As a masters runner, I do much better in the marathon and half than shorter races. I run much more than 50 mpw though. I outperform my much younger training partners in the marathon because it takes patience and discipline in pacing.
+1. Achievement and a sense of pride can come in many, infinite forms. For some, it may be the marathon. But I wholeheartedly believe many, many, many (most?) marathoner participants would find much more satisfaction training for and competing in shorter events. The problems, as identified by many here, are:
1) Big marathon has a financial incentive to get you to pay their expensive entry fee for the allure of the marathon 2) Because of point 1, over time there's become a lack of races, support, and groups focused on shorter racing
It seems like everyone here that's very "pro-marathon" is operating under the assumption of "Well, everyone wants to run them and that's the way it is so why bother trying to change it?"
Instead they should step back and ask, "Why is it this way? Does it need to be this way? Is it worth it/beneficial trying to change it?"
I'm relatively young in the grand scheme of running history, but I know marathons weren't always the crown jewel of road running. It's a new-ish phenomenon. Even in the early 2000s, there were many 5 and 10ks around my area. Now they're almost all gone.
marathon training and racing is one of those few forms of exercise that makes you overall less fit.
Unless you are a fat couch potato who would otherwise never move at all. And I guess that's close to being most people now. Maybe that's why it's so popular. One extreme to the other strikes them as the pinnacle of achievement
A masters athlete could train very effectively for 3k-10k on 50 mpw. Get all he can get out of his legs and heart and do well. And race every few weeks instead of once or twice per year.
But still many/most masters runners insist on being marathoners. And their 40-50 mpw limits mean that these runners can't run a marathon at their potential. They suck at the marathon because you can't be a good marathoner on 40-50 mpw.
It's stupid. Don't let let the marathon win. Fight back. It's not a normal race. It's extreme and you don't have to do it.
Why are you messin around with a 3k or 10k? Just do 100m as fast as you can!!! That's where the real attention in T&F is any way!
We're not talking about them, that's a very small slice of the pie. The larger "problem" (depends on if you think it's a problem or not I guess) is why so many people exclusively run the marathon. Why has the marathon taken hold of the world's mind as the "premier" running distance? The answer, as I said before, is largely marketing.
Hypothetical: Two people who have never run seriously in their life. One trains to finish their first marathon in like 4:30. They run 20–30mpw running 5–6 days a week and follow some cookie cutter plan off the internet. The other trains for the 100m. They race a handful of meets over an outdoor season. They start off at 18 seconds. 3–4 times a week they train, they learn some basic drills, practice starts, and lift a little weight. They race a few times and get it down to 16s while attending dinky all comers club meets. Who would you rather be? The 100m runner gets to observe a trend of becoming better, they get to learn a more technical skill, and they have a hell of a lot more to be proud of than the marathon finisher.
The thing is, so many people don't even know the option of being "that 100m guy" is an option.
I've been slowly returning to running after a torn meniscus and related inactivity set me way back. After lots of PT I have progressed to weights and even plyos. I just reintroduced speed work. If I can get back to 27s for 200m in the next couple years before turning 60, it'll be a triumph. I have no interest in racing 5k, and certainly no marathons.
On the other hand I don't care if people want to run marathons, but when people talk about returning to running and ask what their 5k goal should be, I'm the guy suggesting that they switch it up and try 800m, or 400h.
I'm kind of with OP and big marathon guy. I was once a marathon-only runner but that was when I didn't know any better. Once I joined a competitive running club I realized how satisfying racing a few times a month rather than twice a year was.
Now in my 60s I cant do 70 or 80 mpw and I'll run mostly just my club races. These are informal races that are scheduled on Saturday mornings that are all non-standard distances run on the road. We also run track races a couple times a year, Mile, 5000, even 3000m and 800m. These are pretty much the only races I do anymore. Real runners, real races, no shirts entry fees or medals. Just std courses we've run many, many, many times over the decades. I do like to run 10mile races and luckily there are still a few in my area every year. The Instagram runners don't seem to have invaded 10miles yet so inexpensive to enter and easy logistics.
I got into running because I bought into the whole "it's super cool to finish a marathon thing", but I did stick with it. Marathon 2 went horribly for me, despite setting a 5 minute half marathon PR leading up to it, I finished in about the same garbage 3:51 time, granted on a tougher course. But after that experience I came to kind of hate marathoning, since the 4 month buildup to a bad race really sucked. I realized that with 5k-half marathon I could do more races and one bad race isn't as devastating since I can try another in a few weeks. Since shifting that focus to mainly 5k, but with some longer races up to half marathon mixed in, I've dropped about 2 minutes in my 5k time in about 3.5 months, still just 19, so not amazing, but I think I have more ability in me and it's been fun pushing that and trying to see where that potential is. I'll maybe go back to marathons when I think I've hit what I can do, maybe without insane training for a slightly faster 5k. But while I'm making significant improvement on normal training, I'm not going back to the marathon.
As a masters runner here are the reasons I run 2 marathons a year:
1) I have 3 young kids and my life/weekend revolves around their schedules. The main reason I don’t race more than 2-3 times a year is because I want to spend time with them on the weekends and always have to coach and/or go to events.
2)While I need to run more miles training for a marathon vs 5k/10k my body can handle marathon/tempo paces better than faster paces needed for 5k/10k.
3)Marathons have much more structure in them in terms of goals (ie BQ, World Age Group Champs, etc). Which gets much more excited than chasing 10K PBs.
4) I like the challenge of the marathon, dialing in training, nutrition, recovery, etc. It’s an interesting puzzle to solve.
As a masters runner here are the reasons I run 2 marathons a year:
1) I have 3 young kids and my life/weekend revolves around their schedules. The main reason I don’t race more than 2-3 times a year is because I want to spend time with them on the weekends and always have to coach and/or go to events.
2)While I need to run more miles training for a marathon vs 5k/10k my body can handle marathon/tempo paces better than faster paces needed for 5k/10k.
3)Marathons have much more structure in them in terms of goals (ie BQ, World Age Group Champs, etc). Which gets much more excited than chasing 10K PBs.
4) I like the challenge of the marathon, dialing in training, nutrition, recovery, etc. It’s an interesting puzzle to solve.
These all make sense. I don't think close by 5ks really take any more time than long runs, but they are less flexible. The marathon certainly has its place, but I do think there are a good amount of people who would be better off doing shorter races than marathons who are stuck on the marathon. You aren't one of those people.
The marathon is the only distance where you can qualify for something concrete rather than just setting arbitrary time goals. No normal person has a hope of qualifying for USAs or the Olympic trials in the 5k or 10k, but a lot of people can run a BQ or a Chicago qualifier or an NYC qualifier. Even an OTQ in the marathon is far more achievable than in the shorter distances. If there was a big culture around big 10ks that people could qualify for, maybe it would have the same allure as the marathon. But the hobby jogging community in the US is simply organized around the marathon as the ultimate race distance.
The marathon is the only distance where you can qualify for something concrete rather than just setting arbitrary time goals. No normal person has a hope of qualifying for USAs or the Olympic trials in the 5k or 10k, but a lot of people can run a BQ or a Chicago qualifier or an NYC qualifier. Even an OTQ in the marathon is far more achievable than in the shorter distances. If there was a big culture around big 10ks that people could qualify for, maybe it would have the same allure as the marathon. But the hobby jogging community in the US is simply organized around the marathon as the ultimate race distance.
Yeah, it's definitely the main distance for a semi serious hobbyist. It's too bad that we've put all that into just one distance.
A masters athlete could train very effectively for 3k-10k on 50 mpw. Get all he can get out of his legs and heart and do well. And race every few weeks instead of once or twice per year.
But still many/most masters runners insist on being marathoners. And their 40-50 mpw limits mean that these runners can't run a marathon at their potential. They suck at the marathon because you can't be a good marathoner on 40-50 mpw.
It's stupid. Don't let let the marathon win. Fight back. It's not a normal race. It's extreme and you don't have to do it.
Is this for the USA only? Here in the Uk you can find any road race distance almost every weekend of the year, plus cross country and track meets during the summer months, and obviously parkrun. Though the price has increased for races, you can also do the fun runs too for charity.
As a master runner myself I do a 5k “race” at parkrun each weekend when im not racing longer event, for example I have a half on Sunday, and another one a couple weeks after, I’ve also done a couple of 10k already this year and more coming up and I’ve race cross country too.
Track is fun but it’s more enjoyable running where the scenery changes than doing boring loops and typical jog and sprint in a race.
Marathon training is feasible for the masters crowd. Slower running matches our bodies capabilities.
The speed work required for 5k/10k... injury, injury, injury.
Nope!! I've coached masters runners of all abilities for decades. With a tad of common sense applied, there's no more risk of injury in training for 10K and shorter distances than for the longer, slower stuff. The key is to have the patience to build very gradually into faster running, and many runners won't do that. Just about anyone who's able to run slowly without injury can learn to run fast safely. If you've gotten injured trying to train for shorter distances, I can almost guarantee you that you've gone about it in a less than optimal manner.
I know a bunch of very talented 50+ runners and they have no problem racing both marathons and shorter road races. It is not an either or situation.
We're not talking about them, that's a very small slice of the pie. The larger "problem" (depends on if you think it's a problem or not I guess) is why so many people exclusively run the marathon. Why has the marathon taken hold of the world's mind as the "premier" running distance? The answer, as I said before, is largely marketing.
Hypothetical: Two people who have never run seriously in their life. One trains to finish their first marathon in like 4:30. They run 20–30mpw running 5–6 days a week and follow some cookie cutter plan off the internet. The other trains for the 100m. They race a handful of meets over an outdoor season. They start off at 18 seconds. 3–4 times a week they train, they learn some basic drills, practice starts, and lift a little weight. They race a few times and get it down to 16s while attending dinky all comers club meets. Who would you rather be? The 100m runner gets to observe a trend of becoming better, they get to learn a more technical skill, and they have a hell of a lot more to be proud of than the marathon finisher.
The thing is, so many people don't even know the option of being "that 100m guy" is an option.
You are just all over the place now. Who cares whether someone who is new to running as a masters does a marathon or 5k or sprints on the track. They should do whatever they think is fun. Marathons tend to be more interesting because of the spectacle of the event and the accomplishment of completing a marathon. Local all comers track meets tend to be pretty lame in comparison.
When you hang around the water cooler at work and tell everyone you finished your first marathon, you get a big round of congratulations and excitement. When you tell everyone you broke 17 for the 100m at your local all comers track meet, they probably won't even know what that means.
Why not just run whatever races (or no races) that make you happy? Us masters runners are no longer setting PR's so we need different motivations to step up to the starting line. A shorter race might be fun once in a while, but I enjoy the camaraderie and sense of flow that you can only get in longer races. I've raced everything from 800m track to 100 mile trails over the last few years and never exceed 65 miles/week. I'm experienced enough to pace myself correctly for any of these distances, so am freed to race whatever event floats my boat at the time. Do what makes you happy, and don't overthink it.
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