Marathon Ready?
Fat guys should not take December off. I am a serious runner, but because of working long hours before vacation and then taking vacation in upstate New York (snow and single digit temperatures), I did not get in a good month of training on my marathon schedule.
I was up to about 25 miles a week through November, but December was 3 miles. My long run in January was about 12 miles because I did not want to overdue it for the marathon.
So what do you do? A) Withdraw from the event B) Quit during the event C) Adjust your expectations.
Option A (Withdrawing from the event) is reserved for cases of injury where the idea of running is just plain bad. Option B (Quit during the event) is also reserved for cases of injury where the injury occurs during the event and the idea of running is just plain bad. Injuries are not the normal painful running ailment like burning lungs and muscles. Also, I think if you can still walk, you are not supposed to quit. Option C (Adjust your expectations) means setting a realistic goal to participate and complete without injuring yourself.
When I returned from vacation and began to run again, my fitness level had decreased and my weight had increased. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s was cookies, eggnog, beer, pizza, and wine – about 20lbs worth.
So I selected Option C and adjusted my expectations. I through out dreams of qualifying for Boston. I dismissed the PR for marathon distance (although I did set a PR for the course – my first attempt). I thought go for 5 hours. I was slower than I wanted to be at the end of the race even though I was very conservative at the start. I came in at 5:01:22 .
My thought for the race was to stay between 10-11 min/mile pace. I was right on schedule for about the first 20 miles. I don’t really think I can brag about the last 6 miles at a 14+ min/mile, but I have the first race of the year complete and I am losing the weight and gaining the fitness back.
Fat guys should not take December off. I am a serious runner, but because of working long hours before vacation and then taking vacation in upstate New York (snow and single digit temperatures), I did not get in a good month of training on my marathon schedule.
I was up to about 25 miles a week through November, but December was 3 miles. My long run in January was about 12 miles because I did not want to overdue it for the marathon.
So what do you do? A) Withdraw from the event B) Quit during the event C) Adjust your expectations.
Option A (Withdrawing from the event) is reserved for cases of injury where the idea of running is just plain bad. Option B (Quit during the event) is also reserved for cases of injury where the injury occurs during the event and the idea of running is just plain bad. Injuries are not the normal painful running ailment like burning lungs and muscles. Also, I think if you can still walk, you are not supposed to quit. Option C (Adjust your expectations) means setting a realistic goal to participate and complete without injuring yourself.
When I returned from vacation and began to run again, my fitness level had decreased and my weight had increased. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s was cookies, eggnog, beer, pizza, and wine – about 20lbs worth.
So I selected Option C and adjusted my expectations. I through out dreams of qualifying for Boston. I dismissed the PR for marathon distance (although I did set a PR for the course – my first attempt). I thought go for 5 hours. I was slower than I wanted to be at the end of the race even though I was very conservative at the start. I came in at 5:01:22 .
My thought for the race was to stay between 10-11 min/mile pace. I was right on schedule for about the first 20 miles. I don’t really think I can brag about the last 6 miles at a 14+ min/mile, but I have the first race of the year complete and I am losing the weight and gaining the fitness back.
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