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Comment by fair_enough | Hacker News Reader

Reminds me of a time-honored aphorism in running:

A marathon consists of two halves: the first 20 miles, and then the last 10k (6.2mi) when you're more sore and tired than you've ever been in your life.

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This is 100% unrelated to the original article but I feel like there's an underreported additional first half. As a bigger runner who still loves to run, the first two or three miles before I have enough endorphins to get into the zen state that makes me love running is the first half, then it's 17 miles of this amazing meditative mindset. Then the last 10k sucks.

Just, ftr, endorphins cannot pass the blood brain barrier

http://hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/th...

So a runner’s high is more like a literal high then? Interesting

Ha! Endorphins are "endogenous opioid peptides produced by the pituitary and hypothalamus glands that function as the body's natural painkillers and mood regulators".

"They are part of the endogenous opioid system", so either way was talking about literal highs.

The endocannabinoid system (I hope that I have the spelling correct) is a relatively recent discovery (1980s on), and is quite fascinating on how integral to the human body it is

I suspect that is true for many difficult physical goals.

My dad told me that the first time you climb a mountain, there will likely be a moment not too distant from the top when you would be willing to just sit down and never move again, even at the risk to your own life. Even as you can see the goal not far away.

He also said that it was a dangerous enough situation that as a climb leader he'd start kicking you if he had to, if you sat down like that and refused to keep climbing. I'm not a climber myself, though, so this is hearsay, and my dad is long dead and unable to remind me of what details I've forgotten.

I think I hated life most after 20 miles. Especially in training.

Why just run 20 miles then?

Because it would be 16 miles of bliss and 4 miles of torture then. The point is the last section of the run is always significantly harder - it’s even the same for 5k

Because then it wouldn't be a challenge and nobody would care about the achievement.

I’m curious do ultramarathoners feel the same way about the rest of the race past 20 miles?

I've heard it claimed that an ultramarathon is fundamentally a different experience because while it definitely requires excellent physical stamina, it has a large mental component to it, as well as a much bigger focus on nutrition. Very different sort of race, I guess.

there are multiple cycles from highs to lows and back and then typically a larger dominant split similar what was discussed here for the marathon but scaled to the distance.

Yes. I've run numerous 50Ks, 50 milers, 100ks and 100 milers. I felt like crap after 20 miles in almost all of them. Most of getting better at ultramarathons is learning to keep going when feeling like crap. Oddly, the one race that was an exception is probably the hardest one of them I did on paper - in that case I was going so slowly from the beginning that I never really hit a 20 mile wall.

the split would be first 80 and las t 20 miles +-10 miles.

This makes no sense.

20 miles is still a challenge, and how many people run marathons because someone else is impressed if you run 26 miles, but couldn't care less if you run 20?

because that'd be quitting the race with 6.2 miles left to go

You could run a half marathon.

yeah but anyone can do that

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