While I LOVE to write about running events and the journey of training, I have decided to devote my time to training my clients and myself for the time being.
2020 allowed me some time to ruminate and I do plan to start writing more articles related to health and fitness, specifically for women over 45.
In the meantime, stay healthy and happy 2021!
NOTE: This isn’t really a recap of the race. Just an update on how I did. Check out my slideshow link at the bottom. That’s about the best recap I can possibly give!
It’s been a couple months since the race on April 17. I’m glad I had some time to reflect on the day. There was so much emotional, physical stress going on during the months leading up to race day that my main focus had been simply to 1) Get to the starting line and 2) Complete the race…even if I had to crawl to the finish.
Happy to say I 1) made it to the Start and 2) Completed the race and I didn’t have to crawl!
There are lots of blog posts out there recapping the Boston Marathon and my feeling about the race isn’t any different than those…it’s amazing. It is absolutely the best running event I’ve personally experienced. From the way the organizers welcome you at the expo, to all the volunteers, to the spectators who cheer and support you along the entire way.
As I mentioned, I had been recovering from bacterial pneumonia for months and even leading up to the week prior to the race, I was still suffering some complications. My very last hope in improving my lung capacity was seeing my acupuncturist a week before we left for Boston. She concentrated on my right lung area and had me in the chair for almost 2 hours! That night I felt really funky and the next day I had a fever. No other symptoms. This “sick” feeling lasted a few days and then two days before we left, I went to a massage therapist. As she was working on my back, I coughed up a ton of crap. Won’t go into more detail than that. But, within a few hours, I felt less feverish. And on the day we left, I felt like I could breathe again in a way I hadn’t in several months. This was absolutely a miracle to me. By the day of the race, I felt amazing. I was so ready to run 26.2 miles. Except for one thing…
It was f*ck*ng HOT! Now, I’m from the coast in the Bay Area. Our hottest temps reach 85 maybe 90 degrees. And when it gets that hot, I usually don’t run or I get up before the sun rise to do so. As luck would have it, it reached up to 75 degrees during the marathon. (Of course the following day it was overcast, breezy and in the mid 50s). I was not prepared to run 26.2 in those temps. But, luckily I had already psychologically prepared myself for a slow race. And it was. About 1/3 of the way in I started to walk/run. By half way through, at Wellesley, the heat had peaked. There was no wind (maybe a slight tailwind but it felt still) and I was questioning if I could keep going.
If it weren’t for the incredible support of the spectators, I’m not sure I would have. I allowed myself to go easy on the hills and try and run on the downhill. I kept picturing myself making that turn from Hereford onto Boylston. I just kept seeing that moment in my mind. And somehow I made it! My pace avg was something like 10:40 mile/min. Nothing to brag about. But given the fact that I considered a DNS the week before, I was very happy and relieved.
I literally cried from Hereford Street to the finish. No surprise that was when my pace picked up. I could barely feel my legs as I crossed that line but it reminded me of how happy I am to be alive.
Here’s a little slideshow I did of the race and weekend leading up to it…I even captured the final moments as I ran to the finish line!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B44YwyAJiBdYU2pHWGVVbkFpZGM/view
I can’t even believe I haven’t blogged about this. Just a little over three weeks and I will be running the Boston Marathon.
WHAT?!
Since late September I’ve known and I haven’t even written about it. I think that’s why Social Media sites like Facebook really screw up consistent blogging. I’ve already “boasted” about it there. I need to remember that this is also a blog used to help generate some credibility that I do indeed know how to run.
Well, it’s true. I qualified back in Dec 2015 at the start of the qualifying window for this year’s Boston race. Seemed like an eternity until BAA announced the cut off times. Basically, I made it in by 14 seconds! To say I’m fast is an overstatement. I guess based on statistics I’m fast for my age but finishing in 3:52:37 isn’t jaw dropping speed when it comes to marathon running.
At any rate, I got into Boston after running just one marathon. 
And I’m super excited and a bit nervous to say the least. Have my last 20 miler on Monday (moved long runs to Monday since that’s the day of the week that the race is held).
More to come…
Almost didn’t make this one as I was wheezing and coughing the night before. I had gone to the doctor the previous Friday and she chalked up the symptoms to allergies. (oops!) She said if I felt ok on Sunday, I could run the race. And sure enough, come Sunday morning, I felt pretty good.
There was no expo for this race. Our bibs were mailed to us. The main reason I had even chosen to do this one was because it’s the final race of the San Francisco Originals Series. As soon as I saw what medal they were giving out this year, I decided I had to do it. And it’s also probably one of the reasons I took so long to recover from my chest infection.
Race began promptly at 9am and my friends and I arrived via a ride to the start with an hour or so to spare. Porto potty situation was not bad. These were placed near Market Street next to Justin Herman Plaza. Pre-race warmup and will-call seemed to be going on in this location as well. The start line was across the street in front of the Ferry Building. Getting to and from both didn’t seem to be a problem as northbound traffic was closed off.
Bay area sports radio/tv celeb Gary Radnich announced the start of the race. I had only known him from his shows and was delighted that he included his wife and kids in kicking things off.
The course (not unfamiliar to me as I had just done the Giants Race the previous month) started along the Embarcadero and wound it’s way through Fisherman’s Wharf and Aquatic Park toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Not a lot of water stations along the way but it was a cool day with a nice marine layer.
Running through the Marina and Crissy Field, I felt off. I was giving it my all but I knew it wasn’t my best. When I saw the 5K finish, I was tempted to just run through it and be done. But, I kept trudging on.
At the second and last water station, I made sure to walk through and drink as I was really thirsty. We had gone about 3/4 of the way and knowing that gave me a little boost. However, this is the part of the course that I find really tedious. This part of Crissy Field, while scenic, is flat and just seems to go on forever. In order to keep my mind off my weariness, I decided to do some intervals, picking up the pace every other 10th of a mile something just to keep my pace going while getting me to rest at the same time.
Usually when I see the finish line I like to make a sprint for it. Even with about 100 yards to go, I just had nothing left in me. Crossing the finish along the grass at the Marina Green, I very happily grabbed my medal and quickly found where I could get my SF Original Series Medal. At that point, I was all done.
My lungs had enough too and I began to have a coughing fit. Luckily they were giving out ginger candies so I sucked on one which really helped. Mental note for the future.
Then it started to rain. And it was cold. Found my friends, grabbed a couple more free snacks and drinks and found our ride back home.
By no means was this one of my best races. Despite feeling off, I don’t think I liked it that much anyway. I really want to and I’m not sure what it is that’s missing. Water stations? Maybe. Fan fare? Maybe. Finisher photos? What finisher photos? (Never could find any except the one above on their Facebook page.). It could be that I was just burned out at this point, too. I’ll probably give this one another try in the near future. But I’ll definitely be sure I’m feeling better first.
Finished in 1:01:09 (8:21 min/mile).
SF Original Series Medal (with all 4 Finisher Medals)
Last Saturday, Meb Keflezigihi came to town as part of promotion for Generation UCAN as well as his latest book, “Meb For Mortals“.
The strategy was brilliant. Sports Basement of San Francisco announced it was hosting a free opportunity to run (2.5 miles) with Meb follwed by a Q & A session and photo op for anyone interested. He really did pull it off. There were easily over a hundred people in attendance and it all went really smooth.
Meb getting ready to lead the run. I stayed behind because I was sick. 😦
If you don’t know who Meb is or don’t know a lot about him, check him out. You may remember him as the American marathoner at Rio who tripped just before the finish but quickly did a couple pushups before he got up. But, what he is probably mosted notable for is his victory at the Boston Marathon in 2014. It made him the first American to win Boston since 1983 . His whole biography is really compelling and he’s truly one of the most humble, hardworking, and kindest athletes out there.
What made the day the most special for me was right at the end when I shook his hand and told him I was going to Boston for the first time next year. He said “Oh yeah?! I hope to see you then!”
With Meb and Meb’s brother, Hawi. Hawi is also Meb’s agent!
This is really overdue and I hope I can remember well enough to give a good recap. I should explain that the main reason I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like is that I’ve been sick. I didn’t realize what was wrong with me until just this week. I had mentioned I had bronchitis back in July just before the SF (Half) Marathon. Well, not allowing myself to properly rest in addition to having a doctor inaccurately diagnose me with allergies (no sound in lungs) and to just manage with antihistamines sent me into a downward spiral of major complications. That leads me to now…after insisting to the doctor that allergies were ruining my life and something had to be done, she finally agreed I should get a chest x-ray. Sure enough, I have walking pneumonia! So, now that my antibiotic is kicking in and I have plenty of time to catch up, I am going to try to resume my posts! In fact, being sick has given me food for fodder for its own topic. But for now…I will go back to September 11, 2016 when I was feeling just ok enough to run the 10K at The San Francisco Giant Race.
Actually, I need to go back just a few days prior as this explains why I did not attend the Expo at AT&T Park on either of the days before the race. The Thursday before the race I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled. I had done it under anesthesia (Looking back, the last few months were pretty nasty for me) and a friend offered to pick up my race packet on Friday. I was reluctant to take the offer at first because I really love going to the expos. I like the free samples, the guest speakers, the photo ops and just the pure excitement people get just before a big race. On the other hand, I know I wasn’t feeling great (now I know it wasn’t a result of getting over surgery, I was fatigued from pneumonia brewing in my lungs!) and I knew parking would be nuts over there. So, I sadly allowed myself to rest until race day and enviously looked at fellow runners’ expo photos on Facebook.
One of my favorite things about The Giant Race is that they always provide you with a pretty decent shirt and a bobblehead of one of the players. Although, I have to admit, I never think the bobblehead looks anything like the player it’s supposed to represent. This year was no exception. For 2016, The Giant Race Bobblehead was Brandon Crawford. As if the odd skin coloration was bad enough, it was constructed with synthetic hair, something I’d never seen used before. Now, I love me some Brandon Crawford but this bobblehead kinda gave me the creeps.
Creepy Brandon Crawford
The shirt this year was similar to ones from the past where they use the year of the race as a jersey number on the back of the shirt and the SF logo on the front. However, instead of standard orange or black Giants colors, the numbers and SF logo were presented as a pattern of the US Flag in honor of 9/11 and the race landing on its 15th anniversary. I thought that was a fitting tribute.
RACE DAY
Start time was 7am and I was all set for parking. Since I hadn’t prepaid for parking in one of the park’s adjacent lots, I used the suggested reservation service, Spot Hero, provided by race organizers. I could have chanced it with street parking, I realize, but one of the last things I want to worry about on race day is looking for a parking spot. So, this provided me with one less thing to deal and we were provided with 25% off for using the service. In addition to that, Spot Hero donated $1 from every booking to Project Open Hand, the charity benefiting from those who want to fundraise for the race.
Having parked a few blocks from the start, my friend and I briskly walked our way toward AT&T park. The starting line began along King Street adjacent to the northwest facade of the ballpark.
Willie Mays Plaza (Main Entrance to AT&T Park)
Prior to doing anything else, we had promised our running group that we’d meet over by McCovey Cove to take a group shot. Having arrived right on the dot at 6:30am we quickly found our group, took a very quick photo, said “Have fun, good luck” and hightailed it to the porto-potty line which was appallingly long and slow. And of course, the line served just two potties.
Group shot of members from Pacifica Runners
Not ones to waste time in line, my friend and I used it as an opportunity to do dynamic stretches and keep our bodies warm. Since I had to pee really bad, marching in place and doing side-steps pretty much came naturally. At about 6:50am there were still about 6 people in front of us. We figured at worst we’d start a minute or two after the gun. Not a big deal since chip time is what counts anyway. A few minutes later we were first in line and the national anthem started. Ok kind of awkward but not as awkward as going into the porto potty right as the anthem ended and then having to be in there during the “Moment of Silence” to honor 9/11 victims. Ugh. I even waited till it was over to come out so I didn’t draw attention to myself or disrupt the moment.
START
Participants are provided with a corral bracelet that is expected to be worn so that everyone places themselves in the appropriate start location. But, as we rushed from the bathrooms to our corral, we could see various openings in the barricades and no one manning them. So, pretty safe to say one could place themself anywhere at the start.
Gun went off on time (to the best of my recollection) and we were off! So to speak. Here’s where my problem lies with The Giant Race. This was my 2nd year running and just like the last time, there seemed to be a lot of overcrowding particularly during the first half mile and later on close to the 10K turnaround. Don’t expect to PR in this race. There’s just too may people and not enough road to hold them all. In addition, course security, especially at the beginning, discourages participants from running along the sidewalk. However, the whole course isn’t like that so if you can get a chance to get some space there, I highly recommend using it.
Despite the congestion, the rest of the course is pretty straight and flat. By the time, I hit a mile, I started to notice that I was feeling more winded than usual. This had me nervous. I knew my pace was the same or perhaps slower than previous races along this road and I still had over 5 miles to go. I chalked it up to fatigue from the antibiotic I was on from my oral surgery. So, I tried to pull back in order to maintain some stamina.
I did my best to enjoy the scenery of the Embarcadero. Passing giant Palm Trees that line the center divide with the San Francisco Bay to the East. The weather was actually “perfect running weather”. In other words, overcast and cool.
By the time we got to Fisherman’s Wharf, this was where things really seemed to bottleneck. This is the spot where the 10K and Half Marathon racers split off. The 10K turns around and starts heading back the same way to the start while the Half Marathon continues on toward Golden Gate Bridge. But, for about 3 blocks, they’re all contained to one side of the street so that they can make room for the runners who turnaround and come back the other way. It’s just really difficult to add much speed here. You can’t get around people in front of you and you can’t use the space set aside for returning runners.
At the bottleneck, just beofre the 10K turnaround. See the runners in front heading the other way? That’s how close we were.
Once I turned around at Jones Street and separated from the Half runners, that’s when things started to clear up. For a little while anyway. Evenutally though, one starts to feel like a fish heading upstream. There were so many runners coming from the other direction and little attention paid to the dividing markers that at times I had to dodge someone coming toward me. Again, another dislike I have of this race. This lasted up until the last mile and half of the race, I’d say. Once I could see the Ballpark, things started to actually feel a little lonely and I took that as a good sign that I was making pretty good time. But oh my god, I was spent.
However, once I got the front of the Ballpark, I knew I was on the home stretch. This brings me to my favorite part about this race. As an avid Giants fan, I can truly appreciate the awe of being inside the ballpark for a game. Having the opportunity to finish inside and on the field was enough to give me the right amount of adrenaline to end strong.
FINISH
Breathing heavy, I grabbed my medal and bottle of water and headed onto the outfield grass where all finishers gather and hang out for as long as they want. Here is where I really wanted to soak in as much of this event as possible. While I waited for my friends to finish, I took shameless selfies, feeling more relieved that the race was over than accomplished.
Once I met up with my friends, we grabbed some post-race snacks and took more pics around the park. You can walk all over. So, I suggest anyone doing this race, try to take advantage of as many photo ops as you can. You can take a photo with the World Series Trophies, get pics of yourself in the home dugout, stand next to a life-size logo replica of your favorite player…
The race, was overall, fun and knowing I probably wouldn’t PR helped me maintain a pace that I could realistically keep up with. Pretty sure, though, if I had to do it again, I’d race faster, despite the crowds. Shoot, maybe I’d place in my age group. I was 5th overall this year!
Hindsight is always 20/20 and if I had known I might get pneumonia, I probably wouldn’t have run this race. But maybe I would have walked the 5K because after all I really wanted the SF Originals Run Series Medal! One more race to go…will I make it??
Next up Glide Floss Bridge To Bridge Recap!
This is such a bummer! First time I’ve heard that SRM has had previous troubles. I can only imagine how devestated some of the runners were especially ones trying to BQ.
Well, remember how I had a chest cold the week of this Half Marathon and how I wondered if I would manage to race or not? Well, I went for it. Despite not being better at all. The consequences were good and bad.
First, THE EXPO:
The San Francisco Marathon held it’s 2 day Race Expo at the Festival Pavillion at Fort Mason. I went on the first day because I know that parking is a b*tch at this location, more so on Saturday. I wasn’t able to park in the main lot next to the pavillion but there is a lot of parking at the nearby Marina. I still had to walk about a half mile to the expo, but I didn’t have to pay a parking fee. Plus walking shouldn’t be an issue for runners, right?
If you’ve never been to Fort Mason, it’s really quite a treat as far as the spectacular views you’ll get of the San Francisco Bay. Aside from the Pavillion there are a couple art galleries, theaters and one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Greens, is located here.
As I walked inside, the first thing that greeted me was a live DJ booming dance music throughout the pavillion. It already felt like a party! There were about 6 rows of vendors lined up along the length of the space and, of course, in order to pick up the bib and t-shirt, I had to walk all the way to the end of pavillion.
The selection of exhibitors was about the same as the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon expo back in April. And that’s maybe why I ended up not buying anything this time around. Dick’s Sporting Goods did have a neat feature: a giant wall that you could fill in the statement of “What do you #RUNFOR_________”. I liked being able to add my reason to the hundreds of others up on the wall. It gave the sense of a community who share the same passion.
RACE DAY:
The morning of started out pretty normal for me. With a 7:32AM start, I was up at 4:30 to take in my usual light breakfast of 1 slice toast with Peanut Butter, banana and 1 cup of coffee. No real hiccups getting ready. Always have the clothes and gear laid out the night before. Had plenty of time to foam roll. Physically, I felt pretty good. However, I still had a dry cough and had been up occasionally during the night with it. So, I knew I was still risking my health a bit.
My very kind husband arose early in order to drive me and a friend to the start area. The 2nd Half begins at the western side of the park, just a few blocks from the beach. On this summer day in San Francisco it was chilly and drizzly. Surprise surprise (that’s sarcasm). But, lots of port-potties placed along the corrals and from the time we got there to just before Start time, we never had to wait very long to use one. Big plus!
The starting corrals. Didn’t realize we were in the wrong corral until 20 min before Start!
My friend and I were happily surprised to see heat lamps lined up in the corrals. How thoughtful and insightful of the organizers! Me having no jacket and just tank and shorts really appreciated this gesture…however…none of them were operational! Some guys came around 10 min before the start to light them but at that point we were already singing the national anthem and planting ourselves near the start line. At any rate, I was impressed that they had even thought of them…it’s the first time I’d seen heat lamps at a race start.
Yes! A heat lamp! Oh but wait, it doesn’t work…and it never will.
One problem that occurred just before start was that I had a terrible coughing fit. You know the kind where you can’t stop no matter how hard you try and no amount of water helps. I was also worried about drinking too much water for fear of needing to go during the race. It also didn’t bode well for the state of my health. I wasn’t even sure if I would get through the race. What a predicament!
Regardless, I wasn’t backing out and told myself I’d give it my best shot. I was disappointed knowing I wouldn’t probably get a PR. That was one compromise I was willing to make, though. not push myself past any crazy thresholds. Luckily, my coughing had subsided by the time the race started.
The COURSE:
Miles 1 – 2:
Runners ascend south-easterly through the park. This was where I started to feel the weakness of my lungs. I kept telling myself, I just need to get through the first 3.5 miles and then it’ll get easier. At the end of the mile, this was where the 2nd Half marathoners start to meet up with the full marathoners who were about half way done with their course. I had comfortably positioned myself between the 1:55 and 1:50 pacers. My plan was to surge ahead the last few miles to beat 1:50. (Oh yeah,what about that thing about not pushing myself…?!) Trying to forget my slight shortness of breath, I concentrated on pacing and taking in the sights of the park. If you’ve never been to Golden Gate Park, one really random thing you’ll see is a huge section designated only for buffalo. It’s been there for over 100 years and is one of the sites you’ll pass at the beginning of this course.
Miles 2-5:
This is a nice run around the park’s Stow Lake. It’s hard to believe you’re in the middle of the City when you’re here. This is about where I started to feel better and have more energy. And shortly afer circling the lake we were back on JFK Drive heading toward the exit of the Park. In my mind, this is where I expected the course to feel easier.
Miles 6-8:
One of the reasons I chose this race (as opposed to the 1st Half) was because part of it traveled through Haight Street! I’d never run this direction before and liked the idea of running through my old hood! Of course, I was an infant when I lived at Ashbury Street but I definitely spent a lot of time hanging out here as a teen and needed to cross this course off my bucket list! My favorite part of the race was seeing a SFPD officer, stationed to direct traffic at one of the intersections, cheering loudly for the runners.
After descending down toward Market Street, we crossed over to the Mission District. At this point, my mind started wandering on my finishing time. I could potentially PR at this point. WHAT?!
Miles 9-11:
After getting used to a nice descent and flat terrain, a couple challenging yet small hills popped up along here. This is the section of the race that’s also the most unexciting (in my opinion). Lots of warehouses and it gets pretty industrial in this area. Although, I was tickled to see the group handing out free cold beer…needless to say I didn’t stop. At one point, I looked ahead and noticed one of the pacers. I got really excited because I knew 1:50 was in front of me. I was feeling pretty comfortable and thought I had a good chance now to get in front of that time. But as I got closer I saw that sign read “1:55”! Um, how could that be? I don’t recall her passing me. Wait, that’s not the same woman who I saw holding that sign earlier. I was reallly confused and beginning to think I was hallucinating until a couple guys approached her and were voicing the same thoughts that I had. They told her “You know, there’s another 1:55 pacer behind you a way’s back?” She said something that I didn’t hear but the guys nodded and seemed to understand. Maybe she was a gun time pacer as opposed to chip time? I still don’t know. She did, however, stop at one point and head the other direction so wow, what was up with that?!
UPDATE: I guess I should have looked up the reason for this earlier but now I know why I saw an additional pacer at 1:55. Still not sure why she turned around. See 2nd paragraph: SF Marathon’s Helpful Hints for Pace Groups
Miles 12-Finish:
Normally, I would relish the scenery of this part of the course. Circling around AT&T Park, lots of cheers as we approached, the SF Bay to our right. My legs were feeling really tired and I just felt spent.
Coming around AT&T Park..so close to the Finish…I’m really tired here. Fakin’ it for the camera!
And, I still never caught up to the 1:50 pacer and could already see the finish line. As I got close, I did kick it into gear to charge forward. When I looked at my watch, I saw 1:51:47. Not a PR but I’d take it since my best race was entirely flat and this one was NOT. Whew. Done!
Not 10 minutes after I’d finished, asthmatic coughing came at full force. That same non-stop coughing fit. Ugh. It was like my body just waited until I was done with the race to attack. I managed to get through it and as spontaneously as it arrived, the coughing suddenly stopped and I felt much better. But, my chest was tight and I knew I’d probably be paying for the effort for awhile. I was right.
Glad to be done!
My husband found me at the finish and I was surprised that a friend managed to locate me as well. She was there to see another friend finish the full marathon but we got some nice happy photos while I basked in the glory of being DONE with my first SF Marathon race and 13th half marathon.
Overall, the course was not terrbly challenging despite the initial elevation. The First Half has a lot of gradual hills and I was grateful I had chosen the 2nd Half given my health. I know I would have done better had I felt better.
So, as I said at the beginning, the consequences of running this race with a cough was good and bad. Good because I ran better than I thought. Bad because I didn’t make myself better. It’s been over 4 weeks and I’m still getting rid of the congestion in my chest. I’m definitely improved but I really haven’t run much since then (of course another reason is I’ve been traveling) and am just focusing on clearing my chest. I never felt really really sick. Never had a fever or felt fatigued, just a nagging cough so I had a very hard time gauging how bad it was. I had a doctor tell me I had bronchitis and all I could do is wait it out. At least I’ve been able to do a lot more strength training which is something I need to do anyway. I don’t have any big long distance races coming up for awhile so that’ll give me more time to improve.
The next one I’ll recap is the SF Giants Race on Sept 11. I’ll be doing the 10K.
Last long run was on Sunday (two days ago from entry of this post). I felt really tired halfway through and the rest of the day, I was definitely not myself. I didn’t go all-out. Made sure it was a Long Easy 12 miler and normally those don’t knock me off my feet. But by late that afternoon, my chest felt like I had inhaled smoke. I was coughing uncontrollably but other than feeling tired, I didn’t really feel sick.
But I was awake all night Sunday and spent yesterday inhaling eucalyptus infused steam and took some 12 Hour Mucinex.
Again, up all night last night but oddly I feel less congested today. I was scheduled to run an easy 4 miles but…I didn’t.
Adhering to the ol’ “Neck Check” way of assessing symptoms I decided to take another day off. When your cold symptoms are mostly above the neck, you’re good to go. But below, better rest it off. I have learned the hard way that to run through chest congestion is never a good idea. In my early years of running, I did just that and ended up with walking pneumonia. Took me two months to get rid of it!
So, am I worried about this time off foiling my half marathon training. No, of course not! However, if I continue to feel sick, I might start to be concerned. What happens if I still have chest congestion on Sunday morning?? Will I stay or will I go…?
I realize I’m really late to the game when it comes to fitness blogging. So I’m not going to try and fool my readers into thinking I have the one and only answer to running related questions. But, people in my running community, myself included, still don’t seem to know what the right answers are to a lot of these questions. So, I thought I’d just formulate my own opinion on some of the main topics that come up in discussion.
Today I’ll start with one of the most common: Running and Weight Loss.
Notice, I didn’t say “Running FOR Weight Loss”. That’s because there seem to be two distinct patterns that occur with runners I see. Either they lose weight while running or they don’t. Let me also preface this post by saying, this is NOT advice on how to lose weight by running. This is merely an opinion and observation.
What I often hear from adults who take up running…the reasons are many…and the astonishment they get from losing “so much weight” after just a month or so of starting. It’s like they found a magic pill and in addition to the new endorphin release, they’re completely hooked into this new sport that they never thought of trying before. Then after a few more months, they plateau with the weight-loss and are left scratching their heads wondering why they aren’t losing more weight even though they’re running more and more miles.
You’ll often see this yourself, men and women alike, who say they run numerous half or full marathons and you wonder to yourself “That’s weird, they don’t look like a typical marathoner”.
We all have that vision of what a typical marathoner looks like, ultra-thin and very little muscle-mass.
So, what’s going on here? How come some people get super skinny by running all the time and others don’t?
Either you run to finish or you run to compete. Simple.
If you run to finish, you’re not thinking about finishing by a certain time and you’re never trying to beat your last time (PR – Personal Record). Just look at the runners at the beginning of a race pack vs. those toward the back. You won’t see an overweight runner at the elite level.
And, if you’re not so interested in competing you’re probably not really thinking hard about how you fuel your body. No, I’m not talking about the gels and drinks you put into your body while you’re doing a race. (I’ll discuss that another day). I’m talking about what you eat on a consistent basis. I often hear runners say they run so they can eat what they want. Obviously, if what you want to eat is pizza or donuts all the time, you’re not going to lose a lot of weight. That’s just basic science. Most of us have heard the phrase “You can’t out-train a bad diet”. I still love this video by the guys from Turbulence Training. When I first saw it, that’s when the running for weight-loss theory fell through for me.
So, is it as simple as eating healthy all the time, making sure you get the right combination of carbs to protein to fat? Most nutritionists will say the optimal ratio to reach athletic potential with training is:
And, of those ratios, your diet should consist of whole grains, fruits, veggies, low fat dairy, lean meats, nuts and seeds. And of course, drink plenty of water based on your body weight.
I think if you practice the above suggested amounts along with your current running program, you’ll probably not gain a lot of weight. But it’s possible you still might not lose a lot of those extra pounds you want to shed, either.
Unless…
This is where I’ve seen the most improvement in weight loss AND overall performance.
Some examples of these changes include:
The “Skinny Fat” of little Resistance Training Vs. Resistance Training
I thought about adding a couple of ideas related to nutrition but I am not qualified to make such statements. I’d just like to point out that I have heard so many conflicting theories that I don’t yet have a stance on what works. But I do have one strong opinion and that’s if you’re going to run long distance (or any distance for that matter), please don’t starve yourself. Eat the right ratio of whole foods and consider the amount of calories your burning. You are not doing your body any service by trying to exercise a body that has not been fueled properly!
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