How to stay on track when it seems hopeless

[cybersister]

I weigh 200lbs and 5 ft 6 inches tallwhich puts me in the obese category. Nonetheless I am not completely unfit and worked in the spring on cycling and managed to cycle the UK coast to coast in July ( around 150 miles in 3 days ).

then I suddenly decided in august that my next challenge would have to be a marathon ( I had already done a half marathon some years ago so felt this would not challenge me). So I have a place in the London Marathon in April.

So the past few weeks I have been going out ( alone ) and slowly built up to be able to jog slowly for 90 minutes. I am fifty one years old

Today the moment of truth- did a 5k in a park run. It took 45 minutes. I knew I was slow but I was shocked to come in last. At this speed the marathon will take 8 hours !

Do I pull out, or just accept that it may be 8 hours

[JustLooking123]

A lot of races have a "maximum" time after which the course closes, so they might not let you officially "finish." Does the race have an associated half-marathon or 10K you could do instead?

 

I've gotta say, it's pretty unusual for someone (who's not an elite athlete, obviously) to assume that a MARATHON won't be a challenge...

[mark982]

it's gonna take alittle while to come back. but it will just give it time,just do the best that you can do. i agree with op, maybe try a 10 k and build up.

[on edge]

150 miles over 3 days on a bike is nothing compared to a marathon. HTH.

[Enema]

I think you should pull out.

 

Then set some realistic running goals.

 

Sub 30m 5k.

Sub 60m 10k.

 

Then work on a half-mara and a Mara.

 

I suggest checking out the c25k program: http://www.c25k.com/

 

(Couch to 5k). It's designed to get you running a decent 5k from a non-runners starting point.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Enema

[Boundary Problem]

I think you should be proud of what you have accomplished so far.

[cybersister]

Thanks to all.

Firstly I found my 5k was NOT 45 minutes but 40- I had gone by my watch but the official time was different- I guess the race had not started on time!

I have been looking at 10ks and a half marathon in the run up to the big one. The London Marathon does not have a cut off time- some charity runners with disabilities have taken several days to complete the London Marathon.

However one run I have signed up to in the run up is a kilomathon in March with a 4 hour cut off, which I may need to pull out of unless I significantly speed up.

I want to do it though if I can because one guide I read said not to attempt a marathon if you cannot do 15 miles a month before. so that will be the test for me.

And yes, of course I knew a marathon would be a challenge- that is the whole point, - I found I was not good at keeping fit without a challenge- ie I started training last feb to do the coast to coast bike ride in July.

With running I did start on the recomnmendation of a friend with the couch to 5k- I started only able to run 5 minutes and got up to 90- just very slow.

 

Having said that I have found that I can defer for a year my place if I suffer an injury, so I may yet do that- keep it as my challenge to work up to but do more 10ks and half marathons this year to make sure that the effort of training is more longlived and hopefully I will get into the habit of exercise rather than do a one off.

 

Because, though Iwas discouraged when I posted I have found that in general i am getting a worthwhile high from from my "runs"

[Brightmoon]

I think you should be proud of what you have accomplished so far.

Here, here!

You are inspirational.

[cybersister]

Well I have not pulled out of the marathon... did a half one ( very slowly- came in last last week). the 5 k time is down to 37.5 minutes- still slow but improving.

The big decision event was the kilomathon which is looming next weekend- the cut off is 4 hours- based on the half marathon time I should be able to get inside this even if not by much .

So then I will have 6 weeks to get fitter for the big marathon.

thing is, though i am doing quite a lot of exercise and am feeling much better, I have not lost weight - in fact last time I checked I was up 5lbs ( to 205lbs) .

Some of the reading I was doing suggested that it is best not to try to lose weight whilst training, but I reckon times cannot improve whilst i am carrying this amount.

So what I was thinking was afther the kilomathon I cut down exercise and concentrate more on diet. What do folk think ?

[You'reasian]

Well I have not pulled out of the marathon... did a half one ( very slowly- came in last last week). the 5 k time is down to 37.5 minutes- still slow but improving.

The big decision event was the kilomathon which is looming next weekend- the cut off is 4 hours- based on the half marathon time I should be able to get inside this even if not by much .

So then I will have 6 weeks to get fitter for the big marathon.

thing is, though i am doing quite a lot of exercise and am feeling much better, I have not lost weight - in fact last time I checked I was up 5lbs ( to 205lbs) .

Some of the reading I was doing suggested that it is best not to try to lose weight whilst training, but I reckon times cannot improve whilst i am carrying this amount.

So what I was thinking was afther the kilomathon I cut down exercise and concentrate more on diet. What do folk think ?

 

How far is the kilomathon?

 

I'm confused because it seems like you've only run a few 5K races and it sounds like you're about to run a full marathon? You say the cutoff time is 4 hours - this sounds like a full 26.2 mile marathon. If you've been sedentary and are obese, running a full marathon (26.2 miles) with a 4-hr cut off time is not realistic for you. Running a marathon could be dangerous for you. 26.2 miles is a long distance to run. People who train to run this race build up to it, by adding a long run each week of training over a period of 10-20 weeks which eventually works up to 20 miles.

 

Listen to your body. If you are experiencing abnormal pain, see your physician.

 

Great job on getting your 5K time down. Keep up the good work! Weight loss occurs by burning more calories than you intake. Diet plays an important part of loosing weight. If you like to feel full after eating, do so with healthy things like lots of salad. If you get a craving for sweats, go for fruit.

 

You can lose weight and improve your running times if you challenge yourself with realistic goals. You've got cybersupport here too, cybersister.

Edited March 7, 2010 by You'reasian

[cybersister]

the 5ks I have done 4-5 times.

I did a half marathon last weekend in 3 hours 6 minutes ( to be fairly certain I could do that I had walked /run 10 miles a couple of weeks before).

the kilomathon is 26.2 kilometres with the 4 hour cut off.

the marathon on 25th april has no time cut off, so actually I think I could walk/ run this - it is the kilomathon which will be the tester.

I feel so much fitter, just wish the weight was coming off and I looked better, but as I said after the kilomathon I think I will do lighter training- maybe more cycling as I find that much easier and get the weight off that way with less strain on the old knees. Overall, though I have been pleased- I was worried that running/ joggiin at my weight would cause real problems ( I had plantar fasciitis last time I tried running - 6 years ago and 2 stone lighter), but I have not had real problems- slight shin splints is all.

Not sure if this is fair but i have been blaming the weight gain on age/ menopause which I am going through.

I did go the the doc to check he was happy with my exercise regime and discuss HRT, and he basically said the more exercise the better, and he is not a fan of HRT, and it is not for me anyway as there is a family history of heart disease

[Enema]

I don't think you should stop or cut back your exercise if you're trying to lose weight.

 

There's obviously some kind of issue here and the only thing we haven't heard about is your diet.

 

Maintain running 30+kms a week and fix your diet imo.

[D-Lish]

I say good for you and all you have accomplished so far!

You should be incredibly proud of yourself.

[lovefitness]

I put my mind somewhere else when the pain kicks in. When my mind drifts back I dont even realize the distance ive covered. It works really well!

[cybersister]

Thanks for support. Well the kilomathon was today and i managed it in 3 hours 51 minutes- so inside the 4 hour cut off.

You are right though, I do need to concentrate on diet- today was tough, only 6 weeks to the marathon and there is not way i want to do that at this weight.

generally I eat a lot of healthy food but also have a big chocolate habit I find hard to conquer and need to manage my portion sizes better

[cybersister]

Well I am STILL 200lbs. I did manage the marathon, and it was 7 hours 2 minutes, not the 8 hours I feared. so from that point of view I am pleased.

After I did the Kilomathon in March, I was a little unwell; my asthma worsened, and I did very little training the last 5 weeks before the big day, and was again contemplating pulling out . About a week before the event I thought I would complete even if I walked it, but the day before I decided that however slow, I had set myself to run a marathon so that is what I would do. No stopping, no walking, just a slow steady trot.

 

I have signed up to do a further half marathon in October to make sure that I keep up some exercise. So I plan to spend the next three months getting serious about my weight, so this will entail exercising but not necessarily running and then 10 weeks training for the event.

 

would love if this forum would encourage this plan. Not decided the diet plan to follow- atkins really does not appeal to me - I need a high fibre diet to feel energetic, but have read that to restrict carbs from noon works, with none after 6 pm so think I will try this. And whatever the plan is, it has to accommodate my afternoon low that usually has me reaching for the chocolate- on a good day I only have one bar . Suggestions welcome.

[cuppa]

I am not a marathon runner but I think I'm quite fit and I run 5k on the weekend from time to time (usually under 30 min time).

 

In term of food, I believe in balanced diet and pre/post workout meals. Before my hard workouts, I always eat:

 

Pre workout:

45 mins before: Apple or Low fat Yoghurt

15 - 30 min before: Banana or if I'm in a rush, power bar (bad I know )

 

Post Workout:

- egg whites

- tons of fibers like celery, carrot

- Another apple (love them )

- Protein shakes (rarely though)

 

I certainly become fitter in the past 6 months (i.e: last year, I could barely do 1 full push up, this month, I can do 30 consecutive push ups and can do 100+ in 15 or 30 min span - and of course, I can run too).

 

So if I workout at lunch time, this means, I eat 6 times.

 

#1 Breakfast 7 AM

#2 Pre Workout meals at 10:30 AM

#3 Post Work-out meals at 12:45 AM

#4 Lunch at 2 PM

#5 Snack at 4:30 PM (or pre-workout meals if I workout after work)

#6 Dinner

 

sometimes, I might snack after dinner if I workout twice a day (I do that in weekdays and rest on the weekend).

 

Hope this helps. I suggest to go www.livestrong.com - there are a lot of good articles and you can join a dare there (run marathon) - you can get better suggestions from people in the same boat, who are preparing for marathon themselves.

 

With eating as many as I do in my weekdays, I hardly get hungry and all those fruits & veggies I ate are quite filling too and there are some days that I actually struggle to eat enough to meet my 1500 - 2000 calories quota.

Edited May 9, 2010 by cuppa