One problem with this competition, is that the all time victor in this competition will be our friend Ca___ (not to be confused with C__), who has already broken the metaphoric "4 Minute Mile" of the sport. She ran the 2013 Boston Marathon without a watch, and calmly churned out each 5K in almost exactly 24 minutes, with all of her mile splits within a 10 second range. . . Thoughts?
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Marathon Golf
In the NY Marathon, G__, C and M__ set out to run 9:00 flat for 26.2 miles. So, theoretically, did I but that's a different story (see below). M made it with ten seconds to spare. G__ finished 8 seconds behind him. If the goal is to finish first, M__ won. But what if the goal were to finish according to plan? Then G__ won. Should there be a sport of Marathon Golf, where the goal is to pick a plan and stick to it? The goal would not be speed, but accuracy. The challenge would be, well, that Marathons are long and have a lot of variables.
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There is a value to training process, like practicing writing with no split infinitives or cooking without a microwave. The problem with doing it in a marathon is that you have a finite number of them in your legs! Do you want to sign up, pay the entry fee, use up that year's race, and deliberately choose not to do your utmost? It's a hard call.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the question. Somewhere around mile 8, on Sunday, we were discussing the merits of TBS. TBS is club shorthand for "total body sacrifice." Is it really a marathon if you don't leave it all on the road? M was running as part of his training program for an ultra. G was "not racing it, just running it." I was "coming back from an injury," C, on the other hand, set a PR by an hour.
ReplyDeleteThe topic came up because G was encouraging me to lay it all out there to get under 4 hours, and I was being dubious. G is of the view that all performance limitations are mental. I am of the view that I am old and getting older. . .
We did not reach a resolution of the philosophical question. I will, however, report that my experience in the Hamptons with Spencer and on Sunday strongly suggest that there is such a thing as a B marathon, they can be a lot of fun, and they take much less toll on the body than a TBS marathon.
So, I'm proposing marathon golf as a way of satisfying the need to be competitive, while enjoying a marathon in, say, Budapest . . .
Sold. When?
ReplyDeleteIn 2015 Budapest is on October 10. Do they have a competition authority?
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