How do you know what race distance is right for you? (Read 694 times)

Why can't you race multiple distances? I love the marathon. But sometimes I wonder if I should be striving for a 200 meter sprint, what with how my legs are built and all.

What we dont have many of that I see a lot of people talk about are 10 milers.

I'm currently training for my first marathon...mostly just to experience it at least once. I already know that I LOVE distances from 15-25k, so if I decide that one marathon is enough, so be it. It's a much greater time and money commitment, so that works against it. Also doesn't help that my first significant injury came 2 weeks before training started and has nagged me for 3+ months, now. That kind of thing really wears on a person and colors their perception. Plus concentrating on a specific range of distances allows one to specialize and get relatively good at that range. I'm really bummed that I won't be able to fit a HM in this year, as a matter of fact. I always enjoyed training for my halfs (halves?) and 25ks, but I'm not really lovin' the marathon training, thus far. Right now I am 11.5 weeks into an 18 week training plan and the taper cannot come soon enough, at this point. So it's great to have a lofty goal like the marathon, but it's also OK to do one and never do another...or be content with shorter distances from the get-go, too. Most of us who start running in our 30s find that all distances are a major accomplishment and something to be proud of.

The Pacific Northwest is LOADED with races of all distances, all year round. But I find it fun to see people talk about "3k pace" and "15k pace" because up here, those races are basically extinct. I know of one 10 miler. Oh wait, and I know of one 15k. I know why these two paces come up, but it surely is hard to find races for them. I know of no 30ks up here.