TCHCNB wrote:
I was cross-country and track (1-mile and 2-mile) in high school, but actually preferred longer distances even back then. Throughout high school and college I could consistently run half marathons in sub-1:20, typically 1:17 - 1:18 range, not exceptional by national standards but definitely pretty decent. When I was 34 which is now over 20 years ago I had a summer where I was able to train like a maniac, and at the end of that season I ran a 1:19:28 half-marathon my last sub 1:20 effort) which equates to a 6:04 pace for 13+ miles. Not bad for 34. Nowdays I do half-marathons in 1:45 - 1:50 range which still aint bad for mid-50's but admittedly I am carrying 25 additional pounds than in 1991 also.
TCHCNB, I'm glad that another
real runner is here. I ran cross country too, mostly to get in shape for the middle distance track events in the spring. (The 440 and 880. Yeah, back then we ran races measured in yards, not meters.) I was never a great cross country runner, but during the four years I ran high school cross country (Just 2 1/2 miles), I did manage to actually come in first twice. My miler and two miler track buddies usually won. I never ran any type of marathon.
I am greatly impressed with your times in the marathons that you are still running. I always looked at the long distance runners on the team, and wondered how they could do it. There is so much pain in running those long distances. Half way into the race your mind starts working against you, asking you why are you doing this to yourself. Your lungs are screaming for oxygen. Your legs gradually lose the power they had at the beginning of the race, and you know that they have to keep going a lot farther no matter how weak and tired they feel. Then there was something our cross country coach called "stitches". I don't know if that is the real name for them, but that was when your abdomen would start sending out great messages of pain.
Anyway, you should be very proud of yourself. I am indeed greatly impressed.
p.s. If only I would have been allowed to jump into cross country races with just a half mile to go. I would have won every time.