Post Marathon Thoughts

This week again flew by fast. I have been feeling just fine after the first marathon - the massage did wonders. I met with run club on Wednesday and Noelle and I ran probably a mile and a half and went back to lift weights. We weren't so much into running that night. Today I get to pretty much clean the hell out of my messy house in preparation for Thanksgiving, which is creeping up ever so quickly. So after the marathon this week, I've pondered the differences between marathons and triathlons. And not to offend anyone who is partial to either, I thought I'd throw down my thoughts on the two (now that I have done both).

Triathlons vs. Marathons 

1. Mentally fun/challenging:

• Triathlons are mentally more fun, in my opinion - you have so much to think about in the transitions and the 3 sports (in addition you can look forward to those other pieces of the race - hmm...what do I need to prepare to do next?). In addition, you get to work different muscles during the different sports - which mixes things up a bit too.
• In marathons, you are just running.... Oh! Another mile done, what's next? Only 17 more miles....of running. Hmm... my feet hurt. Wonder why?

2. Pre-race excitement/adrenaline:

• In triathlons I get those morning butterflies the day of the race when you are all heading down to the water - that takes me back to the days of competing on the swim team. At Liberty Half IM (Note: I was a basket-case for this one) my heart rate was up to 120 just standing there waiting for the start!
• In marathons (or similar running races) I get none of that. I'm just there to run the thing, no nerves or anything. Calm as a cucumber - no big deal. Is that strange?

3. People:

• In triathlons you typically start in waves of 50 people in the water (or Chicago it may be 150...). Once the initial arms flailing has occurred, it spreads out and you are pretty good to go for the race.
• In marathons (in this case with 30,000 people), you are pretty constrained (in many areas) due to crowded streets and various paces of running of the people around you. Granted, this is possibly not the case in the front waves, but back in wave 18 - it was!

4. Talkativity:

• In triathlons, people don't speak. There may be a word or two that is passed between competitors during a bike pass or maybe on the run when you see a friend...but that is pretty much it. You keep to yourself, run your race and that's it.
• In marathons, there are conversations that can be had. Songs that are sung (Deep in the Heart of Texas?!?! Come on guys...we could have had a catchier tune to croon!) and motivational words that are passed amongst the participants when they see people that are struggling or in need of a pep talk.

5. Training:

• In triathlon, training isn't boring. One day you may run, the next could be biking or swimming. Most likely there are 2 sports done in one day, too. Sick of one sport for the week or possibly have some sort of minor injury or pulled muscle? Then skip it and do another! There's plenty to do!
• In marathons, there isn't too much for variety here. Run today, run tomorrow... I forgot what was on the training plan for Thursday. Oh yeah! Running! The weekend has a LSD (long slow distance) run....that's different!

Well, those are a few of my recollections and comparisons (for now). I'm still leaning towards triathlon as my sport of choice - but I think that both have great qualities for anyone who chooses to participate in them. More power to ya!