can-i-say-ive--ran-a-half-marathon

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Comments

  • No actually, Kelvin, it is selfish and also it doesn't count unless you do it in fancy dress. image

  • lol literatin. maybe I'll do 20 practice marathons before I do my real fancy dress marathon

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    Same here Millsy - I have still to make my marathon debut. I have done some practice marathons out in the sticks,in various cities  and also at London as one of those jokers who run for themselves. Unfortunately my peer group don't understand those as marathons.

    I forgot to add that to claim you ran a marathon it is customary to come on RW 4 weeks before the race and ask for help as you haven't started training yet as you were busy knitting your costume / sitting in a bath of beans for charity / or were drunk one night and decided to run. Then you meet the critera to say you ran a marathon (altough you may well walk it).

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    You forgot to add the bit about coming on here and saying your Garmin measured it long and having a moan that the organisers measured it wrong.

    A marathon is at least 26.7 miles!
  • Think I did it wrong - the one I did was only 26.25.

  • Booked in for the Redcar and Cleveland. As this is only a HM, and my first official HM would it be acceptable to just wear a funny hat and put a pound in a charity box at the end. Will I finally then be able to say that I ran a half marathon? I know it's not the GNR but it'll have to do. image

  • Well done peter. Not sure about the hat. It will depend how funny it is. Perhaps you should post a photo here so we can all judge.

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    One of those hats that can hold a couple of beer cans with a tube to drink from  would be more than acceptable. Well done Peter

  • Flob wrote (see)

    ay you've done a HM because your time will be much better than your practise run and therefore more impressive to non running friends. 

     

    you clearly have better-informed non-running friends than I do - most people I know who don't run have no idea how long it's supposed to take! But they are pleasingly willing to be impressed at anyone who's completed an 'official' race.

  • To me the half-marathon and marathon are races or events. 

    An official marathon is 26.2miles but there are many that are longer or shorter. 

    There must be a few runners here who run more than 13.1 miles several times a week. Especially if we're training for a longer distance. It's not unusual for me to run 14-20 miles on a Sunday then another 14miles on a Weenesday.

    What you get out of a race depends who you are. For me I get to compare how I run against lots of other people on a particular course on a particular day. Trying to get a PB on every course isn't possible. Some days are hot, some courses are hilly. 

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    Literatin- I had a friend run a HM last year in just over 2 hrs. He had many facebook congratulations on an amazing time, 1 in particular on the basis that the pros take 1hr 30 or so!

    So yes, Jo public has no concept of what is good or bad unless of course they have 2 friends running the same race in wildly different times.

  • the first time I did a half marathon I told my colleague my time (she'd done one once a few years before) and she congratulated me, genuinely impressed. Then she came back later and apologised, saying 'obviously I when you said the time I just heard "two hours xxx" because in my head people don't do half marathons in a time starting with "one hour" something...' So I got to be impressive twice. image

  • DT19DT19 ✭✭✭

    pre running days i remember being genuinely impressed when a female friend did a half in 2 hrs 15. I was impressed to the extent that to probably replicate that level now  they would need to do 1hr 25 or so.

  • I'm impressed if anyone says they've done a half marathon. 

    Anything can happen on the day and if you're a sub 2hr runner and you have a very bad day you'll find out exactly how hard getting a sub 3hr can sometimes turn out. image

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭
    Flob wrote (see)

    wait until the race to say you've done a HM because your time will be much better than your practise run and therefore more impressive to non running friends.

    So you don't think his time will be impressive to his running friends then eh image

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    Flob, I have the opposite view of impressiveness - anyone who can run a 5k in the predicted time based on their 13.1mile time.  image I guess I'm no speed merchant!

  • peter simpson 14 wrote (see)

    To be honest Cinders I'm not really that fussed about doing organised races, not sure why really it just doesn't appeal at the moment, though it may in future. 

    Im probably content enough to know that I have ran the distance and will now set my sights on improving my time to sub 2 and then maybe try for a 26.2 miler in the future. 

    I have signed up to a training plan on run keeper so that should keep me on the right track. 

    Are there many people on here who run but aren't bothered about competing in organised races? Or am I just odd. 

     

    I have got back into running over the last 18 months or so and being a mid 40's dad felt I didn't really have either the time or inclination for races or events.

    I entered the Bath Half earlier this year just to give it a crack and totally loved it...have done a couple of other Half's since and also some 10k's. My next events are going to be the Pontypridd Reverse 10, Swansea Bay 10k and then the Cardiff Half.

    I have to say that once you have done a race and experienced the atmosphere and general fun of it all it does become very addcitive...as much as I love to run and trail run just for the love of it knowing there is an event I'm training towards gives me that impetus and kick up the arse on those days when the sofa is calling.

    Give it a go...you get a nice shiny medal as well you know.image

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    Flog -- Before I started running I didn't have any concept of what constituted a good time over any distance...  I'd probably of assumed it would be easier than it is and thus been less impressed than I am now.

    hummanrunner -- Not all event have the crowds that Bath does...  And they don't all reward you with a medal so do your homework...  But agree that they can be somewhat addictive...  And it wasn't until I'd pushed myself really hard in a 10K race that I understood why I was never again going to get a PB in training.

  • Taxi Driver wrote (see)

    Flog -- Before I started running I didn't have any concept of what constituted a good time over any distance...  I'd probably of assumed it would be easier than it is and thus been less impressed than I am now.

    hummanrunner -- Not all event have the crowds that Bath does...  And they don't all reward you with a medal so do your homework...  But agree that they can be somewhat addictive...  And it wasn't until I'd pushed myself really hard in a 10K race that I understood why I was never again going to get a PB in training.

     

    I wasn't so much talking about the crowds but rather being around like minded people...I don't run with a club etc so my training is quite a solitary affair so its quite nice to be around a gaggle of other runner types.  Having said that of the races I've done the locals seem to have turned out in force even for small races like the Frome Half and Caerphilly 10k.

    The medal comment was tongue in cheek...always nice to get one but some better than others, the Frome Half one looked very cheap and tacky but the race itself was great. image

  • I always wear my medals when making love to the wife.  It's just like 'that' Hulk Hogan video I tell ya!image

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