This fat girl runs, breathes and believes

This Fat Girl Runs · 16-04-2015 03:44PM

Pacing Mule wrote: »

This makes no sense to me to be very honest. Would you be willing to post up what a typical 5 small meals day looks like in detail ? I lost a lot of my weight following a concept called slimming world. It's not a diet diet and is more about not eating processed foods and preparing your own. I was still able to eat the likes of burgers and chips, pizza, potatoes and rice and was still losing weight. There would be a few not recommended foods and I am wondering what you are eating for and with the protein.

I knew someone would ask

Ok, here's what my meals today look like:

For breakfast (9am) I had 2 wheatabix with protein milk and a banana. No sugar.
Mid morning snack (11am) was 4 small dates and a small handful of almonds and cashew nuts (we're talking about 6 each).
Lunch (1pm) was a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, turkey, hummous, red pepper, spring onion and jalepenos. I put this together myself, not from a shop.
Mid afternoon snack (4pm) will be natural set yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and chia seeds. (Sometimes I have cottage cheese instead of yoghurt)
Dinner (7.30pm) will be pasta (60g) with tuna mixed with lemon juice and parsley.
I've had two cups of de-caf coffee, one in the morning, one after lunch.

This is a pretty typical day for me.

I don't eat processed foods or if I do, then I buy nothing with ingredients that aren't natural. I particularly love using my slow cooker to make a big batch of soup or stew and have those for my lunch. I cook with lentils alot this way.

Again, I drink about 2-3 litres of water a day, depending on how I'm feeling i.e thirsty or not thirsty!

Now, if anyone has any objections to my eating habits, please be nice about it!! Don't rip into me or anything ok?!

Edit to add: The chia seeds are an experiment, just started trying them recently!

hillsiderunner · 16-04-2015 03:48PM

Bungy Girl wrote: »

The thing with marathons, as many people here myself included have discovered, is the sheer physical distress they can place on your body. And the fact that the distance is unknown, in that you don't cover it in training. With the best will and training in the world things can still go wrong ...

HelenAnne wrote: »

My only piece of advice would be one I'm sure you've heard before - don't have a time in mind, just aim to finish and enjoy your first marathon. I ran my first ( and I'd say last!) marathon in 2013 and I was aiming for a time window, like you. My training / racing implied that I should have made it, but I didn't. I didn't enjoy most of the marathon, and only now (spring 2015) am I getting back to the times I was running for the shorter distances pre marathon training.

HelenAnne wrote: »

God, I would agree with this so much. Enjoyable long runs of up to 22 miles did NOT prepare me for how I felt on marathon day! I thought I was listening to people telling me that, but I didn't KNOW it until I'd done it

Firedance wrote: »

Bungy girl has got this spot on, something that was said over and over to me last year was 'respect the distance, 26.2' I can say hand on heart I did not understand what that meant until after I crossed the finish line, I had run the Athlone 3/4's marathon which is just shy of 20 miles but there was no comparison, either physically or mentally to 26.2.

Hmmmm.... TFGR might not be afraid of the marathon, but I'm beginning to worry now. Had some very enjoyable long runs pre-DCM2014 before I injured myself and had been looking forward to finally getting there this year. If I'm being honest I'd been secretly thinking it'd be a breeze :rolleyes:...

Hijack over.

TFGR, from the position of not-much-knowledge, I thought demfad's suggestion about cycling was a good one. If your body isn't ready for lots of street-pounding, cycling is a less-stressful way to get extra aerobic training in. I did a week-long cycling holiday last summer (50 miles/day for a week or so) and I felt there was an improvement in my running (especially the Long Runs) after I returned from that.

pistol_75 · 16-04-2015 04:07PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I knew someone would ask

Ok, here's what my meals today look like:
For breakfast (9am) I had 2 wheatabix with protein milk and a banana. No sugar.

Mid morning snack (11am) was 4 small dates and a small handful of almonds and cashew nuts (we're talking about 6 each).

Lunch (1pm) was a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, turkey, hummous, red pepper, spring onion and jalepenos. I put this together myself, not from a shop.

Mid afternoon snack (4pm) will be natural set yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and chia seeds. (Sometimes I have cottage cheese instead of yoghurt)

Dinner (7.30pm) will be pasta (60g) with tuna mixed with lemon juice and parsley.

I've had two cups of de-caf coffee, one in the morning, one after lunch.

This is a pretty typical day for me.

I don't eat processed foods or if I do, then I buy nothing with ingredients that aren't natural. I particularly love using my slow cooker to make a big batch of soup or stew and have those for my lunch. I cook with lentils alot this way.

Again, I drink about 2-3 litres of water a day, depending on how I'm feeling i.e thirsty or not thirsty!

Now, if anyone has any objections to my eating habits, please be nice about it!! Don't rip into me or anything ok?!

Edit to add: The chia seeds are an experiment, just started trying them recently!

Hi there,

I'm a recently retired marathon runner that is currently qualifying as a nutritional coach. I agree with what others say about weight loss and how it will make things easier for your training.

There is nothing wrong I would say with most of the above but it is hard to quantify without knowing how much of everything you are eating.

I'm doing case studies at the moment as I end my course and if you are interested feel free to send me a PM and maybe we can review things in a bit more detail. I would need some more information from you and your training log is not the place for those questions.

demfad · 16-04-2015 04:58PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I'm lucky in that I've three colleagues who all ran the marathon last year (and two who ran it previous years). They are all on board for giving me their tips/hints/advice on the course. Reading race reports here and training logs is also a big help.

I know it's a long way, boy do I know! I've been studying the map and watched a video of the route. I'm familiar with the first part of the course (about 10 miles worth) and when I do my long runs I am training on a good stretch of the course. I think the familiarity with some of the route will help in the long run. Opps. I didn't mean to make a pun, honest!

For myself I think it's key to respect the course, but not be afraid of it.

I think you're dead right to focus on the actual route. The more you are familiar with the route and the distance the more you'll get an accurate mental picture of the actual challenge. At some level this will inform your training. You have to be strong to run a marathon but not necessarily fast. Slow, consistant progress is the way to go to get strong.

Small steps. And remember your body doesn't take a step in strenght after a workout. Your body takes that step after you' ve allowed yourself to fully recover from that workout. That's where some very easy aerobic work has a role between workouts.

This Fat Girl Runs · 19-04-2015 04:19PM

Week 3 went pretty well.

Workout 1 was a lot of core/pilates with the added weight of a medicine ball.

Run 1 was a short, hard run. I did my best to increase my pace over a longer distance. Still needs work though.

Run 2 was a short, easy run but it was harder than my previous easy run because my coach wants me to pick the pace up a bit. So my easy runs will be harder and my hard runs, even more hard! I didn't quite get the pace she wanted for this run (I was 15 seconds off) but my splits were all nearly the same (within seconds of each other) so I'm happy with the consistency of my run.

Workout 2 was part assessment, part legs workout, part HIIT. It was good but my legs were sore afterwards! Did a lot of stretching to recover. The assessment was fine and it will be interesting to see the results of my next assessment in a month's time given the level of intensity I'll be adding to my runs and workouts.

Run 3 was a long, easy run. I ended up covering more miles than planned but the last mile was a deliberate cool down and was extraneous to my mileage so I'm not counting that. It was very helpful though so I think I'll do that for all my LSRs. I ran to the Phoenix Park today and then up Chesterfield Avenue. I ended up running the whole thing without actually intending to. But my turnaround point was just so close to the gate that I had to keep going! I did the run a minute slower (pace wise) than I wanted but I know why that happened and I will be able to remedy that for next week's long run.

Total mileage: 12 miles (not counting warm up and cool down miles)

Next week will be more of the same with an increase in mileage again.

Ososlo · 19-04-2015 04:27PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Total mileage: 12 miles (not counting warm up and cool down miles)

Next week will be more of the same with an increase in mileage again.

Why would you not include them? Your warm up and cool down jogs are just as important if not more important than the faster parts of your runs.
I'd definitely include them. I do at least 2 miles warm up and cool down before any faster runs and would always incorporate them into my weekly total.
A very large percentage of my overall weekly mileage would include these easy miles. I think most people (everyone) do(es) the same when they're logging.
Unless you're walking them?

This Fat Girl Runs · 19-04-2015 04:40PM

Ososlo wrote: »

Why would you not include them? Your warm up and cool down jogs are just as important if not more important than the faster parts of your runs.
I'd definitely include them. I do at least 2 miles warm up and cool down before any faster runs and would always incorporate them into my weekly total.
A very large percentage of my overall weekly mileage would include these easy miles. I think most people (everyone) do(es) the same when they're logging.
Unless you're walking them?

Mostly because they are a slow jog or, as you say, walking. For my long run today I jogged about a half mile, then ran my long run, then walked just over a mile home.

Dubgal72 · 19-04-2015 06:05PM

+1, definitely include w/u and cool down, it all does the job

HelenAnne · 19-04-2015 06:23PM

hillsiderunner wrote: »

Hmmmm.... TFGR might not be afraid of the marathon, but I'm beginning to worry now. Had some very enjoyable long runs pre-DCM2014 before I injured myself and had been looking forward to finally getting there this year. If I'm being honest I'd been secretly thinking it'd be a breeze :rolleyes:...

Hijack over.

Sorry! Didn't mean to sound so marathon-negative! If it's any help, out of all my running friends that I know in real life, i just know 2, besides me, who really felt their first marathon was a bit of a disaster. Everyone else seems to have enjoyed it and felt a real sense of achievement!

hillsiderunner · 19-04-2015 08:29PM

HelenAnne wrote: »

Sorry! Didn't mean to sound so marathon-negative! If it's any help, out of all my running friends that I know in real life, i just know 2, besides me, who really felt their first marathon was a bit of a disaster. Everyone else seems to have enjoyed it and felt a real sense of achievement!

Ah, don't worry. You were not the only one to be giving this warning!
I'd been planning this was going to be "my" distance but we'll see

....

This Fat Girl Runs · 19-04-2015 08:35PM

hillsiderunner wrote: »

Ah, don't worry. You were not the only one to be giving this warning!
I'd been planning this was going to be "my" distance but we'll see ....

One guy at work who has run the past 3 marathons had a tough time last year, ended up finishing about 40 minutes after his goal time. Another guy hadn't run the DCM (but has run marathons) before and had no problems. In talking to him he felt that it might have helped him that he didn't know the old route. I'm hoping it will be the same for me!

hillsiderunner · 19-04-2015 08:40PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

One guy at work who has run the past 3 marathons had a tough time last year, ended up finishing about 40 minutes after his goal time. Another guy hadn't run the DCM (but has run marathons) before and had no problems. In talking to him he felt that it might have helped him that he didn't know the old route. I'm hoping it will be the same for me!

Was hot last year ... think I wouldn't have loved that myself. Anyway, distance the main thing to focus on and that's all that can be controlled :cool:.

Chivito550 · 20-04-2015 02:08PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Week 3 went pretty well.

Workout 1 was a lot of core/pilates with the added weight of a medicine ball.

Run 1 was a short, hard run. I did my best to increase my pace over a longer distance. Still needs work though.

Run 2 was a short, easy run but it was harder than my previous easy run because my coach wants me to pick the pace up a bit. So my easy runs will be harder and my hard runs, even more hard! I didn't quite get the pace she wanted for this run (I was 15 seconds off) but my splits were all nearly the same (within seconds of each other) so I'm happy with the consistency of my run.

Workout 2 was part assessment, part legs workout, part HIIT. It was good but my legs were sore afterwards! Did a lot of stretching to recover. The assessment was fine and it will be interesting to see the results of my next assessment in a month's time given the level of intensity I'll be adding to my runs and workouts.

Run 3 was a long, easy run. I ended up covering more miles than planned but the last mile was a deliberate cool down and was extraneous to my mileage so I'm not counting that. It was very helpful though so I think I'll do that for all my LSRs. I ran to the Phoenix Park today and then up Chesterfield Avenue. I ended up running the whole thing without actually intending to. But my turnaround point was just so close to the gate that I had to keep going! I did the run a minute slower (pace wise) than I wanted but I know why that happened and I will be able to remedy that for next week's long run.

Total mileage: 12 miles (not counting warm up and cool down miles)

Next week will be more of the same with an increase in mileage again.

The description of your training workouts are very vague. Any chance you can give more detail (paces, distances, split times etc). At the moment these weekly updates are akin to some sort of free intro to entice one to subscribe to the full package. Are you putting more info on your blog than here? If so, why? This is the place full of the knowledge people. The blog is unlikely to reach out to runners like a boards training log does.

Well done on the mileage increase this week by the way.

This Fat Girl Runs · 20-04-2015 02:38PM

Chivito550 wrote: »

The description of your training workouts are very vague. Any chance you can give more detail (paces, distances, split times etc). At the moment these weekly updates are akin to some sort of free intro to entice one to subscribe to the full package. Are you putting more info on your blog than here? If so, why? This is the place full of the knowledge people. The blog is unlikely to reach out to runners like a boards training log does.

Well done on the mileage increase this week by the way.

Your post seems to have disappeared. But anyway, thank you.

And no, I'm not posting any training on my blog.

I'm keeping it vague mostly to prevent people from jumping on me saying I'm too slow and thus too stupid in trying to train for a marathon. I just don't have time for the mental effort it takes to block out all the 'you're too slow/fat/etc to run a marathon' comments.

I know I'm slow NOW but all this is going to help me get faster for longer. And even if I end up not running the marathon, all this training is of benefit anyway, right?

I wouldn't mind posting my times/splits etc if I knew people would be nice with their criticism of it. Please understand, I'm ok with critiques, just so long at they are useful and constructive. I'm just too afraid of getting more of the cutting/abrupt ones!

On that note, may I ask people if you use protein shakes or powders at all? Especially for recovery? What kind do you use? Do you find they work? How often would you take some?

Ososlo · 20-04-2015 02:55PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Your post seems to have disappeared. But anyway, thank you.

And no, I'm not posting any training on my blog.

I'm keeping it vague mostly to prevent people from jumping on me saying I'm too slow and thus too stupid in trying to train for a marathon. I just don't have time for the mental effort it takes to block out all the 'you're too slow/fat/etc to run a marathon' comments.

I know I'm slow NOW but all this is going to help me get faster for longer. And even if I end up not running the marathon, all this training is of benefit anyway, right?

I wouldn't mind posting my times/splits etc if I knew people would be nice with their criticism of it. Please understand, I'm ok with critiques, just so long at they are useful and constructive. I'm just too afraid of getting more of the cutting/abrupt ones!

On that note, may I ask people if you use protein shakes or powders at all? Especially for recovery? What kind do you use? Do you find they work? How often would you take some?

The bolded bit: I really think you're wrong here. Nobody and I mean nobody here cares how slow you are or I am or anybody else is. They really don't. All people care about is to see you put in a good honest effort and you're doing that. People probably would like to see you lose weight along the way as they know it'll be an easier task on the day if you're a lot lighter so the posts regarding weight are just out of concern. You'll be much less injury prone if you're lighter.

People would probably like to see your splits to ensure you're running at the correct effort (for your level). A lot of novice marathon runner run most of their easy runs too hard and it's good to nip this in the bud at this early stage.

I don't think you need protein shakes with the amount of running you're currently doing. You should be getting plenty from your food and have a little extra after your long or harder runs (within 20 mins of finishing the run) and a bit of carbohydrate too. When you get to 15-20 mile runs you might require a bit more to aid recovery and shakes can be handy at that point but you certainly don't need them.

You'll get great support and advice on the Novices Thread once it starts up but no harm reading through the first few posts of last year's thread so you're ahead of the game.

Dubgal72 · 20-04-2015 05:44PM

+1 to Ososlo's post, couldn't have put it better myself

When you get to the long-long runs, I suspect you might prefer to go for 'real food' replacements? I find these shakes can be full of chemical crap. I like homemade chocolate milk and a handful of mixed nuts and raisins within 20 mins of a really tough workout or long run.

davedanon · 20-04-2015 08:24PM

I like homemade chocolate milk.

Sounds good. Is it handy to make? I just get Mooju from Super Valu. It's the bizzo.

Dubgal72 · 20-04-2015 08:48PM

davedanon wrote: »

I like homemade chocolate milk.

Sounds good. Is it handy to make? I just get Mooju from Super Valu. It's the bizzo.

Yeah, really easy to make; milk, pure colombian cocoa powder and honey according to taste. I suppose you could mess around with a thickener/carrageen or something but it's working ok so far. A work in progress I suppose

This Fat Girl Runs · 21-04-2015 04:01PM

Ok, after this week I'll post more detail about my runs.

Re chocolate milk, I don't eat chocolate so that's a no-go for me. I do drink protein milk though, and have nuts and dates as my mid-morning snack; they are a staple of my day!

I average about 1700-1800 calories a day, from healthy, non-processed foods, but I need more protein. I just can't see how I can possibly eat more food than I'm already eating!

menoscemo · 21-04-2015 04:15PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

Re chocolate milk, I don't eat chocolate so that's a no-go for me. I do drink protein milk though, and have nuts and dates as my mid-morning snack; they are a staple of my day!

You can get strawberry/banana etc flavoured milk too if you don't like chocolate although I am sure protein milk does the same job (if a little more expensive)!!. Just a normal glass of milk and a banana works fine too.

You are best to get quick acting, high GI carbs into you as well as protein straight after a very long run. In those cases sugar is actually best, so otherwise 'unhealthy' foods are actually the best thing as long as you get them in within a short time after finishing your run.
By long run I am talking 2hrs+, I don't really think there is any need for protein or supplements such as choc milk until your long run is that duration.

This Fat Girl Runs · 21-04-2015 04:54PM

menoscemo wrote: »

You can get strawberry/banana etc flavoured milk too if you don't like chocolate although I am sure protein milk does the same job (if a little more expensive)!!. Just a normal glass of milk and a banana works fine too.

You are best to get quick acting, high GI carbs into you as well as protein straight after a very long run. In those cases sugar is actually best, so otherwise 'unhealthy' foods are actually the best thing as long as you get them in within a short time after finishing your run.
By long run I am talking 2hrs+, I don't really think there is any need for protein or supplements such as choc milk until your long run is that duration.

All of the above = Good to know! Thank you!

Is there a healthier way to get those high GI carbs without sugar? Or a natural sugar like fruit? I usually have a banana with peanut butter after a long run (which for me at the moment is just over an hour).

menoscemo · 21-04-2015 05:17PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

All of the above = Good to know! Thank you!

Is there a healthier way to get those high GI carbs without sugar? Or a natural sugar like fruit? I usually have a banana with peanut butter after a long run (which for me at the moment is just over an hour).

In those circumstances (your body needs glycogen resynthesis) sugar is the healthiest option as far as I know given that sugars are the simplest carbs for your body to absorb. For example energy gels are pure sugar, no different to a pack of jellies but easier for your body to digest.

Afaik Even paleo enthusiasts who theorise on endurance running recommend simple sugars after intense or extended periods of running.

annapr · 21-04-2015 07:49PM

I read somewhere that an apple is ideal after a run. Gives you the sugars as well as other good stuff. I'll have to find the reference.

Have you been trying to lose weight or actually losing weight? Just your daily calorie intake is quite low, especially now you are exercising more.

davedanon · 21-04-2015 09:22PM

As far as I'm aware, 'natural' sugars are the same as sugar.

Firedance · 21-04-2015 11:07PM

davedanon wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, 'natural' sugars are the same as sugar.

I guess the benefits of 'natural' sugars are they usually come with other nutrients? apples, oranges, bananas etc all contain other vital vitamins & minerals that the icky gels we use for marathon training just don't have. Its something I've been looking at (haven't found an answer yet!) as I swore I would never eat another gel again after last years marathon training!! Honey is another one I've seen mentioned. It might be possible to make something up with honey & peanut butter but needs a bit more research.. As meno said though you don't need to think about that until your long runs are up to 2 hours.

This Fat Girl Runs · 21-04-2015 11:19PM

davedanon wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, 'natural' sugars are the same as sugar.

I'm thinking natural sugar as in what's found in fruit and such. Not in processed foods using refined sugar. I should have been more clear on that.

This Fat Girl Runs · 21-04-2015 11:22PM

annapr wrote: »

I read somewhere that an apple is ideal after a run. Gives you the sugars as well as other good stuff. I'll have to find the reference.

Have you been trying to lose weight or actually losing weight? Just your daily calorie intake is quite low, especially now you are exercising more.

I'm not trying to lose weight specifically. My calorie intake is low and that's after I've been working over the last few months to increase it. I don't see how I can eat any more than I already do but I know the low calories is a problem for my level of activity. That's why I was asking about protein shakes. I thought it might be an easier way to get the calories instead of having to choke down more food!

menoscemo · 21-04-2015 11:23PM

This Fat Girl Runs wrote: »

I'm thinking natural sugar as in what's found in fruit and such. Not in refined/processed foods. I should have been more clear on that.

Eating fruit itself is fine, but once you take the sugar out of the fruit and put it somewhere else (Fructose I think?) it's just as bad as table sugar.

Remember table sugar also comes from a plant, it's just as natural as fruit sugar.

Stheno · 21-04-2015 11:27PM

Out of curiosity what is your height and weight?

Hard to believe at your activity level that you are fat/obese

This Fat Girl Runs · 21-04-2015 11:49PM

menoscemo wrote:

Eating fruit itself is fine, but once you take the sugar out of the fruit and put it somewhere else (Fructose I think?) it's just as bad as table sugar.

Oh, that's not what I meant. I mean sugars in their natural state i.e in fruit or natural, unprocessed foods.

This fat girl runs, breathes and believes

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