Don’t try this at home
November 7, 2007
I’m a little concerned over the hoopla about Katie Holmes running the New York Marathon, and this is the quote by her husband that’s causing me concern:
“I said that she trained for three months” to run the marathon, said (Tom) Cruise, “but it was really only over two months, actually. So, it’s quite an accomplishment [for] anyone to do that.”
He’s right, it is an accomplishment to complete a marathon, but the lack of training should have nothing to do with it. (Although in a later article, Katie Holmes was shown wearing heels the evening after her run. Now that is impressive.)
So, based on Tom’s statement, how many people are going to and try to run the New York Marathon next year after having only training for two or three months? I hasten to say it will be quite a few.
Running a marathon is no joke. I don’t need to sit and preach about the injuries you can cause yourself if you try to do it with only two months of training under your belt. But even if you make it through without physically injuring yourself, possibly nothing will compare to the mental pain and anguish you will face, and contrary to popular belief, you will not be a better person for surviving. I should know; I did a half-marathon up a mountain without sufficient training. Sometime after mile six, I started feeling absolutely certain that I was being punished for every sin I had ever committed, and I begged God to send a messenger who would shoot me in head and put me out of my misery. And I only did half the length that Katie Holmes did. And I was not wearing heels a few hours later.
So, please. Take my advice. If you’re going to run a marathon, that’s great. By all means, go for it. But for the love of all things holy, don’t assume you can get away with two or even three months of training, especially if you haven’t been exercising before you start this endeavor. And in the end, if your race lacks the proper preparation, be prepared to want to shoot yourself in the face rather than take one more step. Be prepared to welcome death as a better option than finishing. And don’t think you’ll be wearing heels that night, either.
Entry Filed under: Life, Links, News, Personal, Pet Peeves, Pike's Peak Ascent, hobbies, opinion, running, thoughts, tirades. Tags: celebrities, Katie Holmes, marathon, marathon training, New York Marathon, running.
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1.
amanda | November 7, 2007 at 2:41 pm
c, i totally agree with you – a colleague in my office placed 51st in the marathon with a time of 2:35 – INCREDIBLE. i think he’s totally nuts – he averaged under 6 minute miles the entire race…
fortunately, though, people can’t just sign up for the new york marathon (although i can’t vouch for others…). you have to qualify by a previous race time, or qualify through a team or by participating in a certain number of races in the new york area during the 12 months before the marathon. i don’t think there’s a lottery.
2.
amanda | November 7, 2007 at 2:48 pm
i also forgot to add…i’m not really sure how she got INTO the marathon, considering that they DO have standards…but i guess if your husband is as scary as Tom, maybe they do make exceptions…but i’m pretty sure they made p diddy qualify when he ran.
3.
Caroline | November 7, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Amanda,
Your friend is an insane pain seeker. That is all I have to say about that.
However, there are actually several ways to get into the NYC Marathon:
===========================================
Qualifying for a Guaranteed Entry:
The following groups are eligible for guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon:
• Members of New York Road Runners who completed at least nine NYRR-scored, qualifying races during the calendar year prior to the ING New York City Marathon.
• Anyone accepted into the previous ING New York City Marathon but who canceled prior to the race
• Those who have completed 15 or more New York City Marathons
• Those who applied but were denied entry for the last three years in a row
• Runners who meet the following qualifying times between January 1 the year prior to the race, and May 1 the year of the race:
Age 18-39* Men: 2:55:00 Full, 1:23:00 Half
Age 18-39* Women: 3:23:00 Full, 1:37:00 Half
Age 40+* Men: 3:10:00 Full, 1:30:00 Half
Age 40+* Women: 3:38:00 Full, 1:44:00 Half
Age 50+* Men: 3:30:00 Full, 1:40:00 Half
Age 50+* Women: 3:52:00 Full, 1:50:00 Half
Age 60+* Men: 3:45:00 Full, 1:48:00 Half
Age 60+* Women: 4:13:00 Full, 2:00:30 Half
* Age on the day of the qualifying race.
“Entrants not eligible for guaranteed entry are selected via Lottery Applications:
Because the number of applicants far exceeds the number of spaces available, the majority of U.S. entrants, including athletes with disabilities, are selected in a random lottery drawing at the beginning of June. Most international entrants come through tour operators, so a portion (including athletes with disabilities) are selected through a lottery drawing in May.”
4.
GB | November 7, 2007 at 11:54 pm
I along with my sister have started preparing for our first marathon – we are blogging at marathonpreparation.blogspot.com. We have given ourselves one years time. We just started preparing a week ago, actually just got off our couches a week ago. We understand it’s going to be difficult, but we will keep working on it till we give up….which hopefully won’t be too soon.