The phrases you should never say to someone training for a marathon
© STADION-ACTUNothing is more demanding than marathon training, and nothing makes a runner more touchy than being right in the middle of it. Choose your words carefully! To avoid dirty looks or a sharp comeback, here are the things you should never say in the weeks and days before race day.
1: “There was a massive headwind at this marathon last year.”
A headwind for 42 kilometres? You might as well tell them to quit right now. True or not, steer clear of comments like that: they are guaranteed to crush the morale of a runner deep in marathon training.
2: “How many kilometres is a marathon again?”
One thing is certain: whoever asked that question is not a marathon runner. It’s 42.195 kilometres. At least remember 42. That’s the bare minimum.
3: “No pressure anyway, you’re only doing it for fun.”
Of course… The joy of getting up at 6 a.m. to run in the rain and paying to suffer for 42 kilometres. Spoiler: pressure and stress have nothing to do with your level. Even if you’re not an elite runner, the nerves are very real.
4: “Be careful, there’s a nasty flu outbreak going around.”
Nothing gets the fear going faster. A future marathoner’s worst nightmare is seeing three months of sweat and sacrifice wiped out by a sneeze. It’s the most horrifying scenario imaginable… Shh, let’s not mention outbreaks, or germs of any kind…
5: “Fast food tonight?”
A wonderful idea for someone in the middle of marathon training. Tomorrow’s long run could be tougher than expected. No fast food: it’s pasta and lean meat tonight. Yum!
6: “You’ve done a few already, so you know what you’re doing now.”
NO! Whether it’s your first, fifth or tenth, a marathon is still a serious test. It is ALWAYS long, hard and gruelling, and… you never get used to it.
7: “What do you mean? You’re running 30 kilometres again on Sunday morning?”
That’s right… Long run rules. Believe it or not, the runner would much rather sleep in, have scrambled eggs and watch a marathon… of Netflix series. But no, the alarm will go off at 7:30 a.m. so they can run 30 kilometres through the mist.
8: “Are you still free for the housewarming party on Saturday night?”
The marathon starts at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, so no, there won’t be a housewarming party on Saturday night. The night before a marathon, the only things on the agenda are a carefully planned dinner, herbal tea, a foot massage, legs up… and lights out at 9:30 p.m. What a party.
9: “I don’t know how you manage to stay motivated all the time…”
Neither do they, sometimes. Things are complicated enough already, so please don’t make them worse with comments like that.
10: “We’re out of pasta and rice.”
The ultimate disaster, summed up in one sentence. For a runner in the middle of marathon training, it’s the equivalent of running out of fuel in the middle of the desert. No carbs? Impossible. End of story.
No information about your time, how you felt at the finish or where you placed. Just a simple “Marathon Finisher ✅”.
| Marathon calendar: HERE