Can “anyone” really do a marathon?

Was chatting about this with my physio last week actually (I have inflammatory arthritis).
She said it's a myth it damages your joints. I've since ramped my running up again 🙃

Fair enough. It's just something to consider.

If you get a good training plan together and strengthen the muscles around any joints where you might be sensitive there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to run a marathon.

The only activity that has given me long term damage has been running.

The other activities I've done and sports I've played have injured me but only short term.

Most people I know with persistant sporting injuries picked them up doing something other than running (football being a leading culprit) - but I never seem to hear other people saying those sports are bad for you in the way people go on about running.

Probably, but why would you?

Running for prolongued periods on concrete/tarmac is damaging to the soft tissues and joints. Marathons can damage the heart unless you're already very well trained.

I just don't see the point. Personally of course.

I think people liked to be seen doing it.

Otherwise why not just walk up Snowdon if you want a personal challenge? Better views!

I wouldn't write off the idea that you won't get that kind of mental health benefit from running longer. I used to be more like you - mostly running 5-10k and finding it a bit of a slog. I went from that to deciding to run a marathon and I distinctly remember the first time I got the "runner's high", I think it was when the distances were going north of about 8-9 miles and I felt really zen and happy.

But there are loads of "right ways" to run. You don't have to run the longest, or the fastest. I'm coming back to running after a few years with long-covid and I really never thought I'd run again. I have to do things a bit differently now, partly because rebuilding my base fitness is quite a long journey, and because I've been left with some possibly permanent cardiovascular side effects which I need to manage. But I hugely appreciate being able to do something that I get so much enjoyment from and I now prioritise what feels right on the day over doing things by the book.

No, you need the physical and mental resilience. I have neither, although I am a regular runner of shorter distances (as my username suggests!) There's no way I could put myself through it, and I think I would pick up injury after injury.

But it's difficult to know how it will go until you start to train. Everyone should do strength training as part of their plan to try to avoid injury.

Best of luck to you. As I think you’ve already figured out, when you do your 10k you may feel like you can’t possibly run any further. I would recommend getting comfy with running 10k before moving up distances. This took me quite a long time. But these days if I “just” run 5k it almost doesnt feel far enough to be worthwhile. Obviously it is though.

@LittleLegsKeepGoing

Yes, in my opinion. As I live in the real world, just like you, it's as valid as yours. Thanks for your views.

In your opinion.

Meanwhile in the real world as mentioned in my post I've trained for and successfully completed a half marathon. My knowing that I don't have a marathon in me is based on how my body responded to both the training and event itself. That's a fact, not an opinion.

I know that my body cannot handle the training required for a marathon and I know that attempting a marathon without ever having gone further than 13 miles would be fucking ridiculous as a middle aged woman 3 stone overweight and don't even fucking start on losing weight - not even the doctors know what to do with me.

That being said, I have huge admiration for those who tackle these feats of physical and mental endurance. But they are not me, and they don't have to live with the limitations and pain my body has.

@AvonCallingBarksdale I am not a runner, was a sprinter in school but never liked distance. And of course school was a long long time ago for me ( 60 this year)

However I walk, I can walk all day long and there are loads of Charity hikes about. I did the Mighty Hikes 1/2 marathon at the causeway coastal route for Mcmillan two years ago, severely overweight, totally no training and the day after I got a clear result after having covid :) Thought it was going to kill me at one point but I finished .

Im really hoping I can get to do the full marathon this year

The hiking ones are great, you get all the support from the public along route, not as much as the London Marathon obviously and you get great support from the Mighty Hikes team and its just a fantastic day out. You get your medal and glass of fizz and photographs are taken of you all throughout the course for you to print out. I was buzzing for weeks after that

I do parkrun when I dont have to work and I walk that as well. 5k in 44 mins - not too shabby , and when I cant make parkrun I do "not parkrun " at least twice a week during the winter and now the good weather is coming, I will get 10ks in at the weekends

Ive tried running but its just not for me anymore

No, I don't think "anyone" can, at all!
And it's alright.

Cardiff half marathon is also amazing for support (it's sold out for this year though). LLM has decent crowds, but I wasn't that keen on it as a route/event.

In general any big city half will have decent crowds. Or enter a local half, and then you're much more likely to have people you know out on the course supporting.

If you want a half with incredible support enter the London Landmarks Half ballot. It's getting harder to get in as it's so popular but it's the best half I've ever done for support and atmosphere.

As regards anyone doing a marathon, yes with training and preparation but beware it takes over your life. I did couch to 5k 8 years ago, went from 5k to 10k, then a half, then more half's. Now I'm training for a 50k Ultra! I've built in strength and conditioning at the gym and my training plan has me running back to back on both weekend days. It's time consuming but I want to feel prepared when I hit that start line so I enjoy it and get to the finish line in decent shape!

I’ve done dozens of them - mostly fairly slow, but a PB of just under 4 hours.
If I can do it anyone can (overweight menopausal woman speaking). It’s all about training, resting and not taking yourself too seriously.

Also OP you may just not be a runner and it's OK!
I'm not - I prefer climbing, hiking, Aerial arts, pole dance I just don't like the ground.
There are also other types like fell running if you're interested.

I agree with your first statement and they seem very commercialised now. Although it's about personal growth and individual journeys, Every third person seems to be training for one, and more annoyingly asking me for donations. A few acquaintances got very annoyed at me for not being impressed! But then again they didn't congratulate me on my other sporting achievements so I saw no reason to give them any marathon kudos. LOL.

Marathons are also more 'inclusive' now because well the more participants, the more money raised for charity. It's not in anybody's interest to gatekeep beyond crowd control levels.

Anyway I think it you can start training and keep up the discipline you have a good chance OP. As PP said it's about discipline and mental strength as much as it is about physical ability.

I know quite a few people who didn't make it to the marathon but have built healthier habits for life, and now do other sports they enjoy. It can be very motivating especially if you weren't sporty to begin with.

You definitely could if you are already running.

The barrier for many would be the sheer amount of hours it takes to train. And the training is so boring and sometimes miserable. I remember running 15 miles one Sunday and giving up, DH had to come and pick me up. I was supposed to do 17 that day but it was raining so hard, I was utterly soaked through to the bone and so cold. I also did things like intervals on the treadmill and running ten miles before work midweek. I was doing 4-5 sessions a week. With a half marathon you could get away with a couple of runs in the week and a long run on a Sunday. Some probably do that for a marathon but most run on four or five days a week. I was 26 then and child free and still found it hard to fit in around work. Now at 48 I'd find it far too time consuming.

The actual London Marathon is absolutely brilliant event to be part of, I can honestly say I actually really enjoyed (most of) it on the day. It's not very often you get the chance to be part of a mass participation event with elite athletes and have a huge crowd cheering you on. But there are several half marathons with big crowds and great support, such as the Great North Run.

If you are trying to lose weight though don't rely on it as a weight loss tool. I've never lost weight from running whether I was the right weight or overweight.

@LittleLegsKeepGoing

I know I don't have a marathon in me

That's a decision, not a lack of ability. You can't know you can't do something until you try. Unless it's something that defies physics, like flying.

I would say see how you feel after 10ks/half marathons
One thing to remember is that a lot of training is often quite miserable weather, if you're doing a spring marathon. Going out for 5k when it's raining and blowing a gale is one thing, knowing you need to do eg 18 miles is quite different. I haven't missed that at all this year!

I've done 9 marathons (5 x at London) and definitely agree its as much mental as physical. One of my worst marathon times was when I had done the best training and was physically fit (and much younger!) but just losing the will at 16 miles, doing lots of walking and then met a club mate at 20 miles and finished it together.

The last 3 halfs I've done haven't been my fastest but felt mentally strong all the way and enjoyed them a lot more.

I know I don't have a marathon in me, so on that basis I'd say that it's not possible for anyone to run a marathon. Some people just aren't designed for the endurance both mental and physical that it takes.

For me, training for a half marathon (and subsequently completing it) was absolutely brutal. It's not just a couple of weeks of preparation, it's a few months. No matter the weather you need to stick to the training plan - absolutely sucks the joy out of running.

At one point I was running at 4am in 28 degree heat because it was the coolest part of the day and that summer was relentlessly hot (autumn half marathon). Friends of mine have done the London marathon so that means winter training in all sorts of really wet and windy weather, mostly in the dark...and then get a climate shock when they ran London in blazing sunshine.

I'm beyond proud of myself for completing a half marathon. My BMI won't go lower than 35 so I'm very much a middle aged, overweight plodder - I don't resemble what a runner should look like, even if you squint with beer goggles!

But to do double that distance and time? No way. I'd be looking at a minimum of 6 hours on my feet after months of building up to that time and distance. It would probably finish off my love of running to do something like that.

@AvonCallingBarksdale If you can get hold of it, there's a book called "The Non-Runners' Marathon Trainer" by Whitsett et al. that you might find useful. It's based on a US college course in which all the participants - many of whom were complete beginners - were required to run a marathon in order to pass the course. It's not tremendously well put together or written but it contains some great (first hand) accounts of the different mental strategies that the individual participants developed in order to get themselves through. I found it very helpful.