Soooo... I was browsing through CoolRunning tonight reading lots of race reports from Blackmores, Glasshouse etc... and I happen accross a little thread about the upcoming Toowoomba Half and Full Marathons.... I'm not crazy enough to attempt the hilly half, but by all accounts the October one is flatter.... and then I start wondering to myself....
Would it be crazy to enter in the full marathon... not to run the entire thing of course, but just to run what I can and walk what I can't.... it'd really be just like a practice then, wouldn't it?
Oh dear. I'm getting dangerous!
I think the deciding factors in this will be:
a. whether there are lots of hills
b. whether are other slow, slow, slow runners too
c. whether I should really just get ahold of myself and wait til GC/Canberra next year!
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4 comments:
Hi Hannah,
I did the Toowoomba full last year. It's not very hilly. There is one long stretch of road with a gradual uphill but I wouldn't call it hilly or even undulating. I think the main problem with it is it's boring.
Maybe it is a good one to just try the distance as it is 4 laps, and if you don't think you can make it you could stop at 3.
It is a small low key run so you might even be able to negotiate an earlier start time if you are worried about taking a long time. I think if you took up to 5 hours you wouldn't hold things up too much.
I reckon if you can get a few 30k runs in the next couple of months without any issues, you could give it a go.
Having never done a marathon, I can't really offer advice on it. But I'll do it anyway ;)
First, like Lady Jove said, it's a bit boring. What she didn't mention is that the weather has been bad the last two years. In 2003 it was stinking hot. Participants drank so much that the water stations were running out. And last year it was horribly windy and cold.
The "hills" won't hurt you... in fact they're quite good because I think you're less likely to cramp when you're changing muscle groups a bit. The little demoralising loop (you know, where you can see the finish, but have to run a few hundred metres in the opposite direction, so the lap becomes the right length?)... yeah, it's nasty.
If you're thinking of waiting for a big city marathon... maybe you should. Or shouldn't. Do you do your long runs on your own, or with people? Toowoomba is a small event and you'll spend a bit of time alone out there. At a big city marathon (yeah, we have really big cities in Australia) you'll always have a rabbit to chase or someone to talk to. You'll have more water stations and more marshalls. The only hazard then is going out too fast.
Do what your heart tells you. On such matters... how did it go with the boy?
Personally, I'd wait until one of the big city races - eg Canberra (and how is the perfect time to start building up for Canberra). A marathon is a bloody long way and personally I'd prefer for my debut to be near other runners than out on the road for long stretches by myself. Whatever you choose - you have the determination to succeed. Good luck !
J.
wow - is this still Hannah's blog?
Someone has been doing some HUGE improvements in blogland this year, and I think if there's an award ceremony at the end of the CR year, you'll be walking away with the annual achievement award.
Personally, I don't think a marathon is beyond you at all Hannah. You have the right mind-set for one, and your commitment to your training has been fantastic. I would love to see you do one, and I suppose Canberra would perhaps be the best to try - but I think lady jove's comments about Toowoomba are valuable. And as you say, you could treat it as just spending 4-5 hours on your feet and do what you feel.
All the best Hannah - I'd love to be leaving a post here after you've finished your first marathon.
P.S. my 1 and only marathon attempt was a dismal failure so I won't offer any more advice regarding 42.2 anyway :)
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