Marathon's are humbling

Bummer that you didn't hit your goal.  Still finished on your feet, even though they were pretty sore. 

Depends how much you were running in the last 18 weeks. 10-20 miles/week and it's gonna be a sufferfest. 40+, much more fun. 

Of course you can't do much if you have a sharp injury.

This. You got to TRAIN for 'em!

(Not a knock on the OP, I know nothing of him or of his training.)

I would say my training wasn't up to par.  I missed my 20 mile run, then the next week is when my ankle started hurting me and I barely finished 13.5 miles but didn't get in the 16 I should have.  Then last week I only got in 8 when I was supposed to do 12.  It was a good learning experience.  Everyone says I will catch the bug and want to do it again, I'm not so sure.  I'm really excited about getting back to tri's (indoor tri's over the winter) and 5k races.  I have set a goal of getting under 20 minutes in a 5k for next year. 

I didn't like the marathon experience.  I trained 5-6 days/week for the first one.  I peaked at around 55mpw.  My goal was 4:15.  My hubby and I always run these things together and he had ITBS.  At mile 20 his knee blew up and we walked/ran to the finish.  He told me to go on, but I didn't leave him.  He has never left me behind either.  The 2nd marathon I did, I followed Hal Higdon's novice plan which only peaks at 40mpw.  My 20 mile was strong, but I think the 3 week taper was too much.  And this time, I had sciatica issues so I was having butt/hip/leg issues at mile 18.  So hubby did the walk/run thing with me.  So I have never met my goal, and while I'd like to do another one, my body just can't handle the mileage.  I have spent the last 18 mos. with some injury or another, and am just now getting back to running.  And I'm still not 100%.

jami

Yep, marathons are hard.  I am someone who does all the training - never misses a long run and then stupid stuff happens. I trained super hard in 2008 to crack 4 hours and then I caught a chest cold the week before. I felt okay, i guess on race morning and decided to give it a try - well, i ended up with a personal worst.  My consolation is that my running buddy who did all of the training with me (and missed a couple of long runs) did make it ... but still.   The next fall, trained again, it was going well and then two weeks out I cracked a toe on a concrete curb - it was probably broken but come race day it still just didn't happen.  It wasn't terrible but i definitely felt it.  You just can't tell what is going to happen.  

Reasonable expectations do play in but sometimes stuff just happens.  But I haven't run a marathon (other than IM) since 2009. I just don't have the love anymore. 

yeah- as stated above, it's all about the training.  I've only run 2, but have trained for 4 (and didn't make the starting line due to injuries).  Granted- all my fault, as I ramp up the training load too fast... but how would you know your limits unless you exceed them from time to time?

anyway... of the two that I have run... they were anything but humbling.  In fact- just the opposite- they made me feel like a running god.  They were painful- but that's what races are for. 

Build up slowly and run 60-75mpw, And that 26 miles of asphalt will be the thing that will be humbled under the presence of your speed.

I've done 3 marathons, and IMO, they are the hardest races for me to train for, and the hardest to execute well, and have the most suffering during the race.

Got to respect the 26.2 !! 

I'm ramping up for my 3rd in December. I like them, so far only one per year though.

No matter how you cut it, 26.2 miles is a a long run, you have to respect the distance. More mileage during training will definitely help your preparation. You'll still suffer, but at mile 22-23 instead of mile 16-18, and not nearly as badly.

I will say that after you do a couple it's not that it necessarily gets easier, but you do know what to expect and your race strategy improves. You get better at knowing your body, and therefore nutrition, hydration, and pacing.

Some people enjoy the marathon distance, some people don't. I really don't like 5k's, for example, but enjoy  marathons. YMMV

I would say that if you're thinking of ever doing a full IM distance, then try to get some marathon experience.  If you don't aspire to do a full 140.6, then marathon's may not be right for you.

At the Sydney Running Festival this year (incorporating Sydney Marathon) there was one of the contestants who, at crossing the finish line, had completed ONE HUNDRED marathons...

I was working it out in my head and thinking, that would be, on average, four marathons per year (one every 12 weeks) for 25 YEARS....

That's some serious marathon dedication.

Also, they have a 'celebrity' pacer every year who runs the marathon with a target time of 4 hours - basically, if you want to complete the marathon in 4 hours you can run 'with' this pacer who will keep a steady pace.  This year it was Pat Farmer - the Australian that ran 21,000km (13,000miles) from north pole to south pole, averaging 80km (52 miles) per day.....

I guess some people just love marathons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Farmer

Meh, I found the Ironman marathon and the stand alone marathon to be two very different races.

You can do an IM without running previously running a marathon, and you can enjoy marathons without planning to do an IM

I always call it an "Ironman run" vs. a marathon; the only thing an IM run and a standalone marathon share is that (a) it's a running event and (b) it's 26.2 miles long.  Otherwise they have nothing in common.  Training is different, race day nutrition is different, race execution is different, recovery is different.

However, running standalone marathons are good training for the IM run, the same way standalone century rides are good training for the IM bike.  Not strictly necessary by any means but still good training.

Tried my 1st crack at a marathon a week ago...  Results: rolled ankle at mile 9.  Hobbled my way to 13 before I called it quits.  Didn't realize at the time but my little spill tore a muscle that runs my back to my chest... Done with any s/b/r for a couple weeks. 

I seriously doubt I will try another.  I came to realize during training that I really hated running anything over 2 hours.  Was really hard to stay motivated to do so.

For me it was more the running everyday.  When I did my 18 mile run I had a great time and it went good.  But running 5-6 days a week just wore me down because I wanted to do something else.

I've done 10 standalone marathons and am doing my first IM this summer. Everyone I know has told me they have nothing in common except the distance.

Maybe I should avoid reading/following this thread...I am training for my first marathon December 1.  I'm following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan.  So far, so good with staying on plan and completing the runs.  I'm currently in week 12 but swapped the long runs from weeks 11 and 12 to do a half marathon last weekend.  I do all my training in the morning so it's getting tough to knock out the 8 mile mid-week runs before work.  This is by far the most I've ever run in training as most my prior half marathon training weeks ranged from 18-24 mpw.  I've been battling some foot and knee pain and hoping to just get to the start line on race day without any injuries derailing the attempt.

On a positive note, I did PR my half marathon last weekend even without any sort of taper/rest leading into the race.  

My stretch goal is four hours.