I must be crazy for doing this

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The other day I did something that may prove to be stupid, and is certainly some level of crazy. I signed up to run the Vermont City Marathon. :smack:

I haven’t really exercised in about seven years. I am in horrible shape. I’m probably still in the average weight range, but the ratio of fat to muscle has increased dramatically, I would say. Yesterday I went for my first run to get into shape, and holy shit I thought I was going to die.

I ran, and ran, and ran. My lungs were on fire, my legs would barely move, and my heart was pumping like some sort of automated pumping machine. I had to avoid being eaten by some sort of mongrel, mutant crossbreed of a bear and a warthog some woman(?) decided to take for a walk. The ice on the sidewalk was so thick that I’m fairly certain I passed out for a brief period of time from lack of oxygen. (Thankfully the bear-hog was far behind me by this point.) And despite being below freezing, several pools of water decided the laws of physics and thermodynamics just didn’t apply to them, and thought that my shoes would function better if socking wet. I appreciated their concern, but I think they might have been a little off the mark. Only ten cars hit me, so I suppose that’s a plus. I mean, anything less than a baker’s dozen is a good day, eh?

So fifteen minutes later when I got home from the run I promptly collapsed on my bed and realized what a horrible, horrible mistake I had made.

(Seriously, I don’t think I even ran a whole mile in those fifteen minutes, which is odd cause I’m pretty sure I can walk a mile in fifteen minutes… :confused: )

2

For a second I thought you were that millionaire who keeps saying he was dared to do something crazy today, and will send me his get-rich-quick secrets if I click on the provided link.

Good luck with that running thing though.

3

Start here.
Cool Runnings new runner page.
Includes the Couch to 5K program.

You do have timeto train up if you plan to run/walk the race. You might need to do some running on a treadmill at home or a gym if the weather is too nasty.

Good luck.

4

I was afraid of that. I despite treadmills. Plus, my gym membership (ie, being a student with free access to the school’s fitness center) will expire in a couple weeks at the end of the semester, since I’m taking a leave of absence.

5

I’m in awe of people who can run. Between my low blood pressure and my bad knees, I’m lucky to make it through a walking tour of the grocery store without having to sit down.

6

When is this marathon?
Why are you doing this?
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of marathons - tho there’s at least one poster who is a big fan of them! :wink:
If you are in the shape you describe, I’d suggest a marathon might be a better 2-3 year goal.

7

Ok Bouv -the marathon is on May 25th. You’ve got time to train on the running path along Champlain…that’s what it was designed for. Do you need a partner? Someone to motivate you along? Before long you’ll be starting at the marina in front of Burlington Bay Cafe and going all the way up to the Winooski and back!

8

Get good trainers,by that I mean those that will cushion you,saving your feet and knees.
Wearing a hat will increase the chances of overheating and accelerate dehydration.

Its best not to eat before you run and if you can,have a crap,faeces in the gut makes your metabolism more sluggish.

Before you train spend a long time,longer then you think is personally necessary flexing and warming up your muscles.

DONT try to run the full distance in training when you start,you wont make it.

Use a map to plan your runs before hand and give yourself "Way Points"so that when you reach a certain geographical feature you know that you have done so many miles,this helps the morale and the motivation.

Start off with small distances at the speed you can handle and GRADUALLY build up distance and speed.

If you can,get assistance have someone who can accompany you with fluids,preferably containing sugar and salt,dehydration is a crippler for long distances,sugar gives energy ,salt deprivation causes cramps.
But DONT overdo the salt or it will make you ill.

Also their motivation will help YOUR motivation.

When you finish your training runs spend a long time flexing and warming down,I usually have a hot bath or a sauna afterwards.
If you dont do this all your muscles will stiffen up and the following day if you can run at all it will be pretty crap.

DONT train every day of the week,your body needs to recover,especially if you are not used to continuous hard physical.
When you actually enter the Marathon start off slow and build up to the speed you feel comfortable with.
Dont be influenced by other runners who are running a lot faster then you,they might be incredibly fit but most likely they are as inexperienced as you and will drop out exhausted after a few miles because they’ve burnt themselves out .

In your mind just think to yourself that you are going to go as far as you can,not that you are going to complete the whole 26 miles.

If you get totally wacked out then walk until you feel a bit better and then jog again.

If you think that you cant go on any longer then tell yourself that you’ll do another hundred yards and then quit,then unless you are very ill tell yourself that you’ll do another hundred yards and then you will really quit .

Keep doing this for as long as you can.

Throughout the run take every opportunity to take in fluids.
On the telly you’ll see people pouring drinks over themselves to cool off,do this by all means but only AFTER you have drunk fluids.

DONT wear deoderants ,they will be useless in a very short time and they will inhibit your sweating which is the bodys way of cooling down.

Some people rub the insides of their thighs with vaseline because of the rubbing action of their shorts against their flesh,the downside is that it doesnt last very long and it inhibits the sweat mechanism of the body.

Keep your clothing as minimal as possible,the more skin showing the cooler you will be.

DONT EVER drink alcohol before,during or after the run.it will seriously dehydrate you,even just one .
That said I wish you good luck,you can do it mate believe me.
I hope you’ll let us know how you got on afterwards.

9

The main reason is that I am very unsatisfied with my current physical shape. I used to be in great shape, and I figure better to try to get into shape now than a few more years down the line when I might be even worse. As to why I chose to get in shape by running a marathon, as opposed to just going to the gym for the heck of it, is that I need the motivation.

I’ve paid the fee, I have an actual deadline as to when I need to be in shape by, so it’s giving me some real goal to reach. Plus, I attempted it back in 2001, right when I started to get out of shape, and didn’t quite finish. I got 22 miles and collapsed, hyper-ventilated, and my muscles all seized up. I was so close! And I barely trained at all for that, too, mostly just coasted on the fact that I was in ok, not great, shape. (That was when my downhill trend started.)