Fewer people should run marathons : fitness

[–] Squirrelsdrivemenuts@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Tldr: Only run a marathon if you think you will truly enjoy it, not because you believe you have to to be a "real runner".

[–] remotelove@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

I have a 4 year goal to run the NYC marathon. Funny thing is, I know I am going to hate every second of it. (I mostly enjoy my daily runs though.)

Getting to the point where I can complete a marathon is the motivation, TBH. It's something that I believe I can do eventually and I must prove that to myself. It's going to take work and dedication to get there and the journey is what really matters most.

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I don't think that's an accurate summary.

The article argues that shorter races are better because runners will be motivated to improve their times and run faster rather than simply being content to finish, and because long races tend to cause more injuries.

The emphasis of the article isn't "don't run marathons" but rather "run shorter races instead."

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I am a runner who like to run fast because it fun but there many of my friends who find slow long tun phones and i understand them. Let people enjoy what they enjoy

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Basically the same position staked out by this article, too:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-5k-not-the-marathon-is-the-ideal-race/

[–] PlantJam@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Which is also the same position as Des Linden recently.

[–] dumples@midwest.social 5 points 1 month ago

Part of me feels like we shouldn't tell people what they should do. That being said the idea that the Marathon is the ideal distance is kind of insane because of how much time it takes. (Both on the day and to train for it). Especailly with the number of people who run a marathon and then stop running. A half marathon or 10 mile does seem like a better "long" distance to strive for

[–] dumples@midwest.social 3 points 1 month ago

Part of me feels like we shouldn't tell people what they should do. That being said the idea that the Marathon is the ideal distance is kind of insane because of how much time it takes. (Both on the day and to train for it). Especailly with the number of people who run a marathon and then stop running. A half marathon or 10 mile does seem like a better "long" distance to strive for

[–] dumples@midwest.social 3 points 1 month ago

Part of me feels like we shouldn't tell people what they should do. That being said the idea that the Marathon is the ideal distance is kind of insane because of how much time it takes. (Both on the day and to train for it). Especailly with the number of people who run a marathon and then stop running. A half marathon or 10 mile does seem like a better "long" distance to strive for

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I'm not much of a runner because of a lingering foot issue, but I agree. Even when I did run, a marathon is far too much. A mile or 2 is all you really need. Anything beyond that is excessive.

[–] dumples@midwest.social 1 points 1 month ago

Part of me feels like we shouldn't tell people what they should do. That being said the idea that the Marathon is the ideal distance is kind of insane because of how much time it takes. (Both on the day and to train for it). Especailly with the number of people who run a marathon and then stop running. A half marathon or 10 mile does seem like a better "long" distance to strive for

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