Posts: 4
9/6/11 6:31 P

Thanks for the advice! I have read 4 months to 4 hours and it killed me to see how many 22+ mile long run days, I would actually have to run. Since I started trying to come back into running, its so much harder than it was before.. Im not as patient with myself. I think for now, I will work on a 5K goal then 10K then half-marathon goal for the next year. I would rather have a good time for a race than just finish. My husband never trained for the same marathon and ran it, then ran Goofy's 39.3 and finished, but I always told him that it's one thing to finish and another to finish in a good time. I will be taking my own advice now and keep my goals reachable with hard work. I think it would be great for me to run a 5k in less than 30 mins, rather than go out and run 15 miles, just cause I can... I look forward to getting a lot of advice in here and from you... I need to forget things I think I know and have a clean slate :)

current weight: 222.0

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SparkPoints: (75,394)
Fitness Minutes: (30,337)
Posts: 30,745
9/6/11 10:07 A

Welcome to Sparkpeople. Be sure to take advantage of all the great free online sources available here, such as the nutrition and fitness trackers. Also, the online community is great. We are all here to offer support when you need it, or celebrate your successes with you.

Here are some links that will help you navigate the site and get started!

* SparkPeople's User Guide:
www.sparkpeople.com/resource/user_guide_AL
L.pdf

* New Member Tutorial Videos:
www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_ar
ticles.asp?id=571

* For Additional Motivation:
www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation.as
p

Take this first week to familiarize yourself with the tools here. Once you get used to using them, it becomes easier to use them even when you are busy. Personally, I spent my first week learning to use the tools, and just tracking everything I was already eating and doing for exercise. It gave me a baseline to work from. It also gave me a chance to really decide what my goals were, and how to get there.

This site can only provide the support and the tools to reach these goals. You need to put the hard work in. Personally, I end up kicking my own butt every day. Feel free to check out my blogs to see how I kick my butt out the door to get my fitness in. I can tell you, once I am finished with my exercise for the day, I feel great. No more I should do this and I should do that. Instead, I feel accomplished, and able to relax and enjoy the rest of my day.

Yep. I'm also a slow fat runner. I'm running my first marathon in October this year. Getting nervous...

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Posts: 4,174
9/5/11 7:36 P

Hi, Lindsay, and welcome!

Congrats on your new baby. :)

Trying to drop 2 hours off your marathon finish time will take time, and you need to reconcile yourself to not trying to push too hard too soon. Otherwise, you'll be setting yourself up for injury. That said, you'll be trying to drop from a 13/M (13-min mile) to a 9:22/M. Depending upon your own talent, biomechanics, training, etc., you'll need to set realistic goals.

To run faster, you need:
- quicker foot turnover
- hill training
- interval training
- efficient recovery periods

There's a book called, "4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon," by David Khuels, that you should probably read. It has a complete training plan to get you to your 4 hour goal.

Even if you don't make it in 12 months, if you follow the plan, albeit rather aggressive, you'll have trained well, built your base, increased your pace, and can look forward to making that goal. A very experienced marathoner friend of mine didn't make her 4 hour goal until after 2 years and several marathons and half marathons back-to-back - and she spent the past few months healing from stress fractures.

So, be careful!

Edited by: ACORALSEA at: 9/6/2011 (20:28)

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Posts: 31,975
9/5/11 5:49 P

Welcome, Lindsay! Congratulations on becoming a mother! How cool that you're focusing on health and goals so quickly - some mothers lose focus for a while. Good for you!

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Posts: 4
9/5/11 5:27 P

Hello, just introducing myself here.. I have been a slow fat runner for about 18 months now. completed several half marathons and my first full marathon last october, then got pregnant in november. I completely stopped running this january... My second daughter is 6 weeks old, today, and have been slowly getting back into running. Or walking.. or jogging? newho, I want to get faster and thinner and stronger so here I am again! :)
I will be signing up for some 5Ks pretty soon, I really want to start a good base of speed work. I need to push myself harder than I did last year. I completed my first marathon in 6 hours and want to run my second october 2012 within 4 hours. Its a huge goal, but I know what I have to do.. and then I just have to make myself do it!
Anyone else in the same canoe as me?
Lindsay

current weight: 222.0

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