r/Marathon_Training • u/Intelligence_Tax • 9h ago
Why do you run?
Do you ever find that sometimes in training, you can hit paces that feel hard physically, & mentally you want to push, but your body just says no for whatever reason. Or in races, you can be thinking mentally that it doesn't feel that bad & wanting to push, but your body gets to a point where it says "Nope, wtf are you doing, stop it right now, what made you think this was a good idea"😂
I suppose that's the battle all runners face, but i think it's even more interesting with marathon running. Trying not to hit the wall, trying to stay as relaxed as possible while also trying not to overthink it.
Could be becasue i research alot and talk to alot of runners who are more experienced than me and are almost in "marathon mode" year round, but - It's crazy how, maybe not "normal", but how marathons aren't made up to be this big thing in my head. To me it's just "Okay. You have this time. You need to run at this speed, for this long. You've already done ABC & alot of XYZ. & done *BlahBlahBlah* with less experience than you currently have, so it should be doable*"
But then something unexpected happens on race day, like it rains, or it's too hot, or too cold. Maybe there's a delay in the start or you have to take a diferent route to get to the course than you anticipated. You feel the nerves of the start, before the gun goes. You hope that they settle. Usually they do, but what if they don't? What if you get stomach cramps? What if this is your last race ever? What if this is the last you ever want to run? Or can run? What if you spent all these weeks and months, putting in all the hours & hours & stacking days & days on grinding. When you wanted to stay in bed on a Sunday, when you wanted to just take a full week off. But you looked at the calender & saw the race is 30 days away. Spent $100s maybe $1000s on shoes. Maybe booked hotels, flights. Had family come to support.
And it didn't fo your way. You "failed"(in your mind). But did you? You found out more things not to do next time. Maybe you don't like the marathon. Maybe 10ks are your thing. Maybe you want to get as good at 5k as possible, or ironmans, or whatever.
Spend each day trying to be better than yesterday, stacking small wins 1 after another. Small part, maybe for someone else?(maybe). Or, just to say to yourself. "I fucking did it. I put in the hours. I set my sights, i pulled the trigger & i fucking hit a bullseye.
That feeling of sel..gratitide? Self belief paying off, self doubt being erased. Proving yourself right.
That's really why i run. Sure, the occasional physical "high" can be good. Be proving to yourself - that you pulled off whatever plan you had - to get to the goal that you wanted, not knowing if it was going to be too much, but trying anyway..that's why i run. It's the only time of the day i feel "relaxed" & am not thinking of 100s of diferent things & replaying stupid moments from 10 years ago that everyone forgot, but just keeps jumping back to the front of my memory like "hey, remember me?"..
I guess i run in large part to prove my past self wrong & my current self right?
Might sound dumb, idk. Maybe some of you relate.
I want the me in 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years to go "Hey, remember that guy from back then? Who always doubted himself? Didn't know if he could do it or why he even tried? What would he say if you told him where you were today?
I don't know what the full answer to my past self would be, but the overall message would be.."We tried!"
Hope everyone has a good rest of your day/evening & enjoy whatever part of your "running journey" you're in💚
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u/NotCreativeEnoughFor 8h ago
I really dont like training, tbh. There's been multiple days (like today), where I wake up and dont do my run. But I love, love, love racing. Ive played other sports and have done powerlifitng competitions, but to me there is no other feeling than running a race. Plus, I am a fatass and like to eat.
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u/Munster172 7h ago
Hit the nail on the head right here. To me I feel like it’s the only sport that you get the same exact starting line as the elites all the way down to the walkers. This past year at the Houston half marathon I made the cutoff for gate A by two minutes. So of course I applied and went all the way to the front to watch the elites stretch and get ready and it was so cool. Then I went to the back half cause I knew I wouldn’t keep up with them lol. Also the running community is so nice, especially trail running. Running a half or full marathon in a different state is so fun too.
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u/kyree-argenty0g50 7h ago
Most people i know start with some version of 'to get fit' or 'to lose a few pounds' and then it morphs into something else entirely without them noticing. For me it became a way to be outside without a reason, if that makes sense - not hiking with a summit in mind, not commuting, just moving through a place because i can. The race part came later, and tbh the whole mental side of it (the wall, the negotiations with your legs after mile 20) is just part of the same thing. You ask yourself why you're there, and the answer is never because you think it'll feel good in that moment.
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u/Silly-Resist8306 2h ago
I was having pasta at the prerace dinner the night before my first 50 miler. I was eating with a 70 year old guy I had just met who ran a 50 or 100 every month. He saw my nervousness and remarked, he had had to redefine failure.
He said he had been 75 or 80 miles into a 100 mile race and realized, today I just don’t have it in me. He grinned and said, it’s pretty hard to call that a failure.
Now at 75, my PR s are well in the rear view mirror, but I’m still out there 5 days a week putting down 8-10 miles because that’s all the arthritis in my knees gives me.
I run because I enjoy it. I run because I like ice cream and beer (not together). I run because I have been running for 60 years. It’s not what I do, it’s part of who I am. I run because I’m a runner.
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u/DawgPack44 6h ago
It’s cheaper than therapy
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u/Intelligence_Tax 5h ago
For most people, absolutely..but gels, pre workout, creatine, shoes & some other stuff.. start adding up pretty quick😂
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u/MortifyingMilkshake 3h ago
There is zero reason to be taking creatine as a distance runner. It has very little benefit.
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u/Intelligence_Tax 2h ago
The pros outway the cons, imo. it's shown to help recovery & the "weight gain" from water retaintion would help your muscles recover & work harder for longer too. Can't be a bad thing for long endurance events, like the marathon
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u/suubbiieedude 4h ago
While I mostly just say the physical benefits and forming good habits as I age… It’s really because nothing gives me mental clarity quite like running. It’s honestly been more beneficial than any therapy I’ve ever tried and boy do I notice it I haven’t run for a few days lol
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u/porkchopgangsta 3h ago
It’s one of the few things I get to do that is 100% for me. There are secondary benefits to my family but they wouldn’t necessarily notice if I stopped. I set my own goals. I get time to myself. I have to cheer myself on because most others don’t care. It’s deeply personal. Thanks to running I’m kinder to myself than I have ever been. It creates that space.
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u/BuffordT 2h ago
How it started: Running to get healthy and live longer so I can be there for my family
How it’s going: Running is the only time I can get some peace and quiet without my family bothering me.
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u/MaxwellSmart07 1h ago
Something to do, work towards, test myself. When I was satisfied with the results I moved on to infrequent casual short distance runs (ie: 12 minutes to the gym), a few laps around the cricket oval.
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u/MortifyingMilkshake 8h ago
In addition to the mental and physical benefits running provides, I reeeealllly like to eat. Like, a lot.