Ran My First Full Road Marathon - Race Report!

Nice! Not to be all weird but what does a marathon capable average dude look like? For example, I'm 5'10.75" and around 210#. I do not think I'm marathon material.
 
Nice! Not to be all weird but what does a marathon capable average dude look like? For example, I'm 5'10.75" and around 210#. I do not think I'm marathon material.

I‘m 6’2”/180 lbs. currently. Right now I’m running somewhere between 15-30 miles per week. Currently not training for anything; just running for fun.

In marathon racing shape when I’m running 50-60 miles/week, I’m a few lbs. lighter than that. So, I’m pretty skinny.

But, I have known guys who were quite a bit stockier than me, who ran marathons. One guy I trained with a lot spent a lot of time in the gym and also kickboxed, and was probably about your weight and height, and qualified for Boston, which meant he ran a marathon in 3:00 or faster.

So, it depends on the individual to a great extent.

Now, your top-tier marathon racers, who are getting it done in well under 2:30, are all little guys.
 
I‘m 6’2”/180 lbs. currently. Right now I’m running somewhere between 15-30 miles per week. Currently not training for anything; just running for fun.

In marathon racing shape when I’m running 50-60 miles/week, I’m a few lbs. lighter than that. So, I’m pretty skinny.

But, I have known guys who were quite a bit stockier than me, who ran marathons. One guy I trained with a lot spent a lot of time in the gym and also kickboxed, and was probably about your weight and height, and qualified for Boston, which meant he ran a marathon in 3:00 or faster.

So, it depends on the individual to a great extent.

Now, your top-tier marathon racers, who are getting it done in well under 2:30, are all little guys.
That makes sense. That's beast running a marathon under 3, regardless, but at my size that's just insane.
 
That makes sense. That's beast running a marathon under 3, regardless, but at my size that's just insane.

Like a lot of other things, natural ability does play a big role. I would say I have a good amount of natural ability. Not as much as some.

But, the work one puts into running also has a huge amount to do with it.

Ive heard a quote: Genius is 99% perspiration and only 1% inspiration. Not sure who said that, but there’s a lot of truth to it.

It‘s very similar with sports or other activities - the folks who practice the most are usually the best.
 
That makes sense. That's beast running a marathon under 3, regardless, but at my size that's just insane.

If you're just an average runner, you can finish a marathon in 4-5 hours. Works out to a 9-11.5 minute mile. There's actually very few people in my running club that can do under 3 hours, lots of other runners there that are in the 4-5 hour range. It's just for fun, ran a few myself, something to do....
 
Like a lot of other things, natural ability does play a big role. I would say I have a good amount of natural ability. Not as much as some.

But, the work one puts into running also has a huge amount to do with it.

Ive heard a quote: Genius is 99% perspiration and only 1% inspiration. Not sure who said that, but there’s a lot of truth to it.

It‘s very similar with sports or other activities - the folks who practice the most are usually the best.
I could run endlessly if my shin splints, quads chaffing, etc didn't cause issues. It's legit frustrating.
 
I could run endlessly if my shin splints, quads chaffing, etc didn't cause issues. It's legit frustrating.

In my experience, shin splints are temporary, and brought on by over-training. Running too fast for too long of a distance when I didnt have much running experience.

To avoid this, I suggest starting off running more slowly and don’t go as far - ease into it.

As for chafing, get some 2 Toms Sport Shield or other anti-chafing product. Definitely need it for longer distances, especially in very humid or wet weather.
 
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In my experience, shin splints are temporary, and brought on by over-training. Running too fast for too long of a distance when I didnt have much running experience.

To avoid this, I suggest starting off running more slowly and don’t go as far - ease into it.

As for chafing, get some 2 Toms Sport Shield or other anti-chafing product. Definitely need it for longer distances, especially in very humid or wet weather.
I'll try it. I've tried random other products to little avail. Undergarments are HUGE for me in this, and I went with some "slick" boxer-briefs which really cut down on it a lot, but still no way I'd pull 26.2. I remember back in college I was running 5-7 miles per day, back before I began lifting heavier and packing on more mass. Easy peasy. Took me about an hour to knock out a 6 mile run. I wasn't fast, just enjoyed the thinking time. College was hell. I was going over some of my documents on my entrance and exit exams, and apparently a very low percentage of us actually made it through the program on time. College also made me dumber. Or maybe it was all the running. I graduated at around 10-11% body fat, per hydrostatic tank.
 

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I could run endlessly if my shin splints, quads chaffing, etc didn't cause issues. It's legit frustrating.
Yeah, shin splints usually means too much running at once, ease back. Quads chaffing is body glide. And when you go the distance, either band aids or some kind of nip guards/covers. See lots of half marathons with guys that have double taps where blood is down their shirts.
 
Yeah, shin splints usually means too much running at once, ease back. Quads chaffing is body glide. And when you go the distance, either band aids or some kind of nip guards/covers. See lots of half marathons with guys that have double taps where blood is down their shirts.
Oddly my nips have never had an issue. Always quads and shins.
 
Oddly my nips have never had an issue. Always quads and shins.
The nips only become an issue when it's 10+ miles so that's why you see them in a half marathon typically. People going the distance for the first time. Depends on the weather too, more likely in hot weather when you're sweating.
 
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