near zero blood sugar, slight dizziness, “I can eat a horse” kind. Sounds good, doesn’t it? And don’t worry, you can’t forget this part. Your brain will remind you a number of times between miles 10 and 20.
The medal: I know it is cheesy, but it is still fun. The mylar sheet isn’t bad either.
There you have it. Not “16 reasons” exactly, but I hope this was enough to convince you that running a marathon is not the craziest thing in the world. If you are already a runner, you can consider adding the marathon to this year’s calendar. You can be ready in 4 months. If you are not running currently, aim for something shorter and work your way up slowly. In the meantime think of the moment you will cross that finish line.
Let me know when you are done with this and I’ll tell you why you should run ultramarathons.
Now that is very encouraging and funny.....love it.
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