Marathoner Wannabes (Read 1055 times)

I am definately a gonna be marathoner. I decided last year that I was going to run the Manitoba marathon, even though I live in Ontario. I told everyone that I was going to do it. My sister ( who has run this marathon before and inspired me to start running) said she wanted to run the marathon with me. We started our training in February and ran our long runs faithfully every weekend. Let me tell you running outdoors in winter in Northwestern Ontario, Canada takes dedication. When we went out to do our first 20miler I noticed that I had a lot of tension in my right foot. By the time we had run 14mile I knew I needed to rest and stretch so we ended up just running 16miles that day. The next weekend I toughed it out and ran the full 20miles and unfortunately separated the tendons in my right foot in the process. It was heartbreaking being 5 weeks away from my marathon and suffering that type of injury. Here I am 5 months later just getting back to running. I am taking it easy but still plan on running a marathon in 2008.

Hi, I’m 48 and have just entered my second marathon for the year, however I didn’t make it to the start line of the first due to a last minute injury. I’ve been training since Jan 07 the training has been hard on the body and my hip pocket with several trips over the past months to the physio. The part I wasn’t prepared was the mental toughness that’s required when running longer distances. I guess in part that’s why we do the training. Anyway my weekend long run was and is the most enjoyable part of my training as I always run these with a training partner of a similar capability. Without the help and enthusiasm of a training partner I don’t think I would have contemplated a marathon so soon. I gained further inspiration from reading threads on this site, I don’t know if the people who regularly contribute here are aware of the impact they have on first timer such as I, so a big thank you to all of you. Wish me well for my first Marathon in Melbourne Australia on the 7th Oct. For those who like the numbers my target time is 3:48 -3:58 Cheers John

It was heartbreaking being 5 weeks away from my marathon and suffering that type of injury.

Hi, I’m 48 and have just entered my second marathon for the year, however I didn’t make it to the start line of the first due to a last minute injury. John

A week and a half before the marathon, she got a really bad case of plantar fascitis and had to scratch the race.

These posts are exactly the reason I posted this earlier in the thread: ...it's terrifying...As the actual date approaches, the possibility of failure begins to loom large. What if the weather is horrendous? What if it's just not my day? What if I stub my toe two days before the race? What if, what if, what if… I covered 23 miles this past Sunday, and felt pretty good after. I'm pretty confident that I'm prepared for my 26 miler on 10/14 and 26.2 on 11/4. Now I really just want the day to arrive, because my life is generally ruled by Murphy's Law. Since I can't move the race up, I told my son I was going to buy enough bubble wrap to cocoon myself until the gun goes off. Knowing the effort involved, my heart hurts for those who put in the miles and hours only to be denied by fate. I've seen a lot of posts for marathons (first and otherwise) for RAers in the next month or so, fingers crossed for all.

Like the "Marathoner Gonnabe" I will run a marathon. I am 38. I will run a marathon when I'm 40. I've just started running this year. I want to take my time and build up to that distance. I'm running a couple of 10Ks this fall. Next year, I'll add a HM or two. Then when I'm 40, I'll add the marathon. My motivation - 1) I enjoy running and 2) to prove I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. My third motivation is to prove all the naysayers wrong.