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No, I do not believe that a whole lot of recreational runners are properly trained for the marathon - they're simply trained enough to finish, period. I would never enter a marathon with the goal of simply finishing - not just because I would never put my body or my health in that kind of jeopardy, but because to me races are about competition and improvement - or used to be, before all the non-athletes starting whining about how much their feelings were being hurt by being excluded from the mythical "club". And what club is that, exactly? The club for people with discipline and commitment, or the club for people who want a medal for just showing up?
I could go out today and the spend the afternoon shuffling along for 26 miles and what have I accomplished? I've covered a distance. For some of us, the point is not just covering a distance. For others I suppose the point is covering a distance with a big crowd watching and a medal waiting for them at the end.
