I decided I'm going to try and do a marathon. I just wanna know if 14-17 year olds can and should? If a teen did so, what would be the worst that could happen? I know if I stay consistent with strides,hills,light weightlifting and plyos , I wouldn't lose my speed. So what is the worst that could happen?
Here's how I look at it. You know how people say 'Don't let dogs eat chocolate'? Well, in the 60s and even 70s my dog and the dogs at all my friends' houses ate it. If we ate it, the dog licked the plates/finished the leftovers/got crumbs off the floor. It wasn't a problem then and isn't now.
Same thing with running long distances prior to age 24. It was common in the 70s and 80s but (with Alana Hadley and about 10% of Kenya's population as the exceptions) unheard of now. Interestingly, the period in which I was doing it coincides with the US being a global superpower in distance running.
I ran a marathon my first year of HS (and again the next) and I can tell you that going well under 3 hours didn't get me on the podium for 17-and-under. I'm referring to races for which no one traveled more than a hundred miles. Locals only, not on the national radar. A 2:54 scoring 5th place in your division (behind the girls 17-and under, too) in a race that had zero runners with any sponsorship would suggest that a lot of teenagers - 4 from my school often at a given race but a ton we didn't know - were doing the 10k up to marathon.
Of course, this isn't the case now and such behavior is vigorously opposed by the parent/coach crowd (my generation, ironically) as well as your peers. Training for and racing events longer than 5k prior to HS graduation offends many people greatly if the MB responses to me on such topics are any indication. Ditto longer than 10k if you have any NCAA elegibility. Only once you don't have the option of school-sanctioned running is road racing 'allowed' by the court of public opinion.
So, I would say F everyone and do it. I did, a whole lot of others did at the time, and Sammy Wanjiru did a few generations later. Doomesday prophets only need to show up at a race in which I easily win my age division to see that it is only a good move.
Am I being funny? wrote:
Here's how I look at it. You know how people say 'Don't let dogs eat chocolate'? Well, in the 60s and even 70s my dog and the dogs at all my friends' houses ate it. If we ate it, the dog licked the plates/finished the leftovers/got crumbs off the floor. It wasn't a problem then and isn't now.
Same thing with running long distances prior to age 24. It was common in the 70s and 80s but (with Alana Hadley and about 10% of Kenya's population as the exceptions) unheard of now. Interestingly, the period in which I was doing it coincides with the US being a global superpower in distance running.
I ran a marathon my first year of HS (and again the next) and I can tell you that going well under 3 hours didn't get me on the podium for 17-and-under. I'm referring to races for which no one traveled more than a hundred miles. Locals only, not on the national radar. A 2:54 scoring 5th place in your division (behind the girls 17-and under, too) in a race that had zero runners with any sponsorship would suggest that a lot of teenagers - 4 from my school often at a given race but a ton we didn't know - were doing the 10k up to marathon.
Of course, this isn't the case now and such behavior is vigorously opposed by the parent/coach crowd (my generation, ironically) as well as your peers. Training for and racing events longer than 5k prior to HS graduation offends many people greatly if the MB responses to me on such topics are any indication. Ditto longer than 10k if you have any NCAA elegibility. Only once you don't have the option of school-sanctioned running is road racing 'allowed' by the court of public opinion.
So, I would say F everyone and do it. I did, a whole lot of others did at the time, and Sammy Wanjiru did a few generations later. Doomesday prophets only need to show up at a race in which I easily win my age division to see that it is only a good move.
I wonder how much of your post is even close to being true. Certainly there are teenagers that get away with running all out marathons. My CC team ran 20 miles with a break every 5 miles to have cookies, soda, and potato chips (no kidding). We finished in 2 hours and 25 minutes doing it that way.
However I was sore for our 3 mile Regional CC race six days later and did not run my best. It was stupid.
The same is true of teenagers running marathons. In fact it seems stupid for anyone to run a marathon unless they have a chance to win it! Why put a young kid who might have potential through that. I had a teammate in college in his early 20s who was ruined by doing that. Later I had an athlete who was ruined by running a marathon. Both could have been DI runners.
Just because you were 5'10" 120' as a teen does not mean everyone is built that way. I'm sure there are a few that can survive it. By the way sub 3 hours is not that hot.
in my opinion it's totally fine to do over the summer or winter if you're already training 50+ mpw. most HS programs are running their kids at like 25mpw and you should NOT run a marathon off that low of mileage base. just know that if you run it all out you're going to be sore for a week or two, and it'll be awhile until you can run speedwork again. if you just do it as a long-hard run then it's no big deal really.
IMO wrote:
in my opinion it's totally fine to do over the summer or winter if you're already training 50+ mpw. most HS programs are running their kids at like 25mpw and you should NOT run a marathon off that low of mileage base. just know that if you run it all out you're going to be sore for a week or two, and it'll be awhile until you can run speedwork again. if you just do it as a long-hard run then it's no big deal really.
Ditto perfectly fine to train for a marathon if your not on a team. If you do train for and successfully complete a marathon (before you join the team) I imagine you would have a super base and might even be fast enough for the varsity squad.