Now before you get all worried that I am going to get all political on y'all, I am actually referring to the fact that less than 1% of the US population has completed a marathon. In fact it is more like 0.10% according to most of the information I have been able to find. I actually ran across this information last night while talking to the husband and my Mother In Law about different types of races/events.
I actually thought that number would be a lot higher. I am not entirely sure why I thought it is such a common thing. Maybe it is because every city I have lived in has some sort of marathon event at least once a year. In fact my current home of Seattle hosts two each year. It just seems to me that if the opportunity is there that people would just do it. Silly nieve me. I have some how turned a blind eye to the growing number of couch potatoes in our country. But then again, I watch the Biggest Loser and each season the contestants run (or attempt to run) a marathon. This would make it seem like it is accessible to anyone. I honestly didn't realize that I was trying to break into an exclusive club. This is a big deal! I have never considered myself to be one of the "Cool Kids" who gets first in line at clubs or be on fancy guest lists. I have been lucky a few times and have done some pretty cool stuff-but that is always because I knew the "Cool Kid" who was on the list or knew they right person to talk to to get entrance. This fact makes this goal seem even a little more unreal to me.
I will be honest though, right now, today, this does not seem like a huge goal. Sure, if I look too far into the training plan I may start to hyperventilate when I look at the mileage, but I am certain that if I stick to my training plan I will be able to do the miles no problem. I mean so far Hal has set me up perfect. After this weekend's long run I felt like I could run the whole 26.2 that day. I have been going steady and conservative. I run, I stretch, I roll. I cross train when I am suppose to. I have even cut back on my wine consumption for heaven's sake. Aside from any major issues I will cross the finish line on April 22 and in fact I really feel like training for distance is for me. I know that plenty of runners will never do more than a 10k and plenty will go no further than a Half (13.1) but why not? The answer may be simple "that is just crazy, I have no interest in ever running that long or that far" as my husband told me last night.
We shall see what the future holds for me, but I feel like I have found my niche. I am really just enjoying the experience of the training. Plus, it would seem like a waste to do all that training and then let all that endurance go. Hmmmm, things to think about for the future.
I was also surprised to find out the average age of a marathoner. The median age of a marathon finisher is 37 years old. The average finish time is 4:42:10. (you can find more fun facts here) So I am a little older than avg, but not by much. Finish time...well, I have no idea what to expect. That is part of the fun! Instant PR this time around. Next time the work really starts. Look there, I am already thinking there will be a next time. That is an oddly comforting thought.
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