Spirit of the Marathon

Today during the kids nap time (M's computer time) I turned on the movie "Spirit of the Marathon" that covers six runners, elite to novice, preparing for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. While I did feel the documentary was lacking story lines and projected very 'cliche'  runners, I did find parts inspiring and fun to watch. I wish they would have devledged more into the training part, instead of glossing over the weeks of preparation. And I wish they would have showed the nutritional aspect, what did the runners eat in the weeks/days before the race? What supplements (besides everyone saying they had salt tablets) take. But it was amazing to see the elites prepare and just mindblowing how truly fast some runners are.

Some thoughts I had:

• running as a sport encompasses so many different types of runners. Whether you have an elite runner, running 100+ miles per week or the novice C25K runners just barely making it to 10, everyone has their own goals and reasons for running
• the documentary highlited a CARA group. Part of me wishes I were part of a group as I think the long runs preparing for a marathon would be more fun. But part of me likes running because of the alone time, the solitude. I'm on the fence on this and I do see the benefits of running groups
• Jack Daniels is so correct when stating that there are 4 types of runners, the highly trainable/ability (these elites), highly able but lack motivation (the person that doesn't train but pulls a 3:10 marathon), little ability and highly able (they over train usually and work their ass off just to make average strides) and then little ability, little motivation (no you should not be a runner). Where do I fit in? I think somewhere between the second and third type
• Katherine Switzer was kick ass - making herself the first female boston marathon runner and even almost being attacked during the race but she kept on going....now I believe there are more women runners that compete in Boston than men.
• Why are the people from Kenya and Ethiopia so damn fast! There has to be a study out there done....so interesting. I liked how Daniel Njenga said he would run 10 miles when he was a boy - 5 miles to school, 5 home, reminded me of that Ricky Schroder movie where he was a bed wetter and he would run home from school to hide the sheet his mother would embarassingly hang outside, he ended up a track star.
• Someone said in the movie that in marathons there are two groups; the elites then everyone else.  I think everyone else has to be broken up into several groups.  'Everyone else' is such a big group and there are so many groups in that alone. It's just amazing how everyone starts out at different ages, different fitness levels. Some people can run slow but far, some can run short but fast, I could go on and on, it's again mindblowing the local class, nation class, I see know the importance in age grading results. It makes me feel good that in my last few races I reached local class. I never will make nation or world class but knowing I'm near local grade is so great
• It was inspriting to see people cry at the finish line, to see that even if they had to walk or rest, they finished.
• I loved seeing Deena Kastor looking behind her in the last .6 miles of the race, it made her human, it made her one of us, I mean don't you look behind you when you are racing to make sure you are far ahead of the runner behind you?