New runner, training for 1/2 Marathon (Read 2134 times)

he's a better human being than me and is probably nicer to strangers and dances like there's no one around more often.

I don't believe a word of this.

But many people (particularly women) decide, "I'm slow. I'll never be fast," well in advance of even knowing what their bodies can do.

I'll admit to being old and slow. I'll probably never be fast, but I will be faster than I am now. The race time for the first (and only) 5K I did predicted a half marathon time of 4:03 and a full marathon time of 8:27. I was 4:11 in my first half 2 months later and 7:35 in my first marathon 4 months after that. Now I'm down to 6:48 in my last marathon two years after the first one and still getting faster. I knocked 30 minutes off my time between June and October. For as many people as I know that say "I'll never be fast" and who never try, I know just as many people who were fast and aren't any longer and who no longer run because they can't match times they could hit when they were younger/thinner. There are a lot of "elitist pricks" out there who are mostly pricks and not nearly as elite as they like to think they are. And "elitist pricks" is a gender neutral term. I've seen just as many women in this category as men. Note: I'm not talking about anyone here when I use the term "elitist prick", mostly it's people I meet in real life. Like the guy who chided me for wearing a Marathon Maniac shirt when I wasn't a member. He didn't like it much when I told him my membership number and asked for his. I have to pick and choose a lot from the advice I see online and in books/magazines. When the marathon training plan says I should be at 50 miles a week before I even start training that's not going to happen because I don't have that many hours to devote to training. But I'm going to do what I can and I'm in better shape today than I've been since I was a kid and I'm going to get faster.

How do you measure yourself against other runners? By height.

Bummer. Aren't you looking up at Mississippi's BOOMS in that legendary photo of swampish lore? Maybe she's on a podium or something.

What I love about Gebrselassie, a true elite, is that in his running there is no contradiction between his joy and his desire to compete. I put below the first two images that appear if you search his name. I think they say a lot about running, about the tension at its heart between the joys and pleasures that it provides and the aspects of running that are harder, competitive, draining. It's that tension that keeps running interesting for me. So, threads like this are confusing to me. As if we had to decide between one and the other, between the joy and the competition. When Geb crosses the line, having run his best, he is a newbie again: he is tapping into that pure joy of doing something he's never done. We who have been at this game for a while have to work very very hard to regain that experience. So in a way, perhaps, we are jealous of you newbies, and if there is an edge of resentment maybe it comes from there. You've got, already, what we can only find through difficulty. It is hard to make yourself new. But is it perhaps more precious, this hard-won, long-sought newness? Will you allow us this?

But I'm going to do what I can and I'm in better shape today than I've been since I was a kid and I'm going to get faster.

I love this. And when I talk about "fast," that's what I'm talking about. Not a time on a result sheet, but belief that you can get faster, which in terms of racing, is the whole point. I'm with Jeff in that I don't understand why there has to be a division between the joy and the competition. I've been running for 30 years, and I'll probably never be as fast as I was when I was 25, but it's exciting to see how close I can get. In this way, running becomes new to me over and over as I get older. And it's no less exciting than when I was 17. Being faster is only "better" if you want to be faster. But, with any sport (say, hockey), I would think if you like it, you'd like to improve your skill. I doubt you'd look at a good hockey player and say, "Why is playing really well better?"

There is nothing rare or unique about finishing a marathon. Hundreds of thousands of people do it every year. Marathon finishers are a dime a dozen.

And running a marathon is "admirable"? Why?

Actually, I don't think it's "admirable" at all. Left foot, right foot, repeat quickly worthy of admiration? Come on, it's just running.

Welll I certainly respect your opinions - and hope you can do the same. Heck, I admire people who are even dedicated enough to start a marathon - let alone finish or "compete" in one. I'm not talking about sainthood for these people - just expressing positive approval. And to CyndiKo who started all this wanting to run a HM - go for it - I admire you too. You can do it. I was just where you are about a year ago and I ran a HM last May. Build your miles slowly - I ramped up too quickly and had to deal with shin splints. A lot of people jumped in here with great tips to help you achieve your goal.