I find that in my travels, and in my circle of acquaintances many people find out that you run marathons and have no idea how many miles a marathon is. After I tell them that it is 26.2 miles most come back with a, " I could never do that" type of comment. I am always puzzled by that comment as I know that there are all different types of people with different life situations that successfully run the race. After running and training for races for three years I feel strongly that anyone in average to good health that is committed can successfully finish a marathon. I am an average person, working mother of 4, who never ran before training for my fist marathon and I finished it with a smile on my face. My feeling is that, although the training is a commitment, if I can do it anyone can.
What is it that scares people away from even considering running a marathon? Is it the distance, is it the term "running", or is it just the thought of doing any exercise in general. For me, it was a combination of the term running and the distance. I really thought that to "run" a marathon you have to run the entire 26.2 miles. I quickly learned that the term running is a loose one and does not mean running as fast as you can, but at a pace comfortable to you. I also learned at my first marathon that there were many people walking (especially after mile 18) and jogging and running, kind of anything goes.
Most people who run marathons would say that I am downplaying all the ,"blood, sweat and tears" that goes into training and finishing a race. I definitely agree that it is hard work and a large commitment of time and energy, but it could be an attainable goal for the majority of individuals who say they could not do it. I guess my point being that it is more of a mental obstacle than a talent, or physical obstacle.
On that note, I am going to try to recruit some marathonmamas to run our next few races!!
marathonmama.com, Women Running the World
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