Marathon FAQ's for my non-running friends

Since I've told people I've been training for the Madison Marathon, the responses have been varied. My running friends are mostly understanding, excited, inquisitive, and some even a little jealous. But, the most confused and amused looks and questions come from my non-running friends. So, to save the trouble of answering them many times in the next two weeks, I present here my Marathon FAQ's.

1. How long is THIS marathon? By definition, a marathon is a race that is 26.2 miles. To be more precise, it is 26 miles, 385 yards. The marathon was first featured in the Olympic games in Athens in 1896 as 40km (24.85 miles) and the now standard distance was used first in 1908, when in order for the Royal Family to see the marathon at the London Olympics, a partial lap around the stadium was added to the planned 26 mile race. Or something like that. Anyway, a marathon has been officially 26.2 miles since 1921, when the distance was standardized.

2. Why would anyone run 26 miles? Well, that's different for everyone. The race is named after an alleged journey of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger charged with communicating that his country defeated Persia in the Battle of Marathon. He immediately ran from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 25 miles, upon which he announced, "we have won," then took a swig of Gatorade, wrapped himself in a space blanket, and promptly died. So, he did it as an act of patriotism. My motives are more selfish. I wanted to (1) have something out on the calendar to motivate me, (2) prove I could do it, and (3) train so that I could run better at other distances. Numbers 1 and 3 have worked so far; this Sunday, I'll run to see if 2 is true.

3. Wow, 26 miles. I don't even like to drive that far! Neither do I.

4. Madison? Won't that be hilly? Hmmm... maybe. But, I plotted the course on my favorite mapping site, and only got about 350 feet of vertical over the whole 26 miles. That's just over twice what the Indy Mini has, and it's twice as long, so it looks relatively flat.

5. What's your goal Wow, good question. My first and only marathon was a disaster. I finished the first half in 2:08 and the second half took 2:48, for a 4:56 total. I would love to run under 4 hours. Based on my recent half-marathon, I should be able to run a 3:35, but I don't know if I've run enough long runs for that. I plan to go out at a 3:40 pace and run as long as I can there. That is about 8:30 per mile for the math-impaired.

6. What comes next? Well, immediately afterward, the family and I will spend the first few days of Summer vacation in Wisconsin- first in Madison, then in The Dells. Next Saturday, I will continue to torture myself with a 15k trail run in Nashville, Indiana. You should come. No, seriously. After that, I'm a little less clear. I've been experiencing foot pain, so I may take a month or two off from running and ride my bike more. I'm open to ideas.

EDIT: Here are some other frequent answers I use. You can figure out the questions: No, I'm not insane. I use band-aids on them. Pretty much anything I want, but it will probably involve gravy. No, I don't- not anymore, anyway- just too much trouble to get rid of the stubble. Yes, like a pig. Go before you leave the hotel. Ice bath.

Thanks for reading. Wish me luck, and I'd sure appreciate your prayers Sunday Morning.

Steve