Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Reality of Running 26.2

Imagine running for running for up to 6 hours straight, this is the challenge that is the called the marathon. The purpose of this post is to reveal the reality of the distance that comes with running a marathon. It is is important to take into account the stresses that this grueling event places on your body both physically and mentally.

To start off lets put into perspective how long 26.2 miles really is. 26.2 mile is 138,336 feet. That my fellow runners is lot of feet. If you ideally run 90 steps for every 30 seconds(I will let everyone entertain  themselves with how many steps that is). With everyone of those steps all of the muscles in your body go through a complex set of steps that allow each and every muscle in your body to proceed forward towards your destination, towards accomplishing that goal of your best time, or just finishing the marathon itself. Furthermore each one of those steps contributes to the grueling pain that could be potentially endured through embarking on this task.

In terms of the physical stresses the biggest thing is energy output.  To put this in practical terms for a 6 minute mile a energy output of 10 to 12 fold in energy production for over 2-3 hours.  This high level of energy output places great level of stresses on your muscles. In addition to your muscles the amount of stress that goes on your joints is very high. Their are various other stresses that happen physically that can be read in scholarly articles. I will share some of these with you tomorrow.

As for the the mental effect of running a marathon, the realization of how long running 26.2 is. We know that has runners that the one problem that is unavoidable is that it takes time to run. Running a marathon for the most elite athletes takes around 3 hours. For those of us who are not elite runners it will like take between 4-6 hours. During that time you will have to focus on your run and firgue out ways to keep you  motivated. Refer back to my past post on Motivation for a more clear understanding what it is.

Stay Tuned for Advice on How to Stay Motivated for 26.2!

Thanks For Reading!

Had a Past Marathon Experience, Share it with Us!

Keep Running


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