It's very different. I'm speaking from relatively distant memory here since I haven't raced a marathon since 2004. The pain in a marathon is a lot less intense but goes on forever. A dull ache compared to a sharp pain. Generally the only way you feel real pain in a marathon is if you've executed the race well enough to still be racing it in the last 6 miles or so. Then it is a lot of muscle fatige and forcing turnover. The pain in the marathon is a lot more mental. At times you don't feel like you are running very hard, you just can't run any harder. It is almost a pain of frustration. The best way to prepare for this is to do a lot of marathon pace (and faster) running late in your long runs. You want to get used to forcing turnover and maintaining concentration when you are really, really tired. By the way welcome to the group. I noticed you pop up in the top 10 in mileage recentl but figured I'd wait a while to call you out. Nice half marathon a couple weeks ago...was that about goal Marathon pace?

Hey Abe, I haven't run a bunch of marathons, but I've run some 50k's. One thing to keep in mind is that in the shorter races, the pain begins pretty early in the race--halfway into it or even before. For the marathon distance and up, you should be feeling pretty good past the halfway mark. So, the mentality, for me, is a bit different. In a 5k, I'm attacking through pain. In a marathon, I'm careful not to attack, at least until the last five miles or so. Less pushing and more flowing, if you know what I mean. The eventual pain is a pain of weariness that sneaks up on you like a fog, not like the intense burn you go searching for in the shorter stuff. Sorry, I can't answer your shoe question.

Thank you all for the help. All this talk about what it feels like during a race is giving me butterflies...I love it! DS Racers look like the next shoe purchase.

Ummmm......will I get yelled at (with my small mileage and little comparable knowledge of running?) if I break into this conversation? I recently told someone that the biggest difference between shorter races and 10 miles+ is the mental game. I need to realize that in a 5K where I am sprinting the majority of it, I am never going to be comfortable. The pain starts pretty quickly. I go into the race believing that I can do anything for only XX minutes, and that is the only thing that gets me through. With the marathon, it's exactly as Jeff said. The pain doesn't really start until the end, and even then it wasn't pain in the traditional sense (at least, not for me). It was just exhaustion and that feeling like my body wasn't going to carry me through the rest of the race. Heavy legs, tight hamstrings, tired calves. With shorter races, it's leg burning, lung chugging, brutal torture. With the marathon, I was comfortable up until about mile18. At that point, it's very much true what 'they' all say: the mental game starts where you just have to trust that your body really will get you through the race. My biggest shocker wasn't the leg pain or the muscle cramping at the end. It was the upper body pain that came from (not realizing it) holding my arms and shoulders so tight. In fact, my legs weren't happy with me the next day, but my shoulders and neck were screaming miserably.

Ummmm......will I get yelled at (with my small mileage and little comparable knowledge of running?) if I break into this conversation? I recently told someone that the biggest difference between shorter races and 10 miles+ is the mental game. I need to realize that in a 5K where I am sprinting the majority of it, I am never going to be comfortable. The pain starts pretty quickly. I go into the race believing that I can do anything for only XX minutes, and that is the only thing that gets me through. With the marathon, it's exactly as Jeff said. The pain doesn't really start until the end, and even then it wasn't pain in the traditional sense (at least, not for me). It was just exhaustion and that feeling like my body wasn't going to carry me through the rest of the race. Heavy legs, tight hamstrings, tired calves. With shorter races, it's leg burning, lung chugging, brutal torture. With the marathon, I was comfortable up until about mile18. At that point, it's very much true what 'they' all say: the mental game starts where you just have to trust that your body really will get you through the race. My biggest shocker wasn't the leg pain or the muscle cramping at the end. It was the upper body pain that came from (not realizing it) holding my arms and shoulders so tight. In fact, my legs weren't happy with me the next day, but my shoulders and neck were screaming miserably.

I'm happy to take opinions from everyone. It doesn't matter how fast you're running, eventually there will be a point that will make or break you, and I'd like to hear how everybody gets there. Besides, it's not like pain is an objective thing so somebody will always bring something new to the table. I also appreciate the input about the DS Racers, Ben. One thing I don't have to worry about is feeling too much stability control; I run in hard plastic orthotics everyday. Ahhh...the curse of flat feet.