Updates and tips on choosing your race distance

This season, I have cut back on my road racing to focus on trail races. So far, I have had two first places and one second place in the 30K distance. I did finish a 50K, but was 8th out of 8 men in my age group. An accomplishment, but i discovered that this distance is not for me. More on this later.

My next race is the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2009. This is my first time running the oldest
road race in the USA and you could say it's been on my "bucket list" for a long time. My only goal is to run faster than my time in the Eugene Maraton, 3:25. Other than that, I am going back to see one of my daughters who lives in New York.

As I mentioned above, I discovered that I am more competitive in the shorter distances-half marathons and 30Ks (18 miles) than I am at the Marathon and ultra marathons. I am basing this opinion on running all of these races at or near the limits of my potential and comparing my finishes. The best finish in a marathon for my age group has been 14th, while I've won at the shorter distances. Granted, the fields at trail races are smaller, but I enjoy them more because the atmosphere is more relaxed and the entry fees are cheaper. I also recover faster from trail races than in the road races which is important because I like to get back to serious training as soon as possible after a race.

Tips for choosing your distance

1) Try them all, from 5ks to marathon provided you have have the experience.
2) Treat a new distance as "training" and see how you feel during and after the race.
3) Gauge how hard your effort is versus your results. Does a short intense 5K feel much better
than the longer slower paced events? Or vice versa?
4) Do you prefer destination races? New York, Boston, London, Italy? Then, the marathon or half marathons are what you should be training for because these races only offer those distances.
5) What do your friends like to run?
6) Do you like to do charity runs?
7) Do you even have the time or interest in training for a marathon? If not, then training for a 5K or 10K is much easier and less time consuming.

Good luck! Please give me whatever feedback you have, I'm always interested in learning from you!