Anyone marathon training and trying to lose?

peacerunner
peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok I know, I have been running long enough to have heard pick one, either try to lose or train for a marathon but you should not do both. However I have been running for 20 years and this is my 4th marathon that I will do and I need to lose weight and running is my thing. So I need to figure it out how to lose while training. Anyone want to be my buddy that has done or is trying to do the same thing?

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    How long is it till your marathon?

    You can run a small deficit.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    edited March 2016
    Well I ran a Half yesterday. I have another half on May 1st. Then I figure my full training can start after that. My full marathon is the wine glass in New York on Oct. 2nd. But I am running a Ragnar Relay in Colorado August 11th so that will be very challenging since I live in Michigan and train at sea level.

    I am going to go see if I can find that long distance running group. I am kind of new to the community so still searching around.

    If I could get the hang of the small deficit it would be good. I am so darn hungry all of the time though. I suspect that I am somewhat of a binge eater but maybe many people training like this deal with the same thing. I just know I need to stop my gain, gain cycle and peel off some pounds (about 35) so I can run more comfortable and wear my clothes.
  • KatieLynnBauer
    KatieLynnBauer Posts: 17 Member
    edited March 2016
    Yes, I'm trying to lose weight and also train for a 10 mile run on May 1st. (My first marathon!)
  • runbabarun
    runbabarun Posts: 89 Member
    I've done many half marathons while losing weight. I injured myself in one, which was my downfall both running and weight loss wise (ironically my fastest pace ever). I've never done a marathon and I would like to do one next year. I average about 35 miles per week in summer, these days I do about 20 in the best of weeks since the Buffalo weather and busy life. I'm a dude, so my calorie needs are different but I could really use and offer good help/support. Open diary. Feel free to add me.
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
    I'm trying to lose a little while half marathon training (right now) and training for my second marathon (this summer). Here's a link to the long-distance running group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners
  • KathyApplebaum
    KathyApplebaum Posts: 188 Member
    Make sure your deficit is small and you get plenty of protein and plenty of sleep. You'll be fine.
  • runbabarun
    runbabarun Posts: 89 Member
    ekat120 wrote: »
    Here's a link to the long-distance running group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners

    Hey thanks for this!

  • arussell134
    arussell134 Posts: 463 Member
    I'm looking to lose maybe 5 more pounds before my marathon (also in October) to be at a lighter weight for a faster time. My goal is to work on that NOW, before I hit the big miles. I've given myself until June to do it, and then I'm going to switch to maintenance (either way). I'm currently at about 35 mpw right now and really starting to feel tired, even on a slight deficit. It's tough!! I'm guessing when I hit those 50-60 mile weeks this summer it's going to be really tough to want to eat at a deficit and it's going to be important to fuel right.

    Good luck on reaching both your goals! :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    KatieLynnBauer wrote: »
    Yes, I'm trying to lose weight and also train for a 10 mile run on May 1st. (My first marathon!)

    A marathon is 26.2 miles
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
    Story of my life! We just bombed out at New Orleans. Fat, sick of training. So right now I'm back at MFP keeping miles small but a lot of them weekly. Training for Pikes Peak in August and after that we are thinking of hitting 4 marathons in a small amount of time. Then drop back to what I'm doing now. The goal is all 50 states but we were doing 4 per year and now the burnout fatness is here.
    Water retention and dehydration from the long runs make the scale hard to judge. Not sure your training program or goal but cutting out some fluff miles and adding in cross training or something different helps.
    And of course. Running does not burn as much as a lot of programs state. Be careful of thinking your allowed to eat bad things or over eat bc you have certain miles ahead.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    I have actually this week commuted to a strength training class a few days a week. It is kind of a boot camp sort of thing but with weights and TRX bands. I have to say cross training has never been something that I have done with consistency along with running. I just run.

    The protein thing is a challenge for me. I have just started to pay attention to it. I am a vegetarian so kind of searching out protein sources and trying to fit them I without being crazy high in calories will be interesting for me.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    peacerunner wrote: »
    Ok I know, I have been running long enough to have heard pick one, either try to lose or train for a marathon but you should not do both. However I have been running for 20 years and this is my 4th marathon that I will do and I need to lose weight and running is my thing. So I need to figure it out how to lose while training.

    Yes, you can lose and train at the same time - especially if you are tanking up on the base hours. Losing weight while doing intense intervals won't yield any improvement, so I'd save most of that until after you've shed the weight.

    October 2nd Marathon? That gives you 6 months. Do you want to lose all 35 pounds before then? Doable, but that's a lot to cut between now and then as you'd have to front end load targeting 2 pounds a week loss - and you'd be grumpy, grouchy, sleepy, weak cutting at that weight while running. One pound a week is more doable while training, and maybe focus on the first 12 - 14 weeks of cutting as much as you can, then rotate into maintenance and feeding your higher intensity work for the final 12 weeks as you build, and peak for your October 2nd race.

  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    Honestly I would be happy to see any loss at all.
    Ok so set my tracker at 1 pound a week loss. I wear a heart rate monitor with my garmin and mfp pulls my runs/exercise from there. Do you guys think the calorie burn is fairly accurate that way?
    I eat exercise calories right? As long as at the end of the day I am close and have not gone over it should work.
  • ImWithHer
    ImWithHer Posts: 19 Member
    following, as I always have weight to lose and I always am reminded of it while training for a race. I run halfs, not fulls, but I assume the same concept applies.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    edited March 2016
    peacerunner wrote: »
    Honestly I would be happy to see any loss at all.
    Ok so set my tracker at 1 pound a week loss. I wear a heart rate monitor with my garmin and mfp pulls my runs/exercise from there. Do you guys think the calorie burn is fairly accurate that way?
    I eat exercise calories right? As long as at the end of the day I am close and have not gone over it should work.

    To lose weight, you must be in a daily deficit. Period. We all tend to underestimate the calories we eat, as well as overestimate those calories a gizmo says we have burned. I would not eat back all of the calories your HR monitor gizmo says you burned. Start with eating only 1/2 of the calories back it claims you burned, weigh yourself daily, and see if the weight loss is working. If not, increase the deficit and focus on more accurate logging of exactly everything you eat. If, on the other hand, the scale does show weight loss is taking place by only eating back 1/2 of the exercise calories - good. You can tweak from there.

    I've got all kinds of gizmos - and they all vary widely at measuring the burn. So you have to learn the learning curve - so to speak - of your gizmo.

    Weight is lost in the kitchen, not out on the exercise trail.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    Ok cool. I will give that a whirl. Half my exercise cals.
    Eventually I will get used to the reduced amount of food right?
    I seem to be hungry all of the time. Honestly I am never sure if it is real hunger or just in my mind. I have an incredibly boring job where I sit at a computer all day and that gives me a lot of time to think about food. I think about running too but I think about food more. Not helpful at all.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Training for a half ironman, so not quite the same thing, but basically the same thing.

    I'm steadily loosing.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    What are you doing that is working? How are you feeling for your workouts? Care to share?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    peacerunner wrote: »
    What are you doing that is working? How are you feeling for your workouts? Care to share?

    Nothing special. I'm eating a fairly small deficit. My recovery isn't what it could be if I were eating more, but it's not preventing me from doing what I need to do at this point. When my training intensity increases it may become a problem, but for now most of my training is long, slow stuff, so some tired legs are pretty easy to work through.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    Interesting.
    I think it is clear that I need to spend a whole heck of a lot more time and energy on the food part of my weight loss journey. I need to plan better obviously and tighten up on the extras that I have here and there.
  • discnjh
    discnjh Posts: 33 Member
    I started tracking my weight in MFP on Oct 7, 2014, at 185 lbs. On January 18, 2015, at 162 lbs, I ran a marathon in 3:39, which was only 4 minutes off of my PR.

    So yeah, you can lose weight and train for a marathon at the same time. I'm sure there's some perfect answer as far as what level of being lighter on race day outweighs the reduction in how hard you can effectively train because you're at a deficit, but I don't know what it is. :p
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    Wow. Good to hear. You lost fairly quickly while still training. Fast marathon!!
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    edited March 2016
    Great book called Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald.

    It can and will answer most of your questions and guide you to your ideal racing weight.

    It's pretty normal to think about food a lot of the time. Nothing at all is wrong with that. Just make sure you are eating at a deficit (CICO) to lose the weight.

    I had a beautiful tuna steak last night, veggies stir fried in the wok, some wine, bread - all which I thought about in the afternoon at work.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    peacerunner wrote: »
    I seem to be hungry all of the time. Honestly I am never sure if it is real hunger or just in my mind.

    What are you hungry for? If you picture yourself eating a salad, does that feel like it would satisfy you? If so, you're probably hungry, if not, it's probably in the mind.

    Also, are you drinking enough at work? I have a similar job and I find I don't drink enough, drinking more water fills me up and satisfies the hunger.
  • peacerunner
    peacerunner Posts: 30 Member
    Yeah I am never hungry for a salad

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