Favorite Distance

veganbettie
veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
What is your favorite distance to race?
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Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    They all hurt. They just hurt differently LOL. Really, I like training and just running a lot more than racing.

    I did one ultra-relay though and that was a lot of fun. Maybe ultras will become my favorite in time.
  • ghhrfy
    ghhrfy Posts: 12 Member
    What's yours, veganbettie?
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    10 miles because an hour is long enough :)
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    I love me some HMs. But I think 5 miles is pretty ideal. Long enough to go hard, but not so long you burn out, and not so short that you can't enjoy it. (Side note: SUPER BUMMED I'm missing my hometown 4th of July race this year... :()
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    ghhrfy wrote: »
    What's yours, veganbettie?

    I haven't ran many races quite yet. I have a half coming up next month that I feel totally unprepared for though.

    But i'm HOPING I'll like the half distances (because all the half races around here are super neat)...I'm for sure liking the 10ks...

    10 miles because an hour is long enough :)

    I agree, i'm liking the hour mark, I still end that on a high note. :) Of course i'm still so slow I don't quite make it to 10 miles. ;)

  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    I've already alerted my running partner that if we enjoy this half, I have two more on the schedule for this year.

    The first one has a beer garden. A BEER GARDEN!

    And the second gives you beer AND tacos. TACOS!!!!!

    I think i'm jumping the gun here.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    I love me some HMs. But I think 5 miles is pretty ideal. Long enough to go hard, but not so long you burn out, and not so short that you can't enjoy it. (Side note: SUPER BUMMED I'm missing my hometown 4th of July race this year... :()

    I agree on the 5mi
    I like 10mi as well
    I'm not sure I'll return to longer distances when I'm able to run again - shame I'm already signed up for a 25k... =/
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    i'm getting in trouble with signing up for races during a running high....

    The next day i'm like....what have I done?!!?!?
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    i'm getting in trouble with signing up for races during a running high....

    The next day i'm like....what have I done?!!?!?

    Just don't go too far in the future.
    I did and now I'm like "efffffffff, I'm allowed to start running again 2 weeks before I have to start training for a 25k... this sucks"
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    aw man you poor thing. :/
  • sinister2014
    sinister2014 Posts: 92 Member
    scottb81 wrote: »
    They all hurt. They just hurt differently LOL. Really, I like training and just running a lot more than racing.

    I did one ultra-relay though and that was a lot of fun. Maybe ultras will become my favorite in time.

    running my first 'real ultra' at the end of the month, but i did 48km as part of a 6 person relay last year and it was an awesome experience. a 24 hour party like atmosphere in the mountains.

    my favorite distance so far have been a number of trail races around 8-12 km long.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    I have to agree 10 miles is a pretty nice, but there are very few 10 mile races around. I've been enjoying the half marathon distances at this point. I liked the 5k and 10k distances when I first started running and couldn't imagine running longer than an hour. I was convinced to do a Spartan Beast and started increasing my mileage and did a half marathon to train for that and discovered I prefer the longer distances. We'll see what I think once I do my first marathon/50k this coming year.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I love to run 1/2 marathons. I don't find the training to hard or overly time consuming. Although, I did sign up for another full for Nov.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    I have a hard time answering because every race distance hurts. If it doesn't you are doing it wrong.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    I have a hard time answering because every race distance hurts. If it doesn't you are doing it wrong.

    I like the HM because it hurts the least. I am running below LT for most of the race, yet I don't hit that level of shear fatigue that comes with running for almost 4 hours with a full marathon. However, I like training for a full marathon the best, but I only do one per year because of the time suck.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    The newspaper where I live asked this question of prominent local runners. There were about 10 of them, as I recall. Amateurs, but with national reputations. Most of these runners were known for their marathon races. So, I naturally assumed, when picking up the article, that they were going to say "the marathon."
    They didn't. Almost to a person they said the half-marathon. (A couple of these people were 5k and 10k specialists.) They said the half-marathon was a good challenge and a great workout. But it wasn't so long, like the marathon, that a person was beat up and too tired to do anything else afterwards.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    edited May 2015
    10 miles because an hour is long enough :)

    Yeah, cos that's how fast you run 10 miles... ;)

    I like half marathons too because it's a pace that feels sustainable but you don't have to do it for too long. I hate 10ks because the faster pace is so much harder, yet it's still a pretty long way. Which means I love 5 miles, because it's like doing a 10k, but just at the point where you really want to stop, it turns out it's the end already: WIN!
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    litsy3 wrote: »
    10 miles because an hour is long enough :)

    Yeah, cos that's how fast you run 10 miles... ;)

    I like half marathons too because it's a pace that feels sustainable but you don't have to do it for too long. I hate 10ks because the faster pace is so much harder, yet it's still a pretty long way. Which means I love 5 miles, because it's like doing a 10k, but just at the point where you really want to stop, it turns out it's the end already: WIN!

    That just means you need to do your 5 milers faster :p
  • briebee7
    briebee7 Posts: 224 Member
    I don't race much however I would say that 5Ks are my favorite. Mostly because you get to run fast!

    I am starting to really love HM. I find that I can run at a relatively comfortable pace for the entirety and still be challanged. I haven't "raced" one in many years though and am looking forward to training and really racing 2 this year (1 planned in Aug and 1 in Nov).
  • briebee7
    briebee7 Posts: 224 Member
    i'm getting in trouble with signing up for races during a running high....

    The next day i'm like....what have I done?!!?!?

    This was me the week leading up to my marathon. I signed up for 3 half marathons! 1 trail at my favorite park and 2 road. 1 of the road HMs I signed up for just because they offered me a bottle of wine at the marathon expo! ;)
  • Carrieendar
    Carrieendar Posts: 493 Member
    Marathon! I would say the ten miler but I haven't done one in 3 years or so.

    However...Broad Street 2016!!!
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    My favorite is the mile. Second is the marathon. Very hard to train for both.
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
    Last fall it was the half but now it's the 10K because of the speed without the walkers of a 5K.

    I never ran a half with more than 200 other runners so June will be first big half so maybe the favorite will change.

  • Cooriander
    Cooriander Posts: 2,848 Member
    I like all of them <3 well up to a marathon, not further on that (yet!). I almost said 15K but that is just because that is the latest distance that I am happy with the outcome.
  • ActiveApril
    ActiveApril Posts: 73 Member
    I like the half the best. Like others have said, it's enough to be challenging but not so long that training takes up my whole life.
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    That's a good point, I really want to work up to a full, but I have a two year old at home that demands attention.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    I like particular races that interest me, period. No matter the distance. For instance, I really enjoyed running the Oak Barrel HM cause it was in Lynchburg, TN where it was sponsored by the Jack Daniels Distillery. Lots of great bling. It's a big deal to Lynchburg and the to distillery and they really did a great job organizing it. Lots of locals giving support and great food afterwards. A lot of people from my local running club participated and we all met for a pot luck picnic afterwards. It was a lot of fun.

    I enjoy the Cotton Row race that is put on by my local running club every Memorial Day. They make a big deal about it and is the largest race in the area. It's a 5K and 10K. They have a large cash prize to anyone that can break the course record for both events. Because of that, it attracts a lot of attention and a lot of participants. I only ran the 10K and will be running it again this year.

    The Rocket City marathon is also a big deal for my local running club in December. I like being in races where the people from my running groups participate and get involved with. We have preview runs prior to the event which are also fun. I get to meet fellow local runners in addition to the ones I already run with.

    So the distance doesn't really matter as long as the race itself sparks some kind of interest for me. With that said, I have yet to run a 5K. I haven't really trained for it yet. I really am training more for the longer distances. 10K's, halves, and a full. I haven't done an ultra yet and probably won't for a while.

    My goal is to make it to the Boston Marathon in the next few years. After I can achieve that then maybe I will shift my goals and training.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    I would say I'm growing to love the HM distance, though I'm still slow as molasses at it. If I'm going to have to get up so early, I better be running for awhile! I do like the 10K distance, which is just over an hour for me.

    I agree about liking particular races, no matter what the distance. I recently did my first 25km trail race and really loved the trail racing aspect. Such different energy than a road race. Would totally do a 50km distance at least once just for that experience, though I don't think I'd ever love that distance.
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    edited May 2015
    ^^ I hear that, i already have my first marathon picked out because the path that they choose is SO amazing and i used to drive it each day. I'm so excited to run that race...i may chose the half option first but i really want to do the full eventually.

    It's awesome to hear all your stories. Gives me little newbie butterflies in my tummy.
  • djscavone
    djscavone Posts: 133 Member
    10 miles because an hour is long enough :)

    Similar answer here but 10k (not miles) as an hour is about right for me.