Getting sick of training for London Marathon and making sacrifices.

My body is in bits, im shattered. Im doing 2 hours a day in gym 5 days a week then 3-4 hour runs on a sunday. I do weights too in the gym hence the long times its not all cardio.

 Im mentally exhauted now, its been 12 weeks of this and I have 3 left then 2 week taper before the London Marathon.

 Thing is im doing it right this time and my times have improved immensly, im looking at a 2 hour faster time going by my last 21 mile run.

 Im cranky, always ache and im always tired and hungry, just wish it was over now. I have lost weight and gone from 16 stone to 14 and have another 12 pounds to go to get to the lightest ive been for 15 years as last year I was 14.2 for the london marathon and this year i want to be 13.5.

 Its just really hard keeping the momentum up at this level even though I kow its working great.

Comments

  • I'd can the gym sessions if I were you and go for the last push on the runs. You're probably pushing yourself too hard, dude.
  • 2 hrs a day in the gym ?

    As they say - I'd give it a rest.
  • you are going to be tired you are in the hardest bit (0;

    like you said you only have three weeks of the hard bit left.... if you are tired and hungry all the time, eat more and sleep more?

    if you are enjoying the difference in your times, then get your head down and crack on. what's 21 days in the grand scheme of things?

    see you there (0:
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Mark, with all due respect, you're severely overtraining for your level!

    I'd bin the weights off and focus just on the running for now, you're not that far off the big day, and sounds like it's an aspect that's not needed right now.

    Upto 4hours on a sunday run sounds pretty intense too!!

    Ease off a bit, and enjoy being fresh going into the race, sounds like you're on for a massive improvement. Don't ruin that by overtraining.

  • Burn out springs to mind. Don't ruin all the hard work u have done so far. As was said, can the gym. Sleep more. Change yr run routes and remember what it is that originally motivated u to want to do it in first place.
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Completely agree with everyone else - take a step back and focus your efforts on running. I know where you're coming from and how prepared you want to be but you're risking an injury being so tired/overtraining. Look at what you're eating - is it enough for the calories you're using?
  • Mark I wouldn't bin the weights completely. I'd recommend 2 quality weights sessions per week, focusing on compound exercises. No need to spend 2 hours each session. A well designed session should only take 40 minutes maximum. Your legs will be thanfull for the weight training in the last 6 miles.

    It's been said previously, if you are hungry then eat good quality foods.

    Keep focus on your objective.

  • Hog-mouseHog-mouse ✭✭✭

    Ditto to what has been said about binning the weights. I do believe that you are doing too much and wearing yourself out.

    Focus on the running, on the nutrition and on the sleep.

    You don't need to punish yourself this hard.

    You are not alone in finding it hard and just wanting it to be all over. One of the reasons why training plans are 18 weeks. Anymore and you'd just walk away. It's a big commiment.

    Have a good race.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Mark, i think I read elsewhere that you're after a sub 5 hour time? Is that correct?

    Green Dragon, surely you're not recommending 2 weights sessions a week for someone aiming for that target time?

    I know plenty of sub 3hour runners who barely do any weights.

  • Hi guys ok some more details about my pace. Also last night I was a bit fed up, im dieting too to lose weight to make it easier on my knees, I needa full knee ACL reconstruction and its booked in for 2 weeks after the marathon.

     I am just  a bit fed up now of having no weekends, I dont drink much now and none from thursday to sunday, dont have takeaways etc. Dont get me wrong the weight loss is great and I look so much better and im fitter its just the no weekend partying and early to bed saturday nights up early sundays that are now a bit tedious, though come 12pm sundays I feel great knowing ive done it.

    I can run 8 miles in 1 hour ten minutes. I can do a 10k in 53 minutes. I did 21 miles last week in 3 hours 50 minutes at a non fast steady away pace. Ideally im looking for a 10 minute mile up to 22 miles then down to 11 if I start to tire.

    When I say I do eights I dont do leg weights, its all upper body for me, t shirt muscles etc, chest, back, arms etc, im on a plan I did myself as I used to be aqualified gym instructor, so id do say 1 hour 15 minutes weights then 45 cardio on the treadmill.  I do mondays rest day, tuesdays weights and 4 mile run, wednesday weights and 5 mile run, thursday 8-10 mile run outside at quicker then marathon pace and then friday weights and 4 mile run and saturday weights and 2-3 mile run then sundays at 8am my long run which is now between 18-22 miles.

    Ive not had 2 days off since xmas so think im going to have an extra day off today and that will do the trick for the final 3 week push.

    I'd love a 4 hour 30 minutes time.

  • Yes I would recommend at leats 2 weight sessions a week for anyone, wether marathon runners or not. Maybe your sub 3 hour runners should incorporate some weight sessions and they would become sub 2:45 runners;)

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Or maybe the reduced amount of running due to time and fatigue would send them backwards, bearing in mind all amateurs fit in what they can fit in, and don't have unlimited training time for nice to haves.

  • mark...bound to be tired of it all as you are doing a really busy schedule there and trying to lose weight at the same time......usually something has to give........I would drop some of the days and keep going with the longer runs.....be kind to yourself or you risk further injuries

    good luck with the sub 4:30.......it excluded me for a few years despite me doing the long runs and doing sub 2 hour half easily.......but eventually it came ......have 4:30 as your plan A...ie if everything goes perfect on the day........but have a plan B and a plan C so that you still have something to push on for even if you realise that you won't make the sub 4:30.......Plan C could be to get a PB......with B somewhere in between.....

    good luck

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    I agree with Green Dragon.  You can keep up a sensible "maintenance" level of weight training 2x/week, which would be a lot less time than is currently being spent on it, and concentrate more on the running.

    Mark, with respect there appears to be a conflict of interests in what you're trying to do at the moment.  You're doing a hell of a lot of the type of weight training which is going to be of little benefit to running a marathon as quickly as possible, and by your own admission you're targeting "t-shirt muscles".  (Never heard that expression before!)  And yet you also want to lose weight.  For the short-term goal of getting out of your current overtraining and running a decent marathon I would seriously cut down the amount of time spent in the gym AND make your weights/resistance/core training more running specific.

    Also you don't say much about the calories-in side of the equation, other than an allusion to not partying/drinking as much as you'd like to at weekends, but "being on a diet" in terms of actually restricting calorie intake is not something that you want to be doing during hard marathon training.  Eat well, avoid eating crap, but make sure you're eating enough to fuel your running.

  • I over trained the first marathon I ran and became injured the Monday before the marathon from it..... not a good place to be after all those months of training, was all waisted.

    Listen to your body... I didn't, did the marathon anyway, did not get the time I wanted, over loaded my immune system and ended up in hospital 2 days after the marathon with a kidney infection.
  • yeah ditch the gym sessions mate....

    what do you want big bulking muscles for a marathon for....

    image

  • part of me definitely agrees with you.

    marathon training really gets in the way of my running image

  • Fido2DogsFido2Dogs ✭✭✭
    Someone once remarked (it may have been Hobbling Harrier iirc) that training actually breaks your body down, and it's during the rest periods that the adaptations are made which make the body fitter and faster.
  • My body is so well rested it must be incredible!! image.
  • 'When I say I do eights I dont do leg weights, its all upper body for me, t shirt muscles etc, chest, back, arms etc, im on a plan I did myself as I used to be aqualified gym instructor, so id do say 1 hour 15 minutes weights...'

    1hr15 of curlz for the girlz?

    When you've finished your marathon training, I thoroughly recommend working in squats, power cleans, hamstring curls, pull-ups and dips on at least one day a week.

    You might actually get more explosive power and functional strength then.
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