• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

The Official OGBoards Running (and Cycling) Thread: (Insert Season Here)

If I ever run a marathon I'll be ashamed of myself for not trying to go fast over a shorter distance. I'm still a (terrible) sprinter in my mind, y'all.
 
TWDeac said:
Check out this Pearl Izumi ad I saw the other day. I don't agree with it at all, but it isn't that hard to see who they are marketing towards(even though their shoes suck.)
Click to expand...

Yeah. I think the marathon can be different for everyone. Some of the folks I watched cross the line in under 5.5 hours were amazing, even if they will never run a 4 hour. They aren't running it for the same reason as someone who is running 3.5 hours. That said, I'm not really into throwing a sticker on your car just because you ran 26.2 miles.
 
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't respect the efforts of marathoners, I just think they're misguided. Especially if under 30.
 
TuffaloDeac10 said:
Your problem, RTQ, is that marathons are for old slow people (slow relative to their youth, not outright slow). You are not old. You're just running and training for the wrong distance right now.

Marathons should go the way of the [Redacted].
Click to expand...

???
 
If I finish this Charlotte half-marathon you SOBs better worship me.

That being said I'm running the Cooper River 10K, and I care way more about my finishing time (aiming for sub 45 if possible) in that. I mean I'm running a minimum of 5 miles pretty much every day at this point, so just finishing a little over 6 miles doesn't seem like a big deal to me. However some of my friends who are also running it just want to finish. Of course they run a lot less than myself, and our only preparing for the 10K, not the half.

Hell last fall, when I first started running, finishing the 7 mile Salem Lake Trail Run seemed impossible. When I finished it in under an hour I was estatic. Its all about perspective yo.
 
Last edited:
For people who aren't "runners", 26.2 is huge. If people are proud of their accomplishment, wgaf if they put a sticker on their car? I'm all about people getting out and doing things, and if their motivation and reward is a sticker on their car, more power to them.
 
TuffaloDeac10 said:
Could go even faster (which is the point) over a shorter distance. I doubt I'll ever race something that takes more than an hour.
Click to expand...

I completely disagree. You could go faster over a shorter distance, but it isn't any less taxing or gratifying to run a marathon at an equivalent pace.

For example, McMillan's Running Calculator tells me that if I can run a 3 hour marathon, I can run a 18 minute 5k. They are both great achievements for someone who isn't a high school or college distance athlete.
 
DeacHoops said:
???
Click to expand...

My position is that I'm a big hater. People should run marathons when they lose their top-end speed for 5ks, 8ks, and 10ks. And really you should only be running those races if you aren't fast enough to run the 100m, 400m, 800m, or mile professionally (which is almost everyone on Earth).
 
TWDeac said:
I completely disagree. You could go faster over a shorter distance, but it isn't any less taxing or gratifying to run a marathon at an equivalent pace.

For example, McMillan's Running Calculator tells me that if I can run a 3 hour marathon, I can run a 18 minute 5k. They are both great achievements for someone who isn't a high school or college distance athlete.
Click to expand...

Agree on taxing, disagree on gratifying. Everyone should have my preferences.
 
Aight Tuffs my position is that short-distance runners are weaker, less dedicated athletes than long-distance runners. You didn't train for shit, you have no stamina. You're just god given naturally fast, you did nothing to earn it. You're Boobie Miles.

If we're gonna hate and all.
 
BillBrasky said:
If I finish this Charlotte half-marathon you SOBs better worship me.

That being said I'm running the Cooper River 10K, and I care way more about my finishing time (aiming for sub 45 if possible) in that. I mean I'm running a minimum of 5 miles pretty much every day at this point, so just finishing a little over 6 miles doesn't seem like a big deal to me. However some of my friends who are also running it just want to finish. Of course they run a lot less than myself, and our only preparing for the 10K, not the half.

Hell last fall, when I first started running, finishing the 7 mile Salem Lake Trail Run seemed impossible. When I finished it in under an hour I was estatic. Its all about perspective yo.
Click to expand...

You'd better get to Mt. Pleasant early and cram yourself up near the starting line if you're going to make your goal. The first three miles can be a real slog if you're stuck in the wrong group. I've had brief shouting matches with people who were walking up the center of the course less than a mile into the race.
 
TWDeac said:
Meh, anyone that scoffs at your times isn't worth hanging around anyway.
Click to expand...

but this thread is one of the few places I have access to other runners.

Note: I don't think anyone has directly scoffed at my specific times before, but I think someone once posted that a marathon slower than 4:30 wasn't running or didn't count. And people who can run 3:30 marathons easily complaining about a 3:40 or something (making up these times) make me feel absurd, but then again I don't want my sitting here calling my races slow discourage anyone who is slower.
 
TuffaloDeac10 said:
Agree on taxing, disagree on gratifying. Everyone should have my preferences.
Click to expand...

for me, running a marathon is 100x more gratifying than running a 5k. Even if I get a personal worst in the marathon and a personal best in the 5k. For me, there is way more mental challenge in a marathon whereas even if I bust my ass running a 5k I don't really feel like I exercised enough for the day.
 
lbE08 said:
For people who aren't "runners", 26.2 is huge. If people are proud of their accomplishment, wgaf if they put a sticker on their car? I'm all about people getting out and doing things, and if their motivation and reward is a sticker on their car, more power to them.
Click to expand...

glad you posted this so i could avoid writing a long winded rant. i have a 26.2 sticker. i'm proud i did it and it was a memorable experience in a part of the country I never imagined I'd visit. it's also a great way to start up a conversation with someone asking where they ran, etc. i love recommending Missoula as an awesome place to visit and run a race.

I also have a sticker for Ragnar on my car and that was probably a more memorable experience then my first marathon (and harder running-wise). The friends I made/met during and after the relay are people I'd go anywhere in the country to run races with.
 
BillBrasky said:
Aight Tuffs my position is that short-distance runners are weaker, less dedicated athletes than long-distance runners. You didn't train for shit, you have no stamina. You're just god given naturally fast, you did nothing to earn it. You're Boobie Miles.

If we're gonna hate and all.
Click to expand...

Meh. Fairly accurate except for calling me naturally fast (I am not any kind of fast). But my preference for speed above everything else definitely comes from being a sprinter/400m runner in indoor and outdoor in high school and running fall xc in a league where all league meets were like 2.5 miles. So tough stepping out to run invitational 5ks on the weekends!
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
but this thread is one of the few places I have access to other runners.

Note: I don't think anyone has directly scoffed at my specific times before, but I think someone once posted that a marathon slower than 4:30 wasn't running or didn't count. And people who can run 3:30 marathons easily complaining about a 3:40 or something (making up these times) make me feel absurd, but then again I don't want my sitting here calling my races slow discourage anyone who is slower.
Click to expand...

to be fair, i think i remember what you're talking about, and i think it was a link that somebody put, not that an actual poster thought that a 4:30 was slow. i mean, maybe that doesn't really make it any better, but it was included in a whole slew of other things, so it's possible the poster didn't think that THAT particular point was valid, but the rest of it was? (IIRC, it was a rant about TNT and getting other people to essentially pay your entry fee).

and i agree with lbe. if people want to put a sticker on their car, have at it. anybody who has never run a marathon doesn't understand how hard it is to train for one. i mean, the race itself is difficult. but the real accomplishment is making it through the training. that part is both physically AND mentally exhausting. if you can survive the training with your health intact, that in itself is pretty impressive. to also then go and actually run 26.2 miles sure as heck is deserving of a sticker.
 
RollTheQuad06 said:
for me, running a marathon is 100x more gratifying than running a 5k. Even if I get a personal worst in the marathon and a personal best in the 5k. For me, there is way more mental challenge in a marathon whereas even if I bust my ass running a 5k I don't really feel like I exercised enough for the day.
Click to expand...

I obviously cannot and will never be able to relate to the mental challenge of running a marathon, but the most physically and mentally taxing thing I've ever done was a 1000m ergometer sprint that I finished in about 3'20". Or my 6'54point" 2k PR (at weight. What a bawse!) When you're truly going at your limits it doesn't have to be a very long race to completely sap you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top