quote:<HR>Originally posted by dpoppel:
I am convinced I was running enough to complete a marathon, and do it without being half-dead. I?m obviously not going for any record-breaking time ? just want to complete it.<HR>

Bagging a race is a tough pill to swallow, but that's probably what I would do. I like the idea of stepping down to the half marathon. You could run a half this fall, train for and run another half next spring, then try the marathon again next fall.

I am in my mid 40s and am running my first marathon next Sunday. Four years ago I ran my first half. After that I thought about the full. I decided to wait and get a few more halves under my belt then try it. My goal is to see whether I like the experience of running marathons, and taking the time to build up to it gives me the best shot of getting an honest evaluation. As it stands now, I'll probably do more marathons, but not every year. I will definitely continue to run at least one half a year though.

If your goal is to be able to say, "I ran a marathon", then go ahead. You'll probably manage that, but I doubt it will be a pleasant experience. But if your goal is to get into this for the long haul you should consider taking a step back. You are still young and have plenty of time. I think it is just a matter of disconnecting yourself emotionally and reevaluating the situation.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.


http://This message has been edited by MrPHinNJ (edited Sep-28-2007).