What is a marathon? Looking to the handy define.com this is what I found.
1: any long and arduous undertaking [syn: {endurance contest}]
2: a footrace of 26 miles 385 yards
3: a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians [syn: {battle of Marathon}]
I would say points 1 and 2 are intriguing, but I certainly have no interest in the battle between the Athenians and Persians! “Any long and arduous undertaking”…interesting. “A footrace of 26 miles 385 yards”…WHY am I drawn to this? I feel like this is something I want to accomplish and soon. After running my half marathon in January, I said “I will never do a marathon. The training and time commitment would be awful.” I went for 5.5 mile run a few weeks ago with a friend who was training for her first half marathon and found myself saying again, “I don’t know that I have any desire to do a marathon. It would hurt (because I hurt after the half) and I don’t want to spend 3 hours on a long run every weekend away from my family.” Yet, a couple of times a week, I find myself searching for a marathon training program.
I think I am looking for my perfect guide, a guide with balance. One that allows me to bike at least 3 times a week and run only 2-3 days a week (with a rest day of course). One that says it’s okay to be gone for 3-4 hours running on any given Saturday or Sunday. A guide that says, “This is the one. Pick me!” Needless to say, I haven’t found it. The “beginners” guides vary (a lot) and NONE of them have more than one day of cross-training in the program, if any at all. I need to ride 3 days a week. It is summer for goodness sake, and I prefer my bike to the run. I also have a duathlon to conquer. (Okay, not really conquer, but definitely a PR.)
Can I train for a marathon and duathlon at the same time? Will the long runs ruin my cycling goals? These are the questions I need to answer. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Are there any health benefits to running a marathon? I would think the half marathons would be better for you in combination with your biking. Seems to me it strikes the best long-term benefits. But I know you…I know you are drawn to conquering new things (“driven” even?). And when you get an idea into that pretty little head of yours…watch out!