Exercise & Fitness: it’s a marathon, not a sprint

[baxus]

Yeah, starting point is a big factor. As I said, I don't run more than 5-8km any more, but my conditioning is pretty good from other stuff I'm doing. If I would decide to start training for the marathon, I except the biggest issue would be to get my body used to running longer distances again. That seems doable in 6-9 months but, as I said, I might be wrong. Either way, it's only theoretical, since I have no wish to ever run a marathon and I'm not even considering getting back to half-marathons soon.

 

[Impmk2]

I found training up to about 30-32km to be pretty easy. But beyond that hurts a lot, it takes a long while to condition the body to be able to run with completely depleted glycogen stores, just on fat metabolism and blood sugar. It really is a different ball game.

[aceluby]

On to my 3rd week of PPL/Upper/Lower split and think I've found a really good sweet spot.  I'm getting up around 4:30, take my pre-workout & vitamins, start working out at 5, done by 6, shower, protein shake, then start working by 7.  Weekends I get to sleep in to 7 and take those rest days very seriously.  Nothing more strenuous than walking the dog (which with a new puppy in the house is at least twice a day).  Every workout feels like I've had plenty of rest to go hard, which has not always been the case with some of the programs I've tried out.

Like @Iskaral Pust, my diet for the last few months has gone to shit.  Not much of a sweets guy, but I've been indulging far too often in a few beers/wine after the kids go to bed that is easily adding 500kcals per day, plus we're getting takeout at least once a week that leads to more cheat meals than I should be having.  I've seen some good strength gains and I'm carrying significantly more muscle than I was a couple years ago, but I really need to get back on a better diet and cut out the drinking.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

@baxus, @Impmk2,

Interesting to see your timetables, but I think mine will have to be longer than that. I'm in good shape, but not good distance running shape. I probably need to cut 10-15 pounds, which is fine, I've been doing a lot more high rep/low weight lifts these days and a lot of Pilates and yoga. But from a running standpoint I'm a sprinter, not a long distance runner. I feel confident saying that at my peak fitness level I could dust everyone on this forum at the 40 yard dash (not sure that's a thing in Europe) and probably beat all of you at the 100m, but after a mile or two I'd be getting left behind. I did once run a sub five minute mile, but distance wise I think the farthest I've run is 8 miles and I did that at about a 9-10 minute pace per mile. And that was years ago. I could probably go out and run a 5k just fine, but I'd be hurting the day after, so I think slowly building up from that point is the best path forward. Avoiding an unnecessary injury is key and I don't need to rush it. Plus I want to work in some triathlons along the way. 

[Toth]

10 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Just to piggy back off of this, @Toth, try for starters just going to bed a little earlier each night and getting up a half hour earlier. Use that time to lightly train, be it stretching, yoga, pilates, jogging, etc., and make that a normal routine. Over time try to add a half hour training session after work, again, whatever you want to make of it. The more you do this the more it will feel just like Isk said, like brushing your teeth. 

Just fyi, in my now deleted post I covered that on a weekday I have to be up at 4:45am. If I have to wake up any earlier, I can scratch sleep altogether.

[Iskaral Pust]

I’ve had plantar fasciitis more more than two months now in both feet.  I didn’t even recognize it as that during the first several weeks of feet pain.  I haven’t been running for months (since swimming became available) so I think this is just due to a combination of a standing desk for work and some sneakers that weakened in their support very quickly.

My Christmas present included a pair of the relatively cheap ($85 from Amazon) Adidas sneakers with softer soles for use as home slippers.  All of my other Adidas sneakers are “ultra-boost” bought direct from Adidas for ~$200.  Lesson learned about cheap sneakers.

Switching to one of my other Adidas sneakers for regular home wear, plus plenty of massage and stretching each day, has stopped it from getting any worse.  But it’s not improving much yet.  I think this will just take a while.

[HoodedCrow]

It’s well worth your time to get arch support insoles:) 

I bought a book from a huge online ordering company;) It was short and just on plantar fasciitis. I did the exercises, got arch support and it’s gone…but I can’t wear cheap shoes for long. My DH’s has not gone away. He doesn’t do the exercises. I am not a doctor, though.

Calf stretches are important, but there is also a foot twist that I can’t explain.

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Toth said:

Just fyi, in my now deleted post I covered that on a weekday I have to be up at 4:45am. If I have to wake up any earlier, I can scratch sleep altogether.

Admittedly that's pretty rough, but I think even with that schedule you can still find a few hours a week broken up over a few days to get some training in, however that may be. 

[Mudguard]

The marathon is also on my bucket list, but I'm in no rush to attempt it anytime soon.  Maybe after 2-3 years.  Right now, I'm focusing more on speed work and hill work for races in the 5K to 10k range.  Much less time commitment required for the shorter races.  Once I'm happy with my 10K times, I'll try a half, and if that goes well, a full marathon.

[Iskaral Pust]

8 hours ago, HoodedCrow said:

It’s well worth your time to get arch support insoles:) 

I bought a book from a huge online ordering company;) It was short and just on plantar fasciitis. I did the exercises, got arch support and it’s gone…but I can’t wear cheap shoes for long. My DH’s has not gone away. He doesn’t do the exercises. I am not a doctor, though.

Calf stretches are important, but there is also a foot twist that I can’t explain.

 

Thanks.  I had Dr. Scholl insoles in the sneakers that led to this problem. Perhaps those aren’t good enough.  My wife loves that brand.

I use a tennis ball to massage my soles while I’m on Zoom meetings at my standing desk, and I use a very hard, slightly smaller ball to massage deeper.  I stretch my calves and I stretch my first toes backward.

[HoodedCrow]

There are pharmacies that have that cute pair of electronic feet, where you step on and it shows how you foot is balanced, so that you can get a helpful fit of an insole. Also, if you can swing it , see a podiatrist who might tape it or figure out what to do, like make a custom orthotics.. It’s minor but it effects your life a lot and can become chronic.

[Iskaral Pust]

Saturday, my wife had organized a golf lesson for us as a couple.  I hadn’t swung a club in two years, and the most I’ve played since I was a kid was a weekly-ish trip to the driving range for a couple of summers as something fun to do on a midweek evening.  So it was a fun thing to do together but the unfamiliar exertion (and over-exerted grip and swing) also left me with some stiffness in my back and forearms the following day.  We did establish that my 9 iron soars for a pretty consistent 130yds (I played par 3 as a kid, so my short iron game has always been good), and my driver is not terrible but fades maybe half the time.  I’ll have to decide whether working to improve that would be a fun distraction or detract from better uses of time.

Sunday was squats, but my back felt tight and I had to abandon my heaviest weight and just work with a lighter weight.  I added hip thrusts to make up for the lower intensity.

Monday I still had some minor stiffness in my forearms but I went ahead with bench press and cable row.  I had to really move fast to fit in my session after a house project and before we went out for a social event, so I only did 3x8 heavy sets for bench press and 3x15 heavy sets for cable row.  But I feel great that I have consolidated so well at 185lbs for bench press, which seemed like a big stretch just a month ago.

Today was a rest day.  My back felt tight again so I dropped the idea of deadlifts.  But I got a couple of hours of sunshine as I’m enjoying my staycation off work.

[Starkess]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:59 AM, Impmk2 said:

From there - for me training from half distance to full marathon took about 14 weeks. Though at that stage I already had a very solid base from a couple years running and already knew what 30km felt like. Half the battle is not getting injured (I did not manage to get to the start line completely injury free either of the times I ran it). So taking it slow, steady and giving it a year or 2 to really condition the legs to prep for those 70km+ weeks at peak training is a pretty good idea imo.

 so true

[Iskaral Pust]

I stand in awe of all you marathon runners.  I’m definitely put off by the idea of grinding through so many training miles for so many months, and the inevitable stress injuries.  I got very few injuries during many years of running miles around soccer fields (only when some external impact caused one), but running 3-5 miles on asphalt more than once a week causes more stress soreness — shin splints, lower back, etc — than any game of soccer.

My dad ran three or four marathons in his 30s, and I remember him icing his knees most nights as he trained.  Later he had his hip replaced by age 55, and still has ongoing lumbar disc problems.  Not all due to a few years of road running, but it definitely contributed.

[aceluby]

Today was leg day, followed by walking the dogs, mowing the lawn, then 2 hours of walking around the zoo with the kids.  Definitely enough legs for today.  Two moves in particular are just destroying me for my lifting days.  The first is this move where you step up on a bench, step down, then with the same leg do a reverse lunge.  Three sets of those as part of a super set.  The other move that's been getting me is the single leg squat that's right in the middle of a giant set.  

I need a nap.

[The BlackBear]

Went for a run yesterday for the first time in a while (holiday and general laziness) then squats today, had to bail on rdl because my hamstrings were complaining.

Working out at home I'm realising my bench is too low for my rack, going to try and get some timber to raise it up, maybe glue some rubber sheeting to it for grip.

[VigoTheCarpathian]

Got out and did a ~5K beach run on a beach vacation, the first run of any length since broken toe 5 months ago. My legs hated me, had to do an hour of yin yoga, and a few days of hot tub to feel OK about going back into HIIT workouts today.  Mentally, a little tired from time with the in-laws and out of my own bed, but feeling positive that everything felt good and recovery wasn’t too bad

[baxus]

I messed up some tendon in my right shoulder and will have to undergo some physical therapy for it. Will have to call and schedule those sessions today.

[BigFatCoward]

On 8/25/2021 at 5:14 AM, Iskaral Pust said:

I stand in awe of all you marathon runners.  I’m definitely put off by the idea of grinding through so many training miles for so many months, and the inevitable stress injuries.  I got very few injuries during many years of running miles around soccer fields (only when some external impact caused one), but running 3-5 miles on asphalt more than once a week causes more stress soreness — shin splints, lower back, etc — than any game of soccer.

 

Lucky you. I broke both my ankles 3 times each. They are just sawdust and bits of broken glass now. 

Along with other various injuries and ailments including a nice scar on my knee where I did a sliding tackle over a broken bottle someone had thoughtfully left on the pitch.

[Iskaral Pust]

5 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Lucky you. I broke both my ankles 3 times each. They are just sawdust and bits of broken glass now. 

Along with other various injuries and ailments including a nice scar on my knee where I did a sliding tackle over a broken bottle someone had thoughtfully left on the pitch.

I think those fall in the category of “external impact” that I mentioned.  I sprained the ligaments in my right ankle very badly once — because a defender slid in and stamped through my foot as I was shooting — and then had two or three recurrences over the years because those ligaments were always more at risk after the initial injury.  I just played for years with the ankle strapped up.

I also had an MCL strain after side contact on my knee, a broken nose from an elbow, and any number of bruisings to feet, cracked toes, cracked ribs, and even a calf pull by a nasty scissors tackle that pinned my foot while forcing my knee forward (that was unusual for a contact injury).

But I had no injuries just from running around, jumping, stretching, making lateral cuts, etc.  It was only the actions of antagonists that brought injuries.