that is my projected finishing time for the marathon in october. and this is how i feel about it.i'm already displeased with the results and i haven't even started. something's wrong here.
for the most part, i thought i wasn't too hung up on being a slow runner. but the idea of it taking over 5 flippin' hours to run is just ridiculous. like what is the point if i'm gonna run it that slow? can you even call it running at that point?! for pete's sake, oprah finished half an hour faster than i will. OH-PRAH! you're telling me if we were gazelles in the african desert, i would get eaten by the lion and she would make it away safely? she doesn't look particularly spry to me.
i mean my grandma could probably run it faster! one legged dwarves and blind monkeys running backwards could probably make it to the finish line faster. it feels like anyone can run it in that time, so how is it any special achievement that i can?
i know, i know, i'm missing the whole point of embarking on this endeavor in the first place. it's not about what others can do, it's about what i can do. but we'd all be lying if we said running isn't about speed or competition. why would we bother timing ourselves if it wasn't? why would we care about where we place in our age group?
i know that faster doesn't necessarily mean better. but it means something. and for someone who is used to working for and achieving anything she wants, a 5 hour plus marathon just seems so mediocre to me. and it pains me that no matter how hard i train, there is a limit to my physical abilities. i probably just need a killer long run to kick my ass and put me in check. then i'll be on my hands and knees begging, pleading, praying i make it out alive at all!
i've always been one to be more focused on the destination than the journey. ultimately, my motivation for running this marathon has to be more than just my finishing time.
i guess i have to think of it like this: while the marathon is my goal, there are many goals to achieve on the way. and the marathon itself is really just a small part of what makes me a runner.
13 comments:
"but the idea of it taking over 5 flippin' hours to run is just ridiculous. like what is the point if i'm gonna run it that slow?"
But that IS the point!! Do you know how many people say to themselves "Ohhh I'd like to run a marathon but I'll be too slow" so they just don't even bother trying. Sure faster is nice, but honestly I give SO much more credit to those people who are like "F*ck it. Even if it takes me 8 hrs to finish this thing, I'm still going to do it" At least they had the cajones to sign up and do it instead of wishing that one day they might.
Here is my advice on this...I dont know if you've ever done a marathon or not...cant remember, but I was told this:
First goal: to finish (in the alloted time of course)
Then you set mini-goals so that if you miss one, you dont beat yourself up over it and really cave in during the run.
Here is what mine was...based upon my projected time of 5:19
goal 1: finish
goal 2: 5:40
goal 3: 5:30
goal 4: 5:19
Yeah I could have made that 5:19 probably because I was on target for it, but when I got to mile 23 and didnt remember mile 21.5 - 23...I knew I had a choice to make.
Sacrifice the 5:19..because honestly if I would have kept going for that 5:19 I can pretty much assure you I wouldnt have finished at all...I walked all of mile 23 just so that I could finish. Yeah I would have to reach for 5:30 but I knew I could get really close and I did.
5:33
There is NOTHING wrong with a finishing and sanctioned time for a first marathon.
Just my .02
Oops I forgot . . .hit a girl up with a the headband link!! Thanks homes!
Trust me, that is a good goal. I hope to do Chicago in approximately the same time. After experiencing the trammatic "wall" at Disney, I just want to finish with a better time. And everything Junebug says, is right on target.
I don't have time to write a more detailed comment, but go out and get the book The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer (it is a soft cover black book). Forget the training program, but read the psychological stuff.
It's kind of too bad that you have a "projected" finish time. When I did my first long race (a half marathon), I had no idea how to predict a finish time. I just wanted to cross that line standing up. With no expectations, I just went out and had fun. I hope you can do that, too.
Oprah ran a marathon? Who knew?!?
I have never done a marathon, so I should not be giving advice. And I won't. It's sounds like you have your head on right... just enjoy the whole process!
I agree with all of the above...just to finish is a HUGE thing! I have felt the same way as you on several occasions. But, it all comes down to the journey. My worst finish time (6:05 (gasp!) @ NYC 2003), just happens to be my absolute favorite marathon ever. I had fun, I enjoyed the ride and that's what matters most. BTW, Oprah had a freakin' personal trainer, nutritionist and cameras following her. :-)
Who says you're going to run 5:11 and change?! You can run faster if you set your mind to it. And the reason why Oprah ran a 4:30 marathon is because she had a full-time personal trainer. That's not a luxury most of us have.
Um, that's two seconds faster than my finish time for my first marathon in 1999. And I was RUNNING the whole time (except through water stops). It is so NOT a loser finish time! Believe me, you will feel the hugest sense of accomplishment. Because it will be a huge accomplishment. You're gonna be so excited. And then the next year you can do speed training, like I did, and shave 20 minutes off your finish time.
Don't be discouraged! Running a marathon isn't easy...especially when you consider the blood, sweat and tears you'll put into training. Don't worry about your time, just be proud that you're giving it your all!!
thinking about the marathon for so many weeks in advance absolutely sucks. somedays I think finishing is great and other days I beat myself up over pacing on training runs. I got antsy training for Miami and I only trained for 8 weeks, so I can only imagine how rough the next 16 weeks might be emotionally. When I think about my finishing time in Miami, sometimes I'm really down about it and then I realize that more people finished after me than before me and most of them were probably happy with how the day went. plenty of people finish after the 5 hour mark and are happy as he** to have experienced it. I think when the day comes, no matter how quickly or slowly you get to the finish line, the moment you cross the line you'll realize how important the journey was for you as a person.
i aapreciate your honesty. i can understand that feeling. but, like you said, just try to stay focused on the task and not the outcome. it's a FEAT that you are training and committed to being there. remember to REALLY get THAT.
there are many who cannot or won't take on such a challenge
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