So I Have This Friend....

Let's call her Nancy, since I'm sure she'd prefer I keep her true identity a secret. Anyhow, Nancy is a lot like me--she has two kids about the same age as my kids, plus she works full-time and also does a fair amount of work from home in the evenings and on weekends. Plus, Nancy has a home to keep clean and laundry to do and a husband that sometimes wants her attention. So yes, there are a lot of similarities between Nancy and me, but of course, there are a lot of working mothers out there in the same boat.

Anyhow, Nancy is thinking about signing up to run a marathon. It all started because someone she knows is planning to run this same marathon. And at first, it was a well, maybe I'll think about it. And then it was sort of a sure, why not? And then it evolved into a if not now, when?

See how the trouble begins? Certainly the *thought* of signing up to run 26.2 miles is much different than the reality of training for said run and then actually finishing it. It's something that I'm sure Nancy knows. But it's hard for her to resist getting caught up in the excitement of the *thought* of it.

However, being Nancy's friend, I feel compelled to take a hard look at the reality of this foolishness. For one, marathon training is time-consuming, and it's not like Nancy is ever sitting around with nothing to do. On the other hand, Nancy points out that she'd still only be running four times a week. It's just that mileage would be upped. And it's not like there's anything good on television in the summer anyway. Plus, it's light until pretty late so she could get her mileage in without affecting her kids too much. Or she could get up early one or two mornings a week and sneak her runs in then.

Then there's the matter of ruining a perfectly good summer. Because marathon training starts in June--right when the weather is starting to get decent (Nancy says "decent"; I say "too hot to run") and when weekends are ripe for trips to the beach and the zoo. If Nancy signs up for this marathon, she'll be spending several hours each weekend running. Just running. And is that fair to her kids? Is that fair to her husband? As it is, Nancy confides that she feels guilty about abandoning her household to get in an eight-mile run on a Sunday. (Like me, Nancy was raised Catholic, so she feels guilty about anything short of complete martyrdom.) So how is she going to handle that infamous 20-miler?

Of course, Nancy has an answer for this too, insisting that maybe it's worth sacrificing some sleep (which should be evidence of her insanity right there because what mother of young children would even DREAM of such a thing?) every other weekend so she can get her long run in before anyone in the house is even really ready for action. Nancy--the eternal optimist (she's SO different than me!).

And then, even though I hate to do this to Nancy, I have to point out that she's pretty darn slow. Does she even want to consider a marathon if it's going to take her 5+ hours? Does she want to risk being slower than freaking Oprah?? I mean, I don't know about Nancy, but I happen to think 4:29 is a pretty respectable marathon time. And honestly, I'm shocked that Oprah could run a marathon that fast. But what do I know? (Editor's note: Seriously, I can't believe Oprah's marathon time was that fast. I had always assumed she was in the 5+ hours group!!)

Nancy points out that the MacMillan running calculator has her running a 4:38 marathon based on her fastest 5K. And in another 10 months, who knows how much that time could improve? Like I said, Nancy is an optimist.

She says that she's not nursing any kind of injury right now, so why not go for it? She's looked at the training schedules. She thinks she can fit it into her life. After all, it's only a few months of training. It's not like she's making a lifetime commitment or anything. So I said to her, maybe you should get a few more years of running under your belt first. And she pointed me to this information from running guru Hal Higdon:

PEOPLE DIFFER GREATLY IN ABILITY, but ideally before starting a marathon program, you should have been running about a year. You should be able to comfortably run distances between 3 and 6 miles. You should be training 3-5 days a week, averaging 15-25 miles a week. You should have run an occasional 5-K or 10-K race. It is possible to run a marathon with less of a training base (particularly if you come from another sport), but the higher your fitness level, the easier this 18-week program will be.

Nancy says she HAS been runing for more than a year. She CAN comfortably run 5 miles. Heck, Nancy can comfortably run 8 miles (when she's not plagued with what might be walking pneumonia). She IS training 3 to 5 days a week. She IS averaging at least 15 miles a week. And she HAS run dozens of 5ks and longer races as well. So Nancy is back to "If not now, when?"

Unfortunately, Nancy only has a few more days to make her decision. Because marathons being what they are these days, one has to sign up months and months and months in advance. I'll let you know what Nancy decides. In the meantime, feel free to take the poll. I'll be sure to pass the opinions of my loyal readers on to my friend Nancy.