Thursday, June 1, 2006

Reality Check

The Chicago Marathon has a time limit. You must finish within 6 hours and 30 minutes of the official start.

Reality #1: I am NOT going to be starting any where near the front of the pack. Therefore 30 of those minutes will probably be taken up just getting to the start line, leaving me 6 hours of running time.

Reality #2: I have read that to get an estimate of your marathon time, you should take your half marathon time times 2 plus 15 minutes. Ok, doing that estimates that I will finish in 5:40:04. Ouch! That's a little too close for comfort in my opinion

Reality #3: Someone needs to light a fire under my butt and get me running faster!! All you runners out there in blogger land....please help! I am open to any and all suggestions on the best way to do some speed training.

There is a local trainer that is hosting speed work training sessions 1 day a week. I plan on attending at least the first few and see what pointers I can pick up.

I have also read that you speed up about 10 seconds per mile for every 10 lbs you lose. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

On a really good week I'm just under the upper limit of normal for my height and frame. On a really bad week, I'm just over the limit. I could easily lose 20 lbs and still be well within normal for my height. This just might be the motivation I need to kick off those extra pounds.

I can hear the clock beginning it's count down to marathon day in the back of my head.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

4 comments:

  1. Don't stress. I've never heard any weight/speed corrleation so I don't know that you should start dieting. I don't know how to speed train but go to the seminar and see if they have any personal suggests. Have you read Chi running - I hear they have suggestions on speed training.

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  2. I'm running Chicago too this fall! Glad there will be someone else out there this summer struggling with some of the same issues. You may be surprised how many people are running in the 5:30-6:30 hr. range that day.

    To get faster, you have to do speedwork. But if you start to get injured as you pile on the miles, lay off the speed because it just makes an injury worse. There are all kinds of things you can do that will be explained at your trainer session.

    I'm in the same weight situation. I lost 10 pounds training for a marathon I did last weekend, but I want to lose at least 15 more this summer to shave some time off. It only makes sense if you straddle the line that the lighter you are the less you have to move along. Of course, all that conventional wisdom walks out the door when a bowl of ice cream presents itself!

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  3. You know, my training partner used to always say that being lighter makes you faster, but...is it a huge difference? i'm going to guess that it's really negligible.

    most of the literature i've read about speed agrees with anne. the only way to get faster is to run faster. i would definitely go to the training sessions, doing them on your own without guidance is an injury looking for a place to happen. (especially if this is your first full mari)

    as far as loosing weight itself goes, you're going to lose a smidge (or maybe more) as you train. everything i've ever read or been told by coaches supports the either set a training goal OR a weight loss goal, but not to focus on both simultaneuously.

    if you're training hard, you're going to need to fuel yourself appropriately or you're going to up the ante with regard to injury potential.

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  4. I've heard of the weight/speed correlation, and to some extent I'd say it's true... but the times when I've raced when I was lighter, I think being lighter was a direct result of putting more work (miles, harder training) in, not dieting, and the work was most likely what made me go faster. Dieting while training for a marathon isn't the best idea, because your body needs more food, not less, to fuel those extra miles. Just try to make smart choices in the food that you do eat, and keep putting the miles in and you should see some results!

    you'll get faster throughout your training. don't stress too much about it. you're going to be fine!

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