NYC Marrathon

“I'm thinkg about runing it with a friend. Its november 4th. Does any one have any info on it”

“No info, Tea, but it should be easy to obtain.
I say, "Go for it!". It is a great experience. What is the farthest you have run at any one time?”

“5 miles”

“Wow, tea. That's only a matter of DAYS away. I know that you are young and fast but have you done any endurance event before? Do a long run this weekend (15-18 miles) and see how that goes. Then fill out your registration form and hit the pavement! It tooks me 5-6 months to train for the marathons I ran (but I am old and slow). If you run out of time to do the NYC, pick another and aim for that. Good Luck.”

“You have to apply six months in advance to get into that race.

Also, you should run at least 2 or 3 runs of 20 miles or more, in training. Pick up a book on marathon training, there's a lot to it...otherwise you'll have a very bad experience.

And shoot for a spring or fall marathon next year.

Good luck!”

“All I know is that it is long. I don't even want to cover that distance in my inline skates!!! That said, if U R up to it...go for it...good luck.”

“Best to train for it. I ran my first marathon with only 6 miles/day training. I made it in 4 hrs, but could hardly walk the next week. By my 4th year, I was train with a group, and was able to walk around after with minimum pain. Get the long runs in, and wait for the next one.”

“I'm a varsity runner in XC, and I run spring track too, so even know that I haven't specificaly trained for 26miles, I think I could do it.”

“We will look for your time in the Senior Division.”

“I say go for it. The worst that can happen is that you won't finish, and then you will still know that you actually did something instead of just sitting around talking about it or wishing you could. Besides, it'll give you a good story to tell about the first time you ran the NYC marathon.”

“I agree with runninggirls post, but I disagree with Fritz saying you need training runs of 20+ miles. I found the best was to do 5-6 miles in the morning every morning and alternate 13 mile runs and progression sprints on the track at night.
There are many good books on the subject, and you might consult your coach. Good luck.”

“Dunadan, we're not so far apart in what we said--you are suggesting 18 or 19 mile days, every other day.

The main point I was trying to make was that if his longest run to date is five miles, there is no way he can run a marathon a month from now, unless he is extraordinarily suited to long distance running by genetics.

I'd be interested in hearing the marathon experiences of you and others here, with respect to training, finishing time, and how old you were, if it wasn't recent.

As for me, I started two, only finished one, and the one I finished was a difficult experience. I cruised through the first 20 miles at under a 7-minute pace and walked a lot of the last six miles, to finish in 3:31. This was when I was 26 years old. I think the reason I couldn't finish was that I hadn't run enough long runs in training. I think I had two runs of 16 miles, one run of 18, one run of 20...

Live and learn.”

“I think the worst thing that could happen is you could injure your feet, or get shinsplints or do damage to yourself that could affect your track season. Do it later and train properly.

Although you are young and resilient (most people are at 17)your body needs to get used to running distance. Stress fractures take a long time to heal, too.”

“Tea, this is a dumb idea. You could really mess yourself up- even if you just jogged it. I ran my first marathon when I was a freshman in college. I was a miler and jumped in the Drake Relays Marathon on a whim. I was training about 50 miles/week at the time. It totally fried me the rest of the season. Since then I've done 30-40 more but I had a stronger base of 100+ mile weeks behind me. Another point mediaman brought up; running is hard on connective tissue in younger runners. Also the bone ends are not completely formed. Bad stuff can happen. Boston has an age limit of 18 for a good reason.

But, being young you won't heed this advice and probably do it anyway. So when you do, walk/jog it!!! Also, do everyone a big favor: since you'll be a bandit (not entered) don't go through the finish line and mess up the results.”

“I ran 5 LA Marathons between age 31-35. My best time was 3:50 and my worst was 4:35. I ran at a 9 min/mi pace without stopping for the 3:50 time, with a burst of speed to the finish. On the worst, I went out too fast (7:30 in the first mile), the knees started hurting about 1/2 way thru, the pace slowed, and I walked a lot at the end. After my 5th marathon (trained for this one), I felt great, walked up and down steps and had a good finishing time for me (my goal was 3:45, finished in 3:50). A month later I started training for another marathon and my hip started hurting. That was the end of my racing days. I used to run a 5K/10K/1/2M almost every weekend.”

“I ran 5 LA Marathons between age 31-35. My best time was 3:50 and my worst was 4:35. I ran at a 9 min/mi pace without stopping for the 3:50 time, with a burst of speed to the finish. On the worst, I went out too fast (7:30 in the first mile), the knees started hurting about 1/2 way thru, the pace slowed, and I walked a lot at the end. After my 5th marathon (trained for this one), I felt great, walked up and down steps and had a good finishing time for me (my goal was 3:45, finished in 3:50). A month later I started training for another marathon and my hip started hurting. That was the end of my racing days. I used to run a 5K/10K/1/2M almost every weekend.”

“I found out shortly after starting this thread that you have to sign up a 6 mounths in advance so it is out of the question, but I didn't post that until I got some ideas about it. THanks for your info, any way. \


Bacpac, I'm not a senior!! I'm only 45!!!”

“4 or 5, right ice? Lol...BTW, you forgot to capitalize the "i" and "t"....gotcha”

“I forget to do it alot, whats the point?”

“I mean, are you really Ice Tea or somebody else? You don't see my name changing to StanLee, stan lee, or Stanlee etc.”

“I would say 75% of the time I do it as Ice Tea but the other 25% is ice tea”

“Cool, ice tea, just wanted to make sure nobody's masquerating as you. Just like somebody was trolling as Newgirl a few months back (posted a sexy pic of a gal and claiming that she was Newgirl).”

“You are right, Fritz. We aren't so far apart. The technicality is that I don't think runs over 18 miles (in one run) are that beneficial.
I was a similar age to you, Fritz, when I ran my first and only marathon. Read a lot by Frank Shorter and Bill what's-his-name. Ran a 3:09:34. Was trying to get under 3:00. Broke a lot of capillaries in my kidneys and had red urine after the race. Also had many nagging injuries that didn't quit for the next six months or so.
I only did it for the experience, and haven't run any races over a 10K since. I do love to run, still.”

“ouch! red pee is not good! 3:09 is speedy!”

“Aero and mediaman both offer great advice about young runners and marathons. Even if you have 15 and 20 milers under your belt, it's a whole new world beyond 20, especially for a teen still developing.

I have completed 8 marathons but it's been over 10 years since my last. I've done Boston, New York, Virginia Beach (twice), and my favorite, the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va (4 times). My times varied from 3:39 to 2:56. New York is a Zoo, and something to do once, just for the wild experience. You have to register at least 6 months in advance, and that just gets you in the lottery. If you're lucky enough to get selected, it can be a logistic nightmare: getting to the starting area (hours before the start), and think about going to NY for a personal best time. It takes several minutes just to reach the starting line once the cannon sounds. BUT it is an incredible experience!

Boston is the granddaddy and you have to qualify to get in. I have no idea what the qualifications are these days but I remember feeling like a winner just geting into the event. Those "little" hills at Heartbreak Hill are killers though.

My fav is the Marine Corps. Very very organized and you get a great tour of Washington DC. Dead flat for 26 miles but the last 385 yards are straight up the hill to the Iwo Jima monument.

My marathon days are probably behind me, but in the back of my mind I'd like to do one more someday. I now run about 5 miles 3-4 nights a week which really helps out the weekend hiking. I can offer any first time marathoner this advice which was harped upon me years ago: Your first marathon should be to complete, not compete.”

“Marine Corps

If it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight.”

“You can run a marathon on 15 mile long runs and moderate weekly mileage. I've got a 2:25 PR but it took 100-120 mile weeks for 9 weeks including almost weekly 20 milers. That was coming off a full racing season of 10Ks. People have no respect for the marathon until they've hit the 15-18 mile mark and meet the Grim Reaper. Bewaaaaare!

-SCAERO”

“That is scaero mileage Aero and a super PR. Close to an Olympic Trials qualifying time I think. One reason I stopped doing marathons (besides LOOKING like the grim reaper and not just meeting him) is that you put all your eggs in one basket for that one day. All that training, 15-20 mile runs, proper diet etc.. but you never know what's going to happen on race day, no matter what your fitness level. Weather is a big factor. I remember training like a maniac through the winter (75+ miles a week) for a hopeful PR in March at VA Beach. I was in the shape of my life that morning and under pace through 15 miles when a warm front swept through. All hopes were dashed out by 20 as Mr Reaper decided to become Sir Crampalot. What a death march that last 10k. That reaper is a nasty SOB! It took a long time to recover from that day, and I decided to stick to 10k's. At least you can come back the next week after a bad 10k, not a bad marathon.

Anywho, I would say that marathoning and backpacking (or long day hiking) have similarities. If the weather is hot, pace yourself and HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE or you will meet the reaper.”

“I did that in Seattle in 1982- 2:25:21- and chased that stupid qualifying time (2:22) for another 12 years! I never made it past 2:25 tho. I think most people could finish a marathon, without worrying about their time, with maybe a 16 week build up and several long runs up to 15 miles. It's not rocket science; just go out everyday and do it.”

“I have newfound respect for you, Scaero. (The respect thing slipped a little with that whole newgirl fiasco...LOL). That is a great time. I had fantasies of going for a qualifying time, but had already come too close to ruining my first marriage by training for my first marathon. For me, training for a marathon takes the joy out of having a real life.”