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London Marathon 2017, 21.4 Stone in January.
Afternoon all,
So in January i looked down at the scales to see 21.4 stone lurking there, i have since managed to drop down to 18.6 but seem to have hit a wall there. My exercise to this point was football for an hour once a week and maybe the odd walk. I should note i am a 6foot (exactly) tall bloke mid twentys
I have signed up to do the London Marathon 2017 and have a confirmed place with a charity to do so, so i do have plenty of time on my side (ish)
I started training on Monday and managed to half jog/ half walk 2 miles in around 27 minutes, probably jogging for half of that distance but not been able to keep it up.
I would love some advice on what the best way for me to train would be, am i better going for a long walk instead of a run? am i better in the gym 2 times a week doing some weight work, out on a bike? or just keep jog/walking untill its simply jogging and carry on that way..
What kind of equiptment do i really need to get my hands on, i have some decent enough running shoes, bluetooth earphones and endomondo on my phone.
Honestly any and all advice is massively appreciated i want to be able to get fit whilst raising money for a fantastic charity.
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Comments
Well done on the weight loss...Jeep at...just be careful as you increase exercise you don't over compensate for the exercise and eat more..
I would start getting into a routine now and build up slowly...download one of the coach to 5k plans and follow it..run walking is fine...
Once you have achieved that find a 10 k programme and follow that...it's about building up slowly so hopefully you will have time to look at the half marathon programmes before starting on a marathon one around Christmas...
Don't worry about pace ...keep it slow and easy....
I would look at local clubs...so many of them cater for complete beginners now on run/walk schedules and it's more fun with other especially in winter when cold dark and wet..
Good luck
That should be couch to 5k
Thanks for the advice ill have a look at one and look into some local clubs, im hoping ive given myself enough time to achieve what i want to which is around 4hrs.
Go with what Seren says, Cto5K for a start, then build up slowly to Halves by the year end, and then get a Marathon plan and follow that, long slow runs etc.
While Gym and bike won't do any harm, it shouldn't be at the expense of runs, you need a lot of time on your feet to get used to being able to run for 3 hours+
Good Luck with the 4 hour aim, very commendable, and a great achievement if you manage it.
Hi Real, first of all well done on the weight loss, nearly 3 stone is great. I'm sure you will lose a load more as part of your training too.
I would say try not to get too hung up on a time, certainly at this early stage, as you will improve loads from now and it's almost impossible to say what you might be capable of.
I would say the couch to 5k programs are great, my wife has done one recently and gone from finding week 1 really hard (8 sets of 60 secs run then 90 secs walk, plus 5 mins walk to warm up/cool down), to now being able to run for 5k continuously. So don't worry if you are walking half the time, or even more, to start out, you will find yourself improving. If you can get out there 3 times a week you will improve rapidly I expect, even if it's just a 30 min brisk walk.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for the advice, im planning on running a minimum of 4 times a week and yes dropping a lot more weight in the process.
I will have a good look at the couch to 5k programs.
Senid, i was simply stating with the phone and earphones that i have something that will tell me the distance i have gone, how fast i have done it in and some music as i find it helps.
Would you guys suggest any other equipment that may help me, i have had chaffing problems from just walking in the past and i am aware this may become an issue as distance grows?
regards
Bodyglide is very good to combat chafing, or vaseline. If it's between your legs, then longer length lycra shorts can help - you can wear normal shorts over the top of them if you are self conscious. I'd also receommend getting good running socks as your distances increase as you really don't want blisters.
As the weather gets warmer (fingers crossed), you might find a wicking or "technical" shirt is more comfortable than cotton. Most football shirts are made of this type of fabric, so you may well have some anyway. Again, as the miles increase, watch out for seams that could rub as that can be very painful.
As a bloke, that's about it - if you were female I'd be recommending a good sports bra - and as the others have said, just keep at it, gradually building up the miles. Walking is absoloutely fine - better to be out there for 30 mins doing run/walk than 10 minutes running and then stopping. Just going for a walk on non-running days will be good for weight loss too.
Good luck with it!
as a bloke you might want to vaseline your nipples when the mileage starts building up/.....
So you want to be serious about your running... So you need to take it seriously and start running 3 days a week.
C25K yes!!!
if you are wanting to run a Marathon, DO NOT think you have loads of time.
couch to 5k 8 weeks
5k to 10k another 6 weeks
10km to half... Maybe 8-12 weeks. So sensibly you are at half marathon stage in November. Run a half or two then start a marathon plan that takes 4 weeks... You only have about 4-6 weeks to spare, you will loose the odd week for injuries... So get your arse in gear
decent trainers, and determination.
Also calorie counting is a great way of ensuring you don't overeat.
Yes i agree its not that long atall!!!
I have been lucky in a way that i have had a confirmed spot for the marathon before many of the charities/ballots have even been announced which has given me an extra 2 months in effect. I will be running 4 times a week with a session of football and a long walk thrown in there with 1 day of rest (this may increase im going to have to see how my body holds up, im hoping at the ripe age of 25 that it may be ok with this)
I just bought some new trainers the older ones where not breathable enough, so got some Brooks Cascadia 10's (alot of the places to run near me are offroad terrain) they seem more comfortable but i have yet to run in them.
Thanks everyone for the advice. The only issue i see so far is there may not be many half marathons going on when i get to that stage mid winter.
regards
If you look under Events, there are 11 half marathons already on this site alone in November
If you hunt around on the net you can find more. Quite often there are more trail events going on in the winter months. So slightly more uneven ground but fun
Thanks ill check it out!
I used NipGuards on long runs rather than vaseline etc, just because I heard it ruins shirts and I wanted to train in the one I was going to wear for the marathon (recently did London, which was my first) and didn't want to ruin it. They worked well for me, normally fell off by the end of a long run but stayed on much longer than plasters and long enough to prevent significant chafing. Stayed on the whole way at London though! I was lucky enough not to really have any chafing problems in other areas.
By the way, you might find the VLM 2017 - first timers thread of interest as well.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/spring-marathon/vlm-2017/323155.html
Check out Fetcheveryone.com too - there are races listed there that might not be on here as they are added by the members rather than the race organisers.
Also, you might find some 10 mile races that you can tag an extra 3 miles on to before or after, so don't restrict your searches to Half Marathons.
Always have one rest day a week.
Sometimes you may need an extra rest day, the body rebuilds itself during recovery, rest can be as important as running.
You can maximise your weight loss/fitness gains by cross-training between your run days- 3 -4 runs per week is probably the max you should try to start with, don't get tempted to rush it and try to run every day, as you will injure yourself after about 6 weeks. Your other gym work/ cycling coudl fit in nicely betweenruns.
The smart phone will help wit hthe couch to 5k programme, but a runnig watch is prbaby better for pace/ distance measurement once you get going.
Good luck!