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Health & Exercise
Intro and ? for runners/marathoners/superwomen
Hi ladies, I have been lurking for a few weeks now and thought I owed you an introduction.
Me: 33 year old, SAHM mom of 2 year old twins. About 50 pounds overweight (20 pounds of it is still baby weight-did I mention my babies are now toddlers-ugh!) Pre pregnancy I used to work out 5-7 days a weeks doing cardio and weights and felt awesome. Now if I make it to the gym at all during the week I think it is a miracle. I am very unhappy about my weight and need to do someting to be healthy and a good role model for my kids. I have kinda ventured into running, ahem, I mean slow jogging. A few questions:
1. Is it reasonable for me to train and run a marathon in November? It is a mostly flat course on paved roads. I have until May to get the early bird registration price. Last year I kind of trained for a 1/2 over a 4 month period. My longest run/walk was 9 miles. I chickened out during the last few weeks and didnt do the race. I have not consistenly run since last summer, and even then it was not very far and very slow.
2. Would it be a better idea to drop some weight, since it would be easier on my body, and just train for a half marathon to begin with?
3. I know I lose weight best when I eat about 1800 calories and work out for 1 hour/day. Is that a reasonable amount of calories for training? It seems like it would be low.
4. Where can I find a good training program? Like something that would tell me to run X amount of miles each week, when to increase my mileage, when to start tapering off, what to eat to refuel during runs, etc.
Any thoughts, advice, opinions, motivations are appreciated!
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Re: Intro and ? for runners/marathoners/superwomen
First of all--congrats on your new goal!!
I ran a full marathon in 2006 and now I do 1/2s.
Most marathon training programs run for 6 months so I would say yes, it is totally feasible for you to make it happen by November. You would be starting out as a beginner since you haven't been running consistently, but trust me, it's just like riding a bike...you'll be building up mileage in no time!! I took THREE YEARS off from serious running and came back last summer and have been running 1/2s and loving it.
1. You can do it.
2. If you only have about 50 pounds to lose, you will probably lose a good deal of that by getting into a solid running routine. If you had 4x that much to lose and your joints were going to be at risk, losing the weight first might be an option but I think you'll be okay. Also, you can begin your training (since you have 10 months) aiming for a half BUT I have a feeling you'll be running that kind of mileage by late spring and be ready for the full in November.
3. I have lost A LOT of weight during my training and have been doing so on a low calorie diet. It is monitored and I supplement, take vitamins, etc. but I can tell you that 1800 calories is plenty. Always listen to your body, make sure you are eating at least half of your weight in protein (i.e. 150 pound woman should consume about 75g protein/day) and drink lots of water).
4. I highly recommend Jeff Galloway's training programs. That is what I use and he promotes a walk/run which allows for ample recovery and is also a great program for beginners. Check out jeffgalloway.com for more information. Depending on where you live, there might be an established training group that works with his program.
Definitely join a group as soon as you can find one, it will help motivate you and hold you accountable. If there is a running store in your area, they probably have different groups that meet to run various mileages and paces and you can just jump in with them. They can probably also put you in touch with training groups (like Galloway) that have a goal race that everyone is training for. This is ideal because you would be able to run during the week on your own but meet up with your group for a long run and get support from knowledgeable group leaders, etc.
I HAVE to reiterate: JOIN A GROUP. 26.2 miles is a looooong way to go alone and you'll want at least one other person, if not a whole group (where you can find people that run your pace).
Good luck
Hi!
Many of the answers to you question will be personal since so much of training is self driven.
1. Is it doable, yes. However, you have to realistically ask yourself if you have the commitment (time and otherwise) to successfully train. You don't want to go out too fast and wind up burnt out or injured. If you do have the commitment, slowly start building your base and find a good training program of group.
2 & 3 - I have no answer for
4. It may help to think about some basic goals for your marathon. Is your goal to finish the race? Are you open to a run/ walk combo or do you want to run the whole thing? Are you okay training by yourself or would you like to be part of a training group?
After you've answered that some places to start are:
Your Local Running Store or Running Club
Hal Higdon Programs
https://www.halhigdon.com/#marathon
Runner's World Smart Coach
https://www.runnersworld.com/
The Galloway Method
https://www.jeffgalloway.com/training_groups/list_cities.php
To find races with specific training teams
https://www.marathonguide.com/races/races.cfm
GL!
I have to ditto this. DH and LO are my running partners. I'm also part of a running club. Having company helps reduce the boredom of long runs.
I agree with this, training for a half. If you've never done one (you said you chickened out) try for this first. Marathon training is tough and if you don't know that you can cover the distance, start shorter and build into it. That said, you could certainly do a half before November and still aim for that. I think you can probably do a spring/early summer half- see how you do, how you like it, how much weight you've lost and then decide on the fall mary. But signing up just to get in on the early registration isn't enough reason (in my mind) to commit too early.
You can definitely do it, just start smaller and work towards it. Running is a huge part of my life, it honestly makes me happier when I run. I'm a better person, I look forward to my runs. I run in groups, alone and with my husband/friends. I enjoy all of the company and also the solitude of hours of running alone. You have to find what works for you, but a solid support system is so important!
Also the "runger" Daisy mentioned- so true. Ran 16mi this morning and I'm a garbage disposal...distance running makes you hungry!! lol.
Good Luck, I hope you achieve your goals!! You can do it, just listen to your body!
Beta #1 3/4/14- 105. Beta #2 3/7/13- 397 EDD-11/11/14. 1st u/s 3/20- 6w2d lil' bean with 120hb. 7w0d- lil bean's hb was 144. Graduated from RE 3/25/14.