Are we there, yet?
Been there, done that. I sympathize. Congratulations. All's well that end's well, so don't second guess yourself.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Mile 1 – 11:04
Mile 2 – 11:16
Mile 3 – 11:03
Mile 4 – 10:38
Mile 5 – 11:23
Mile 6 – 10:56
Mile 7 – 12:21
Mile 8 – 11:30
Mile 9 – 11:33
Mile 10 – 10:57
Mile 11 – 11:10
Mile 12 – 10:57
Mile 13 – 11:37
Mile 14 – 11:54
Mile 15 – 11:39
Mile 16 – 12:01
Mile 17 – 12:28
Mile 18 – 12:47
Mile 19 – 12:09
Mile 20 – 12:59
Mile 21 – 12:54
Mile 22 – 14:06
Mile 23 – 14:52
Mile 24 – 16:55
Mile 25 – 20:33
Mile 26 – 17:04
In the grand scheme of things that is not all that bad. You established a marathon baseline from which to move forward and you hung in there as best you could, that is all anyone could ask.
Hold your head up yo, you did good!
on my way to badass
Still waiting for the perfect race picture. 5K PR-33:52 , 10K PR 1:11:16, First HM 2:42:28
Congrats! I hope I can do as well. I'm doubting myself already and I've still got 4 months
I know. I've been reading a lot of crash and burn reports since I started thinking seriously about running a marathon next spring. Very scary! Especially since so many have come from people who have more experience than I do.
You Rang?
In the grand scheme of things that is not all that bad. You established a marathon baseline from which to move forward and you hung in there as best you could, that is all anyone could ask. Hold your head up yo, you did good!
Thank you for your kind words. Improving on that baseline will be a lot easier when there are 40 lb. less of me to haul around.
Rick
PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)
I don't think you need to rethink this marathon thing while losing weight; you just need to adjust the weight loss so you can do both in a way. But yes, you are right, you will not be able to shed massive amounts of weight while training for a marathon without hurting your progress. This is one of my favorite races and I'm glad you got to run it. Just sad that you had such a tough time.
I don't think you need to rethink this marathon thing while losing weight; you just need to adjust the weight loss so you can do both in a way. But yes, you are right, you will not be able to shed massive amounts of weight while training for a marathon without hurting your progress.
This is one of my favorite races and I'm glad you got to run it. Just sad that you had such a tough time.
Actually Docket, I think I need to adjust my expectations as to athletic performance while cutting weight. Getting rid of the weight is ultimately going to make me faster. I suppose I should just mentally preparing myself for a six-hour suck fest at WDW in January.
Well, you sure are a stubborn one. That is a good quality in races I think.
The pictures you posted really support the RR. We can clearly see the exhaustion. Thanks for sharing.
BTW, the BMI formula is not something I would rely on, especially at 6'6" tall.
"The current BMI formula leads to confusion and misinformation, Trefethen believes. The height2 term divides the weight by too much when people are short, and by too little when they are tall. The result is short people being told they are thinner than they really are, while tall people are made to think that they are fatter than they are."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255712.php
Penguin Power!
"The current BMI formula leads to confusion and misinformation, Trefethen believes. The height2 term divides the weight by too much when people are short, and by too little when they are tall. The result is short people being told they are thinner than they really are, while tall people are made to think that they are fatter than they are." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255712.php
So Lurch is fine at 6'6 and I'm even fatter than I think at 5'4 =P
Lurch, maybe continue trying to cut weight until WDW but at least eat at maintenance the week before the race? I think that you should have your glycogen stores fully stocked before running a FM.
Upcoming Races: Run as One 4M (4/24) * Japan Run 4M (5/8) * Brooklyn Half (5/21)
Way to hang in there even while in distress, Lurch.
Good luck with the continued weight loss -- if you're tough enough to do marathons, you're tough enough for that.
I think you can lose weight and train for a marathon but I also think there are a couple of caveats to that. First I think that "train for a marathon" means averaging at least 40 miles per week over the previous year and not a lot of recreational runners have that kind of mileage. Second, the weight loss can't be dramatic. I lost weight training for my first marathon but we're talking a loss of perhaps 7-8 pounds over a three month period. BTW, I'm not a fan of marathons either. There is no requirement for running another.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
So Lurch is fine at 6'6 and I'm even fatter than I think at 5'4 =P Lurch, maybe continue trying to cut weight until WDW but at least eat at maintenance the week before the race? I think that you should have your glycogen stores fully stocked before running a FM.
Lurch is not fine at 6' 6". He has too much fat hanging on his body.
Thanks for the info Cyberic99. I did not know that the BMI formula broke down as you deal with the ends of the spectrum, but it makes sense. I do know that BMI does not actually measure fat levels, and that an athletic person may have have a low body fat percentage but an artificially high BMI because of the muscle tissue. Maybe I should invest in one of those fancy scales that measures body fat.
BMI is not a perfect measure by any stretch of the imagination. I use it because it is a reasonably well known system of measure. Saying I'm 6' 6" and 245 lb. does't quite say what I'm trying to say. The other alternative would be for me to post a shirtless photo, and trust me, you don't want to see that.
LTH - Thank you for your kind words. I'm mulling over your words about not running another marathon. There may be some wisdom there. WDW is the last full marathon I have on my calendar. I've plunked down the money for WDW, so I should probably do it. My wife and daughter are kinda looking forward to the theme parks. Maybe I can talk Docket into joining me in the six-hour suck-fest that is the WDW Marathon.
At some point I'm going to need to run another marathon below the BQ time. (I've been offered a charity bib to Boston, but that just doesn't feel right). I realize that this isn't going to happen when I hit goal weight. I know that there's lots of running (esp. speed/track work) between making weight (whatever number that may be) and a BQ -5 marathon. But for now I know that the most productive thing I can do to run faster is to get rid of the love handles and the moobs. So the calorie log is my friend.
Team TJ
Nice RR, Rick. Sorry to read that you had such a rough finish, but congrats on finishing!
Running for TJ because he can't.
Former Bad Ass
Lurch is not fine at 6' 6". He has too much fat hanging on his body. Thanks for the info Cyberic99. I did not know that the BMI formula broke down as you deal with the ends of the spectrum, but it makes sense. I do know that BMI does not actually measure fat levels, and that an athletic person may have have a low body fat percentage but an artificially high BMI because of the muscle tissue. Maybe I should invest in one of those fancy scales that measures body fat. BMI is not a perfect measure by any stretch of the imagination. I use it because it is a reasonably well known system of measure. Saying I'm 6' 6" and 245 lb. does't quite say what I'm trying to say. The other alternative would be for me to post a shirtless photo, and trust me, you don't want to see that. LTH - Thank you for your kind words. I'm mulling over your words about not running another marathon. There may be some wisdom there. WDW is the last full marathon I have on my calendar. I've plunked down the money for WDW, so I should probably do it. My wife and daughter are kinda looking forward to the theme parks. Maybe I can talk Docket into joining me in the six-hour suck-fest that is the WDW Marathon. At some point I'm going to need to run another marathon below the BQ time. (I've been offered a charity bib to Boston, but that just doesn't feel right). I realize that this isn't going to happen when I hit goal weight. I know that there's lots of running (esp. speed/track work) between making weight (whatever number that may be) and a BQ -5 marathon. But for now I know that the most productive thing I can do to run faster is to get rid of the love handles and the moobs. So the calorie log is my friend.
BMI is a shitty measure, IMO.
Damaris
Healed Hammy
Rick, you did fine. It is always fun to read your reports and your blunt assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Probably the result of being a lawyer and trying to figure out what both sides of the equation hold so that you can develop a plan accordingly. You have come a long way since we met at WDW in 2012 for your HM.
1. You have lost weight, not as much as you like but plenty.
2. You continue to run, whereas many folks check off the bucket list and return to being sedentary
3. Your wife completed a HM and hopefully she continues to exercise. Without your journey this probably wouldn't happen
4. You have set an example for your daughter of what a lifelong commitment to exercise is
5. Your new job as opposed to the struggles of a one man shop (boy I know those all too well)
6. You have run marathons on both coasts and toured some pretty nice areas
I know you are not looking for sympathy in this RR and I am not going to give it. I am also not trying to be a cheerleader, just saying that your efforts inspire me to continue to run even though we are not at the same level. Here is what I would suggest. Once you recover from this race, and resume training, try some fartleks. Pick up the pace for a mile, perhaps even as hard as you can after a sufficient w/u. Then run the recovery portion. So maybe you run 2m at 11:00, then try 1 at a 9:00 or so pace. I bet you find your recovery mile at sub-11. Do another if you can. Essentially you are training yourself to run faster and over a short time it will become easier. Too often we run at a pace we think is hard but in reality is not. Unless one does a lot of 5k or 10k races and is really pushing them, then our training may be sub-optimal.
Pushing yourself will extend your endurance and help you avoid a 5+ hour suckfest. Moreover, you will burn more calories as you can cover more distance in the same time as fitness improves. And that will help your waistline.
Either way, glad you got to see DC, support the troops, and finish the Marathon. Stick around, look forward to many more RR from you.