Favourite distance

ecoli

Slow day in work. Which distance do people prefer the most be it for training or racing. So which are you a neverending slogger or a short winded speed merchant:p

tunguska

Gotta be the marathon.

asimonov

I went for the half...not my best distance but i like HM pace...not too fast, not too slow...just clipping along.

madon

I am supposed to be cleaning the house so thanks for the distraction;)
I picked 5mile coz I reckon I'll never be quick enough for a 5k and at the moment I'd have to crawl the last km of a 10k so I've gone in between!
I am going to start the Hal Higdon Novice 10k next week (I have a weekend of drinking to get over first) so I may change my mind in a few weeks!

shels4ever

Have to say 3k , but after that then it would be 5k.

ecoli

asimonov wrote: »

I went for the half...not my best distance but i like HM pace...not too fast, not too slow...just clipping along.

I havent run a marathon yet so this may change when i finally take the plunge:D. For me i think Half Marathon is best just because i dont have the leg speed to compete at shorter distances yet i think Marathon is more a time trial than a race (i may be proven wrong) but a half is something you can really race

Peckham

Gotta be the half for me too - both in terms of a training and racing distance. It's a nice pace to race at, and even running that distance in training makes you feel like you've achieved a good distance!

smmoore79

Probably 5 km or 5 mile for me, seen as i do best in that distance.. But marthons are great too for sheer accomplishment.

TFBubendorfer

I saw the topic and immediately thought I'd open it to complain that there is no option for Ultra - past experience tells me this is always the case.

I was stunned to see that this sequence has been broken

ecoli

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I saw the topic and immediately thought I'd open it to complain that there is no option for Ultra - past experience tells me this is always the case.

I was stunned to see that this sequence has been broken

Haha figured best include all at the risk of being shot by angry ultra people (they can go for days on end after all so outrunning them in the long term not an option:D)

hunnymonster

I don't know which one to pick....

MisterDrak

In training terms, has to be the half marathon, its long enough to feel you have done something, but not so long the days is over after you have finished...

gerard65

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I saw the topic and immediately thought I'd open it to complain that there is no option for Ultra - past experience tells me this is always the case.

I was stunned to see that this sequence has been broken

Ye, we can vote for long jogs but can't vote for 3k's, disgrace.

Bloody Nipples

The longer the better :P I like the marathon because the times actually mean something to people, so they can be suitably impressed

ecoli

gerard65 wrote: »

Ye, we can vote for long jogs but can't vote for 3k's, disgrace.

I ommitted this for the reason that people dont train for this specifically (usually). Alot of people use it as a stepping stone between the middle distance and the 5k developing speed or strength depending on which they are coming from. giving the shorter and longer options i thought would cover oops:(

colblimp

hunnymonster wrote: »

I don't know which one to pick....

Well I'd say definitely not 800/1500 going on your recent runs! :cool:

RoyMcC

hunnymonster wrote: »

I don't know which one to pick....

Go for 100m/200m - oh hold on.....Tingle, Realist Spy etc. wont be happy.

ecoli

RoyMcC wrote: »

Go for 100m/200m - oh hold on.....Tingle, Realist Spy etc. wont be happy.

Shhhhh....... they might hear you and check out the thread:p can have a sprinter one to maybe another day

tisnotover

The half without question !

BrokenMan

At the moment got to be the half, this may well change after October though

token56

Hmmm, couldn't decide between 5 or 10k so went for 5mile.

jb-ski

it's got to be the Half for me also.

i'd love to say the Full, but having only done 2 so far, i'm still
intimidated by those last 6 miles.

however i do enjoy the marathon training!
(mainly thanks to my running buddies at Le Chéile AC; LC, WK GH and mrs.jb-ski!!etc)

BeepBeep67

My favourite distance is not there - 3k, always punched above my weight at the 7.5 laps - 9:09 on cinder U/17 and hoping to dip under 10 later this Summer 26 years later.

W.B. Yeats

5k for me so far, haven't ran any of the others but have been bored training for the 5mile as it seems to take too long, can't imagine trying to keep focused for 26 miles or longer!

RacoonQueen

Voted earlier today, I didn't know whether to vote for half marathon or ultra. I ended up voting for Ultra but it's a spoiled vote really, I've only done two and they've both been the same distance. I love half marathons,it's a good distance to train for and to race and you can recover from it quick enough and be back training as normal again after a couple of weeks.

sarsfieldsrock

Ultra for me. Halves and marathons are nice but after having done a few of them the challenge went out of them.
Thats not a very good reason but I can't really think of any really good reason why I like them.

ecoli

sarsfieldsrock wrote: »

Ultra for me. Halves and marathons are nice but after having done a few of them the challenge went out of them.
Thats not a very good reason but I can't really think of any really good reason why I like them.

Would have to disagree the beauty of athletics there is always a challenge to do better. WR holders are the best ever in there events yet there is always a challenge to do better and break that:)

Dipity

I'd definitely go for half marathons. But like jb-ski , I really enjoy training for the marathon.

Short distances scare me. :eek:

Ruu_Old

I went for the 5k, doing my fifth one this year in August will finish out the year with one or two more. I am stepping up with my first half marathon next April.

Daithi BC

10 miles is my favourite distance to race, despite being much better at 5 miles or 10km (to my eternal shame as I'd always like to think of myself as a marathoner).

Pisco Sour

The only ones I have done properly are: 1500m, 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon

1500m: I did this back in 5th year in school at Santry. Its pure torture. Its seems like a full on sprint for 3.75 laps. There is literally no time to relax in it. I ran it in 5:16 but have never ran one since then.

5k: Again, I find the pace of this race a bit too fast and it can be quite uncomfortable. I did a 21:02 but I was in absolute bits for the last 2km's. Very torturous.

10k: Definetely my favourite distance. Not too short that the pace would be so fast, but not too long that you start to do damage to your muscles and legs, and no need to dedicate as much of your life to training, as you would with a Marathon. Oh and no need for Water Belts and Gels and any of that fancy stuff. I ran a 45:32 which I think is my best of my PB's.

Half Marathon: A nice distance, but have only done one of them and it was on a hilly course in Wexford on a very hot day so my enjoyment of it wasn't what it might have been. The race took a lot out of me. Did it in 1:49:06

Marathon: Definetely my proudest achievement (4:07:35) but a lot of training is required and not all of it is enjoyable. Running around Marlay Park on my own for 3 hours in horrid winds and rain can be pretty rough. So while the actual race is a great experience and the distance is iconic, the training at times can be tough, and the injuries demoralising.

So for that reason the 10k probably pips the marathon for my favourite distance! I think I'm more suited to shorter distances aswell.

misty floyd

I voted 10m but when I went to write this post I realised "what the hell, its the Marathon".

I love the 10m. Its got the right balance of running fast but feeling comfortable. I like the targets for it too. Sub 1hr would be nice :cool: You are also on your feet for just enough time IMO. Not too long, not too short. Lovely.

The marathon is very special. That first marathon is magic and a serious challenge. Then going after specific times after such a long and tough training build up is kind of playing with fire. You don't know what can happen if you push it too hard. So that brings with it a nervous build up and can end with a serious sence of achievement. Love it.

Surprised nobody has mentioned 4.8m A guaranteed PB for most.

dna_leri

04072511 wrote: »

The only ones I have done properly are: 1500m, 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon

1500m: I did this back in 5th year in school at Santry. Its pure torture. Its seems like a full on sprint for 3.75 laps. There is literally no time to relax in it. I ran it in 5:16 but have never ran one since then.

5k: Again, I find the pace of this race a bit too fast and it can be quite uncomfortable. I did a 21:02 but I was in absolute bits for the last 2km's. Very torturous.

10k: Definetely my favourite distance. Not too short that the pace would be so fast, but not too long that you start to do damage to your muscles and legs, and no need to dedicate as much of your life to training, as you would with a Marathon. Oh and no need for Water Belts and Gels and any of that fancy stuff. I ran a 45:32 which I think is my best of my PB's.

Half Marathon: A nice distance, but have only done one of them and it was on a hilly course in Wexford on a very hot day so my enjoyment of it wasn't what it might have been. The race took a lot out of me. Did it in 1:49:06

Marathon: Definetely my proudest achievement (4:07:35) but a lot of training is required and not all of it is enjoyable. Running around Marlay Park on my own for 3 hours in horrid winds and rain can be pretty rough. So while the actual race is a great experience and the distance is iconic, the training at times can be tough, and the injuries demoralising.

So for that reason the 10k probably pips the marathon for my favourite distance! I think I'm more suited to shorter distances aswell.

I would think 5k is your best time. According to mcmillan that's equivalent to a 3:25 marathon. Maybe you would be better to focus on shorter distances?

I think too many people run longer distances because its easier while they could do better at shorter races.

RoyNeary

Finish line to the pub.

Pisco Sour

dna_leri wrote: »

I would think 5k is your best time. According to mcmillan that's equivalent to a 3:25 marathon. Maybe you would be better to focus on shorter distances?

I think too many people run longer distances because its easier while they could do better at shorter races.

I'm really not sure about mcmillan to be honest. I prefer to go by the IAAF Scoring tables.

http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Competitions/TechnicalArea/ScoringOutdoor2008_742.pdf

The table is 2 years old and I'm sure theres an updated one but:

My 5k time equates to a 4:06:42 Marathon
My 10k time equates to a 4:05:43 Marathon
My Half Marathon time equates to a 4:10:17 Marathon

With my Marathon being 4:07:35 it seems like my PB's for all 4 of these events are in line with each other. It is approved by the IAAF so perhaps its a better one to use than McMillan?

Incidently my 1500m track time is equivalent to a 3:45:52 Marathon :eek::eek::eek:

Maybe I gave up on track too soon!