2012 Flying Pig Marathon Training

The Flying Pig Marathon this year will almost to the DAY mark when I started running and working out to lose weight. I'd like to run the full marathon. I did the Cincinnati Half-Marathon in October and did OKAY....not happy with my time, but I guess I finished...it was 2:13:02 or something.


So my question is about A.) shoes, and B.) training safely.

A.) I know you are supposed to trade out your shoes about every 600-800 miles....should I actually buy two pairs of shoes??

B.) How do I avoid over-use injuries?? I'm going to be running ALOT, so how do I avoid that?

The Marathon is the 2nd week of May, as far as timeline goes.

Thanks for any help

Replies

  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
    Beuller.....Beuller.
  • courtneyerin86
    courtneyerin86 Posts: 8 Member
    I don't have too much useful advice because I've never run a marathon but I do have some experience with overdoing it and regretting it. Also, this caught my eye as Im a fellow Cincinnatian. *waves* :) I think Im just gonna do the 10k. I know on runners world and coorunning.com they advise against newbie runners doing full or even half marathons. They say it's too much, toon soon and usually leads to injuries.

    But YES for all that training you should get two pairs of shoes. Shoes need a bit to regain that spring in the cusioning. I would look around the net though for some training plans. Runners World has quite a few. Just don't overdo it. I spent a day up at beacon at the beginning of november thinking I had a stress fracture. I didn't *thank God* but I was on my way to one and had to take a few weeks off running. Boo.
  • uthpda
    uthpda Posts: 1 Member
    I ran that last year, it was my first! I have gotten in two more since then and am looking at running it again this year (or would that be next year....2012)

    Shoes....are important. If you can do two pair and rotate them it helps the last longer. Everyone gets different miles out of their shoes..from as little as 300 to as much as 1000. I only get about 500 out of mine before I can tell it is time to replace them. I have struggled to find ones I like and fit/wear well.

    Overuse injuries...probably not a good source, since I am currently getting over Achilles tendinitis. BUT I would say to build slowly (Runners World plan are pretty good), actually take the rest days, run easy on easy days and cross train a little will also help. I often pushed on easy days and did no cross training which I think led to my issues.

    Good luck and you can do it!
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Once you find shoes you like, buy an extra pair or two (as they tweak and change they every year). I run out of two pairs at once (rotate on every run). You should track your mileages and your shoes on your running (not MFP, but a real running log).

    As far as injuries go, train smart and don't be a slave to your training plan (they are guidelines, not gospel).

    What kind of weekly mileage are doing right now? The more base you bring into your training program the better.

    The real key is to be flexible with your goals. If your body is breaking down in training, then 26.2 isn't going to be any fun on race day (I can assure you). There is no magic to the distance, it is a long way.

    Good luck!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
    Thanks for the tips!!

    When I was training for the 1/2 Marathon I was up to about 25-30 miles a week...I know that needs to increase to do 26.2 in one shot.

    I will have to look into getting the multiple pairs of shoes and cycling them.

    I only plan on doing ONE marathon, I want to experience it one time, and then stick with 1/2 Marathons, that distance is okay for me, and the time isn't all that great of an investment like a full marathon...plus I think I'd get bored running for 4.5 damn hours LOL.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    I'll bet you $100 you do more - hard to do just one. It is a tricky distance to do right and it sucks you back in.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Several tips given to me through the ages that worked great.

    Slow down to speed up.
    Huh?
    Yep, by heart rate, slow it down, easier on your system, less prone to injury, but you will speed up again and get faster, at the same lower heart rate. Took me 3 weeks to get faster.
    This means you are burning fat for fuel at a greater percentage than higher HR would be. And less prone to injury from many workout days.

    Google Maffetone heart rate zone or method. It's meant for endurance, and less injury.

    Along with this running style, try not to encourage insulin spikes, especially before runs. insulin turns on fat storage and has you burning stored carbs first - which is in limited supply. And needed to burn the fat anyway.
    Hence the 20 mile wall spoken of when stored glucose runs short and protein must be broken down so fat can keep being burned. Keep a good balance of carbs/protein/fat before a run (or all the time) so body is willing to burn the fat.

    I had no such wall on my first marathon, and didn't take any energy gels/bars/shots. Finished strong. And walked normal the next day.

    Other great tip you can start now. Especially to test the shoes, clothes, ect you will be wearing.

    Make your feet time equal your race time.
    Huh again?
    Have some long training runs every 3rd week if possible where you plan on being on your feet as long as you think you will be running the marathon.
    If 4:30 hrs, then plan a super long warm-up of walking for 45 min, normal run of 60 min, walk 60 min, run again 60 min, cool-down walk of 45 min.
    This will give you the confidence to know you can finish it time-wise, test out how the shirt/shorts will rub (and they will rub differently), how the shoes/socks feel, and not knock out your training for 3 days of recovery. This is so gentle, you can come back after a day off, barring bad blistering you discover.

    Last tip was on the normal short day training sessions.
    While holding to the lower heart rate idea but the upper range, pick 2 or 3 days where you might only be able to get a 45-60 min run in. Get a 10K in 2 times each day. So basically 4x 6 mile runs without more than 12 hrs in between. So maybe Fri night, Sat morning, Sat night, and Sun morning. 6 miles each, 24 miles in 36 hrs.
    Now you have the confidence you can do the distance, and how the body feels after the pounding. Which is different than the time method.

    And get at least an 18 mile training session in, long warm-up/cool-down, but all running in between. I don't have my records handy, but I think that was my longest run. Maybe I did hit 20, but I don't think so, unless it was part of the feet time match race time training, and had increased the running portion.

    These tips all helped get the body used to what it was going to go through, trained it to do it using fat energy, and gave chance to find any potential issues to work out, and keep free from injury.

    The boredom for that long is real, but sometimes just related to lack of glucose and while you feel like you can do it, just mentally don't care. Happened on my first century bike ride too by myself. Just was ready to be done, and bored, and tired and stiff.
  • ralexander82
    ralexander82 Posts: 22 Member
    I'm doing the 10k
  • red01angel
    red01angel Posts: 806 Member
    My little sister is running the Pig Marathon this year....then throwing a party for her husband's law school graduation later that afternoon.

    I don't know how she's going manage all of that in one day...but then she always was the ambitious one. :laugh:
  • DaveC29
    DaveC29 Posts: 232 Member
    The Flying Pig Marathon this year will almost to the DAY mark when I started running and working out to lose weight. I'd like to run the full marathon. I did the Cincinnati Half-Marathon in October and did OKAY....not happy with my time, but I guess I finished...it was 2:13:02 or something.

    2:13 is a VERY respectable time for a new runner. If you have only been running for a year, it take time to build up.

    The McMillan time/distance calculator would have that at about a 4:40 Marathon time which is really close to the average time in most races... Don't beat yourself up about that.

    There has been a lot of good advice so far...

    One thing I would add is stick to your plan- don't over do it because you feel good on a run and decide to add a couple of miles, and only add about 10% to your weekly miles each week to let your body keep up with the demand.

    Love the idea of Walk 45, Run 60, Walk 60, Run 60, Walk 45... gets a lot of time on the feet without pounding your joints for 4.5 hours- good tip!
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
    I unfortunately will not be running in this this year :(

    I was unable to keep up the training and its just too expensive to run. I was thinking of doing the half, but its only $10 cheaper. So maybe just train for a faster time for the half I did last year
  • redlion45
    redlion45 Posts: 155 Member
    The Flying Pig Marathon this year will almost to the DAY mark when I started running and working out to lose weight. I'd like to run the full marathon. I did the Cincinnati Half-Marathon in October and did OKAY....not happy with my time, but I guess I finished...it was 2:13:02 or something.


    So my question is about A.) shoes, and B.) training safely.

    A.) I know you are supposed to trade out your shoes about every 600-800 miles....should I actually buy two pairs of shoes??

    B.) How do I avoid over-use injuries?? I'm going to be running ALOT, so how do I avoid that?

    The Marathon is the 2nd week of May, as far as timeline goes.

    Thanks for any help

    WHAT A COOL NAME FOR A MARATHON!

    I don't run nearly the distances you do, but you are correct as to A). Yes, I buy several pairs of a shoe I like before they discontinue it, so I can change out without having to find a whole new model or brand. It's not like they go bad in 6 months if you leave them in the box. :wink:

    If you can figure out B) you will be rich. Best thing I know of is to increase distances/intensity slowly, and listen to your body. If your feet or legs are telling you to slow down because they hurt, you may want to throttle back before they really stop you in your tracks. At least that is what my orthopaedic surgeon tells me! :laugh:

    Enjoy!