why do people in their 30s and 40s run marathons?

whoa whoa whoa

just to clarify pals i am 27 and out of college. i work as a biochemist. i am not just a lazy bum or someone who has still been racing trying to re-live my college years. in fact, i haven't stepped on a track for almost a year now. i just train by my house in my trainers and hop in 5k's every once in a while or run for a cash prize (because there are lots in my area.)

if you run to brag about "doing" a marathon just to impress sally over in systems management, then you're clearly not doing something right.

johnny bean wrote:

if you don't run competitive times and you're not fast why even bother training for something so time consuming and just run a 5k? you get the same experience and it can be just as grueling but costs almost nothing. most marathons are expensive and if you don't run at least a 21 min 5k marathon pace is just going to be incredibly slow jogging and inevitably stopping every couple miles. i hate when i see women that have social media accounts that say things like "marathon mom! i

Because some people (like myself) enjoy running longer distances. No I will not get the same experience running a 5K as I will a marathon. 5ks are actually boring to me, I'd rather do a longer distance even if I'm not a competitive runner. And have never stopped every couple miles like you claim in my previous marathons. It's not always about the times or costs, some people just enjoy doing it for the experience. You sound like a high schooler though, so maybe you will understand years from now.

I understand and respect someone who's not a professional runner and not necessarily fast, yet trains hard in order to run HIS fast time or tries to get a pb everytime he runs it and tries to improve and. Challenge himself and his training includes intervals etc...

However the other kind, that is people whose training consists only from long easy runs, and go to all kinds of 10k's night runs and at least one marathon a year running slow times compare to their potential (usually around 4 hours and above), having no desire at all to challenge themselves, not interested in any pb, not caring for the time, yet cares a lot to have that pathetic 42.2k sticker on their car, and a box full of finisher medals, and when they run their above 4 hour time they make sure to raise their hands and smile and shout in front of every camera and crowd on the way, 99% of the time they belong to some pathetic running group-

Those ones---

Run as a part of a trend, and yes they do it out of social reasons so other people would know they ran a marathon. That pathetic 42.2k sticker approves it.

Those one if they had any self respect and more than one brain cell would get the same feeling out of a 5-10k run in the park.

as i stated i did a marathon once. i don't know many hsers who run a 2:37 marathon, although i might be mistaken. regardless, i did the distance and i completed it to the standards of what most would call exceptional. when i crossed the line there wasn't really much else to give, and that's not exactly a good feeling. in a 5k when you're a quarter from the finish it hurts but you're almost there, almost like the pain you have now is only a few minutes away, where as a quarter of a marathon is 6.5~ miles. i dare you to run your next marathon all-out, marathon mom.

x2

If you're expecting anyone here to give you a pat on the back for a 2:37, you're on the wrong site. And for all we know it was a downhill course.

Your problem is that you think you're a stud because you beat some soccer moms. Why not race some people your own age? I think you will find the serious competitors only do a few races, and beat you handily. And they think of you the same way you think of marathon moms, but probably have the class not to say anything.

In conclusion, HSers running marathons = pathetic, because the high cost scares off fast competition under 30. 15:00+ guys winning 5k's = more pathetic.

Relative Competition wrote:

If you're expecting anyone here to give you a pat on the back for a 2:37, you're on the wrong site. And for all we know it was a downhill course.

Your problem is that you think you're a stud because you beat some soccer moms. Why not race some people your own age? I think you will find the serious competitors only do a few races, and beat you handily. And they think of you the same way you think of marathon moms, but probably have the class not to say anything.

In conclusion, HSers running marathons = pathetic, because the high cost scares off fast competition under 30. 15:00+ guys winning 5k's = more pathetic.

yeah i know i'm pretty pathetic but you're posting on letsrun and so am i. also, my PR for a 5k on a xc course is 14:43 in college. while i ran in college (DII), i put in some good times for my events (1:49 800m, 3:51 1500m). i would think that most people "my age" would consider me to be okay. i have a few friends from college i still keep in touch with who ran a deal faster and we all mutually accepted one another regardless, so i doubt most people who know my times would look down on me before they found out i was a letswalker.

I run about 70km a week. I'm in my mid-40s. I haven't run a race since I was in school. I'm not fast enough to bother. I run for personal fitness and because I enjoy it (it's possible to enjoy something without being elite at it). I do intervals and speed work just because I want to improve. It's not much different than my other hobby playing the guitar (which I've also done for 30+ years).

People often start running races because they need the goal as motivation to keep training because they don't really love running but like getting fitter. Some of them get addicted to the narcissistic aspect when other people tell them how much weight they've lost, and express admiration that that they have run a half marathon. My sister in law runs 4 or 5 half marathons a year. She's slow and still a bit pudgy, but gets off on the social aspect. For her it's a substitute for having an affair.

johnny bean wrote:

if you don't run competitive times and you're not fast why even bother training for something so time consuming and just run a 5k? you get the same experience and it can be just as grueling but costs almost nothing. most marathons are expensive and if you don't run at least a 21 min 5k marathon pace is just going to be incredibly slow jogging and inevitably stopping every couple miles. i hate when i see women that have social media accounts that say things like "marathon mom! i

Same reason I still pump your mom and the same reason your mom just pierced her labia... you'll get there, if you're lucky, chithead.

I could never justify to myself or others traveling over a whole weekend to run for just 20 minutes, that I can do at home.

If I'm gonna be out of town for three days, the damn race better take me at least three hours so I get my moneys worth - and make the travel back home day a needed rest day anyway so as to justify no rush in traffic.

Also - What's wrong with MMILFs in your world?

Becaus they want to. Why do you care so much?

johnny bean wrote:

if you don't run competitive times and you're not fast why even bother training for something so time consuming and just run a 5k? you get the same experience and it can be just as grueling but costs almost nothing. most marathons are expensive and if you don't run at least a 21 min 5k marathon pace is just going to be incredibly slow jogging and inevitably stopping every couple miles. i hate when i see women that have social media accounts that say things like "marathon mom! i

Not any more I won't (sore foot, might be a stress fracture).

mind your own business.

I prefer the half marathon. Is that okay? Or are we all supposed to stop anything longer than a local 5K after age 27? Please johnnybean tell us more how we should be!

They don't - I PR'd in the marathon at age 29 and knew it would be downhill from there.

As a matter of fact, I don't even race anymore because my best times are long behind me and I loathe getting out-kicked by a high school sophomore who has been running for 1 year.

I'm 33 and I did not run a marathon until 31. I was coaching while in graduate school and as a result I kept racing on the track until I was 28. Then I spent a few years running longer road races and still some track, and finally a year ago I found a good coach to help me with the marathon. I plan to do this for many years to come. Why? I think I have more potential at the marathon than I did at anything else and I do not want to leave that unexplored.

And yes, I have a real job and a wife. No kids yet. I still have time for as many miles as my body can take, which is usually 60-70 plus a lot of pool running.

Should not race organizers be obligated to deal with this problem and introduce cut off times for finishing races? For example it would be perfectly reasonable to introduce an obligatory 3hr cut off time for all marathons. Trump needs to step in make this a law because it would benefit society tremendously as people would be made to reappraise wanting acclaim for something that is not very impressive (this happens a lot with work or career related matters as well). People will be in a way forced to aspire towards making greater achievements and thereby come closer to reaching their potential in running and in life in general.

why the F do you care. do what you do let them do what they do

Not Fast but Furious wrote:

People in their 30s and 40s run marathons for the sole reason of telling other people they run marathons.

Ding-ding-ding! We have a winnah!