This fat girl runs, breathes and believes

This Fat Girl Runs

I have been really lax about posting my training logs, but I haven't been feeling guilty or anything. I suppose I just needed a little break from the blog/log/posting. Anyway, I had a really good week this week so now is as good as time as any to get back to it, right?!

Monday 9th February
No running today but I had a one hour workout with my trainer. I did a circuit of weights and cardio. It was good, really kept the heart rate up and I managed more weights than usual.

Wednesday 11th February
I've been running my shorter distances faster than ever and really feeling confident about my abilities lately. I've also had to switch back to evening running for a bit and I'm still not sure how I feel about that!
Distance: 3.1km
Time: 24:48

Thursday 12th February
Keeping up with the shorter, faster runs but pushed it a little further tonight.
Distance: 3.61k
Time: 29:14

Saturday 14th February
Planned a long run in the morning, was going to go 5 miles but I felt so great I ended up running further! I kept to a slower pace deliberately; I wasn't trying to beat any records. Perfect weather for running too, cool but not cold, breezy but not windy, bright but not sunny.

I also had my usual one hour workout with my trainer, concentrating on arms and core with weights and pilates.

Distance: 9.1km
Time: 1:16:04

All in all I count this as a very successful week! I accomplished what I wanted to do, pushed myself to do more and ended each day smiling for it.

Next week will be somewhat different. I am going to the Netherlands for the weekend to visit a friend. I will try to get a run in but won't feel guilty if I don't!

Dubgal72

Good to see you back You sound happy with how things are going! Enjoy the trip.

This Fat Girl Runs

Not a lot of running from me (again, but there's a reason which will become apparent in time!) but I did run the St. Patrick's Festival 5k so am posting part of my race report here. Full report with photos is on my blog for those interested!

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On Sunday, 15th March I ran the St. Patrick’s Festival 5k. I didn’t get a PB like I hoped but I did learn a lot of good things that will help my future running/racing plans. I can’t say this was my favourite race of all time, but I think it was the most beneficial one!

So what did I learn from running this race?

Lesson One: I need to take a minute before a race to ensure my shoelaces are tied! I didn’t notice my shoelace was undone while we shuffle/walked to the start line once the horn went off, but I knew as soon as I started running that I had a problem. Of course, the street was lined with people cheering so I couldn’t stop then and there to tie it. I ran for about 100m before the street cleared of people and I found a spot where I could stop to tie my shoe. I was pretty miffed with myself though. I wanted to try for a PB and this wasn’t helping! One I got my shoelace tied I took off and worked on getting into my stride.

Lesson Two: People cheering at a race help me run better, they really do! The start had some great crowds cheering away but after that, the race was pretty quiet! We were running on city streets, but because it was Sunday the streets were pretty deserted. The route took us through more office/business areas instead of residential. But even the marshalls, what few there were, weren’t cheering. I do appreciate the first marshall who was stationed around the first corner from the start. He was funny, energetic and seemed happy to be there. Other marshalls along the route just seemed bored. Towards the end of the race I realised that I get a lot of energy and motivation from being cheered on at a race. Although the start and finish were noisy, I missed the energy and atmosphere for the rest of the route.

Lesson Three: I’m not as good a runner as I think I am. I was hoping to PB and beat my previous time by at least a minute or two. I realised too late that it wasn’t going to happen, even with the shoelace issue, I wasn’t running fast enough or feeling strong enough. I admit, I could have looked at my Garmin during the race and picked up the pace, but I didn’t. I thought I was doing great! Turns out, I wasn’t. I need to learn to pay better attention to my pace and to gauge my own strength and stamina. After the race I walked home, then back into town for lunch, then back home. So I know I had it in me, I had the energy which would have been better used during the race!

Lesson Four: I’m a better runner than I think I am. I know, I know this doesn’t go with what I just said about Lesson Three. But, not getting a PB doesn’t mean I’m a bad runner. I set a steady pace, kept to it and didn’t stop until I crossed the finish line. I ran the race for myself, enjoyed the achievement and have come away with a better understanding of who I am as a runner. I also have a better idea of where I need to improve, what things I want to work on and where I can go from here.

Other than the lessons learned (and probably because of them!), I did enjoy the race. The pre-race atmosphere was great; I saw lots of people in fabulous Patrick’s Day costumes and everyone seemed in an upbeat, happy mood.

After the race I didn’t bother trying to find my results in the hall where they were posted. Far too many people there and if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know I do not like crowded places! I found out my time online and it would appear I finished the race in 39:46. This is debatable, unfortunately, because my Garmin shows me a different time and distance (5.15k in 39:50). I also heard a rumour that the race clock had a technical difficulty and needed repair mid-race. Regardless of that I am not counting this as a PB but like I said, it was still a good race to run and learn!

At the end of all that, I enjoyed the race enough that I will be running it again next year!

Dubgal72

Welcome back stranger and well done. Like you say, you can learn from the 'bad' races as much as the 'good'. I've certainly found the negative experiences have benefited me hugely as a runner. Great report (as usual!), thank you

This Fat Girl Runs

Again, not much running from me this week. I was in London this Tuesday and Wednesday, and even brought my running gear because I had every intention of going for a run. I ended up not going though, but I don't feel guilty about it at all! I made it to some great running shops in London. And met running friends there too which was pretty cool! I've put up a blog post about it for anyone interested.

But, some big changes coming up next week for me, and all will become clear then! Watch this space!

This Fat Girl Runs

Well, the news is out!

I've signed up and registered to run the Dublin Marathon this October!!!

So I haven't been running this month because my marathon training plan (eep!) begins tomorrow; I gave myself some time off to rest before the madness starts. It's going to be a long year of running for me!

More on my twitter and blog if you're interested!

This Fat Girl Runs

Well, Week 1 of marathon training went well!

I covered 8.5 miles this week, over 3 days spread out over the week.

I've decided to start training in terms of miles, not kilometers, so that on race day the mile markers won't throw me off. It's taking some getting used to, and I'm having to look at my Garmin a lot to hit the right distances. Once I get used to it though I'll know where the miles are on my route and can run without thinking about it.

The first few months of my training are a build up to the longer distances, my longest run scheduled for this month will be 6 miles.

I'm really looking forward to this experience! Any tips/hints/advice you have for a first timer, let me know. I'm hoping to join the DCM Novice thread when it starts up, if that's alright. I know I have a coach but it would be nice to meet/talk to other novices!

Chivito550

Can I ask why are you running a marathon. No offence, but if you are struggling to break 40 for 5k then you could be looking at 7 hours plus for the marathon. I'm not sure that's such a smart move. Personally I don't think you should be considering 42.2km until you can safely negotiate 5k in around 25 mins. Have you attempted a 10k, 10 mile or HM yet? Why the jump up straight to marathon?

Pacing Mule

Going to ask a very sensitive question but since you seem open enough about things via your user name etc can I ask what weight you are now at the moment?

I ask having come from a very over weight background myself to running a marathon whilst still overweight. I count it as a great personal experience but it wasn't pretty at all by the end. I'm wondering how near you would be to my own weight at the time.

This Fat Girl Runs

Chivito550 wrote: »

Can I ask why are you running a marathon. No offence, but if you are struggling to break 40 for 5k then you could be looking at 7 hours plus for the marathon. I'm not sure that's such a smart move. Personally I don't think you should be considering 42.2km until you can safely negotiate 5k in around 25 mins. Have you attempted a 10k, 10 mile or HM yet? Why the jump up straight to marathon?

Fair question that I'm happy to answer.

The short answer is: because I can (I wrote a whole blog post about it if you're interested).

The reality, in terms of my distances/times etc, doesn't look good from your point of view, I totally understand that. But the point of training to run a marathon, for me, is to push myself. Having a goal (a difficult one at that!) is better motivation for me than anything.

I've worked hard over the last year to get myself to a point where I can handle the training. I know I can do it. My trainer knows I can do it and my coach knows I can do it. And I have 7 months to get ready.

In the meantime I have smaller goals to focus on, like running 5k in 30 minutes; running 5 miles in under and hour; and running 10k non-stop.

I know I will do all three!

This Fat Girl Runs

Pacing Mule wrote: »

Going to ask a very sensitive question but since you seem open enough about things via your user name etc can I ask what weight you are now at the moment?

I ask having come from a very over weight background myself to running a marathon whilst still overweight. I count it as a great personal experience but it wasn't pretty at all by the end. I'm wondering how near you would be to my own weight at the time.

I'm 15.5 stone. Is that near where you were? How long did you train for?

I am definitely prepared for the hard going with the training and the day itself. I've read enough of how even seasoned/fit runners struggled with the marathon last year! It took me a while to finally decide to go for it partly because I knew it was going to be tough.

But in the end, I know I can do it and I know it will be worth it. It will be so, so worth it!

Chivito550

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Fair question that I'm happy to answer.

The short answer is: because I can (I wrote a whole blog post about it if you're interested).

The reality, in terms of my distances/times etc, doesn't look good from your point of view, I totally understand that. But the point of training to run a marathon, for me, is to push myself. Having a goal (a difficult one at that!) is better motivation for me than anything.

I've worked hard over the last year to get myself to a point where I can handle the training. I know I can do it. My trainer knows I can do it and my coach knows I can do it. And I have 7 months to get ready.

In the meantime I have smaller goals to focus on, like running 5k in 30 minutes; running 5 miles in under and hour; and running 10k non-stop.

I know I will do all three!

Does your coach have a background in athletics? I find it hard to believe any coach who knows anything about this sport would give the go ahead for somebody to attempt a marathon when it is as clear as day that person is nowhere near ready for it. IMO, you need to focus on getting fit, losing the weight, getting the times for the shorter distances WAY down, building a mileage base. Then a couple of years down the line take on the marathon properly. Would you rather sub 4 hours in 3 years time or 8 hours + now? There are no shortcuts in this sport. Personally I think doing a marathon now is a poor choice, and a very unhealthy, and potentially dangerous one at that.

Best of luck anyway.

This Fat Girl Runs

Chivito550 wrote: »

Does your coach have a background in athletics? I find it hard to believe any coach who knows anything about this sport would give the go ahead for somebody to attempt a marathon when it is as clear as day that person is nowhere near ready for it. IMO, you need to focus on getting fit, losing the weight, getting the times for the shorter distances WAY down, building a mileage base. Then a couple of years down the line take on the marathon properly. Would you rather sub 4 hours in 3 years time or 8 hours + now? There are no shortcuts in this sport. Personally I think doing a marathon now is a poor choice, and a very unhealthy, and potentially dangerous one at that.

Best of luck anyway.

I appreciate your thoughts on the matter and understand where you are coming from. Thanks for the best wishes anyway!

hillsiderunner

Hi TFGR,

First to say that I am no expert at all given that DCM 2015 will be my own 1st marathon... but I had kind of similar thoughts as Chivito. It will be a massive increase in mileage over what you've been doing, which seems dangerous over only 7 months.

Hope it goes well all the same, and I know a "big goal" can sometimes really be a carrot to stepping things up. If it starts getting too tortuous, or if injuries start playing up, don't forget that there are other challenges like 10milers and half-marathons instead that would still help you develop a lot.

This Fat Girl Runs

hillsiderunner wrote: »

Hi TFGR,

First to say that I am no expert at all given that DCM 2015 will be my own 1st marathon... but I had kind of similar thoughts as Chivito. It will be a massive increase in mileage over what you've been doing, which seems dangerous over only 7 months.

Hope it goes well all the same, and I know a "big goal" can sometimes really be a carrot to stepping things up. If it starts getting too tortuous, or if injuries start playing up, don't forget that there are other challenges like 10milers and half-marathons instead that would still help you develop a lot.

Thanks for the advice!

Pacing Mule

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I'm 15.5 stone. Is that near where you were? How long did you train for?

I am definitely prepared for the hard going with the training and the day itself. I've read enough of how even seasoned/fit runners struggled with the marathon last year! It took me a while to finally decide to go for it partly because I knew it was going to be tough.

But in the end, I know I can do it and I know it will be worth it. It will be so, so worth it!

Hmmmmm

Ok - Here's the story. Comparing like with like. At this point in April of the year I first did DCM I was about 15.5 stone too having been near to 17 stone at my heaviest. I'd ran 5 miles in 50 minutes and had ran 10k non stop too.

I thought I was ready to train for DCM that year. Mentally I was. Physically in hindsight I was nowhere near it but you have no way of knowing that until the mileage ramps up. Got injured once the mileage went up in August because a) my body wasn't used to the miles at all and b) I was too heavy to be running those miles. I ended up running DCM on a suspected stress fracture. One of the most painful experiences of my life as I fell apart after 11 miles.

Countless people here told me not to do it, gave me the same advise you will no doubt get here. I ignored them and ultimately was happy to finish DCM - I expect you will be of the same mentality. I'm still proud of myself for running it. Don't get me wrong, but I also know in hindsight it was a stupid move and I would have had a much more pleasant first marathon if I had of waited for it and trained from a proper base. Crawling home hours after most of the field is not the beneficial side to completing a marathon.

I'd also have lost my weight sooner and be a faster runner now if I had waited as I was out for quite some time afterwards. Support of family and well wishers is of course very welcome and likely to drive you on. Your coach is frankly doing you a huge disservice encouraging you to do this. If I had a coach who had encouraged me back then to run DCM I'd have fired him after I came to my senses.

Forgive the above for sounding harsh. I mean it with the very best of intentions. You would be far better off in my opinion concentrating on losing some more weight first and on shorter distances building up a better base etc and then training for a marathon.

I do hope it goes well for you after you ignore everyone here me included. It's what I would have done :pac:

This Fat Girl Runs

Pacing Mule wrote: »

Hmmmmm

Ok - Here's the story. Comparing like with like. At this point in April of the year I first did DCM I was about 15.5 stone too having been near to 17 stone at my heaviest. I'd ran 5 miles in 50 minutes and had ran 10k non stop too.

I thought I was ready to train for DCM that year. Mentally I was. Physically in hindsight I was nowhere near it but you have no way of knowing that until the mileage ramps up. Got injured once the mileage went up in August because a) my body wasn't used to the miles at all and b) I was too heavy to be running those miles. I ended up running DCM on a suspected stress fracture. One of the most painful experiences of my life as I fell apart after 11 miles.

Countless people here told me not to do it, gave me the same advise you will no doubt get here. I ignored them and ultimately was happy to finish DCM - I expect you will be of the same mentality. I'm still proud of myself for running it. Don't get me wrong, but I also know in hindsight it was a stupid move and I would have had a much more pleasant first marathon if I had of waited for it and trained from a proper base. Crawling home hours after most of the field is not the beneficial side to completing a marathon.

I'd also have lost my weight sooner and be a faster runner now if I had waited as I was out for quite some time afterwards. Support of family and well wishers is of course very welcome and likely to drive you on. Your coach is frankly doing you a huge disservice encouraging you to do this. If I had a coach who had encouraged me back then to run DCM I'd have fired him after I came to my senses.

Forgive the above for sounding harsh. I mean it with the very best of intentions. You would be far better off in my opinion concentrating on losing some more weight first and on shorter distances building up a better base etc and then training for a marathon.

I do hope it goes well for you after you ignore everyone here me included. It's what I would have done :pac:

Thanks for sharing your story.

menoscemo

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

In the meantime I have smaller goals to focus on, like running 5k in 30 minutes; running 5 miles in under and hour; and running 10k non-stop.

I know I will do all three!

That's good that you have some progress goals along the way because the marathon is very tough, especially for beginner runners and DCM has a strict enough cut off of 7 (or 7.5?? hours) after which you don't get an official time or medal so it would be pretty soul destroying not to make it.

You will want to be in sub 3hr half Marathon shape come September to be able to make the cut off comfortably and I recommend the race series HM (along with the other 3 races) as a build up to the marathon itself. You can use those to monitor your progress.

Good luck with it

walshb

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Fair question that I'm happy to answer.

The short answer is: because I can (I wrote a whole blog post about it if you're interested).

I am sure many people can sign up for many things. That doesn't mean it's at all wise. October is a stone's throw away. If you are struggling at 40 mins for 5 k then a marathon should be like signing up for a slow death. Call that harsh, but it's sound advice!

RonanP77

This Fat Girl Runs wrote:

In the meantime I have smaller goals to focus on, like running 5k in 30 minutes; running 5 miles in under and hour; and running 10k non-stop.

Those are pretty good goals, best of luck with them.

I think a lot of runners starting out have their eye on a Marathon, I know I certainly do. If all goes to plan I'll do DCM 2016, if not then there's always the following year. I figure it'll take me that long to be able to do that kind of distance comfortably.

Some posters on here might be a little blunt how they go about saying things but they mostly know what they're talking about. They're just trying to look out for you. You know your body better than anyone and you seem sensible enough that if you think you've bitten off more than you can chew you'd put a marathon off for another year.

Whether you go ahead with it this year or decide to wait, I wish you all the best.

walshb

RonanP77 wrote: »

T
I think a lot of runners starting out have their eye on a Marathon, I know I certainly do. If all goes to plan I'll do DCM 2016, if not then there's always the following year. I figure it'll take me that long to be able to do that kind of distance comfortably.
.

I agree, Ronan, and therin lies the "problem." People going from barely being able to walk up the stairs to "I'm going to run the marathon this year." It's fooking bonkers mentality. Then they get people encouraging it and making out that it's so achievable. Yes, slobbering around for 26 miles is achievable for pretty much anyone. But the question needs to be asked? Why slobber around doing it? That is not directed at anyone in particular, just the overall mentality of some "runners" these days. I commend anyone getting of their backsides and committing to trying to keep fit and healthy. I really do.

Chivito550

In the end of the day this is a public forum and people are going to give their opinions on things they don't agree with. I believe all the advice above to be good, and I would hope that you at least consider it.

Also, if I were in your situation, really wanting to improve my times, I would ditch the Twitter account. It's very easy to end up with a false sense of security having 2600 followers (still amazed how you've done that. I mean there are pro runners out there with not even half that). None of these "followers" will call you out on bad decisions. Being told you are great all the time won't help you improve. There's good advice on boards if you are willing to seek it out and take it on board. I'd also lose the brand name/ persona/ logo. It doesn't exactly encourage you to drop the weight if that's what you want to identify yourself as.

Right, that's me done now. All the best.

This Fat Girl Runs

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful and kind concern for me. I appreciate it.

This week's training went well! I had two short runs (one hard, one easy) and one long run, plus a legs/core workout session with my trainer.

The short hard run went great, I did sprint intervals with walk/jog recovery and felt like I'd really pushed myself on the sprints.

The short easy run was ok but the beautiful, sunshiny, HOT weather made it a bit of a drag. I'm considering switching to morning runs again for the summer.

Long run was brilliant! Kept to a very consistent pace throughout, despite the very windy and rainy conditions this morning! 5 miles, in the bag! Had to wring out my running gear when I got home though!

Total mileage: 10 miles

Workout session on Saturday was intense, lots of leg work and we upped the weights a bit for some of the squats/presses. Monday will be reserved for arms/upper body and core.

So over the next few months my weeks will be 3 days running, 2 days weights/pilates/HIIT with 2 days rest.

Hoping the weather is better for next week's training!

Chivito550

What sort of sprint intervals session did you do? Was it like a fartlek run? What distance were the sprints and how many reps?

What is the general purpose of doing this faster work when you are training to run 26.2 miles?

ultraman1

Chivito550 wrote: »

What sort of sprint intervals session did you do? Was it like a fartlek run? What distance were the sprints and how many reps?

What is the general purpose of doing this faster work when you are training to run 26.2 miles?

Was just about to ask this aswell,am no expert or coach by any means but if i was training for a long race ,id be concentrating on the means to get me through that,which at this stage of ur training wudnt require sprints or faster stuff

NetwerkErrer

ultraman1 wrote: »

Was just about to ask this aswell,am no expert or coach by any means but if i was training for a long race ,id be concentrating on the means to get me through that,which at this stage of ur training wudnt require sprints or faster stuff

Why not?

But isn't their a flipside to this as the OP is trying to lose weight? High intensity training is a far more efficient way to burn fat thus making her lighter for training to come during the buildup which will make the repetitive loading on footstrike less. I don't mean that in an insensitive way but it's true. Running economy would be greatly improved by weight loss alone thus improving performance and ability to take on the trials of miles. Traditional marathon training is not always the best approach when other factors have to be taken into consideration such as weight and pace. In an ideal world, anybody slower than 3.30 shouldn't use traditional training methods and individual factors should be taken into account. Most coaches don't even believe people should run a marathon until they have the capacity to run under 3 hours if they do not have years of base behind them as anything slower limits your ability to get all the necessary physiological training without all the diminishing returns and injury risk increasing exponentially as a runner gets slower.

They are probably right but that's not going to stop anyone from running. Under that threshold, adaptions to training and circumstances have to be taking into account as a traditional approach gets more risky and less rewarding. That could mean adding more steady paced sessions instead of long runs. It's a question of how do they get a person over the line with as little injury and diminishing risk as possible.

There maybe merit in using HIT now instead of increasing mileage in this situation. I don't know, I'm not an expert but it could work out.

Chivito550

NetwerkErrer wrote: »

Why not?

But isn't their a flipside to this as the OP is trying to lose weight? High intensity training is a far more efficient way to burn fat thus making her lighter for training to come during the buildup which will make the repetitive loading on footstrike less. I don't mean that in an insensitive way but it's true. Running economy would be greatly improved by weight loss alone thus improving performance and ability to take on the trials of miles. Traditional marathon training is not always the best approach when other factors have to be taken into consideration such as weight and pace. In an ideal world, anybody slower than 3.30 shouldn't use traditional training methods and individual factors should be taken into account. Most coaches don't even believe people should run a marathon until they have the capacity to run under 3 hours if they do not have years of base behind them as anything slower limits your ability to get all the necessary physiological training without all the diminishing returns and injury risk increasing exponentially as a runner gets slower.

They are probably right but that's not going to stop anyone from running. Under that threshold, adaptions to training and circumstances have to be taking into account as a traditional approach gets more risky and less rewarding. That could mean adding more steady paced sessions instead of long runs. It's a question of how do they get a person over the line with as little injury and diminishing risk as possible.

There maybe merit in using HIT now instead of increasing mileage in this situation. I don't know, I'm not an expert but it could work out.

You are making a very big assumption that the OP has weight loss as a goal. It doesn't appear like that to me. If this was the goal then there wouldn't be a marathon on the horizon in 6 months time. Weight loss would require far more time than a few sprints over the next couple of months.

The goal seems to clearly be to finish a marathon, so IMO the OP should do the things that will get her through the 42.2km. Time doesn't seem to be important. It's a case of covering the distance.

ultraman1

NetwerkErrer wrote: »

Why not?

But isn't their a flipside to this as the OP is trying to lose weight? High intensity training is a far more efficient way to burn fat thus making her lighter for training to come during the buildup which will make the repetitive loading on footstrike less. I don't mean that in an insensitive way but it's true. Running economy would be greatly improved by weight loss alone thus improving performance and ability to take on the trials of miles. Traditional marathon training is not always the best approach when other factors have to be taken into consideration such as weight and pace. In an ideal world, anybody slower than 3.30 shouldn't use traditional training methods and individual factors should be taken into account. Most coaches don't even believe people should run a marathon until they have the capacity to run under 3 hours if they do not have years of base behind them as anything slower limits your ability to get all the necessary physiological training without all the diminishing returns and injury risk increasing exponentially as a runner gets slower.

They are probably right but that's not going to stop anyone from running. Under that threshold, adaptions to training and circumstances have to be taking into account as a traditional approach gets more risky and less rewarding. That could mean adding more steady paced sessions instead of long runs. It's a question of how do they get a person over the line with as little injury and diminishing risk as possible.

There maybe merit in using HIT now instead of increasing mileage in this situation. I don't know, I'm not an expert but it could work out.

wat chivito said...though he is no expert either

NetwerkErrer

Chivito550 wrote: »

You are making a very big assumption that the OP has weight loss as a goal. It doesn't appear like that to me. If this was the goal then there wouldn't be a marathon on the horizon in 6 months time. Weight loss would require far more time than a few sprints over the next couple of months.

The goal seems to clearly be to finish a marathon, so IMO the OP should do the things that will get her through the 42.2km. Time doesn't seem to be important. It's a case of covering the distance.

But what difference does it make if weight loss is her goal or not? She's not drawing up her training plan so we are both assuming what her coach is thinking. I never said anything about a time, I said getting over the line. Do you not agree that the OP would get an improvement in running economy from HIT?

I hate talking about this but running economy is the biggest performance limiter in overweight people as weight doesn't effect maximal aerobic capacity. The majority of gains will therefore be made by losing weight and increasing running economy. There is no way in hell should the OP be running 16+ mile runs like a traditional plan. Any run over 3 hours and the benefits start to fall off a cliff and physiological damage and recovery time increases substantially every minute.Therefore, you want to find another way to skin a cat and get benefit from another type of training. Anyone who would suggest a traditional training approach to a 5+ hour marathon runner is off their nut in my opinion.

I'm not saying the OP's approach is right as I don't know but I could see merit in it. A traditional marathon approach is completely wrong in these circumstances though. Who said she is going to be doing just sprints for the next few months? You have to build for the ground up. I'm faster than the OP but I always start my training cycle with sprints and buildup up to longer intense repeats as I adapt to the stimulus and stress of short distance repeats first like every other runner.

How do you expect to go longer at intensity down the line if you're not going short and intense first. It's laying a foundation for down the road.

Dubgal72

Let's not be a Village Runner here eh?! This woman has decided that running a marathon this year is for her. I've been there, it would have taken broken legs a lot to dissuade me so let's help her get there (if she wants our help) with positive advice peeps. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Have you a target in mind TFGR and are you planning a run/walk strategy or run? I feel a bit silly asking, but has your coach much experience with marathon plans?
I was intrigued with what Netwerk Errer had to say about marathon plans for *slower* runners until I realised that I had been following a plan adapted for less experienced runners! I'd be interested to hear what the principles behind yours involve.

NetwerkErrer

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Let's not be a Village Runner here eh?! This woman has decided that running a marathon this year is for her. I've been there, it would have taken broken legs a lot to dissuade me so let's help her get there (if she wants our help) with positive advice peeps. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Have you a target in mind TFGR and are you planning a run/walk strategy or walk? I feel a bit silly asking, but has your coach much experience with marathon plans?
I was intrigued with what Netwerk Errer had to say about marathon plans for *slower* runners until I realised that I had been following a plan adapted for less experienced runners! I'd be interested to hear what the principles behind yours involve.

+1 DG. There is more than one way to skin a cat. I'm not saying all marathon training plans are wrong, the right one is always the one that takes your ability into account. I was just saying the traditional approach is not for all.

Chivito550

NetwerkErrer wrote: »

+1 DG. There is more than one way to skin a cat. I'm not saying all marathon training plans are wrong, the right one is always the one that takes your ability into account. I was just saying the traditional approach is not for all.

To be honest, there's an awful lot of over complication going on here, both in terms of the coach's approach (the small bit of info we have been given) and your posts. I'm not saying your posts don't have merit, but we're talking about somebody running about 38 mins for 5k. I don't think there is any need to have such a technical approach. She'll improve by running more. Her weekly mileage is tiny at the moment. Gradually build it up over time. 6 months is very soon though.

ultraman1

NetwerkErrer wrote: »

How do you expect to go longer at intensity down the line

Not wanting to take ovet this ladies log and fill with casanova/stazza/karl henry type language and debate ,but i doubt she will be running dcm at any sort of intensity,the ladie at the moment has run an 8 mile week.id be of the opinion of keepin her runs/training as simple as possible with the emphisis on gettin used to running as much as possible and building up milage as slowlyas posdible over 3/4 runs per week...nothing more,nothing less....apologies for this more than likly unwanted debate in your training tfgr..again im no expert

NetwerkErrer

Chivito550 wrote: »

To be honest, there's an awful lot of over complication going on here, both in terms of the coach's approach (the small bit of info we have been given) and your posts. I'm not saying your posts don't have merit, but we're talking about somebody running about 38 mins for 5k. I don't think there is any need to have such a technical approach. She'll improve by running more. Her weekly mileage is tiny at the moment. Gradually build it up over time. 6 months is very soon though.

+1 Chivito. You're spot on. She is building at the moment. That's why I was wondering why you were questioning it like there was nothing in it. She will improve massively by just running more whether that be HIT or just easy running. It's that simple and that's the main thing. Apologies for the rambling, I can lose track of myself sometimes.

This Fat Girl Runs

I appreciate the debate, advice and thoughts you all are sharing. I'm not ignoring you but I feel like to respond to you would just open me up to being torn to shreds. So I'm not going to go into detail here but I do want to clear up a few things.

I did not make the decision to run a marathon lightly. If you've read my blog you'd know that I've been preparing to take on marathon training for 8 months now (and running for over a year and a half). I'm a novice marathoner, not a novice runner. Which is why I'm NOT doing a traditional training plan. I knew that the traditional plan was out of my league which is why I hired a coach to write the plan for me over a longer period of time, taking into account my current fitness level (running 3 times a week/PT 2 times a week) and my target time (which is more of a window than an actual time).

My coach is Shona Tomson, you can read more about her and her marathon achievements on her website, but the coolest thing she's done (pun intended) was run the North Pole Marathon last year. Both she, and my personal trainer, are 100% behind me and believe I can do this. They would not be working with me otherwise!

I appreciate the concerns and the debate but I won't be taking part in it as it would be too distracting to be arguing or trying to defend myself all the time. It would do my training no good!

I also appreciate any support and encouragement you might have for me. A little positivity goes a long way!

DocQismyJesus

FairPlay TFGR. It does seem like you've done good research on this and are going about it the right way! Hiring PT and coach seems very sensible and you're certainly getting started with plenty of time.

My only caution would be to make sure you've vetted and looked into your coach before handing over a ton of cash. I know nothing about her and only glanced at her website. Problem is the running world is full of hucksters with outlandish claims and when I see things like " First Scottish Woman to run 7 marathons on 7 continents" my BS detector starts buzzing. These claims are almost always made up garbage and hide the fact that the person simly isn't a great runner.

That said you do seem to have done good research and I'm assuming you've looked well into these people and taken recs etc.

I wish you all the best and hope you pull it off and have a positive experience that leads to a lifelong love of running! All the best

DQIMJ

davedanon

"High intensity training is a far more efficient way to burn fat"

Unless I've been dreadfully misinformed, it was my impression that the opposite is the case. Isn't it so that running more slowly, or even walking, results in a higher percentage of fat being burned, as opposed to glycogen/carbohydrate?

NetwerkErrer

davedanon wrote: »

"High intensity training is a far more efficient way to burn fat"

Unless I've been dreadfully misinformed, it was my impression that the opposite is the case. Isn't it so that running more slowly, or even walking, results in a higher percentage of fat being burned, as opposed to glycogen/carbohydrate?

Slow running does burn a higher percentage of fat but a percentage of total calories is much more important. Would you rather have 50% of 100 or 30% of 200? High intensity exercise burns a higher total of calories thus negating the effects of more reliance on carbohydrates.

That's not the only reason it is better for weight loss. It increases your metabolic rate after HIT, improves insulin sensitivity, fat oxidation and spikes growth hormone production as well as appetite suppression.

That is why I'm always hopping off enduro when he talks about steady running as the best weight loss method. Nearly every study comes to the conclusion that HIT is far better than aerobic running for weight loss.

yaboya1

I don't normally comment on stuff like this because I wouldn't consider myself to be any way knowledgeable, but this grabbed my attention.

Let me see if I've got this right. You've yet to complete 10k at any pace and you've signed up for a marathon (42.2k) in 6 months time?

And to get yourself ready for the training you've done even less running than normal (8 mile weeks)?

This build up has been endorsed by a coach and a personal trainer?

Seriously? Is this a wind up?

davedanon

You keep saying HIT. Don't you actually mean HIIT?

Chivito550

OP, what is your time window you are targeting for DCM?

Dubgal72

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I appreciate the debate, advice and thoughts you all are sharing. I'm not ignoring you but 1) I feel like to respond to you would just open me up to being torn to shreds. So I'm not going to go into detail here but I do want to clear up a few things.

I did not make the decision to run a marathon lightly. If you've 2) read my blog you'd know that I've been preparing to take on marathon training for 8 months now (and running for over a year and a half). I'm a novice marathoner, not a novice runner. Which is why I'm NOT doing a traditional training plan. I knew that the traditional plan was out of my league which is why I hired a coach to write the plan for me over a longer period of time, taking into account my current fitness level (running 3 times a week/PT 2 times a week) and my target time (which is more of a window than an actual time).

My coach is Shona Tomson, you can read more about her and her marathon achievements on her website, but the coolest thing she's done (pun intended) was run the North Pole Marathon last year. Both she, and my personal trainer, are 100% behind me and believe I can do this. They would not be working with me otherwise!

I appreciate the concerns and the debate but I won't be taking part in it as it would be too distracting to be arguing or trying to defend myself all the time. It would do my training no good!

I also appreciate any support and encouragement you might have for me. 3) A little positivity goes a long way!

1) I can see the wolves circling, recent threads have shown this pattern emerge, some of ye are like wolves circling a lamb (not saying you're not able to stand up for yourself TFGR, I know you are) so I am not at all surprised that the OP feels she 'might be torn to shreds'. Seriously, recent behaviour on boards has been unfecking believable and the onus is on regular boardsies to negate that impression, full stop. So stop circling.
2) read the blog

3) if you haven't anything nice to say, don't say anything at all (and I don't mean resorting to *backslapping*). This is not a wind up (see #2) )

yaboya1

So 8 months of 'preparing' for marathon training hasn't involved a run of 10k or more?
Seems strange, but I guess the coach/personal trainer know best.
I'll get out of here before the wolves start circling around me.

Dubgal72

yaboya1 wrote: »

So 8 months of 'preparing' for marathon training hasn't involved a run of 10k or more?
Seems strange, but I guess the coach/personal trainer know best.
I'll get out of here before the wolves start circling around me.

I think we're all going to learn something from this lady. I'm watching with interest, as I said - and NE too - there is more than one way to skin a cat. It's a huge endeavour but she is going into it with her eyes wide open (as wide open as they can be prior to the event anyway). Those of us who have done it, know what it's like but only from having done it and from my perspective, she is going into it with 100% more prep than I did.

RacoonQueen

OK, I think it's a little unfair to say Wolves circling. TFGR, knows herself, that what she is doing is going to bring on debate and attention.

Many of us have had our motives, training etc queried in our logs...and you know what, no matter who you are, when someone criticises or queries your session (to be helpful) it does suck a little bit, sometimes a lot...but by having public logs we're opening ourself up to this...and people are only trying to be helpful, not nasty.

I don't believe anyone wishes to tear TFGR to shreds, she doesn't have to answer their questions, but I do believe most queries here are more out of support than being negative.

I'm not going to mod this unless I think someone has stepped over the mark, I/we will watch. However folks, be nice, this is going to open debate - but remember this is a log and it's not for hijacking if you wish to debate over this perhaps open a thread. She has indicated she does not wish to debate this.

TFGR, to be honest, I think this is a good thing for you, it shows how many experienced runners and marathon runners are following your log that you can get any sort of help and guidance from.

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

I think we're all going to learn something from this lady. I'm watching with interest, as I said - and NE too - there is more than one way to skin a cat. It's a huge endeavour but she is going into it with her eyes wide open (as wide open as they can be prior to the event anyway). Those of us who have done it, know what it's like but only from having done it and from my perspective, she is going into it with 100% more prep than I did.

I think it is fair of people to express their concerns though. She doesn't appear very prepared. If you wanted to climb Everest, would you jump straight from a Glendalough hike to it, or would you attempt Ben Nevis, Mt Fuji, and Kilimanjaro first?

Dubgal72

Chivito550 wrote: »

I think it is fair of people to express their concerns though. She doesn't appear very prepared. If you wanted to climb Everest, would you jump straight from a Glendalough hike to it, or would you attempt Ben Nevis, Mt Fuji, and Kilimanjaro first?

Shall we move this to another thread? Not sure we should debate here as TFGR has stated she would prefer not to.

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Shall we move this to another thread? Not sure we should debate here as TFGR has stated she would prefer not to.

I fail to see the purpose of her having a log if there is to strictly be no debate. She already has a blog to log her training. It all seems a bit odd. Most people set up logs partly to learn from those more knowledge.

I don't think it would be appropriate to debate her training methods on the main forum in any case.

walshb

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Shall we move this to another thread? Not sure we should debate here as TFGR has stated she would prefer not to.

That's a fair point, but conversely, on a public forum I don't think you get to censor everything you feel is not fair. Only give me high 5s or fence sitting comments on this log is a bit off putting...For me that's not a true training log.

Dubgal72

Chivito550 wrote: »

I fail to see the purpose of her having a log if there is to strictly be no debate. She already has a blog to log her training. It all seems a bit odd. Most people set up logs partly to learn from those more knowledge.

I don't think it would be appropriate to debate her training methods on the main forum in any case.

I have not seen TFGR state anywhere that there is to be "strictly no debate" on anything in her log that's a bit of a stretchy-assumption. I think it's clear from the last post where she doesn't want to enter into debate. My suggestion was to open a thread on the theoretical question of marathon preparedness, certainly not a subjective discussion of a poster's log :eek:

walshb wrote: »

That's a fair point, but conversely, on a public forum I don't think you get to censor everything you feel is not fair. Only give me high 5s or fence sitting comments on this log is a bit off putting...For me that's not a true training log.

See above response to chivito. More of that assumption and I'll set Ivan on you walshie :pac: Let's get to know the poster and think about *what* we are saying, *how* we are saying it and why.
She is on the marathon ride now, only injury will get her off it, let's get her there as far as we can. Again, I think we can learn a bit too. Mwah.