Fat-- it IS alot, VERY SOON..... you should prob have a year of running consistently (ie; 20-35 mi a week) before you start marathon training. On the other hand-- lifes too short!!!! GO FOR IT!! You know, listening to your body and all...... i suppose if you really struggle during the half, maybe you arent ready for a full( a WHOLE DIFFERENT BALLPARK, BTW).... I think youll absolutely LOVE the half!!!
But promise me as you keep training, youll keep in mind how very hard youre being on your body.....Marathoning is not easy, and once you get your mileage way up, you will probably not be losing weight anymore (most people are NOT able to lose weight marathon training---if youre treating yourself well, and giving your body the nutirents it needs, of course!!)

Well today is the day...and it is -19 degrees Celcius!! ARGH!

Wish me luck

Good luck momof5k!

Mom of 5K! Good Luck today!!! I'll be thinking of you!!



PS - Stay warm!

Hi all,

I had the same brain fart of not knowing why I couldn't find the November running thread until I figured out that it was December. I was away for 6 days and didn't run during those days but did exercise - lots of walking, and three trips to the gym for a cardio/strength, yoga and pilates classes. Kind of fun to mix things up for a change, but I was happy to get back on the treadmill yesterday and do my usual 5k. BTW, didn't gain weight in Boston which was great. I had done some planning ahead which helped me to stay on track. So combining Thanksgiving and a six day trip and I maintained - pretty pleased with that!

I am still mixing running and walking, but now when I do my walk breaks I crank the incline to 4.0-6.0 or so which helps to keep it challenges but still gives me something of a break. When I have a more flexible schedule during the holiday break I will do some outdoor running at this point, but right now with it getting dark so early I think it's the treadmill for me for a bit longer. Since I live in the blue ridge mountains, I'm not worried about being discovered by a mugger, but rather by a black bear on an evening excursion....yes, I think I'll take the safety of the treadmill for a bit longer!

Mom of 5k - break a leg today!
Fat - I'm so impressed you're thinking of marathon training. WOW!
Everybody else - keep up the great work, despite the cold!

I'd like to jump in here as well - I read some of the November thread and figured this was a good time to join in. I'm a recreational runner but I've done a few 5k's - I'm slow but I like to "race" to have something to work towards. I have runner's knee, which I think is a bit of a catch-all diagnosis for being overweight and straining the joints, but I do have to watch the knees - ice and massage is my friend.

I miss running outside now that it's dark - I like to workout before work, but at 5:15am, it's pitch black (and chilly!) so I'm in the gym instead, and quite frankly treadmill running is like water torture to me. I know I need to get over it and find a way to make it bearable but I detest it. I love running outside so I'm still doing that twice a week on weekends when I don't have to get outside til 7am (and it's just above freezing then!).

I'm determined this will be the year to step up the distances and I'd like to clock at least one 10k and preferably a half marathon by the end of 2010. I live in Vegas, and the Vegas marathon is tomorrow so I thought - perfect, I'll start working towards the 2010 half marathon tomorrow! A year should be enough time to get my mileage up and get my knees in shape... I'm going to just focus on consistent runs for now, then when the weather improves and lighter mornings return, I'll start working on training rather than just running.

Any advice for a half marathon program is most welcome - I will probably check out what the library has to offer but if you have any books or websites that you highly recommend, I'd love to hear about them.

Well my run went GREAT this morning! I went with the intention of merely finishing... and secretly hoping I would finally break under 40 minutes. I planned to take a few walk breaks but hadn't quite made up my mind regarding how often or when so I decided to just wing it.

Now, I have not run much outdoors, I have never run in the winter and, believe it or not, all of the outdoor runs I have done have been in the dark (it is dark here by 4:30 this time of year) so this was my first ever event, my first time running on snow and ice, my first time running anywhere but my neighborhood and my first daylight run. Yikes!

And....It was SO MUCH FUN!! I ended up running the entire thing (NO walk breaks!!) and did it in 37:15!! Not a great time for a lot of you but a good one for me. I am thrilled...and rather hooked Can't wait to get out there and do it again!

Thanks for all the well wishes and encouragment! It made such a difference. After about mile 2 I was thinking "am I really going to be able to write a post that says I ran the entire thing?!?" and so I did it! Thanks all!

BIG CONGRATS Momof5k!! You rocked that 5K!! Now youre hooked just like the rest of us......welcome to the insanity


Julesp--Welcome, and i think a half marathon in one year is very VERY doable. Some of us here went to run OUR first halfs on less time than that. I have 2 program suggestions for you....i believe you can get BOTH of them for freee off the internet. If you think you might PLAN to run/walk (which is very respectable program-- its something like run 1 mile walk 1 min) than check out Jeff Galloways half marathon training program (i THINK you can find this one free online) otherwise, a lot of us here have very successfully used Hal Higdon's Novice Half Marathin training program, which is DEFINITELY free and you can get it online. For right bow, my best advice to you is to work on getting your weekly base mileage up as CLOSE to 20 -25 mi/wk as you can, over the next several months. Come summer you will have a great base milaege and your body will be better adapted for when it is time to start training.

Good luck! Youve come to the right place

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a bea-you-tiful day here! COLD but sunny, and I'm in such a great mood! I did a four mile run this morning, my longest to date, and it was amazing! I just feel so energized now. I feel like I'm all ready to go for my Jingle Bells Run 5K on Saturday. Last race of the year!!

Momof5K - Woooohoooo! Congrats on having such an amazing race! It sounds like you had a BLAST and the time is something to be very proud of. Racing can get quite addicting, as I discovered pretty much immediately after I did my first one! Anyway, congrats again!!

Julesp - Welcome! I have a lot of similar goals to you. I've done a few shorter races, like two miles, 5K, and am working to step up my distances in 2010. I have a 10K in March and my first HM in August. I am using Jeff Galloway's half marathon training plan, which I got out of one of his running books. I think he may have it posted on his website too (for free). It does integrate walk breaks into the running, e.g. you might run 3 minutes, walk 1 throughout the distance. I don't know what your plans are, but his method is working out great for me. Challenging, but not too much! I've heard good things about Hal Higdon too. Good luck to you as you embark on your training journey!!

Blueridge - Good work on all the exercise you've been doing! I like the idea of using the incline during walk breaks...I may have to try that to give myself a little extra challenge. I am on the treadmill more or less until spring now. The Wisconsin cold just isn't my friend, and during the week anytime I could get outside, it would be dark out there! Scary!

Sounds kinda like a pre-kids bucket list wish I had done that.

YAHOOOOOO I am so proud of you now, looks like you already have the next one planned...you are addicted!

Hey all, i was wondering if I could join in?

I have just started getting serious about losing weight, and i have been infatuated with the idea of running for a long time. I am planning on registering for the Rite Aid Cleveland HM in the middle of may, and worse come to worse i will walk.

i have not run outdoors yet, but I am planning on running Tuesday instead of doing my cardio dvd. i have a small support group here at home, but you all are so inspirational! being 5'10" i have always been told i was built to run, and i think this might be the key to staying on program.

momof5k, congrats on your run!

ryan Z.

I am going to the track today.... I have been craving it and dying to get out there and stop walking circles around the house but I had sick kids home all last week...but this week everyone is healthy and I AM GOING OUT THERE EVERY DAY, I don't care if I have to do it in the rain, I'm doing it I would always think I couldn't go if it was raining until I met you warriors out there running through snow and on sheets of ice, surely I can get rained on

Oh, and I would always stay home before thinking it was too cold but after hearing the temps some of ya'll go out in, I know my 30 degrees this morning is not an excuse!

So...off to get all bundled up, going to drop kids at school and head straight to the track.

FatPants - yes, you remember correctly. When I first started out with distance running, I followed the Galloway philosphy. It was the only way I could go that far, there's no way I could have sustained a running pace for that distance at that time. The 10/1 pace worked well for me, but my jog was relatively slow. My overall pace was around 12 min/mile. I found the structure to be helpful - and psychologically turns walking from a "failure" into a strategy. I did half marathons and a full marathon that way. Although, toward the end of my races, when I got tired, I ended up walking longer than a minute. But, my only goal then was just to finish!! The time was irrelevent.

As I continued to train and lost weight, I eventually reached a point where I simply didn't need the structured walk breaks any more. But I STILL take occasional walk breaks, even in my races, for hydration. I think it gives my legs a break and I really don't lose time because I make it up when I start running again. So many people view walking as somehow less valid than running, but I don't see it that way at all. You are still moving forward toward that goal. Who cares how long it takes? One of my favorite books is "No Need for Speed" by Jeff Bingham. He describes the journey from couch potato to "adult onset" athlete. His favorite quote is something like "the miracle is not that that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start". For me, it's all about enjoying the process and reaping the benefits of participation. OK, that's my philosophical ramble for the day.

I also highly encourage training for long races with a group. You get the benefit of others' experience, you make great friends, and it makes those long runs a whole lot more bearable. I did an 18 miler yesterday morning, and it went SO much better with my running friends. I don't think about the distance, we just jog and chat and eventually the miles go by. On my own, I think too much about how tired I am!

Momof5K - nicely done!! Congratulations!!!

julesp313 & medinazarley - welcome! There are some great beginner training resources at www.runnersworld.com, www.halhigdon.com, and www.jeffgalloway.com.

I'm still glad I don't have to run in the cold! Yikes!

Okay, I walked 3.1 miles this morning just to get a starting time...and it took me 75 minutes I am a lot slower than I thought, but I didn't feel tired or wiped out in the end and could have even kept going, so I think that is a good sign. I feel really good and pumped right now.

I would like to be around 50 minutes before my 5K on March 6. We'll see.

Oh, and I got to watch the grass slowly go from solid white with frost to green and some birds came to join me toward the end, so I enjoyed myself.

GGGRRrrrr.... AGAIN with the Negaive temps this am!!! this is DENVER for gosh darned sake--- NOT canada!! (that was my shout out to our Canadian runners....)
Ranon the treadmill again. 6 miles total. Did a hill/interval workout. 10 X 400 meters at a 5% Incline, at my "boston" marathon pace (8:13 min/mile) with 1 min 30 sec rest interval in between the hills (also ran at marathon pace, just no incline). Im over this treadmill thing. Managed to get in a little over 10 this weekend outside, when it was a positively BALMEY 15 degrees!! Tomorrow is supposed to be negative again, but then weds it warms up to having lows in the teens, so i will be back outside come weds!! Wahoos!!

Planning on running 22 mi this weekend with a couple other people. im not at all used to doing long runs with others, but we will be going at their pace (approx a 10 min mile). I havent run more than 15 miles since my marathon in Oct. If i can get in just 2 20+ milers before the beginning of January, then i am going to go down to Phoenix for the Rock N Roll Marathon on January 17th!! Just for fun...no time goals (i havnet been training, afterall)

How did everyone else do this weekend??