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| Does this look like a person enjoying himself? |
When I lived in Taiwan I ran three times a week for thirty to forty minutes. For me, that gets you about 3 to 4 miles at the most. Not very far. I had a good friend that I would compare running times to. I would set a PR on my 1 mile, 2 mile, or 3 mile time and inevitably he would best it. Neither of us really enjoyed running that much so it became a sort of tortuous attempt to always one-up the other. This friend ran a marathon in 2010. His time was about 3:58:00. I told myself I could top his time so I started training in April 2012.
Things I did not know about long distance running beforehand:
1) Shoes make a difference. Who would have thought that running on 5 year old running shoes that were mostly worn out was a recipe for joint pain and extreme fatigue? There is some debate about what I call minimalist shoes (the ones that look like feet) versus traditional running shoes and the benefits and disadvantages. I do not really want to get into that. But be aware that we all have different running gaits (overpronation, supination, etc) and shoes are important. Do research. Choose wisely.
2) The wall is a real thing. I always thought that when you ran, you could fall into a groove and run indefinitely. Not sure why I believed that. It is completely illogical. Around the 17 to 18 mile mark, you get unbelievably tired. It is a feeling I have never experienced before. Even that 44 hour all nighter I once pulled left me with more energy. Once you start walking, you probably will not be running much afterwards. Once during training I ran 19 miles in 3:21:59. I think it took me nearly 40 to 45 minutes to cover the last 3 miles of that run. THE WALL - Very real. It can be avoided. See below.
3) Stay hydrated and eat. Consume running gels if you want to. Find something that works. At the same time, DO NOT drink too much water because it will lead to fun things like diarrhea and gastrointestinal issues. You might be in need of a bathroom while you are in the middle of nowhere. I have had personal experience with this. I will let you figure out what I had to do in these situations.
4) Time commitment. Do you like getting up early on Saturday morning? At the peak of your training runs (20 miles), you will be getting up at 6 am and finishing your morning run by 8:30 am to 9 am. If you are like me, you will come home to find your spouse still asleep. It is as if nothing ever happened. Except now you are pretty tired and the day has yet to begin. Aside from the weekly long runs, you will hopefully be running 3 to 4 times a week during the week days for distances that stretch from 3 miles at the beginning to 15 miles at the end.
5) Ice water baths. This is probably nothing new for people who are actual athletes, especially those who have played contact sports. Being the unathletic child that I was, I never played in any organized sport. But for those that did, they might have soaked in ice water after games or practices. Why would you subject yourself to this? Is the running not painful enough? During especially long runs (16 miles plus), your body begins to break down a little and immersing yourself from the waist down in ice water prevents inflammation from occurring. It narrows the blood vessels and keeps swelling down. You will be much less sore the next day. If you decide that what I am telling you is stupid and that you would rather soak in a hot tub instead, you will regret it the next day. And probably the day after that as well.
If all of these things sound appealing to you, then perhaps a marathon is something you should attempt. This is after all, just the training leading up to race day. You will spend 4 to 6 months doing what I have described above. Trust me though when I say that it will be worth it.
