Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

OneMore:
Hang in there. And the more knowledgeable among us might correct me, but I think overtraining might even be worse than undertraining.
Especially if, like me, you have shaky knees.
Good luck.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Whether it be weight training or endurance training, if your body is telling you to take a break, by all means, take one.

Rest will energize you.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

guess i should have been more specific

he's killing me in the sense that he's already five miles ahead of me, and we started training at the same time

i knew it'd be a dream to keep up with him anyway

i will certainly take my time and get the proper rest

my buddy is telling me all the right things to do, i just haven't been listening a lot becuase until last week i wanted to stick somewhat close to his pace

screw it, i just want to finish the thing now

maybe i'll hang back and stroll with his wife ;D

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

That's the spirit.
My Dad ran a marathon when he turned 60 and I promised I'd run one with him if he could still do it at 65.
Uh oh.
He reaches that milestone in December and still runs 30-40 miles a week.
So i like reading about first-time marathoners' experiences. It's good mental preparation.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I've always wondered this, as someone who trains hard, but cannot fathom running a marathon:

What's the 'thing' that makes it possible? Physiology, ie a body that can handle the strain? Discipline? Mental toughness? Probably all of the above, but I'd be curious to know, from those who have done it, what made it possible for you.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Marathons are a true joy to train for and very frightenening to run. There is immense pressure from within to perform a demanding physical task on a specific day, at a specific time. Runners can appreciate that sometimes you wake up and the oomph isn't there; you might wake up to wind and rain on race day. The marathon doesn't wait for weather or for you.

The joy of training has to do with the realization that each day, we conquer small barriers. Training runs present physical and emotional challenges. Longer runs provide time for reflection and self analysis. Running with a partner or a group, allows time for real conversation and opportunity to bare one's soul ior be there to listen to the joys and sorrows of another human. Marathoners spend more time with their running partners than with their mates and the bonds can grow tight.

Shorter training runs tend to be more intense and hurt more physically. Track workouts can be more mentally challenging, because you can always step off the track and not run the next lap. It is easy to quit. The only way to get home in the middle of a twenty miler, is to run back.

Training tests emotional and mental endurance and stamina. And with a speicific race date as a goal, there is great penalty to miss a day or two or more from the regimen. But, as opposed to other deadlines, there is no way to catch up.

Once race day arrives, there is a need to marshall physical resources and mental ones as well. Too many people start quickly and die quickly, failing to finish. And yet others, wary of a DNF, leave their best effort in the starting grids and never run to their full potential.

And the race is not just one 26 mile distance. It has a beginning few miles filled with energy and hope. There is a middle with its mental challenges and the realization that a half marathon distance is yet to be covered. There is the survival of the last 10k and the triumph of the final 800 yards, where the crowd spurs each runner to victory as they cross the finish line.

The marathon is addictive. Withdrawal symptoms begin almost immediately after the race. The work has been done, the task completed snd little to lok forward to. It takes weeks or more to enjoy routine runs again. And then the cycle repeats to aspire to the next challenge and the next race.

Successful runners learn about their bodies and their minds. They suffer in silence on the road, but are only able to share their misery with other runners who can understand the pain, joy and frustration of the journey. And though very few will ever be racers, they know that they have run the same course, the same route and faced the same challenges as the elite athletes in their sport.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Not nearly as profound or complete as Doc, but a couple of things.

When I ran mine -- again, in my pre-slug days -- I planned to run 8 minute pace. And I hit 20 miles in 2:40:00 on the big clock

If you do the math, that's 8 minute pace to the second. But it took me an hour to do the next 6.2 miles.

The big surprise wasn't so much hitting the wall as something dumb -- simply put, my feet really hurt. I wore more "racing" shoes, and wished I hadn't. Wear really supportive training shoes. The few ounces you gain by wearing something lighter are wasted if your feet are killing you with a few miles left.

Most important, though, however slowly you feel you're going out, pull that back another 20 percent. It should feel like you're going too slow. Because your tendency in the crowd is to get jacked up and go too fast.

Walk at water stops if you want, and don't even think about not taking a ton of fluid.

If you're up to 13 miles, you're going to be fine -- you'll just be hurting for a few days after.

21: It's really not a horrifying ordeal if you've trained for it and you to out easily and stay that way until the final miles. There's so much going on, and if you've been doing your long runs, you just kind of cruise for the bulk of it.

Those last miles can be a bitch, but at that point, you just kind of say, "I've made it this far; I'm going to finish."

To me, the Ironman is the amazing one. Because I can't imagine switching those disciplines and doing those things three times -- and finishing with a marathon when you've already been at it for hours.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

My guess is Doc's knees are more amenable to long distances on hard pavement than mine.
When I used to run 35-40 miles a week, I'd never have a run that didn't end with my knees aching.
That's what makes me most apprehensive about training and running a marathon.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Right now I'm staring at my running shoes, as i have been for the last five hours, and going nowhere. Serious motivation issues. :-\

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Right now I'm training for a marathon, but I'm going to be walking about 90-95 percent of it.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Just printed off the course map and mile-by-mile description for the marathon. There are only two real hills. So, that makes me happy. The race starts at 260 feet above sea level and ends at 12 feet above sea level, and 300 feet is the highest elevation our feet will see.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Found this thread all the way back on Page 17. I guess we're all healthy now, huh?