depends how important race results are to you. i’m certainly not someone who thinks a 5 hour marathon is better than a 3 hour marathon because you get to spend more time enjoying the fun race environment. on the other hand, running for a longer time instead of trying to faster might not only reduce the time you spend off due to injury, but keep you healthier overall. most studies of how exercise helps older people show that the more time you spend exercising, the longer you live.
i don’t know about you, but as a non-elite runner, given the choice between finishing my last boston marathon at age 60 in 