Marathon Club (questions, training, etc.)

johnwhitent

A good friend ran his first marathon years ago (decades ago!) when Gatorade was new and relatively unknown. My friend became severely dehydrated and at 3 am called his doctor for advice. The doc told him about Gatorade and his wife got him some and it worked for him. Later he found out that he had dialed in error and reached his veterinarian not his doctor. Good thing the vet was a runner!

Sorry if this is not really training advice; I just laugh every time I think of it and wanted to share it.

kicklikeaGIRL

I love checking up on these marathon support posts....

I would LOVE to run a Full Marathon....it is one of my goals for 2012. My goal for 2011 is to shed some excess weight and run like a mad woman! I want to properly train and have as much energy as I can to train for a Full...and I feel like if I were focused on also trying to shed pounds, that I wouldn't be able to really amp up my training. I know this sounds silly, but with what I've heard from others, is that its difficult to be training for a big major race and lose weight at the same time. Is there a lot of truth to that?

I'm running 7 Half Marathons this summer....just completed my first Half of the year last weekend and PR'd! Yahoo! Looking forward to some challenges with my races this summer, as well as a few speedy downhill courses.

Also, what kind of doctor/physical therapist do you start with when you feel you are having some joint/tendon/muscle problems? I'm just curious...I've had a slight pain in my knee, and I wanted to go get it checked out to see what I can do to heal it before I mess it up completely....and I don't even know where to start, or I guess who to start with?!?

YogaRunner

I'm running my first 1/2 marathon in less then 2 weeks and I have shin splints...... I'm so frusterated!!! I've stretched and stretched, and ben gayed and icy hotted......

I used to get shin splints when I first started running. Then I found a simple and effective exercise and haven't gotten them since. When sitting down, stretch your legs out in front of you with your feet flexed (toes up and back toward your nose). Hold that flexed position for two minutes straight, then release. Repeat this several times a day for 2-3 days and your shin splints should subside. Hope it helps!

YogaRunner

I love checking up on these marathon support posts....

I would LOVE to run a Full Marathon....it is one of my goals for 2012. My goal for 2011 is to shed some excess weight and run like a mad woman! I want to properly train and have as much energy as I can to train for a Full...and I feel like if I were focused on also trying to shed pounds, that I wouldn't be able to really amp up my training. I know this sounds silly, but with what I've heard from others, is that its difficult to be training for a big major race and lose weight at the same time. Is there a lot of truth to that?

I'm running 7 Half Marathons this summer....just completed my first Half of the year last weekend and PR'd! Yahoo! Looking forward to some challenges with my races this summer, as well as a few speedy downhill courses.

Also, what kind of doctor/physical therapist do you start with when you feel you are having some joint/tendon/muscle problems? I'm just curious...I've had a slight pain in my knee, and I wanted to go get it checked out to see what I can do to heal it before I mess it up completely....and I don't even know where to start, or I guess who to start with?!?

Hey girl! You are doing awesome!!
As for knee pain, I'd suggest starting with a Chiropractor, one who specializes in working with athletes or runners. If there are running stores in your area, they often know of docs that work with runners and can make recommendations. If you need someone more specialized, like a bone doctor,, a good chiro should point you in that direction if its needed.

CakeFit21

I love checking up on these marathon support posts....

I would LOVE to run a Full Marathon....it is one of my goals for 2012. My goal for 2011 is to shed some excess weight and run like a mad woman! I want to properly train and have as much energy as I can to train for a Full...and I feel like if I were focused on also trying to shed pounds, that I wouldn't be able to really amp up my training. I know this sounds silly, but with what I've heard from others, is that its difficult to be training for a big major race and lose weight at the same time. Is there a lot of truth to that?

I'm running 7 Half Marathons this summer....just completed my first Half of the year last weekend and PR'd! Yahoo! Looking forward to some challenges with my races this summer, as well as a few speedy downhill courses.

Also, what kind of doctor/physical therapist do you start with when you feel you are having some joint/tendon/muscle problems? I'm just curious...I've had a slight pain in my knee, and I wanted to go get it checked out to see what I can do to heal it before I mess it up completely....and I don't even know where to start, or I guess who to start with?!?

Hey girl! You are doing awesome!!
As for knee pain, I'd suggest starting with a Chiropractor, one who specializes in working with athletes or runners. If there are running stores in your area, they often know of docs that work with runners and can make recommendations. If you need someone more specialized, like a bone doctor,, a good chiro should point you in that direction if its needed.

I'll second that chiro suggestion. Look for one who can perform ART. It hurts in the moment but you can get almost instant relief. I'd also suggest going sooner than later. Knee problems only get worse and in runners the problem isn't usually your knee at all. Good luck!!

kicklikeaGIRL

Thanks ladies!! I think I will start looking for a good Chiropractor in the area.

My next race is completely opposite of my last Half Marathon on Saturday. Saturday's race was a 1/2 mile hill followed by 12 miles downhill (coming out of the canyon in the mountains) and about 1 mile flat. It was fantastic! My June 11th Half Marathon is completely opposite! Pretty much the first 10 miles are uphill...its up&down hills that gradually escalate in elevation followed by the last 3 miles downhill. So, in this case I cannot even compare my two times. Its funny living in the mountains....either your race is going to be freaking hard as can be...or an amazing speedy downhill course. Either way my quads or my big fat butt are going to hurt after one of my races, despite the training I do on both up and downhill courses. I DO have 2 races planned that are FLAT! One of them is in Minnesota and the other is just some little farmland rolling hills.

I was planning on a hard 5 mile hill run tonight...hoping it doesn't snow. WHAT? snow you ask? Yes. Weather forecast predicts scattered rain AND SNOW showers! What the heck!? I don't mind if it snows or rains, so much...but I sure hope the wind isn't 30mph like it is now. yikes.

arc918

A bunch of my running friends rave about ART, so I tried it on two occasions (for a couple months each time). For me, I found they were treating the symptoms but doing enough to help me address and resolve the cause. They'd work me over, then tell me to stretch and spend 30 seconds showing my how to do it.

I credit my physical therapist with my recovery from 1.5+ years on hamstring and glute injury issues. He showed my exactly what I needed to do (stretch,etc.) and we'd spend an hour and half doing it each appointment. He made sure I knew what each movement felt like so I could do them on my own instead of having to come to his clinic.

I also tried some massage appointments and confirmed what I already knew - I HATE MASSAGES. Just not my thing, even if it was effective. Laying under a sheet with new age music and smelly oil = no thanks (for me). Working out in the gym like clinic of my PT = right up my alley.

Moral of the story, you need to figure out what works for you.

scottb81

I know this sounds silly, but with what I've heard from others, is that its difficult to be training for a big major race and lose weight at the same time. Is there a lot of truth to that?

It can be done, but it takes some discipline and calorie management. The problem is that when you start running higher mileage nearly every day you cannot cut calories too much or the training will suffer. Glycogen depletion on top of the normal fatigue that accumulates leads to extreme tiredness and poor workouts. At the same time it is really easy to tell yourself that you can eat anything you want since you are running so much. So, you can lose weight but only by tracking calories closely and making sure that what you do eat provides to needed nutrients to support muscle recovery and refueling between workouts.

sdereski

A good friend ran his first marathon years ago (decades ago!) when Gatorade was new and relatively unknown. My friend became severely dehydrated and at 3 am called his doctor for advice. The doc told him about Gatorade and his wife got him some and it worked for him. Later he found out that he had dialed in error and reached his veterinarian not his doctor. Good thing the vet was a runner!

Sorry if this is not really training advice; I just laugh every time I think of it and wanted to share it.

:laugh: Love that story. :laugh:

DrAlexz

Thinking of running the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. Has anyone run it?

DrAlexz

I am doing my first full on Sunday. Great thread. I currently use Runner's World Smart Coach app for training.

I hope that your first marathon went spectacularly! You'll never forget your first (:

(Also hope you're not hobbling around too much...)

arc918

Thinking of running the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. Has anyone run it?

I have not run, but I was looking into it, so I read the reviews on marathonguide.com - looks like a good race. I believe it sells out too.