Marathon, would you, did you?

jvball21

Warning, this is a long read..

Anyone training for a marathon? Would you like to share how or why you decided to register for one, or planning to?

I started running on a treadmill last December, before I even heard of Myfitnesspal website. I was looking for ways to lose weight, and I wanted to get into weight lifting to tone up too. I’ll admit I’m a little shallow, I wanted to be able to take my shirt off in the hot summer days and not feel a shame of my gut. But whatever motivates you, right?

I would play volleyball twice a week over the winter but I got injured with a bulging disc on my lower back. Painful, let me tell you. I avoided surgery by going to physical therapy and fortunately I recovered in about 4 sessions up to where I didn’t need to take pain killers anymore. Stretching is a miracle drug! You need to stretch to stay limber otherwise your tight muscles don’t want to bend with your body resulting in injuries, I’m speaking from experience. Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Anyway… with all the stretching I did. My body started to feel good enough for me to hit the weights. As I toned up a bit, I started to feel confident and pushed myself to get on the treadmill again. I noticed I wasn’t losing weight with all the exercise I was doing, so I started to research the web to find out why. That’s when I found Myfitnesspal, and a couple of other sites like it. MFP was the most helpful in my opinion so I stopped using the other sites and stuck to this one. Well, I found out why I wasn’t losing weight… I was eating too much! So I tried cutting calories and overall since December, I’ve dropped 20lbs. I haven’t met my goal weight yet but I’ll get there.

When the weather hit about 50 degrees back in March one day, I took my running outside. To my surprise I had goods results on my first run outdoors. My treadmill had me believing I was running a mile in 17 minutes. ( I think I can walk faster than that). My handheld GPS said otherwise. I logged 4 miles in 48 minutes (12 min mile).Hey! I was happy with that. So happy that I signed up for a 5K run on April 12th. My wife wasn’t convinced I was ready for this. She made the effort to get up early with me and go to the race, not to cheer me on but to make sure I didn’t drop dead on the course. I finished without stopping (that was my goal) and my official time was 31:13. A 10 min mile! Long ways from 17 min according to my treadmill. I was getting motivated even more. I started looking for other events to run.

Then it happened. I got a flyer in the mail. It listed 3 races coming up. The Chicago Marathon, Banco Popular Half Marathon and another marathon in another state. I asked my wife. Is this coincidence? Then I realized I probably got it because I ran that 5K earlier, duh!

I showed the flyer to my brother-in-law(B-I-L). He was going to run the Chicago Marathon last year but he got the same injury I had (back) and he had to miss it. He sort of dismissed the flyer I showed him, he’s still in a bit of pain because he’s stubborn and won’t go to physical therapy. So I sort of talked myself out of it too, thinking there’s no way I could do a full marathon.

About 3 weeks passed and my B-I-L came up to me at work (we work at same place) and told me he signed up for the Milwaukee Marathon on the Lake in October. He said his back was improving and he’s been running. He wanted to know if I would sign up too. I was still skeptical about making 26 miles. He said he tried to sign up for the Chicago Marathon but registration was closed, so he signed up for Milwaukee. I told him I would think about it and let him know. He gave me the website address to look it up. Out of curiosity I looked it up. I saw a link where you can see who is registered and I looked up my B-I-L, just to make sure he wasn’t pulling my leg about having registered, not that he would do such a thing. Sure enough, he registered.

The more I read on their website the more courage’s I started to feel. I whipped out the cc and registered. Gulp! What have I done!? I went to cancel and found out that there are no refunds! Guess I have to train now. So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

If you're into gadgets... you can try the Garmin Forerunner 305. I just bought one and used it for the first time today on a 5 mile run. I'm still learning the ins and outs of this, but it keeps records on just about anything you could think about and you can upload that info to your computer and to a website to help you keep track of your training. A neat feature is the PACE feature, which is something you can use to tell you if your going too fast or too slow. It also keeps distance traveled because it has a built in GPS (main reason I got it). It also records calories burned with a chest strap and your heart rate. It has so many features to list.

jvball21

Warning, this is a long read..

Anyone training for a marathon? Would you like to share how or why you decided to register for one, or planning to?

I started running on a treadmill last December, before I even heard of Myfitnesspal website. I was looking for ways to lose weight, and I wanted to get into weight lifting to tone up too. I’ll admit I’m a little shallow, I wanted to be able to take my shirt off in the hot summer days and not feel a shame of my gut. But whatever motivates you, right?

I would play volleyball twice a week over the winter but I got injured with a bulging disc on my lower back. Painful, let me tell you. I avoided surgery by going to physical therapy and fortunately I recovered in about 4 sessions up to where I didn’t need to take pain killers anymore. Stretching is a miracle drug! You need to stretch to stay limber otherwise your tight muscles don’t want to bend with your body resulting in injuries, I’m speaking from experience. Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Anyway… with all the stretching I did. My body started to feel good enough for me to hit the weights. As I toned up a bit, I started to feel confident and pushed myself to get on the treadmill again. I noticed I wasn’t losing weight with all the exercise I was doing, so I started to research the web to find out why. That’s when I found Myfitnesspal, and a couple of other sites like it. MFP was the most helpful in my opinion so I stopped using the other sites and stuck to this one. Well, I found out why I wasn’t losing weight… I was eating too much! So I tried cutting calories and overall since December, I’ve dropped 20lbs. I haven’t met my goal weight yet but I’ll get there.

When the weather hit about 50 degrees back in March one day, I took my running outside. To my surprise I had goods results on my first run outdoors. My treadmill had me believing I was running a mile in 17 minutes. ( I think I can walk faster than that). My handheld GPS said otherwise. I logged 4 miles in 48 minutes (12 min mile).Hey! I was happy with that. So happy that I signed up for a 5K run on April 12th. My wife wasn’t convinced I was ready for this. She made the effort to get up early with me and go to the race, not to cheer me on but to make sure I didn’t drop dead on the course. I finished without stopping (that was my goal) and my official time was 31:13. A 10 min mile! Long ways from 17 min according to my treadmill. I was getting motivated even more. I started looking for other events to run.

Then it happened. I got a flyer in the mail. It listed 3 races coming up. The Chicago Marathon, Banco Popular Half Marathon and another marathon in another state. I asked my wife. Is this coincidence? Then I realized I probably got it because I ran that 5K earlier, duh!

I showed the flyer to my brother-in-law(B-I-L). He was going to run the Chicago Marathon last year but he got the same injury I had (back) and he had to miss it. He sort of dismissed the flyer I showed him, he’s still in a bit of pain because he’s stubborn and won’t go to physical therapy. So I sort of talked myself out of it too, thinking there’s no way I could do a full marathon.

About 3 weeks passed and my B-I-L came up to me at work (we work at same place) and told me he signed up for the Milwaukee Marathon on the Lake in October. He said his back was improving and he’s been running. He wanted to know if I would sign up too. I was still skeptical about making 26 miles. He said he tried to sign up for the Chicago Marathon but registration was closed, so he signed up for Milwaukee. I told him I would think about it and let him know. He gave me the website address to look it up. Out of curiosity I looked it up. I saw a link where you can see who is registered and I looked up my B-I-L, just to make sure he wasn’t pulling my leg about having registered, not that he would do such a thing. Sure enough, he registered.

The more I read on their website the more courage’s I started to feel. I whipped out the cc and registered. Gulp! What have I done!? I went to cancel and found out that there are no refunds! Guess I have to train now. So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

If you're into gadgets... you can try the Garmin Forerunner 305. I just bought one and used it for the first time today on a 5 mile run. I'm still learning the ins and outs of this, but it keeps records on just about anything you could think about and you can upload that info to your computer and to a website to help you keep track of your training. A neat feature is the PACE feature, which is something you can use to tell you if your going too fast or too slow. It also keeps distance traveled because it has a built in GPS (main reason I got it). It also records calories burned with a chest strap and your heart rate. It has so many features to list.

yellow_pepper

I'm currently training for the "10 miles to Soldier Field" run on May 24. I'm on track with my training: this afternoon I ran 8 miles. I haven't run that far in almost 3 years!

By 2005, I had some experience in road-racing, with several 5-mile races, and a 10K under my belt. So I decided to train for a half-marathon. And I hurt myself. The radiologist told me that I tore one of the muscles that holds your shin bone. This happened one night on the treadmill. I had run about 4 miles when it felt like someone had struck a hammer to my shin. I was out of commission for 3 months. For several weeks, I had trouble walking, especially down stairs.

Since my injury, I have been wary of training for a half-marathon again. A number of my colleagues and friends had run full-length marathons, and the most experienced runner in the bunch tore her Achilles tendon. That is a very disabling injury. She many never be able to run again, but I suppose she thought it was worth it to run the Boston Marathon.

I am very risk-averse, as far as injury is concerned, but after running a 10K in under 54 minutes last spring, I decided to run the 10-mile race this year. Depending on how that goes, I may find a half-marathon to run a few weeks later, since I will be just about ready after I run the 10-miler. But I do not see a marathon in my future, because I do not want to injure myself.

A marathon is quite a goal for a runner who is just getting up to 5-mile runs. Perhaps you could try a few shorter races first? I know that several running clubs / gyms in Chicago have training groups for area marathons and half-marathons. Check out the CARA website and Chicago Fitness magazine to find a group to train with. You will want some coaching to make sure that your technique is good, as poor technique is the most common cause of injury. And most runners who did not do track or cross country in school could use some technical help.

Good luck to you and keep posting!

YP

mkeithley

A marathon is quite a goal for a runner who is just getting up to 5-mile runs. Perhaps you could try a few shorter races first?


YP

The race is in October, that is ample time for you to train for a marathon, which probably should include 5 and 8ks, maybe a half marathon. I am sure you can do it. Where I live there are always groups who get together to train for fundraising marathons(I'm sorry I can't recall the name of the group or organization, I'm sure a little google-ing could supply you with this info), like the one at Disney, one in Hawaii, etc. and alot of them have never even ran a 5k before. You have the motivation. I have more drive and a competitive spirit in me now that I'm getting closer to 40, I guess I feel I have something to prove:laugh: Kind of the "I can do whatever you can do and better even though I'm older" thing:laugh: . I even think there is a "Dummies" series called "MArathons/Running for Dummies", not to imply you are a dummy, but you know what I mean .
Good luck!

beep

My father ran his first marathon (LA marathon) at 61, and placed in his age group. If he could do it, you can do it.

ME?????????? I only run to the fridge....

mkeithley

My father ran his first marathon (LA marathon) at 61, and placed in his age group. If he could do it, you can do it.

ME?????????? I only run to the fridge....

I used to say I only ran if someone was after me w/a knife :laugh:

beep

So, the question is................. who's after you?????:laugh:

mkeithley

Only the voices in my head:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

beep

Hey, Girl, talk to Shannon about running.

mkeithley

Thanks for the referral:flowerforyou:

kimdommerc

I am training for my first marathon as of Monday. I will be running in the Chicagon marathon in October.
I also just finished my first 10K today I am actually running the marathon for charity. I running for team hole in the wall. The charity was started by Paul Newman and what it does is send children with very serious illness such as cancer or HIV to camp for a week. They get to actually play and be kids for one whole week and while they are there all of their medical care is free. So because I have had a personal experience with a child with cancer, the charity is very dear to me. I figure if those little
kids can deal with all of their pain everyday, I can deal with all the pain that comes with training for and running a marathon.

If you get a chance check out my webpage at www.teamholeinthewall.org and click "be a sponsor". then select the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Search for me by name Kimberly Stevens.

Also, if you are still interested in the Chicago Marathon, which is supposed to be the best one to do for your first because it is a flat course, becoming part of Team Hole in the Wall will get you into that race.
Just check it out and see what you think! Good luck!

mkeithley

Got this from a friend who works for "the Running store" in my area, thought it might be helpful :flowerforyou: and at the end there are a couple of experts and their books, one is affiliated with the Chi town marathon.

So you want to run a marathon? Here are a few necessities before you start.

Your weekly mileage should be at no less than 30 miles per week.
Allow 12 weeks before your selected marathon.
Increase overall weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent each week.
Pick a fairly flat course for your first-time marathon.
Practice your training runs with gels and hydration products that you will use on race day. Do not try anything new during the race.
Allow yourself a rest week every 3rd week. If you are running 14, 16, then 18 miles for your weekly long run, go back down to 12 or 14 on the third week, then increase from there.
Do not change anything for race day that you have not tried in practice -- no new shoes, inserts, clothing, etc. Make sure that you have done at least one long run in whatever you are going to wear.
Try to get in at least three 20-mile training runs before the marathon. Make sure your final 20 miler is a minimum of two weeks prior to the race.

Hal Higdon has an excellent training program for beginners, intermediates, and advanced runners on the Chicago marathon website.

Jeff Galloway also has a program that his been used by many over the last 20 years. He has two books -- Galloway's Book on Running, and Marathon.

yellow_pepper

It appears that another member has taken part of my post out of context.

I didn't say you shouldn't do it ... It is just my opinion that you might do a 10K and a half-marathon before you do a marathon. It could even be part of your training.

That said, many very experienced runners injure themselves training for a marathon. So anyone who is training to run one should be careful, and probably consult a coach for help with their technique. I have benefited from the help of a very fine coach (when I lived in NY), and I can't tell you how many runners I see out there who are damaging their knees and wasting energy through their arms (though if the goal is to burn calories at the expense of speed and endurance, I guess that works).

Again, good luck!

yellow_pepper

Scratch the first line. Sorry MK. It's 2 AM and I'm ... zzzz.

jvball21

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the encouragements. I'm sure I can do this but I am a bit nervous about it. I have a training schedule put together by Hal Higdon. It's an 18 week schedule. I'm starting it early since I have 22 weeks before the race. I do plan on running a couple of 5K and 10K's as part of my training.

mkeithley, I admire your attitude. I'm very competitive myself and I push myself all the time. I love it when I go play volleyball against 20 and 30 year olds and they see me for the first time and freak out when I serve aces and spike balls in the opponents chest. The look in their eyes say "wow this old fart can play"! I don't trash talk so it really throws people for a loop:laugh:

"Your weekly mileage should be at no less than 30 miles per week." Hey, I'm training just to complete the marathon... not win it!:noway:

Kimberly, congratulations on your 10K. I got your message about the Chicago Marathon, but it's too late now, since I already registered for Milwaukee. It's going to be hard enough to run one marathon let alone 2 I wish you the best of luck on your race.

BabyGrlRae

You can absolutely do it! You have just the right amount of time to train for a marathon in a way that allows you to accelerate at a good pace to avoid injury.

If you're still interested in running Chicago, I recommend doing it with Team in Training. Team in Training works with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so it does involve fundraising ($4k commitment) but is soooo worth it. My husband did the Chicago Marathon with them last year and I ran the San Francisco Women's Half Marathon with them. Along with the benefit of helping others, you get a team of people to run with (a lot of first-timers as well) and a coach who will provide you with ample training as well as a schedule. For more info go to http://www.teamintraining.org/

If you'd like to avoid the fundraising (which is actually not nearly as bad as it may sound) there are plenty of training schedules available online that include tips on nutrition and cross training.

I also recommend a Nike Plus with an iPod Nano (if you have one). The addition of the Nike Plus to the iPod allows you to track your pace and distance while you run and listen to music. It also gives you updates over the earbuds every mile. It uploads all your information online so you can check out where you slow down, speed up and how you're progressing. It also has a "power song" feature that allows you to pick a song to play when you're feeling particularly worn down.

jvball21

I also recommend a Nike Plus with an iPod Nano (if you have one). The addition of the Nike Plus to the iPod allows you to track your pace and distance while you run and listen to music. It also gives you updates over the earbuds every mile. It uploads all your information online so you can check out where you slow down, speed up and how you're progressing. It also has a "power song" feature that allows you to pick a song to play when you're feeling particularly worn down.

BabyGrlRae,
I've heard of the Nike+ but I've found something that has very similar features minus the music. I just bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 and used it for the first time this past Saturday. It keeps track of every thing you could think of i.e. Distance, pace, time, laps, heart rate etc. You can also upload to Motionbased.com where you can analyze your information and even have your routes put on Google Earth. I'm waiting to try the "Virtual Partner" feature where you can set goals and when you start your run, you're competing against your set goals or you can compete against a previous run. I love gadgets! You can keep track of up to 3 different sports, running, biking and other. You can run anywhere and not get lost with the built in GPS navigation. So far I love it... but I also said that about my Polar F11:blushing:

melathon

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the encouragements. I'm sure I can do this but I am a bit nervous about it. I have a training schedule put together by Hal Higdon. It's an 18 week schedule. I'm starting it early since I have 22 weeks before the race. I do plan on running a couple of 5K and 10K's as part of my training.

I used Hal Higdon's plan for 3 of my 4 marathons and it works great. The key is to be sure you have a ~10-15 mi/week good base for several weeks/months before you start. Then things go much better!

Good luck and congratulations on tackling a marathon!

msarro

Its one of my big goals. For now, I just want to make it to a 5k, and then a 10k. After that... well... we'll see how it goes.